AidenHer growl is deep, almost as if she was close to shifting. Bella glares at him with her golden eyes as he takes another step towards us. The Rogues close in behind him, creating a tight, shoulder to shoulder circle that we were unlikely to break through. And I had lost sight of Leighton.“Where’s the Queen?” Bella growls at him.“Are you ready?” Christian asks her.Bella’s eyes flicker to me. I feel the link open between us.‘You won’t get out of here alive if I don’t go.’ Her voice is barely a whisper.‘No.’‘It’s the only way, Aiden. Do you still have my watch?’‘Yes’.‘Then you can find me. But you need the Queen for your father’s sake.’“Stop chatting between yourselves!” Christian snarls“Where’s the Queen?” Bella asks again. “If you have her, I will come.”Bella lets go of my hand and takes a step forward.“Only in exchange for the Queen.”Christian clicks his fingers. He keeps his eyes on Bella.The Rogues separate and let another Rogue through. It’s carrying my unconscio
BellaThe Rogue carries me for hours. We had split from Christian shortly after leaving the hospital. Heading in completely different directions.He grunts as he carries me through the trees. His feet expertly navigated the forest like he had been here many times before.But why had he separated from Christian?After a while, I begin to notice that we are travelling in a figure of eight. Looping around and crossing back over the same path that we had already travelled.He does this a few more times before lowering me to the ground. He stares at me with his yellow eyes. I choose to keep my mouth closed. I needed to be aware of what was happening and I couldn't do that if I was talking.Christian steps between the trees. His lips curved up into a smile. He strides forwards with his hands behind his back. “Smart move.” He mutters when he is standing in front of me. “I didn’t think you would go through with it.”“She’s the Queen.” “I didn’t think you cared much about them.”I just glare
Aiden“Mum, you are not making any sense.” Halle mumbles. “How can Bella be the key?”“She’s important to him.”It had taken hours for her to be lucid. Her mutterings had made no sense. Yet Bella’s name always came up.“Why?” I ask, desperate for more information about my mate.She shakes her head. Her raven hair falls from the band in her hair and drops over her shoulders. “I don’t know. He talks about her alot.”“What does he say?”My mother stares at me blankly. She screws up her face as she thinks. “She’s important.”I frown. “You have already said that, but I need to know why she is important.”“He wants her.”I felt like we were going around in circles and not making any progress. I look over to my father who hadn’t said much since discovering my mother was pregnant. He glares back at me with his blue eyes.“Mum,” Halle whispers. “What do you remember?”My mothers eyes dance around the room. They settle on my father for just a moment before shifting to Halle.“I can’t shift.” s
BellaI lost count of how many times I was pulled from my room for questioning.Christian would ask the same question in multiple ways ‘What do you want, Bella?’ As if I was going to give him the answer he was looking for.He would threaten me with the dungeons or branding me with a hot poker. He tried to scare me in whatever way he could. The longer I held my silence, the more frustrated he became.I was paraded in front of the Rogues, like some kind of fancy dessert. Christian at my side, his arm looped with mine because my hands were bound together.“I can hand you over to them if you like.” He whispers into my ear. “Though there isn’t much meat on you.”It hits me hard. I hadn’t even thought about the ones who didn’t get pregnant. They were fed to the Rogues. What better way was there to get rid of women who knew their secret.As he continues to walk me between the row of Rogues, I keep my eyes ahead. There were more than before. Their numbers seemed to be growing.“I can give you
Aiden‘Aiden?’ She whispers back.‘Are you okay?’ I ask, it was a stupid question, of course she wasn’t okay. She was being held hostage. But just hearing her voice gave me hope.‘I will be when Christian is dead.’ she mutters back.‘We have the house surrounded.’‘Don’t! It’s not safe here. There are more Rogues than before. An army. He’s planning something big.’‘Bella, there is no one guarding the house. I used your watch to track you down.’‘Be careful.” she mumbles. I could feel her fear. Something was wrong. ‘Just….Once again, it’s like she has fallen off the Earth. The very presence of her is wiped out. Just seconds and I had lost contact with her again.I glance at Leighton. "She's been drugged."“Again?” He asks“They don’t want me to find her.” I mutter as I glance down at her watch. She was definitely here. The tracker was moving back and forth, just like how she paced when she was frustrated. “Christian obviously knows that whatever he is giving her, wears off. He will ke
BellaI had heard him. For a fleeting moment, I felt calm. That there would be a way out of this mess. That somehow, he was coming for me.In no time, his voice fades. And that calm feeling is stripped from my body. But it was more than that this time and I didn't know what.Becca had been watching me as I spoke to him, she had shifted to her human form and had a towel wrapped around her middle. She had been standing, with her hands behind her back, watching me as the wounds on my stomach fighted to knit together. She had only stayed because the doctor had asked her too. I thought she wanted the same things as I did. I thought she was on my side, until, out of nowhere, she stabbed me with that syringe.It was different from the one that had been jabbed in the neck. It stung and forced me back onto the bed. Pain creeps in through my body.“Go away.” I mutter through gritted teeth.She stands there, staring at me“Get out!” I growl as I clutch my stomach. Whatever was in that syringe,
AidenI had only just managed to get away. Disappearing into the trees before they appeared.I climbed the nearest tree, following what Bella would have done. Keeping out of sight as Leighton stayed behind.He told me he would distract them. He hadn’t even put up a fight as the Rogues dragged him away, but before I escaped, he told me he would buy me time so that we could figure out where Bella really was.From the top of the tree, I watched as several Rogues file out of the house, one after the other. They nod at the Doctor who backs out of the way. I could connect to them if I wanted too, but I was more interested in their feet. Before he was dragged away, they had surrounded Leighton. Not being careful where they planted their feet. We had only just got past the final row of bombs and yet they were standing right on top of them. Unphased.Not a single explosion.It was another trick, to keep the pregnant women from straying. A mind game of Christians, to inflict more fear.As the
Bella“TRAITOR!” I yell at the top of my lungs as Becca tries to haul me back from the railingsChristian’s attention is no longer on Leighton. He is looking at someone else. A smile creeping over his face.Following his gaze, I spot Aiden, staring up at me. A look of relief washes over him. He is carrying a pregnant woman who appears to be in labour.“Aiden?” I whisper quietly, shocked to see him standing there. When Christian had hold of Leighton, I thought Aiden had left. Escaped from these assholes. But here he was, still fighting for me.Aiden lowers the woman to her feet. The doctor rushes to her aid immediately as Aiden stands over them ensuring that no Rogues can get to them.“What a surprise?” Christian mocks. “I knew you couldn’t be far away, not now that I have your mate and your Beta. Tell me Aiden, how do you feel about losing to Rogues?”Christian smirks up at me. His eyes briefly flicker to Becca. There is a tiny nod of his head and Becca tries to pull me back towards
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