Once I couldn’t hear Kalen and James shouting at each other, I relaxed. I owed the rogue king for letting me leave. For a moment, I worried that he’d want to keep me there too. I walked through the trees of the forest, knowing more or less what direction I’m going. My father taught me how to find my way through the forest.I knew more or less the direction Kalen and I went to meet with the lycan king. He might know something about my father. That was who I needed now, my father. He would make all of this right, somehow. I know it. Dad could always make things right.I’d been walking for hours when I stopped and to take a small break. Setting my bag down, I took out a sandwich and ate it quietly, trying not to think about anything too hard. As I prepared to get up and continue, I heard a twig snap. When I looked in the direction of the sound, I saw three men walking towards me. All three were dirty and looked like they’d been out here for a long time. These men were probably deserters
I walked over to the shattered remains of my necklace on the ground. “Caden,” I whispered as I fell to my knees in front of the pieces.“Who is Caden?” Kalen growled, kneeling next to me. There wasn’t a hint of regret in his face as he glared at me, the jealousy obvious in his face.Tears stung my eyes. “Our son. He was our son,” I told him, my voice cracking.Kalen’s eyes shot wide and his complexion went a shade whiter. “What?”I picked up a piece of glass from the pendant, a tear slipping down my cheek. “Shortly after you and father left for the war, I found out I was pregnant. I told Carl and asked for his help to find you. That’s when he told me about who you were, but I didn’t believe him,” I said, then glared at Kalen with bitterness. “I was sure something like that you would’ve told me.”Kalen didn’t say anything, and I continued with a sniff, tears stinging my eyes. “When I refused to believe it, he said it didn’t really matter. You were dead. Carl even faked a scout report
KalenI watched Alyssa leave, too stunned and shocked to say anything. Never had she said she hated me before. It made something inside me shrivel up in shame. Even my wolf was quiet. I went back to the moment I rescued her until now. Alyssa was right. From the start, I didn’t listen to her. When she woke up in the rogue territory, she was happy to see me. She hugged me and I rejected her, humiliated her, and demeaned her.I didn’t make Alyssa feel safe or protected so that she could trust me with her pain and suffering. Alyssa wasn’t just angry. I’d broken her. And I was the one who broke her. As much as I hated it, Dad also was right. My behavior had been disappointing at best.I picked up the pieces of the pendants. I grabbed a small snip of dark blonde hair that thankfully didn’t blow away in the wind. Gripping it in my hand, I tried to ground myself, but a storm was raging in my chest.My son. The words echoed endlessly in my mind, each repetition sharper than the last. I had a s
I didn’t care where I was going, as long as it was away from Kalen. I couldn’t believe he destroyed my necklace, and the last piece of Caden I had. Actually, I could believe it. It was very on par with everything that was going on in my life. I was so tired of all of this. All I wanted was to find my father and rest. I felt as if I could sleep for a hundred years. The sun was nearly setting when I heard James say, “Well, hello there, Little Luna.”I looked to my right and saw James walking up towards me. “What do you want?” I demand, tensing as I watch him.He held up his hands as he laughed. “Easy. I come in peace.”“Do you?” I said skeptically. “Because I saw how you threw Kalen under the bus earlier.”“He deserved it,” James replied, with no hint of shame, then leaned down to look me in the eye. “Tell me I’m wrong, Little Luna.”Working my jaw, I stared at him, irritated. He had a point. Kalen deserved it, but still… “It was a dirty move.”James laughed and grinned at me. “Stickin
I walked in the middle of James and his men. None of them had spoken to me since James kicked the blonde’s ass. They would sometimes pass glances at me, whisper to each other softly, so softly, I couldn’t hear what they were saying. That, along with the fact that we’ve been walking in the wrong direction for the last three days, told me we weren’t going to the lycan king’s territory.Being outnumbered, I played along, letting him think I was totally oblivious. I had no idea what James was planning, but I wouldn’t sit around waiting to find out. As soon as we stopped and everyone was asleep, I’d sneak out.“Alright, let’s call it for the night,” James said, lifting his hand up in the air, signalling for us to stop. “Miller, get with the boys and set everything up,” he told them as he walked over to me. “How are you doing, Little Luna?” “I’m fine,” I said, then unable to ignore my curiosity I asked, “How much longer do you think until we reach the king’s territory?”“We should reach our
Kalen“Gone? What do you mean, he’s gone?” I demanded, looking up at Jack from my desk.“Just that,” he said with a shrug. “James is nowhere in the encampment. No one seems to have any idea where he’s gone.”That wasn’t good. James was supposed to stay here in the encampment until my father said so. “Have you talked to my father?”“Not yet,” Jack replied.“Then let’s go now,” I said, standing. If my father didn’t okay his leaving, then James was up to something.We left my office and started to look for my father when the doctor stopped me. “Have you seen Alyssa? She missed her appointment today.”“She left, doc,” I told him, feeling guilt well up in me again.Alarm crossed his face. “Left? She left?”His alarm made me stop. “Yes, she left. Why does that worry you so much?”The doctor’s expression became pinched. “We were doing blood draws to ensure the poison in her system was being filtered out correctly,” he said.“Poison?” I repeated. What was he talking about?His eyes widened wi
