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RIEKAI stood there shocked. I couldn’t believe that my guards had both just abandoned me. This had to be the work of Jacinda. Was she hoping I would die out here, all alone?We were already feeling a bit lost, and now Sebastian was gone, along with the book. Not only did I have no idea how to find the cottage, but now I also didn’t know how to find my way back to the Blue Ridge pack house.For a moment I wanted to sit down and cry, but I immediately thought of my children. They would not lose their mother this way. I would find my husband and then we would return to the kids and never come back to the God-forsaken Mountain.Wiping the tears from my eyes, I stood and looked around again. The wind had died down and the forest was eerily quiet. I stood there praying for a sign to point me in the right direction, but nothing changed.I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, listening for any sound that might indicate life in this dead quiet place. I small gust of wind blew again
RIEKA Warm air hit my face as the door silently swung open, and it was a welcome relief from the cold. I saw a hearth that was lit and a worn but cozy sofa against a rock wall. I wanted to curl up under the blanket thrown over the couch and just rest. Unfortunately, that only lasted a second before my eyes turned to scan the rest of the space and landed on my husband standing in front of a woman who was completely naked. It was like a terrible wreck. I didn’t want to see it, but I couldn’t look away. Her white hair made it obvious that this was Jacinda, and her body was perfect! Everything that mine was not. Every part of my body that made me insecure, was like a perfect piece of art on her. Soft smooth skin, free of stretch marks, a flat toned stomach, perfectly round ass without a hint of cellulite, and perky breasts with hardened peaks pointing right at my husband. His pants were unable to hide his arousal and only confirmed my fear that he appreciated her perfect shape.
ALEKSANDR My wolf and I both perked up with Jacinda’s last statement. She knew the answers to all our questions about Rieka’s family? The reason all these other wolves were after her? Did she also know how we could stop all this madness and live in peace? Turning to look at my mate, Rieka sat there in shock for a moment, unable to speak. I nudged at her mind. ‘Love, are you alright?’ She swallowed hard and then turned her eyes to mine. ‘Can we trust her? I mean can we trust anything she says?’ ‘I don’t know,’ I respond honestly, ‘The best we can do is hear her out and then decide if we believe her.’ Rieka nodded and turned back to Jacinda, “What do you know?” She asked calmly. “I know the truth about your family. It’s a tightly guarded secret that was intended to keep you all safe, but a few wolves found out, and unfortunately for you, they are the kind of wolves who would do anything to gain the power and prestige that they think they deserve.” “We already know that they
RIEKAIt was the strangest sensation I’d ever experienced. My head felt clear, but I only have vague memories of being in a cottage with Jacinda. I wasn’t even sure if they were real memories or if I had dreamed the whole thing. If it was memories, how did we get back here?My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps rushing down the hallway. Aleksandr and I both turned to see Asher and Sebastian rushing towards us.“Alpha, Luna! Thank the goddess you’ve returned!”They both looked so worried, but I couldn’t understand why.“We need to talk to Alpha Leon and Luna Imogen right away,” I informed them, “Jacinda is coming tomorrow.”They both looked at me in shock and I was a bit confused myself. How did I know this, and how was I so certain? My memories of where we’d been and what had happened were pretty fuzzy, but everything else in my mind was very clear, and somehow, I knew exactly what we needed to do.Aleksandr nodded his agreement and we turned towards the
ALEKSANDR“Do YOU trust her?”I could hear the suspicion in my mate’s voice when she asked me that question, and it cut me. I knew that without remembering what happened in the cottage, she had no reason to question my intentions, but my own guilt over not telling her colored how I interpreted her tone.Did I trust Jacinda? I remembered everything she said, and she obviously told the truth about my strength and my ability to resist her magic, but that didn’t mean I trusted her.She also lied to me when she said she wouldn’t “test me” again, and then she set Rieka up to walk into the midst of that “test.”I turned to look at my gorgeous mate, and the question in her eyes held a hint of the pain I’d seen when she first arrived at the cottage. Her mind might not remember what happened, but it was as if her heart did.“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly.Her eyes swam with more questions.“So what part of you wants to trust her?”SHIT! I’m not ready for this conversation yet. I need
ALEKSANDRThe morning seemed to drag on, and not only did I have no idea what I was going to tell Rieka about my memories, but I still felt thoroughly exhausted. Something was definitely wrong with me, but I didn’t want to worry her, so I kept it to myself.After briefly considering asking for help from a pack healer, I dismissed the idea because I didn’t want to show any sign of weakness to another pack. I resolved to get a moment away where I could call my mom and ask for her insight, but I need to make sure Rieka won’t overhear.But there was no time for that now. I only had a few hours and then Jacinda would be here. I needed to talk to Rieka about my own memories before Jacinda arrived.“Love, would you come with me to the library?”Rieka’s surprised expression was adorable. “Did you have an idea about where to find some new information that might be helpful?”I smiled but didn’t respond, just took her hand and began leading her down the hall towards the alpha’s private libra
