BEN POV
I groan loudly as I roll over. My head feels like it is splitting. My body feels like it was run over by a bus. I manage to make it to the restroom on autopilot. I empty the tank and head to the sink to wash my hands. When I see my face in the mirror, shock floods my system. I look like warmed-over death.
My eyes are bloodshot, and my skin is deathly pale. My under eyes look like I haven't slept in years. What the hell happened last night?
Ben- Vince
.............
Ben- Ace
............
My links fail, and panic floods my system. Where the hell is my wolf?
Ben- ACE? ACE?
I run out of my room and sniff the air, but nothing comes to my nose. No scents. That isn't right. There should be pack members in the house. I sprint to my office, but my pace is human slow.
SASHA POV I sigh as I fold another shirt. Tomorrow we leave Blue Hill. This pack has been nice, but I'm just not into it. Natalia and I can't stop thinking about Ben. It doesn't help that he calls Chelsea's phone every other day. Luis and Roland have been worried about me since my fighting has been weak. But I don't know how to find that spark again. It's like I am lifeless. I don't feel the pain like I did when he hurt my feelings.......I'm just kind of numb. My cell rings, and I glance at the number. Mom. "Hey, mom," I answer, trying to sound happy and not exhausted. "Hey honey, do you have a minute," mom asks, and I get a little worried. "Yes, I'm not doing anything important, just packing," I answer, and she sighs. "What's wrong," I ask, pausing my movements. "White Crest is falling apar
SASHA POV I stare at Ace's mark with mixed emotions. Part of me is happy that I am claimed. My mate and I are halfway to being whole. But the other part of me is worried. Ben and I haven't truly spoken since our disaster of a date. I will admit it is pretty, though. It isn't complete, but it looks like I will have Ben's initials in White Crest colors, which is a typical wolf mark. I finish putting up my hair, and I change into my running outfit. I don't know what the plan is today because last night I ran from the room after Luis assaulted Ben. I don't know if Ben plans to hold a ceremony to be reinstated as Alpha or what. I don't even know what my plan is. Last night was one impulsive decision after another. I jog down the steps, and Ben's scent hits me in the face. My nerves instantly begin to make me feel sick. Is it normal to be this n
ALPHA BEN She looks like an absolute dream, and her lips feel like satin. While I look like I aged another ten years, she looks as fresh as a daisy. I'm still in shock that she is even here. Let alone here with Ace's mark on her neck. It is as if the last month hasn't happened. Chelsea keeps sending me smug looks, but I am ignoring her. I do not know why I have a full audience, but I am sure one will say something soon. Luis and Roland have never been shy with their dislike of me. I hear footsteps, and my head snaps up, but the scent that flows from the doorway isn't Sasha's. Instead, Vince strolls into the room and joins my onlookers. "So, where are you taking her," Luis asks in a strained voice that barely contains his sneer. I pull back the growl that I want to send his way. I know causing more friction between the two of us will do nothing
SASHA POV Ben's cheeks are flushed as he sits back down. Our bond is now whole, and the feeling is overwhelming. His emotions aren't just flowing within me. It is as if he is shooting them at me, and with each shot, they are shattering a piece of my uncertainty. I feel absolutely nothing that would lead me to believe Ben is trying to fool me. His emotions pour out happiness and contentment, but there is a hint of smugness. As if he is happy about proving me wrong about his interest in that annoying she-wolf. Which makes both Natalia and I happy. "Will it always feel this powerful," I ask once again in a soft voice that I only seem to use with him."I'm not sure. You have had your wall up most of the day, so I haven't felt much—just your stronger emotions. Like when you stubbed your toe getting in the shower," Ben responds with a smirk and humor dancing in his eyes.
