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.”
BellaDanica keeps talking through her tears. Blabbering on about how she is sorry as she rocks my brother in her arms.Aiden keeps her talking, though she was starting to slip. Information leaking through the gaps as she is no longer able to keep up with her own lies.“Were you told to say that?” I ask as I keep my eyes firmly on my brother. He was relaxed in her grip. It made sense, she was his mother. But her finger tips are pure white. Holding onto him like he was going to be taken from her at any second or that he was some kind of prized possession. “No, I had to tell you. You have been so kind to me, both of you, Leighton too.”“Why did you wait so long?” Aiden demands. “Why didn’t you come clean before?”She looks down at Connor, kissing the top of his head. She rests her cheek on him, closing her eyes as she sways side to side.“You’ve known me for a long time, Bella.”“What the hell are you talking about?”Her blue eyes go to Aiden, “You too. You just didn’t know me other th
Bella“Pain?” I mutter. “Haven’t you caused him enough pain, you killed his sister, you killed his father. You hold his mother hostage.”His dark eyes bore into mine. His deathly smell felt like it was sucking my soul from me.“It’s not enough, Bella. Oh no, it's not nearly enough.”Not enough, how could it be not enough?“You said you killed your mate!” I splutter "It wasn't Aiden."“That is correct. She was the first love of my life. Intriguing and frustrating. I killed her to protect Lilah. We have discussed this.”“What does that have to do with Aiden? If you are the one who killed her.”“I never said it has anything to do with my first love.”Glancing back at Aiden, I was desperate for him to wake up. Neither of them were telling me the truth but I needed to know what it was that Aiden did. What could it have been for Linc to take revenge like this?“He didn’t kill your mate, but he killed someone you loved. Someone close to you.”“And the little Wolf figures it out!” He smiles a
AidenHer golden eyes shine bright as she gazes back at me. All this time, she had kept fighting. Trying to overcome the odds. Even when things were rough, she tried something else. Yet, now she seemed prepared to give up, like she had decided dying was the only option. It wasn’t like her and if I couldn’t scent our bond, I would have been sure a Shifter was standing in front of me, not the Bella I know.“You have your Wolf. He doesn’t know what your Wolf looks like.” I try, hoping that she would find the fight she usually had.She slowly nods but doesn’t speak. Rising to her feet, she heads to the door. “I’m going to check on Connor.”“Sure, I will check on Theo.”She scowls. “Theo isn’t here.”“What are you talking about? Are you trying to say he got up and walked away?” I smile, trying to break the tension.She looks down and blicks a few times,“Um, he took Theo. Theo is his son.”“I thought….”“We all thought that Christian was the father, because that's what Aman…Danica told us.
Bella“And the voices you are hearing are the Wolves, Lycans and Hybrids that are ….”“I don’t want to hear voices!” I mutter, covering my ears with my hands. But no matter how tightly I pushed my hands against my ears, they were still there. I could understand how people went crazy.He pulls my hands away, “You learn to block them out. That’s what my mum did. That’s what I do.”“And I’m really the Queen?”He points to the small crescent on his neck. “You marked the King.” He mutters with a smile.“But Lilah is still alive?”“Yes, but it doesn’t work like that. The blood of a King resides in the men of he family, not mum. She became Queen by marking my father.”“So Halle would never have officially become Queen?”He shakes his head, “As much as she wanted it, no. Though I was prepared to let her have control.”“Right. But we talked about this. Being a Queen wasn’t…..”He cocks an eyebrow at me and I didn’t know how to finish the sentence. I was someone who had a terrible childhood. I
Bella“What are you doing to me?” The icy cold of his touch was spreading through my arm. He had touched me before, but it wasn’t like this. He had done something by gripping my wrist. Some kind of poison from his touch.“Let go of me!”“Call him!” Linc demands.I try to peel his icy fingers from my skin.“Call him!” He demands again. “Let him see what happens to you.”I close my mouth and stare into his insanely dark eyes. I had to keep calm. If Aiden felt one ounce of my worry he would be out here. I couldn't think about it either or he would know.“Do as you are told!” He snaps and tightens his grip on my wrist.My heart rhythm steadies as I stare at him. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me in pain. “Why did you kidnap Amelia?”His lip twitches as he glares at me.It had to have something to do with me. Something Aiden said, about us being the same age. But if she was kidnapped when she was two, there would be no way that she would know her full name. Unless th
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