ALEKSANDRI was caught off-guard when Jacinda was, in fact, in the office, but the way she smiled at me made me sick and flooded my memory with images of her. Was it actually my memory, or was she doing it again? I wasn’t sure.Rieka’s hand tightened on mine, and I prayed she didn’t remember anything more. I just need to make it through this meeting and get Jacinda away from us then I could take my time and figure out what to tell my mate.I hated feeling like I was lying to her, but I also needed to protect her. I would not put her through the torture of imagining me with another female, even one I didn’t want. The very thought made me want to vomit, but I held myself strong and ignored Jacinda’s flirty tone.The real question was why is she still acting like this if she already knows I’m strong enough to resist her and I’ve already made it abundantly clear that I’m not interested?Holding tight to my mate, we walk to the love seat which is conveniently the furthest from Jacinda
ALEKSANDR The fear in Rieka’s eyes broke me, but I dreaded the pain that would replace it if I told her everything that had previously taken place. A hatred for Jacinda was building up within me, and it was taking most of my self-control not to turn on her. Was she angry that I’d rejected her? Was this her way of exacting revenge? Maybe we were better off to figure this out without her help if she was going to continue causing problems. As if she knew my thoughts, Jacinda spoke up. “Do not blame me because you underestimate your mate and keep things from her.” I snapped my head around to silence her, but she kept going. “You’ve been feeling fatigued for the last 24 hours, haven’t you?” The color in my face drained and my mouth hung open in shock for a few seconds. How did she know that? Rieka looked at me and I could see the shock on her own face as well. “Your strength is connected to your bond,” Jacinda explains. “When you don’t trust your mate’s strength and you keep t
ALEKSANDRAs eager as I was to see Rieka, my mother had already made it clear that she was stable, and Dustin, my best friend and my Beta, was awake!I turned down the hall towards the room where Drea and little Link had been staying with him.It was a joy to hear his voice as I approached the room.Although I am the alpha and this is my pack house, I didn’t want to walk in and interrupt the moment this family was reunited.I slowed in the hallway as I approached the door, and as I raised my hand to knock, Dustin’s voice broke through my mind.‘You don’t need to knock Alpha!’Laughing, I lowered my hand to grab the handle and open the door.I’m not usually an emotional male, but when I saw Dustin sitting up in bed with Drea beside him and Link in his arms, my vision blurred from the tears welling up in my eyes.“It’s good to see you up!” I smiled“It’s good to be up!” He answered with a twinkle in his eye.“What happened? How did you get out of that?”“Jacinda released me.” Dustin
EMMETT A game? I turned to look at the alpha and, on the surface, he looked bored, but there was something in his eye that felt like a warning. He’s planning something. If I want to figure out what it is, I need to play along. Who knows, maybe I do have some special abilities that this crazy little she-wolf can help me unlock. “Okay,” I smiled cockily, “How do we play?” “Oh, yay! This will be fun!” Devan jumped up and down excitedly. There was something very child-like about her. It seemed odd, but then again, she was working with an interesting pack, so who was I to judge her behavior. “We can’t play here. There isn’t enough space,” she grinned, “Follow me.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and disappeared between the curtains. Slowly, I stepped forward, attempting to appear confident but unbothered to rush. I still couldn’t get a good read on this alpha and I was unsure if he expected me to listen to Devan and do as she said or wait for his instructions. Whe
EMMETTStartled by the sound, I spun around to see a petite female with wild, curly red hair standing next to the curtain that framed the shadows beyond.She was wearing a bright, cherry-red pantsuit with a white blouse and black heels. Her clothes looked much too clean and professional to be in a place like this, however, her wild, unkempt hair and pale, almost translucent, skin fit perfectly with the vibe of this underground labyrinth.She was pretty enough, albeit very small for a wolf. The things that unnerved me though, were her eyes. Framed with dark makeup, they were such a light grey that they almost looked like they had been drained of life itself. There was a vacancy in her gaze that made me feel like she wasn’t fully here.I realized I was staring, and a slow, devious smirk made its way across her red lips.“It’s been a long time since I saw another red wolf,” her voice was higher than I expected, but not childlike.“This is Devan,” the alpha gestured towards the female
