Eric POV Earlier that day... “I will let the building inspector know we are completed,” I said as I looked down the street of the small estate we had created on this once-barren wasteland. Years of hard work, sweat, and tears were now all wrapped up, and I was glad of it; this site had been a ball ache. But it was worth it as I looked at the perfect lawns and beautiful homes ready to be filled with families who would create lasting memories in something I had helped create. “So when do we start on the new site?” Jerry asked. “I don’t know,” I answered just as my phone began to ring in the breast pocket of my jacket. “Excuse me.” I turned around and began to walk back to my car. Freya’s name flashed on the screen, and my heart raced. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before I answered. I don’t know why Freya affected me like this; ever since the other day when I felt that blast of energy as my hand touched hers, I’ve been unable to get her out of my mind, and it was infu
Ayla POV The room was large but it felt so warm and cosy. The smell of fresh paint vexed my senses, but Callan’s aftershave helped keep the sting away. The walls were a light greenish-brown colour that reminded me of a mushroom, or the forest. Dark wooden beams ran across the ceiling, and a large stone fireplace took pride in the centre of the room. The mantle sat high above a large wood-burning stove, almost as tall as Callan, and I could just make out the pictures that sat proudly on top of it. “Freya is ok; she’s already beginning to heal.” Callan’s mother said. She strolled toward Callan, her heels clicking against the dark wooden floor, making the sound bounce around the large and barren room, she kissed him tenderly on his cheek before turning to me. She placed her hand on my arm and gave me a loving smile, her eyes looked red and swollen and her skin looked splotchy. “What happened?” “Rogues!” Eric growled. The growl that came from Eric sounded so primal and feral that m
Eric POV Now… The door to the living room opened, and Callan walked back in after taking Ayla to his old bedroom. Even though he was beside himself with Freya being attacked, I could tell that having Ayla here made him happy, and he deserved some happiness after a lifetime of abuse. He could concentrate fully on Freya knowing Ayla was safe because this part of the pack house was for the high-ranking members of the pack; no members of the pack were allowed in this part of the house unless invited, meaning we had total privacy and no one would disturb Ayla. Cora had just had the room redecorated, removing all traces of Alister. The furniture had been dumped and new furniture was arriving soon, meaning we only had the floor to pace whilst we waited, but I didn’t mind; moving helped my mind from slipping back to that dreadful moment of finding Freya beaten and bloodied on the forest floor. Callan cleared his throat, making my legs stop moving to look at him. “Do we know what happened
Ayla POV I felt paralysed; fear had taken hold of my body, and I was unable to move. The room was dark, so dark I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face, but I could see his eyes; they peered out from the darkness burning into my soul. His raspy breathing echoed all around me, and my heart pounded hard against my chest. I could hear the sound of his bones creaking as he stepped out of the darkness, the ceiling stretched up or I shrunk in size, because Runduc looked like a giant now; his face was gaunt and his skin a deathly white, but his eyes glowed brightly, like searchlights seeking me out. His bony fingers reached out toward me; they moved like vines as they weaved their way toward me. All I could do was watch as his vine-like fingers coiled around my feet, tightening as they moved up my body, engulfing me. “Hey, it’s ok. It was just a bad dream. I’m here.” As I jumped up, I felt his arms wrapping around me. I had never felt as safe as I did in his arms in my entire life
Ayla POV “Marcus, what are you doing here?” My stomach felt like it was plummeting to the earth; chills ran down my spine as Marcus emerged from the shadows; the darkness seemed to shroud him, and the air in the garage felt cold, making goosebumps ripple across my skin. His usual perfect hair was dishevelled, and his bright blue eyes looked dark and demented; large dark circles encased his eyes, making them look sunken into his face; his smooth, clean-shaven jaw was coated with a dark beard that looked scraggly and unkempt; and his expensive clothes that he took great pride in keeping pristine looked wrinkled with ketchup and gravy stains down his front. If I saw him down the street and I didn’t know how vein he was, I would have thought he had been sleeping in them for a few days. A sour taste filled my mouth as my eyes darted around the garage and the dread of knowing we were alone hit me. “Ayla, I miss you; please come back.” I had never been afraid of Marcus, but right no
Micha’s POV The penthouse is eerily quiet without Callan or Eric; growing up in a pack, I was used to being surrounded by people, and as soon as Ayla becomes Luna, I will move back into the pack house and say goodbye to this sweet bachelor pad and the quiet life I was still unaccustomed to. Waking up every morning without the hustle and bustle of the pack getting ready for the day was still taking some getting used to, but I will miss the peace of not being needed and my late-night booty calls. *I’m almost there.* Callan informs me just as the toaster pops up, filling the penthouse with the first sound I've heard all morning other than myself. I grab my toast and shove it into my mouth while grabbing my phone, keys, and wallet and shove them into my pocket. The door below me slams shut, and I know Ayla has just left for work. *Ayla is on the move; I’m right behind her though.* *Thank you, Micha.* I bounce down the steps, chewing on the toast, when the bottom door opens and Mr