I sat around a campfire, staring at the flames as I remembered the picture James had shown me. Caden. Now about five and half months old, he seemed so big. My Caden was alive. I couldn’t believe it. Both joy, anger, and longing filled me. James refused to tell me anything about how his people had gotten to my son. When I asked him why, all James did was give me that smug, wolfish grin of his and say, “He’s family.”Now, we were waiting for Kalen to show up. He was sure Kalen was going to show. I prayed to the goddess he didn’t. For one, whatever James’ plan was, I knew it wasn’t good for Kalen. Second, If Kalen showed up then, at least, part of him loved me and I didn’t want him to love me. I wanted him to be the asshole, so I could really hate him. Everything would be easier if I hated Kalen.“Shouldn’t be too much longer,” James said as he sat next to me and again flashed me that smile of his. “Isn’t this exciting!”“Exciting? Are you serious?” I demanded, confused by the obvious en
“Leave me alone,” I told Kalen. “You have to go after James! You can’t let him get away.”He seemed a little surprised by my insistence. “Don’t worry. We’ll get him,” he said softly as he untied me and tried to check my wrists, but I pulled away from him. “He can’t get away, Kalen,” I told him, glancing back to where he ran. “Why?” Kalen asked, giving me a curious look. “Why is it so important that we get him?”“Caden is alive,” I said, my voice cracking with emotion. “He’s alive and James has him.”Kalen froze, his expression shifting from curiosity to alarm. “Caden? Alive? But…how? You said that Carl…you had a necklace with his ashes?”“Yeah, I did,” I said, my chest tightening. “Carl gloated about it, but he was lying. I don’t know how he did it, but James has Caden. He showed me pictures and even a video…I heard him. Caden is alive.” My voice trembled, and I had to swallow hard to keep from breaking down.Kalen’s father walked over to us, his expression serious, and my heart lea
EpilogueWith the death of James, there was enough evidence in his safe house to prove he was behind all the conflicts between pack and rogues, and the war officially was over. The lycan king spent the next several months majorly cleaning house. The king stripped most of the alphas of their positions with the choice of being incarcerated or going through a rehabilitation program. Not surprisingly, most were incarcerated or forced the king’s hand into killing them.He was also trying to repair his relationship with Danielle and the rogue king. The kings weren’t friends, but they stopped the petty back and forth they used to do. Danielle thinks there’s hope for them. Me… I am not so sure, but just glad to see their issues probably won’t cause any more wars.The lycan king offered the leadership of the Crimson Fang back to me, but I refused. There was too much bad blood between the pack and me. Besides, the rogue community felt like home to me now. I had friends and family here. Being th
The sun was warm against my skin as Caden and I sat on a blanket in the late morning. I tried to focus on him, and the joy of having him back in my life, instead of worrying about Kalen. Two days have passed since they left to find James, and I’ve not heard a single word about what was going on.“Hey,” Thomas said as he sat next to us, breaking me from my thoughts.“Hey,” I replied and unable to help myself, asked, “Heard anything yet?”He shook his head with a downfallen look. “No, but it doesn’t mean anything. Operations like this take time.”That would’ve made me feel better if he didn’t also look worried himself. He was trying to hide it, but I saw it all the same. Perhaps he wasn’t only trying to make me feel better, but himself, too. “Yeah. You’re probably right,” I said, deciding to play along.“So how are things with this little guy?” Thomas asked, looking down at Caden who had rolled over to his stomach now.“It’s been an adjustment,” I admitted. “You know, you hear about all
The Wolf's PoVI moved my neck to the side and shook off the painful little aftershocks of my shift. I lifted my massive snout and sniffed the air. Sweat, adrenaline, fear and anger. It was the smell of the most basic, primal of all instincts of any living creature. The fight for survival. It was an intoxicating mix. Working my jaw, the desire for blood filled me.I lowered my head and glared at the man before me. He looked equally excited as he did terrified. This man, James, didn’t understand the danger he was in if he was anything but afraid. I wasn’t Kalen. I didn’t care for him or the memories Kalen had of him. To me, he wasn’t family. He was a threat to my family. James separated my pup from his mother. He tried to take her away from me. For all of that, James needed to die. With a growl, I stepped towards him and allowed him to see his death in my eyes.“Why are we fighting, Kalen?” James said, shaking his head with a grin. “Look at the power you command. You could be the king