ALEKSANDR As I rushed towards the house that I’d been told was where the mother of the pup lived, my natural instinct was to scent the air. I knew that Jacinda didn’t have a detectable scent, but that didn’t stop my wolf from searching for her with every sense he possessed. Glancing through a window as I approached the house, I thought I saw two women standing inside. I rushed to the door and thought about shifting, but Jacinda had already had me in compromising situations too many times before, so I remined in my wolf form to avoid being naked in front of her. My weight slammed the door open with such a force that it hit the wall and I heard a loud crack. I would apologize later and make sure the door was properly repaired. Turning in the room, eyes searching, I saw a she-wolf standing there in shock with her mouth open, but there was no one else with her. I opened my mind through the pack link to the she-wolf before me. ‘Where is she?’ I demanded. ‘I know I saw her through
ALEKSANDRPanic, anger, and fear flowed through my body like I’d never felt it before. Why does the moon goddess taunt me. All the strength and power I possess as an alpha, and it’s all worthless. I hated that my mate was once again in danger, and there was literally NOTHING I could do to save her.Here I am, one of the most powerful alphas in the world, and I’m powerless to save and protect my own mate.Leaving my mother with Rieka, I had to move. I had to do something, to take action.Flinging the door to the pack house open, and smelling the forest outside, I immediately shift into my wolf and took off towards the homes of the pack members. I only had one idea left for who could help, and as much as I didn’t want to go there, I was desperate.The challenge was how to find her. Jacinda has a skill for staying hidden when she doesn’t want to be bothered, but she had to know what was going on.With only one idea of how to find her, I went to the only place I thought she would be
ALEKSANDR After several minutes of trying to rouse Rieka without success, I began to panic. My natural instinct was to shake her harder to wake her, but I knew that wouldn’t help. I would be extremely frustrated with myself if I ever hurt her, but even more so at a time like this when she was unconscious. ‘Mom, something is wrong with Rieka!’ I linked, ‘Please come to our room immediately!’ ‘I’ll be there in three minutes,’ she responded promptly. ----- I was pacing the room growling to myself when the door opened, and my mother flicked the lights on before rushing over to the bed. Lightly placing the back of her hand over Rieka’s forehead she asks, “How long has she been like this?” “I just came in and found her like this about 10 minutes ago. What is going on?” My mother remained silent as she examined my mate. Then she clasped both of Rieka’s hands together, closed her eyes, and bowed her head until her forehead touched Rieka’s. I watched in awe as my mother began to ra
I'm so sorry that I didn't post this sooner to keep you all updated, but my mental load is streched beyond capactity right now and I am forced to take a short break for both my mental and physical health. I will do my best to keep writing over the holidays and will continue publishing in January as we come to an end for this novel. You all have been so patient, understanding, and supportive of me over the last year as my family has faced some MAJOR changes and challenges, I promise you will not be disapointed with the ending to this story. I'm just sorry that it's being delayed. Check back by Wednesday January 3rd for more updates! Much Love,Anja
JACINDA I couldn’t believe how much Maeve was opening up to me and sharing with me. The more I learned about this alpha, the more I wanted to end him, but I didn’t dare interrupt her story. “I was doing everything I could to be cooperative, to make him and the guards trust me. My pregnancy was easy and even though I knew the alpha didn’t care about me, he was very interested in the pup I carried, and he visited me regularly. He had the pack doctor monitor my pregnancy very closely to see how strong the pup was.” “Before I gave birth, I started having recurring dreams of me and a baby girl. I would be holding her, and she would smile and giggle, but then the alpha would show up, and she would begin crying. The alpha always wanted to hold her, but she would just cry louder, so he would get frustrated and hand her back to me.” “A few weeks later, the alpha left the territory. I didn’t know where he was going but I knew he’d be gone for at least a week. He left the doctor with s
RIEKA The moment I stepped into the space between the curtains, I was enveloped in cold darkness. I couldn’t see a thing, and besides the cold I could only feel the ground beneath my feet. Slowly shuffling my feet forward, feeling for a drop or a wall, I pushed myself to keep going. After moving straight ahead a few feet, my toes felt something warm and I knew I must have found the other side. I reached my hands forward and my fingers felt the warmth as well. One bold step and I found myself in a small warm room that looked vaguely similar to my mate’s office. There was a desk where the alpha was sitting comfortably; his chair reclined, and his feet propped up on the desk. There were two chairs in front of the desk, but Emmett was standing beside them rather than sitting. This space was darker than the large room we’d just come from, so I stayed close to curtain hoping I would not be noticed by Emmett. “Tell me, red wolf, what is it that you’re hoping to gain by coming here?