RIEKA “I believe I can shed some light on this for everyone,” Jacinda stated plainly. Everyone turned to look at Jacinda, and I could see Fleur giving her a hard look. “What exactly is it that you think you know?” Jacinda smirked. “I know that you heard the howls, and it wasn’t anyone from this pack, but when you attempted to investigate, your patrols couldn’t pick up any scents.” She paused and arched her left brow, watching Fleur for a response. “So, you know what we know, big deal,” she rolled her eyes, “I thought you said you had answers.” “I do,” her smile widened. “Well… Out with it.” Alpha Cornelis commanded. Jacinda glared at the alpha, but then turned to Aleksandr and me. “The wolves in the forest last night were part of Alpha Kareem’s Mystic Shadow Pack. The alpha supports you and offers his protection. His wolves will always be watching, and they will step in when necessary.” “If this is all true and they are allies, then why couldn’t we scent them?” Fleur de
RIEKAJacinda’s warning about a spy in the pack kept ringing through my mind as we drove up to the pack house. Of course, no one else knew what I was thinking, and everyone was just excited to be home.Although it was late at night, I could see all the lights on as we approached the packhouse. I had no idea they told anyone, much less prepared a welcome home party.Ace and Aria were in the other car with some of the Luna’s Guards, but Calvin and Eden rode with us and they were bouncing up and down on the back seat as the car slowed park in front of the pack house.“Kids, we might be home now, but I don’t want you running around like little monsters. Please stay close.”Aleksandr turned and gave me a bewildered look.‘I’ll explain in a minute,’ I whispered in the mind-link.‘Okay, I’ll ask the Guards to keep all of the kids close for now,’ he linked back.We climbed out of the car and simultaneously, we all began stretching our arms and legs, arching our backs, and rolling our shoul
ALEKSANDR After telling me her plan to root out the spy, I was truly impressed. My little mate could be quite clever and inventive for someone who didn’t grow up in a pack. She’d obviously been studying our history to have the level of knowledge needed to devise the plan. Rieka and I agreed that we fully trusted my mother, Dustin, Drea, and Emmett, so we planned a secret meeting to explain everything to them. Rieka insisted that I explain everything to them in a private mind-link, even though she wouldn’t be able to be a part of the conversation, because she was unsure what abilities the spy might have, and we didn’t want to risk them hearing or catching on that we were aware of their presence. There were a few others that we trusted as well, but we decided it was best to keep the circle small for now. It was also easy to set up a meeting with just our little group without raising suspicion, because we’re all pack leadership, so it’s expected that we have meetings on occasion.
EMMETT When Alpha told us about this vampire/witch hybrid who was supposed to be coming to our territory, I was pissed. None of us even knew it was possible for a hybrid species to exist, even Luna Vasilisa seemed surprised by the news, and I didn’t trust this Jacinda at all. We may have amicable relations with most witch covens, but vampires and werewolves have never gotten along. Our relationships with the witches would actually be stronger if they weren’t so acquiescent about the bloodsuckers. As the gamma of the pack and lead warrior it was my job to keep us safe and make sure we were prepared for anything. I had no idea how to prepare for the arrival of this wild card, and that made my wolf unusually irritable. The only positive of this was that they gave me the task of putting on a show for the spy, who we suspected would be watching. I was given permission to rough Jacinda up and make it clear that we didn’t trust her. An easy task for me, since I truly didn’t trust he
ALEKSANDRI had no idea what Emmett was thinking, and while I was grateful that he wasn’t interfering with our plan to draw out the spy, he also wasn’t doing what we’d planned.Jacinda quickly composed herself, straightened her shoulders, and willingly followed us back towards the pack house. I couldn’t help but feel some compassion for her, and while I was unsure if she understood what we were doing, I was grateful that she was playing along.Rieka and I both knew that if she wanted to leave, there was nothing we could do to keep Jacinda here. Rieka would try to get her into a dream where she could explain our plan without the risk of the spy overhearing anything.No one spoke on the walk back.I stayed in human form and walked with Rieka and Jacinda. After several attempts to mind-link with my Gamma without a response, I decided to let him be for now.‘Aleksandr, what is going on with Emmett?’ My mate mind-linked with me.‘I don’t know, love. He won’t answer me when I try to as
RIEKA Jolting awake and sitting up, I glance around the dark bedroom. I was home, Aleksandr asleep beside me, but beginning to stir. The absence of light let me know that it was still very early. I glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. 3:21 AM I began to relax until I remembered what was going on. I fell asleep, but I didn’t dream, and more importantly, I didn’t get to talk with Jacinda and explain our plan. Although I’m not sure how well the plan will work now, in light of the mate bond between Jacinda and Emmett. Aleksandr was waking up and I felt terrible for disturbing his sleep, but I’m certain he could feel my panic through the mate bond. “What time is it?” his voice was rough with grogginess. “Almost 3:30,” I whispered, “but I didn’t dream.” Aleksandr sat up beside me and rubbed the palms of his hand over his face to wipe the sleep away. “Not at all?” I shook my head, knowing he could see me clearly, even in this darkness. “Should I go try and speak wi
RIEKA I could feel Jacinda emotions washing over me like a tidal wave. She was in pain, not just emotionally, but physically too. For several agonizing seconds he didn’t speak, and it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. I was certain that Jacinda would be the first one to suffocate. Emmett finally spoke, but his voice was rough and gravelly. “Could we please have the room, Alpha?” Aleksandr nodded and took my hand to gently pull be back towards the door. I could feel Jacinda’s fear, and I knew that no matter what happened once I was on the other side, I would still feel it. We passed Emmett, and he stared straight ahead past us, but his eyes still refused to land on his mate. As the door clicked closed, I could still feel Jacinda on the other side, and her panic continued to rise, so I prayed. ----- EMMETT I was unable to sleep all night. I stayed up trying not to think about her, but that was impossible. Her soft white hair that reminded me of the wi
RIEKA When we all exited the room Aleksandr and I waited just outside the door, but Dustin kept moving towards the hallway to ensure privacy and security. The last thing we needed was the spy knowing too much about Emmett and Jacinda’s mate bond and ruining our chances of flushing them out. Meanwhile, Jacinda was in full-blown panic. Even from the other side of the door I could feel her emotions just as strongly as if she was standing next to me. The longer we waited, however, her emotions gradually began to calm. After about 45 minutes I felt the shift from panic to hopeful. Aleksandr and I were pacing the room when suddenly Jacinda was filled with bliss, and I knew that feeling, without a doubt. “Emmett accepted her,” I whispered to Aleksandr as tears pooled in my eyes, blurring my vision. He looked at me with surprise but didn’t question my claim. We waited a while longer, but Emmett did not appear to be leaving the room any time soon. As impatient as I was to solve the
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?