Ayla POV I hated feeling so needy as I watched Callan leave the room, but I needed him more than I needed my next breath. The front door clicked shut, and as soon as I was alone, the walls around me began to close in. My breathing became laboured as all the air began to leave the room, and I found myself hyperventilating, desperately trying to suck air into my mouth. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and began to count to 10 slowly in my head, but I became distracted by the mouthwatering smell of Callan’s aftershave that filled the air in his bedroom. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now the smell was overpowering and so calming. I knew I was safe in here, but I couldn’t help but feel safer when Callan was with me, when his hand was touching mine or when his arms were wrapped around me, shielding me from the world, his touch seemed to calm all the raging storms that flurried around inside my head. When my eyes fluttered open, they landed on his T-shirt, which was lying on the f
Ayla POV Callan leaned over me, capturing my lips in a searing kiss. This kiss was harder than before; it made my head spin and my heart race. He pulled me up off the bed and abruptly pulled his lips away from mine; my chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. His lips curled up into a sulty smile as he ran his hand up my arms, sending pleasant shivers through me as he skilfully slipped his T-shirt up and over my head. “You are so beautiful.” He whispered as he cupped my cheek and tilted my head to the side, his lips pressed against my neck, and Callan moved down, leaving a trail of soft kisses and small explosions of pleasure. I let my head roll to the side as I bit down on my lip again to stop my moan. His hand grazed across my cheek, his thumb gently tugging on my lip, freeing it from my teeth. I opened my eyes to find his rich brown eyes staring into mine. “I want to hear every moan you have for me.” He grunted before kissing my lips hard. My head began to spin, but I di
Callan POV An oppressive silence filled the room; the air felt heavy, and I could feel the weight of it pushing against me as I waited for the high priestess to explain her remark, my anger bubbling beneath my skin more and more with each silent second that ticked past. Good, what kind of an answer is that to her question? Of course I would give anything to save Ayla; if I had to move the fires of hell to make sure no harm would come to her, I would do it in a heartbeat, but the high priestess’s one-worded answer and her silence afterwards make all my alarm bells ring; it is like a siren going off inside my head, with a red flashing light and all. Rosie shifted on her feet, also feeling the heaviness of my fury that filled the room at the witch's blasé attitude; the material of her pants rustled loudly as she moved from one foot to the other. It was the only sound I could hear other than the witch’s heavy breathing. “Are you going to tell us how to protect her or not?” Eric asked th
Callan POV The banquet hall is warm, with all the bodies crammed inside, waiting for the pack meeting to begin; chatter from the pack fills the room. I stand at the front where the alphas from the past have, the housemaids had set up Alister’s throne on the small stage, probably from habit, but I refused to sit in it; all it stood for was tyranny and hate; as soon as this was over, I was burning it. I look to my right and see my mother standing proud with Freya, Eric, and Ron. And to my left are Micha, Pedro, Minister Robert, and my beautiful mate, the other half of my heart. Today had started amazingly; she had told me she loved me, but then Runduc and Alister soured my happiness. At least I could take comfort in knowing I had Alister locked up, and there was no way he was getting out this time. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice; this meeting has been a long time coming. I have a few things I would like to say. First of all, I want to pay everyone who works in the pack
Callan POV My heart stops beating, and time slows down as I watch a filthy fucking rogue dragging my beloved mate toward the forest, and I am powerless to stop him, unable to rip his throat out for touching my sweet Ayla, unable to kill him where he stands for scaring her half to death. My supposed half-brother stands in front of me, a red orb of magic hovering above his hand; he’s blocking my way to Ayla, mocking me for not being able to save her. If it weren’t for the 9 rogues holding me down, I would tear him limb from limb along with everyone else here; the stench of the rogues is overbearing; they smell like death, but their horrid smell doesn’t hide the smell of fear that is coming from Ayla. I don’t look at the man who shares the same blood as me; I don’t listen to his mocking words; I look at Ayla. If I die today, I want her to be the last thing I see. Her eyes go wide as she turns toward me; the beautiful purple flower that surrounds her pupil begins to glow, engulfing her b