SASHA POV I rush into the packhouse with Ben laughing behind me. I can not wait to show Luis and Roland this cake. It is amazing!Sasha- hey, come to the kitchenLuis/Roland- okay I unbox the slice of elegant chocolate and wait. Ben takes out five glasses and pours milk into all of them. I watch him with open curiosity before realization dawns on me."I'm not sharing," I say, and Ben's head snaps in my direction. He looks stunned for about two seconds before he begins laughing harder than I have ever seen him. "So you are going to show off your cake and then eat the whole thing in front of them," Ben asks between laughs and wiping his tear-filled eyes."Yes. Luis and Roland know how I am about sweets. This piece of divine perfection is mine. I just want the beauty to go down in history before being dev
LUIS POV"I swear if he did something else, I am not saving him," Amelia answers, and I almost smile."My queen, Sasha needs you. After returning from a date with Ben four hours ago, Sasha collapsed. Doctors aren't sure, but I think she was poisoned............ My Queen......she died for 32 seconds. She had just severed her bond from Riverstone, so you didn't feel it. But our girl died," I say, and I hear Amelia gasp. "Is she okay now," Amelia asks, and I can hear the tears in her voice. "She is stable, my queen, but she is in a coma. Her organs keep shutting down. They opened her up once they got her here to see if there was something they could spot with the naked eye, but nothing came from that. They took a bunch of samples from her. Those results should be available in a few hours. Natalia is present, but she is weak. Sasha is healing slow. She needs your hea
SASHA POV Warm apple pie floods my nostrils, and I snuggle as close as possible to the familiar smell. My body hurts, and my bladder is full, but I don't want to move away from whatever smells just like mom.Natalia whines a little in our head, and I groan back at her.Sasha- why are we so sore?Natalia- Silver.Sasha- what? Silver?Natalia- I don't know how but silver got into our bloodstream.I push my brain to think about the last things I remember. I can feel Natalia aiding me and providing me with additional strength to search our mind.Sasha- we marked Ben. We got back to the house, and everyone joined White Crest...then I felt funny. I passed out...Natalia- we died. I left you for a moment. I saw the Goddess, but she said it wasn't our time. She told me to be strong and put all my strength into helping you
ALPHA BENI try to keep my rage hidden as the pack gathers in front of me, but I am losing the battle. My usual carefree demeanor has been absent over this past month, and tonight, it is nonexistent. All I want to do is rip the kneeling she-wolf into pieces. Just as my rage begins to take over completely, Sasha squeezes my hand. Soothing tingles shoot up my arm before hitting my heart and dosing the raging fire in my soul.I glance towards my beautiful mate, who looks like the picture of good health. Looking at her right now, you would never know she died last night. She has her hair up in a messy bun, but her outfit is nothing but professional. She has on a cream-colored pencil skirt and a deep pinkish-red satin button-up shirt. Her heels match her skin color and make her legs look like they go on for miles. I clear my throat and look away from my tempting mate.I catch Amelia smirking at me from the front o
ETHAN'S POV (58yr later) I look at the ceiling and blink hard as I push the water from my eyes. Mom squeezes my hand, but I don't look at her. If I look at her, I will lose it. I have dreaded this moment for so long, and now that it is here.....I feel like a part of my soul is dying. "Ethan," my sister's soft voice calls out, and I immediately move to her bedside. I drop down to my knees so she can see me. My father, Jackson, doesn't even look in my direction, but I am used to it. "I'm right here, Sassy," I whisper as I take her weathered hand in my youthful one. "I love you, little brother..... I am so proud of the man that you have become...... I wish I had gotten to meet your mate. I wanted to tell her embarrassing stories.....like when I gave you a paint bomb..... for your thirteenth birthday," Sasha whispers with a small smile pullin
THIRD PERSON Sasha smiles as her family walks towards Ben and her in the airport. She has been waiting for two weeks to tell her parents that she is expecting and it is driving her insane. Typically Sasha only pulls pranks on other people's birthdays, but this one is special. "Honey," Amelia says as she wraps Sasha in a hug. Ben shakes Jason and Jackson's hands while Ethan waits for his turn to hug his sister. As soon as Amelia releases Sasha, Ethan pounces. "I missed you," Ethan says as Sasha lets out a small giggle. "You know most teens hate their sisters," Sasha says, and Ethan pulls back to give her a smirk. "Other teen's sisters aren't as cool as mine," Ethan declares, and Sasha beams at her sibling. Sasha has yet to realize how
