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
***Trigger Warning - This story deals with child loss ***My little one has left. I was so lucky to be his mother, yet so tragically only for a month.I hummed a soft lullaby as I rocked back and forth in the rocking chair while I held the necklace in my hands. This would be the closest I’d ever get to holding my baby ever again. Oh, goddess, why did you give him to me only to take him away so soon?My fingers brushed over the glass that sealed the ashes of my son, as I stared at the one that contained a small snip of his dark blonde hair. Hair just like his father, Kalen. This damned war! It had taken both of them from me.Six months ago, out of nowhere, rogues began attacking several packs, including ours. They were slipping past defenses and taking out key strategic spots with astonishing precision. Everywhere they went, towns burned and fields trampled, turning the whole place into a living hell.“Alyssa, take care of yourself. I will be back soon.” My father kissed me and left to
They forced me into a chair before the elders, with all the prominent figures of the pack behind us. Lena crossed her arms under her chest, smirking at me with menacing glee. “What is the meaning of this? How could you handcuff Alyssa?” an elder said, looking over at me with concern. I tried to speak, to tell them what Carl was planning, but still I couldn’t utter a sound. He motioned to the guards. “Free her now.”“Wait, you’re about to know the truth,” Carl looked serious, and the guard ignored the elder’s signal. “We are at war with the rogues. Yesterday, I received the information from the lycan king. He has found proof of a traitor in our pack. Through my own investigation, I found Alyssa has betrayed us,” Carl demanded. Again, I tried to deny it, but no sound came out of me.Was that his plan? To make me his traitor and replace me with his mistress? I struggled furiously to get out of the handcuffs.Carl looked at me dead in the eye. “Are you our traitor, Alyssa?”I stared at hi
I turned so I could see the man. Joy and horror filled me in equal measure. It was him. It was Kalen. He was really alive and here now. Yet I had to admit he wasn’t quite how I remembered. His once smiling, warm face was now hardened and cold. His blue eyes were dark and stormy, promising violence and death.“Well, well, what a surprise. Kalen, you have a knack for survival.” Carl let out a derisive laugh. “How dare you, a lowly rogue, come to my territory?” his voice was loud, but I felt the tip of the knife quiver against my neck.“You know why I’m here,” Kalen demanded. His voice rang out through the room and everyone fell silent. Most of the pack pressed themselves to the walls of the room, barely breathing as if they didn’t dare make a noise unless he’d strike them down.“I hope not,” Carl said with a laugh that made Kalen snarl at him.A hint of uncertainty filled Carl’s eyes at the sound of it. He held up his hand, lifting his chin.“That’s far enough. This doesn’t need to get p
I tried to open my eyes, but it hurt, so I closed them again. Actually, everything hurt. The smell of disinfectant and medicine filled my nose. So I wasn’t dead? That fact disappointed part of me somewhat.“Yes, her throat is healed,” someone with a muffled voice said in my ears.As my head cleared, the voice or well voices became clearer. Once more, I tried to open my eyes. After a moment, I adjusted to the lighting. I was in an unfamiliar rectangular room with several empty beds. Where was I?I turned my head to the other side and saw an unfamiliar man next to me and behind him was Kalen. So many nights I had dreams like this. I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t a hallucination. Kalen was alive! He came back! I knew it. Tears ran down my face and I struggled to get up from the bed. I didn’t care about anything else but him being alive. I rushed to him, throwing my arms around him.“Kalen, You’re alive! You’re really alive,” I said, hugging him. My voice was hoarse and shaking from whate
Kalen dragged me out of the small building and towards another, even smaller one. He pointed to a woman. “You come here and stand here till she comes out. When she’s dressed, bring her to the bonfire.”The woman’s eyes narrowed as she saw me. Distrust and wariness were easy to read in them.“Yes, alpha,” she said, ducking her head and shoved me inside.The door slammed shut behind me with a loud bang. The sudden sound startled me. Instantly, I turned and tried to open it again. I vigorously beat against the closed door, my voice with urgency and entreaty: “Please, let me out!” However, no one answered me.I slipped slowly, like losing support, and I sat slumped on the ground against the door. I looked up and around the room. All sorts of clothes piled up in a mess, if one could call the scraps of cloth clothing. Looking at this, I felt a force in my heart. No way was I going to ‘entertain’ anyone. I looked around the room and saw my salvation, a window. It was small, but I was sure I c