Kalen PoVI froze, unsure if I heard my uncle right. He was challenging Father? “You can’t be serious,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. James met my gaze, his smile growing. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”Across the room, Father stood still, his hands clasped behind his back, the way he always stood when he was thinking, or more likely in this case, calculating. His eyes flickered toward me before returning to James. “Is this what you want, James? Have you become so seduced by power that you would fight me, kill me for it?”“You know nothing about me, Elijah,” James said, a growl in his voice. James took a step forward, his jaw tight, his fists clenching at his sides. “You built this all on weakness, nurturing that weakness, claiming it to be strength, but it’s all a lie and I’ve proved that. You haven’t been able to stop anything I’ve been doing.”Father tilted his head, considering him. “And what would you do instead? Be a tyrant? Ignoring those in need? Rule wi
Kalen’s PoVA still calmness washed over me as I prepared to leave. Father was waiting for me and I saw he wore a similar expression on his face. I couldn’t imagine how hard this had to be for him. James was his brother, after all. As the older brother, I had no doubt Dad looked after James, protected him from bullies and all of that. They’d been through everything together. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The villain was not supposed to be your family.“Ready?” he asked me when I reached him.“Could anyone be ready for something like this?” I replied.Father nodded and sighed. “No. No, I don’t think so, or at least, they shouldn’t be, but this is what we are given and we’re going to deal with it the best we can.”“That we are,” I said, and we started walking to the meeting point with the others coming with us.We were almost halfway there when Father stopped me. “There is something I have to say before we go.”“What is it? Something wrong?”Father shook his head. “No, just the op
KalenIt had been three days since Caden came back into our lives. Three days of the best chaos of my life. Never in my life had I seen myself in a domestic light. Yes, I’d often thought about building a life with Alyssa, but mostly because that’s what people did when they found their mate. They got together, had kids and built a family. I didn’t get excited about the idea, but I didn’t dread it either.Yet, now? Now, despite the crying mountains of diapers, Caden’s inability to stay still unless he’s sleeping. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. I can’t remember a time where I felt happier and more at peace with life than how I am now.Alyssa and I visited that woman who claimed to know all about Caden yesterday, when she wasn’t feeling so confident about her capabilities to be a good mother to Caden. No matter what I told her, Alyssa wasn’t convinced, so we went to see the woman. However, the woman didn’t know anything. After some pressure, she admitted she only cared fo
“There he is. There is my grandson,” the rogue king said as soon as he saw us. He walked over and kissed Caden on the top of the head as he took in his scent. “Nice to see our good looks continue for another generation,” he added with a grin. “What brings you both here?”“Basically to catch up,” I said, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Caden didn’t seem to be that heavy, but, after a while of holding him, it felt as if he’d doubled in weight. “I would like to know more about how Caden was found and where.”“And how the search for James is going as well,” Kalen said, sitting next to me.“The search is going,” Kalen’s father replied. “However, I suggest with Caden now back. You should both focus on him and settling in your new roles as his parents.”“And we will, but there are things I need to know,” I argued.“I understand, and I will pass the reports the search team leader made about the search into the building where they found Caden. Though, I don’t think you
Kalen walked up to me and wrapped his arms around the both of us. “No, this is real. We’ve got him back. You’ve got your son back, Alyssa.”I held Caden to me, unable to believe my eyes. “How? When?” I asked Kalen, then glanced up at him, anger trickling into my joy. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”“Because no one knew until they found him,” Kalen replied. “The location they found him, there weren’t any other children. It seemed to be nothing more than a supply depot. Also, this just happened this morning. The trackers told my dad who told me, and well, I thought I’d give you a surprise.”“Who was with him? How was he found?” I said and looked at Caden, searching for signs that they had mistreated or neglected him.“From what they told me there was a woman with him,” Kalen replied. “I don’t know any more than that. We can take him to the doctor now if you like. Though I have to say he looks fine.” Kalen reached out and held Caden’s hand as the baby looked at us with wide eyes, as if taki
Nearly a week passed after our visit with the lycan king. Danielle and I continued our training while I saw very little of Kalen or his father. There was a lot of movement in the camp. It seemed as if we were getting closer to finding James. I tried asking Danielle if she knew anything, but she just said I should focus on my training and trust that if there was news Kalen would tell her.That only made me annoyed, one because I hated not knowing what exactly was going on and second, because she was right. Kalen wouldn’t keep me in the dark about anything important. Yet, where was he? Until recently, he was practically at my side all the time. It seemed strange he wasn’t here.Suddenly, my feet knocked out from under me, but Danielle caught me before I hit the ground. “You’re not paying attention,” she lectured as she glared down at me.“Right,” I said, feeling a bit of whiplash. “Sorry.”“You should be,” Danielle said and pulled me up to my feet. “I’m not doing this for my health, you