Bella“You let her leave.” I whisper from my spot on the floor. Every inch of me burned. It was different from being in heat. This felt like I had walked through fire. Like I had just stood in the flames as they licked my body. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to move. The tiled floor was cold and it eased the burning.“Someone needs to tell that bastard.” Aiden snaps as he crouches by me. His hand grazes my face and his brow wrinkles into a frown. I had seen that look before. Not since we were mated, but I had seen it. The look that said he was disgusted with me.“They didn’t shift.” I mutter. “Christian and Myra, they didn’t shift.”“It doesn’t matter.” He rises up, looking around at the mess.But it did. Why didn’t they? They could have fought back. Aiden and Leighton were in chains. Why didn’t they fight back?“Can you stand?” Aiden asks, he sounded hollow.I glance at Leighton. Connor was asleep, curled into him with his head resting on Leightons shoulder. At least I had saved him
Aiden The hate and the anger made me feel like I did when Ivy died all those years ago. An empty hole had been created in my heart. I tear through the house, looking for my father and my mother. There were no signs of them anywhere. I knew my father was dead. I felt the shift of power. But mum, there was every chance she was still alive. Would Linc really have let someone kill a pregnant woman? He had adored my mum. Leighton is in the kitchen alone. “Where’s Bella?” I ask, looking around the room. “She left.” He doesn’t quite meet my gaze. “What do you mean, she left?” “She took Connor and left.” “When?” “About an hour ago, when you were stomping around the house." “Why didn’t you stop her? I asked you to keep her safe.” “Safe from them or from you?” He mutters, glaring at me. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” “She’s right, isn’t she? She has to be, she can sense what you are feeling.” “Leighton?” I snap “You blame her for what has happened.” “What? No I don’t.
Bella“Why did you burn them?” Amanda asks as I concentrate on the road.I wasn’t a driver and the last thing I needed to do was kill us all. Especially as the rain appeared to be getting heavier by the second.“It’s what the King does.” I mutter as the car slides around the corner. I hadn't thought about it. After the attack it just seemed like the logical thing to do. Burn the evidence.“Your Wolf is massive.”“I know.”“Why?”“I don’t know. I wasn’t even sure if I could shift.”"But you did and there were so many of them.""I know, I was there." The Rogues had just kept coming. One after another, attacking us from all angles. I was exhausted, but I couldn't stop.“I miss being able to shift.” she muttersI would probably have said the same if it had been taken away from me completely. Yet, somehow, the drug never had a lasting effect. And I still didn't know why.“Does he have a name?” I mutter as she keeps her child clutched to her chest.“No, I’ve been too scared to name him, j
Aiden“What do you mean by ‘he’s there’? Who?” I demand“That’s all she said.” Leighton mutters. “Where is ‘there’?” I shouldn’t have to ask him to give me all the information.“I don’t know. She didn’t say anything else. And she won’t answer me.”Whatever it was, it didn’t feel like she was scared. There wasn’t an ounce of panic in our bond. But it still frustrated me how she thought she could handle everything on her own. She didn't have to anymore.“Do you think she is talking about Linc? She’s never met the guy. How would she know it’s even him?”He stares straight at me, cocking an eyebrow. “Because he is the one responsible for all of this! What other man could it be? Cedric is dead, Christian is dead. Her father is dead. It’s kinda obvious who it is.”“Right.” I mutter in annoyance. “Just go and get one of the cars. I have to find her.”He shakes his head at me and hurries away, back into the forest.‘Bella?’ I try linking her again. She was still closed off, refusing to talk
BellaI don’t know how long I was asleep before I wake to find Aiden staring at me. His arm draped over my waist, his fingers slowly circling my skin just above my hip. He was warm and comforting, it overrode the anger I had towards him and I hated it. Why would the Moon Goddess create such a bond? Why would she make women feel the need to be safely wrapped in a man’s arms? Like we were unable to defend ourselves?“What are you doing?” I whisper with frustration in the dark bedroom. I was well aware Connor was asleep nearby and didn’t want to wake him.“You were….”“Don’t do that. Don’t blame my nightmares. Don’t use them as an excuse.”I lift his arm off of my waist and slide out from underneath it. Tiptoeing across the room. I check on Connor. He was still fast asleep but he was in a different outfit to what I had put him to bed in.“I was trying to say that you have been asleep for almost forty eight hours.” Aiden whispers.“What?” I was so confused. “Forty eight hours?” It didn’t
Aiden.Her golden orbs lock onto mine. Her lips press tightly together as she stares at me. The longer she stares without saying anything, the more it makes me feel uncomfortable. Maybe I had pushed it too far this time.As usual, her emotions seem to be all over the place. Never hanging on to one long enough for me to know how she felt.It took me long enough to realise that she had spent her childhood, bottling up every emotion she felt. Never truly being allowed to experience something because she would be punished for it. The result was her not being able to deal with certain situations.I needed her to talk to me.She glances down at my hand curled around her wrist. She doesn’t tug it away like she had been doing.Slowly, her eyebrows knit together until she is scowling. “Let go.”“Not until you talk to me!”She twists her arm, trying to escape my grip. My hand wasn’t gripping her tight enough to cause any burns, but it also wasn’t loose enough for her to easily get away.“I’ve s