Ayla POV My body froze as fear seized me. Callan walked toward the group of men; each one seemed feral and unstable. A few of them bared their teeth toward Callan, and some just glared at him, but the one thing all of them had in common was their hatred for Callan; I could feel it coming off them in waves of nauseating repulsion, and the feelings surged toward me, making my body burn. “He’s ordered me to stay in the car with you!” Micha growled. He punched the steering wheel, making me flinch, but I wasn’t afraid of Micha, just startled and thankful; his outburst seemed to help me shake off the feelings of the men standing in front of Callan; now I could focus on Callan and the situation. “Micha, who are all those men?” I asked. “Pack warriors, rogues, and Callan’s half-brother, who happens to be a witch.” My heart stopped beating as all the blood rushed to my ears. I finally managed to unbuckle my seatbelt, and before I could even think, I opened the car door. I heard Micha’s d
Ayla POV As I stepped into my bedroom, I froze in the doorway as I scanned my sanctuary; my stomach turned to stone, and I could feel my heart banging against my chest, causing pains to ripple with every beat. The air smelled stale, which was strange considering the curtain was wafting back and forth in the breeze from the open window letting fresh air into my room. All of my belongings were scattered across the room, every draw was opened and empty, and white fluff that looked so soft filled the floor, all of my clothes were thrown across the room, and my body began to shake as coldness washed over me, I carefully stepped over the threshold, tripping on one of my running shoes, but as soon as I entered the room that coldness that had clouded me turned to ice chilling me to my bones, the mirror that I kept covered up was empty of it sheet, fear clawed at my heart as my legs began to tremble, threatening to not hold me any longer, scribbled in my lipstick on my mirror where the words
Callan POV “That’s ok, Callan. I could see the way they were looking at me before, and their confusion was overwhelming.” My brow furrowed; the pack’s confusion was overwhelming for Ayla. “I could sense it.” She answered. “You really don’t mind if I tell the pack?” She smiled up at me, making my heart flutter. “No, I don’t feel afraid anymore. Ever since you gave me this, and I’ve been able to feel you. I feel like I could conquer the world.” My lips curled up as she placed her fingers against my mark on her neck, and a shudder ran down her spine. Seeing it on her beautiful skin made pride swell inside my chest. “We will tell them tonight. I will call a pack meeting.” She nodded her head and leaned against me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, holding her close to my side. She weaved her fingers through the hand that was resting over her shoulder, and we made the rest of the journey back to her parent's flat in blissful silence; there was no need to fill the quiet with w
Callan POV “MATE!” A chill ran down my spine and all the hairs on my arm stood on end as the word ripped through the room. Micha turned to face me; his mouth had dropped open in disbelief, and his brows were raised high up on his forehead, creating a cascade of wrinkles. He stood up, pushing his chair back, making a loud squeaking noise as it slid against the floor; the whispers about Ayla had stopped now; the room was so silent I could hear Ayla’s heart beating fast. All eyes were now on Thomas, a pack warrior who had a reputation much like Micha’s. But I didn’t look at Thomas; instead, I looked toward the woman standing like a deer in headlights, shocked to see it was Alice, a timid she-wolf who had only just started working in the kitchen this week. Alice had just moved back into the pack house after losing her job and her home in town; Alister refused to help her because he thought she was a weak link in his pack, but I wouldn’t let any of my pack suffer. As soon as Alister left
Callan POV I wrap a towel around my waist and walk down the hallway back to my room and my sleeping mate. Fuck, I loved saying that, my mate. Today felt exciting, even though I had two powerful enemies threatening to take my mate away from me for their own selfish reasons. The day held promise and hope; my future was now something I could see, and I would be damned if I was going to let Alister or Runduc take Ayla from me because that’s what she was—my future. Her sweet voice swirled around inside my head, making my heart hammer against my chest, and my stomach flipped with excitement, and I knew that no matter what was thrown my way, nothing could take away how she made me feel, how I finally felt alive. *Callan, where are you?* “I’m here,” I answer as I walk into my old bedroom, closing the door behind myself. Ayla sits up, letting the duvet drop, revealing her beautiful body. Desire stirs seeing her ample breasts so perky as the cold air hits her nipples. “What time is it?” sh
Callan POV I strolled down the stairs of the pack house with a bounce in my step and the biggest smile on my face. I had never felt so positive about life as I did right now. The pack house no longer felt like a prison of my torment; the halls were no longer filled with memories of my father chasing me down them, and the rooms no longer held the memories of the beatings he would rain down on me for just being alive. Ayla had changed that; she had given me the greatest memory that I will forever cherish, and it was here, in this house I was once afraid of roaming. Now the house felt warm and full of love; the walls didn’t echo the reminiscence of a bad childhood; now they reflected her love and her kindness. The halls didn’t seem gloomy and obsessive; now they were bright and full of life. Not only did it feel like home now, but Ayla had agreed she would stay here until her life was no longer in danger, and the thought of spending every waking moment with her filled me with immense jo