The woman pulled me to my feet and took me into the room, refusing to leave until I got dressed in what Kalen had picked out for me. I gritted my teeth, reminding myself he had my necklace. I undressed and put on the clothes that Kalen chose and tried not to think of how I might look in them. When I finished, the woman led me out of the room; her face was a stoic mask. I had no way of telling if it bothered her I was going to be the ‘entertainment’ or if it was just another day for her.She walked me up to Kalen. “She’s here alpha.”Much like Carl had at my trial, Kalen sat looking like a roman emperor, ready to decide the fates of those beneath him. Four women sat or stood around him, each breathtakingly beautiful. They pawed at him, eagerly awaiting whatever command he would give them.My chest ached with a spark of jealousy that was swallowed by grief. This was just more evidence that the Kalen I knew. The Kalen I loved never existed. This was who he was for real. A rogue. A cruel,
Kalen’s PoVMy heart pounded in my chest as I sprinted through the forest, running along secret trails I knew by heart. No matter how fast I ran, Alyssa still haunted me. Despite how she hurt me, I couldn’t stop desiring her. My body yearned to feel her again, taste her… I growled and pushed myself to run faster.She betrayed me. I had come to see her and then when I heard what was going on; I wanted to save her… Stupid. Shaking my head, I tried to keep my anger in check. Married? Goddess, how could she do that to me? Alyssa claimed she had to? What in the hell could make her marry that jackass? She was lying, playing with me. She had to be, because otherwise, why wouldn’t she just explain everything to me?I wanted to humiliate her tonight, make her feel like she had made me feel. Yet when she took off that shirt and all those bruises… Carl was lucky I didn’t know about them when I was beating his ass or I wouldn’t have stopped.If that wasn’t bad enough, those assholes were looking a
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
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
Kalen“Oh, don’t you dare judge me,” I growled at my uncle. I couldn’t believe what he was doing. “Especially when you have no fucking idea what’s going on,” I told him. Where did he get off saying any of the crap he did? He knew nothing about Alyssa and me, or Chelsie, for that matter. In fact, I didn’t know why either he or father stuck their noses in my relationships. Neither of them mattered. All that mattered was Alyssa.I turned to reason with Alyssa, to explain to myself when I realized she wasn’t there. Panic slammed into me as I looked around. “Where’s Alyssa,” I said, ignoring James and my father. I didn’t see her anywhere.“Kalen,” my father said as I started to walk away from them, his tone sharp and serious. “Stop. She’s gone. Leave her be for now.”“For now? You don’t get it, Father. She’s leaving,” I growled at him, then before I could say anything I added, “And it’s your fault! You let her slip away!” I glared at my father, feeling my rage build. My wolf wanted out. He
I grabbed the duffle bag that was still in the corner. My tears stung my eyes and a few tears slipped down my cheeks as I set it on the bed. I wiped them off, angry they fell in the first place. I didn’t want to cry. Not for Kalen. Not again. I slung the strap on my shoulder and started to leave, then remembered the ring. I took it off and set it on the nightstand. If he was telling the truth about its history, then it didn’t belong to me, but Chelsie. The thought made my stomach churn.Taking paths that led me around the community instead of through it, I did my best to avoid everyone. I didn’t want to talk or explain myself. All I wanted was to leave and get as far away from here as I could. I was nearing the edge of town when I heard the voice of the very last person I wanted to talk to.“Alyssa, wait,” Kalen called after me. I