BellaI find myself just staring at the mug of hot chocolate. I had placed it on the desk in the bedroom and sat in the chair, staring at it, like it was going to explode at any moment. It was a simple gesture on his behalf, but one that means alot to me. It smelt like him. There’s a soft knock on the door. When I don’t respond, the handle starts to turn and the door creaks open.Amanda smiles at me. “I just wanted to check that you were okay after everything.”“He didn’t come, if that’s what you are asking?”She places a hand on her chest. “Thank the Goddess for that!”She steps further into the room and quietly closes the door. Her brown eyes scan the room as if she is waiting for someone to jump out on her.“Did you ever meet him?” I ask. She didn't talk about her time in the dungeons, but then neither did I.“Linc? No. I saw the inside of the dungeons and the inside of a small room. I was then moved to a house, full of other pregnant women. We never got to see the man behind it a
AidenBella takes a moment to process what I had said. We both knew I was right. If she was going to kill me, she would have already tried, regardless of the request Linc had made. She wouldn’t have killed me because someone else wanted me dead, it would have been because she wanted me dead.She puffs out her cheeks “Maybe you are right.”‘You once told me that you would kill me in my sleep. Yet I will happily lay next to you, knowing full well that you won’t.’ I mutter through mind link‘So I have to talk to you this way all the time now?’‘Not all the time, just about the stuff we don’t want Amanda hearing.’Her head bobs up and down ‘I can do that.’She continues to study me. Her mind was still chaotic and as usual impossible to read. I wondered sometimes if she was like that so no one could get into her head. Always thinking, always planning. The times it was quietest was when she slept against my chest. But she rarely had what I would consider happy memories.“I’m still annoyed.”
Bella It was a strange few days, watching Aiden put plans in place. I knew where we were going, he had made that clear and I couldn’t wait. I had never felt more at peace than when we were in the forest and I couldn't wait to show the boys. “That’s all my stuff packed.” Katie whispers as she drops one last box into the back of Leightons van. I had barely seen her smile recently, unless it was a front she was putting on for Flynn. But a natural smile just didn’t seem to exist anymore. I hoped she would get past her mothers death. “You don’t have to come.” I say for the hundredth time. “Yes I do. Leighton says that he won’t leave me, but he won’t leave you either. nd you are the closest thing I have to family besides Flynn." There was a strange tone in her voice. One that I hadn’t heard from her before. “Are you mad?” “No…I just….” She tucks her blonde hair behind her ears and scans the grounds looking for someone. “Leighton’s inside with Aiden. If that’s who you are looking for
Aiden“Well she has to be wrong?!” Leighton shoves his hands in his pockets, completely unfathomed by what I had told him.“Why would she kill herself? Why would she tell me all that if she is lying and then stop her own heart? what would be the point?”“Guilt,” he shrugs his shoulders. “She knew you wouldn’t let her get away alive.”I groan and lean back in my chair, resting my hands behind my head as I stare up at the ceiling.“Bella’s with Katie?”He nods at me. “They are trying to decide on the best way to tell Flynn. Chances are, he already knows.” He studies me. “This is a good thing. The problem dealt with itself. You should be happy. But you’re not, are you?”“No.”“He’s a pup, what harm can he do?”“He won’t be a pup for long. You know as well as I do, he will be fully grown by the time his first birthday comes around. And I can’t help wondering if Eden was right.”“It’s not the first time we have been screwed over by a witch that has been spouting off a load of crap.” Leight
AidenI was grateful for the change of pace, standing guard of my own packhouse. The peace and quiet gave me time to think, to put a plan in place. To decide what’s best for my family.It was dark outside, and the clouds above us were thick. Unusually, you couldn’t see many stars. A storm was brewing, I could smell it in the air.I look at the other Hybrids, Wolves and Lycans that are standing guard. All giving up their own time to either protect my home or theirs. No one moves, everyone is as still as a statue, alert and prepared.I knew Eden was coming back. I knew this storm that was brewing above us was not a natural storm. And everyone else did too. That’s why the chatter had stopped and that’s why everyone is so alert. She was trying to mess with our senses.“You should go inside.” Rhys whispers next to me. “You are the King, and you and I both know she will target you.”“I have to do this.” I mutter back.“What about Bella and your son?”“I’m doing this for them.”He nods his h
BellaThe Omega leaves me with the three boys. While Connor and Cayden were messing around trying to bounce on the bed, Flynn just stares out the window, his small hand coiled up in the curtain.Stepping next to him, his eyes don’t leave the window. I assumed he was looking for his mother.‘You don’t need to be scared.’ I link him, knowing it was the only way to talk to him.‘I’m not.’ His small voice answers me back‘Why didn’t you tell everyone that you were still seeing your mum?’ I was curious. If it hadn’t been for Cayden, we would never have known.He wrinkles up his nose. ‘Is she in trouble?’‘She is.’I watch his shoulders drop a little and his eyes flicker up to me. ‘Katie says we shouldn’t lie.’‘Your sister is very smart.’ I smileA small smile appears on his lips. ‘She’s the best. She looks after me.'I couldn’t agree more. She was a good friend too.‘Do you know where your mum is?’ I ask calmly, hoping that if he knew, he would tell me but I didn't want to push him, he wa
AidenI was trying to keep my mate focussed. But I couldn’t help but be curious about the shifter's words. Had Bella really been born as a pup? Creedance hadn’t said anything when we had interrogated him, but then he had never said that Bella was a twin either.Looking around the room, blood was sprayed all up the walls and across the carpet. The shifters decapitated body discarded on the floor. Leighton was holding Katie against his chest, running his fingers through her blood stained blonde hair, muttering reassuring words but his eyes were on me. I knew why. Being born in pup form was extremely rare, there had only ever been a handful of recordings in history. And all were female, and all with a power unlike anyone else's. They just needed to learn to tap into it. If it was true about Bella, she was more powerful than we realised.Everything was starting to fall into place. The size of her Wolf, the delayed first shift, her need to protect the vulnerable, and why Selene was so des
Bella“Christian. Christian is fucking dead. I ripped him and his Rogues apart.” I spit“Yes, I remember it well.” She smiles. “You really are something else. He said you were special and yet I was always sceptical until I saw you that day. And what a magnificent Wolf you are, wasting no time to shred him to pieces. I was livid and yet mesmerised. You really could have provided him with a brilliant child.” she laughs, wiping her chin and spitting more blood on the floor.“You watched?” I mutter, wondering where she had been.“Like I said, I was fascinated.”“So how do you plan on carrying out Christian’s work? All those women got away. And do you really expect me to let you leave, alive?”“Did they get away?” Cassie mocks as she leans her back against the wall, smiling to herself. So much had gone on that I hadn’t even had a chance to find any of the women that Aiden and Leighton helped to escape. I had no idea about their children, I had no idea about any of them. They had been taken
Bella“Is he serious? Is he really expecting us to believe that he hasn’t done something to my Dad?”I watch Katie pace. Her arms swinging frantically at her sides, her hands are clenched into tight balls. I knew Katie, she was never angry, emotional yes, frantic sometimes, but angry is not something I usually see. If I hadn’t dragged her out of the lounge, I was certain she would have attacked someone. I wondered if it was what Aiden saw when he looked at me sometimes.“You are right.” I mutter. “Something doesn’t seem right.”“So you agree?” She stops and stares at meSlowly, I nod my head. Eli’s words, his denial, something just seemed off.“You should tell them. Flynn, Connor and Cayden are all down there with him.”“And so is Aiden and Leighton. Trust me, he is not getting anywhere near the boys.”She starts pacing again and I try to hold in the laugh. It was funny, we all did it when we were frustrated, like it was drummed into us how to react when we were overwhelmed.“He said
Leighton“What do you mean you can’t tell us?” Katie ask as I push bookcases in front of the windows.“Is it Aiden?” Bella queries.I turned around to look at them. Katie had her arms folded across her chest while Bella stood with her hands on her hips. Both of them glaring at me.“Aiden is fine. I’ve been ordered to not let you out of the room and to ensure you are all protected.”"You know I can shift, right?" Bell mutters, rolling her eyes“But why?” Katie frowns at me. Feeling all her emotions was still taking a lot of getting used too. Yes I’ve always been able to scent changes in peoples moods, but feeling them when your mate can be an emotional wreck was hard.“Yes, I know you can shift Bella. They were Aiden’s orders. I don’t know any more than what he has told me. He said he would talk to us when he gets back.”“Back from where? Leighton you are being very secretive!” Bella scowls at me.“I’ve told you everything I know. Aiden is with Rhys, he isn’t alone. You know as well as
AidenI knew Bella would be losing all sense of being calm, I just had to hope that Leighton and Katie could keep her in the house. That Leighton would use his Beta skills to stop her from coming after me.Guards surrounded the pack house while others were already searching houses, looking for Eli.Katie had said that Leighton could still scent Eden. That she had tried covering her scent but had been watching them as they talked.Sniffing the air, I can’t scent her, not immediately. I look around at the guards who are watching me with interest. Some of them were Hybrids, they would be able to scent her too, but they were holding their places as ordered.“Rhys!”I call him forward seeing as he was watching me the most. He jogs towards me, a wide smile on his face. The guards that had been stood either side of him take a step toward each other, covering the gap that Rhys had left.“Yes Alpha.”“Have there been any sightings of either of them?”“The Witch,” He whispers, “is watching at a