The next few days, I didn’t see much of Kalen. He seemed to always be in a meeting with someone. I usually kept myself busy in the kitchen and taking walks with Adelaide or Thomas and Sara. Today, however, I was walking alone until I ran into James. He seemed surprised to see me. “Hello, Little Luna. What are you still doing here?”Confused, I asked, “Why wouldn’t I be here?”“I didn’t think you’d want to stick around to see Kalen marry someone else.”“He’s not,” I told him as a matter of fact. This was Kalen’s uncle, so I don’t see the reason to hide that fact: the wedding wouldn’t be happening. “Kalen is going to break it off, tell everyone it was a misunderstanding.”“And when exactly did he say he was going to do this?” James asked, giving me a curious look.“A few days ago. Well, he said it would take time, but still doesn’t change the fact the wedding isn’t happening. Why?”His brow furrowed as he frowned. It was the first time I’d seen him with anything other than that smug smi
“Well, good news is that your heart seems to have only suffered minor damage from the poisonings and currently, your baby seems fine,” the doctor said as we finished up. “But I want you to take some precautions. I know you said you believe you were poisoned when you were in the lycan king’s peace talks, but until we can be sure, I don’t want you taking food from anyone outside the kitchen staff and I also want to do weekly blood draws.”Talking about this sent a chill through me and I nodded. “Of course, whatever you think is best.”“Good. Now I will see you here next week for a blood draw and two weeks after that, we’ll have our first prenatal visit.”Just hearing the word prenatal made my heart jump. I still couldn’t quite believe it. Pregnant. I was pregnant again. “Yeah, okay. See you then,” I said and left the doctor’s office. I took a roundabout way to the communal building to avoid Chelsie.Kalen had said it’d take time to untangle this wedding business, and I don’t think I cou
I stare at the sunlight streaming through the window, surprised and confused. Had I slept through the night? No nightmares? I sat up and rubbed my sleep numb face. For once, I felt rested and ready for the day. I heard Kalen yawn, wrapping his arm around me. He pulled me against him. “Good morning,” he said as he rested his chin on my shoulder.I leaned into his touch and close my eyes, just wanting to live in this moment. “Morning, Kalen.”As if he could read my thoughts, Kalen whispered, “I want every day to be like this, Alyssa. Just you and me.”“It can be. We can be like this every day,” I told him. “But only after you talk to your dad, Cheslie, and whoever about this wedding.” I can’t help the bitterness in my voice as I mention his wedding with the blonde idiot.“Yeah, I know,” he said. His expression seemed to mirror my thoughts on the idea of him marrying her. It settled some of the uneasiness inside me. “However, her dad is a big supporter of my fathers. It’s going to take m
Kalen“Father, what are you doing here?” I asked as I walked into my office. Jack had told me he came, but I hoped my beta was wrong. The idea of my father being here made me nervous, especially after nearly losing it. If Alyssa hadn’t been there…I didn’t even want to think what might have happened.“Can’t a father check up on his son?” The king said, leaning back in my chair, sitting at my desk as if he owned the place.“We’re in the middle of a war, right after a failed attempt at peace. I’d assume you’d have other things to do besides pay me a visit,” I told him, crossing my arms over my chest.My father sighed and sat up. “Look, Kalen, I’ve been hearing some things and I’m not sure what to make of them.”A jolt of panic rushed through me, but I fought it down. Clenching my jaw, I took a moment to master myself. “You came all the way here for rumors?”“Are they rumors?” Father asked, leaning forward to look at me. “Why is the Crimson Fang Luna here? Why did you take her to the peac
I hurried away from Kalen as fast as I could, without it looking like I was running from him. Once I was calmer and had a better control over my emotions, I would talk to him. Right now, I needed space and something to do. I knew the perfect place to go to help me think and do something — the kitchen.The chef was an older, lithe man who lit up as soon as I offered to help. “Ah, wonderful! Alyssa, you are a lifesaver. Can you take that on?” he said, gesturing toward the mountain of dishes accumulated after breakfast.“Of course, Marcel,” I tell him, and walk over to the large sink.“Thank you,” he said, then glanced at me. “Few people volunteer for the grunt work of cooking.”“It helps me think,” I admit,