ALPHA BEN (rated R) "MOM," Sasha screams out so loud that most of the field freezes for half a second. Three individual pissed-off roars fill the air, and a blinding flash of light that I know is Amelia crosses the field to where my mate is. Ace snaps the neck of the rogue we are fighting and races in Sasha's direction. Helios and Eros are already killing all the enemies around my crying mate, so I shift to comfort her. "Give your mom space, baby. She will heal him," I whisper as I tug Sasha against me and away from Luis's still body. I can barely hear his heartbeat, and his consciousness is already gone. Blood is soaking the earth underneath him, and Sasha is petrified. Amelia places her hand on the arrow sticking out of his chest and yanks. The silvertip flies out, and the open wound is immediately covered with Amelia's empty hand. Luis's chest begins to glow, and only after about a second Amelia smiles.&nbs
SASHA POV A howl breaks through the night, and I am on my feet before Ben is even awake."Ben, get up," I yell while throwing on my protective suit. My fathers' parents designed the suits over a hundred years ago, and for a century, we have been improving them. They shift with us and they are stronger than a bullet proof vest. They have basically eliminated the threat of human hunters, and they make it hard for Vampires to reach our hearts. Ben jumps up, looking panicked before locking eyes with me."What is it? What's wrong," he demands as he watches me get my suit pulled up. "Border patrol just sounded the alarm. Since I can't link my parents anymore, I'm not sure what is happening. But we need to get ready," I explain as I head towards the door. I forgo putting on shoes. The attire is entirely pointless with
ALPHA BEN (ONE WEEK LATER) "White Crest, Alpha Ben speaking," I say into the phone with a slight grin on my face.My body is buzzing with happiness, and I can't seem to shut off the feeling, not even when I should be working. Sasha is the best thing to ever happen to me, and it shows. I smile all day, I get stuff done in record time, and I am more stress-free than ever. It seems as if everything has fallen into place with the pack as well.Sasha and her trio of followers have taken over training. They redesigned the training field and implemented an entirely new system of working out. Vince doesn't seem to mind since he has more time to try and locate his human mate. Basically, everyone walks around smiling every day."Hey Ben, is Sasha near you," Jason's voice says through my office phone, and my happy demeanor dips a little."Not at the moment. She and Chels are delivering s
QUEEN AMELIA "Another one has been spotted, My Queen, " our patrol wolf says with his head bowed. "Thank you. I will let the king's know," I say, and he disappears from the office. I sigh as worry begins to take a seat in my mind for the first time in thirteen years. That makes the fifth unknown wolf to be spotted near our border. The wolves aren't rogues, so we can't treat them as such, but they don't appear friendly either. I stand up and stretch my body before heading to the training field where my mates are. They aren't going to like this. ******* Jackson and Jason's bodies are sweaty and exposed as they circle one another. The other warriors are watching my mates with mixed expressions of awe and wonder. I roll my eyes as I watch the display. Their competitive sides are annoying sometimes. Amelia- sexy loves..
SASHA POV. Rated R Natalia paces with excitement as my palms begin to sweat. Ben gives me a small smile as he slides the key card into the hotel door. He opens the door, and when my eyes land on the room, I gasp. "Ben, this is beautiful," I say as I look around the rose petal-covered carpet. The room has a gas fireplace that is already lit and a bottle of champagne that is icing next to a bubbling jacuzzi. Ben places his hand on my lower back and guides me in further. He takes my sweater off but doesn't say a word as I continue to appreciate the space. I walk over to the sliding door and look out at our view of the full moon. I never thought I would be this moved by a room. I am speechless. I turn and stare at Ben with wide eyes, and he grins. "I'm glad you like it. I wanted it to be perfect for y
ALPHA BEN"So what's going on," Vince asks as he throws himself down in a chair on the other side of my desk."With what," I ask as I finish booking the honeymoon suite in the pack's main hotel."Sasha and Chelsea left training early. Chelsea never leaves training, and while your mate was here last month, she never missed a day. So something is up," Vince says while twirling a pen that was on my desk.I chuckle and lean back. I look my best friend over and sigh. He isn't going to drop the question until I spill."Sasha said she wants to complete our bond tonight," I admit, and Vince's eyes bulge."Wow," he whispers with an exaggerated face.Quiet fills the room as we both think over what that means for White Crest and me. Wolves who are waiting for transfers should withdraw their applications. I will have a mate, a Luna. There will be at least on
SASHA POV I huff as I pick myself off the ground. My mind is a jumbled-up mess. I want everything to be perfect for Ben. I want to show him how committed I am to our bond. But I am incredibly nervous. "Sasha, are you okay," Chelsea asks as she eyes me carefully."I'm fine. You just surprised me," I say, and Chelsea rolls her brown eyes. "I'm a good fighter Sasha, but we both know you can take me with your eyes closed. What's going on," She asks as she drops her stance completely and picks up her water bottle. The pack members who are training around us glance my way, and I sigh. She isn't going to drop this until I spill, but I refuse to tell the whole pack I am getting laid for the first time...tonight.Sasha- I told Ben I want to complete our bond tonight. "WHAT," Chelsea yells, and I immediately shush h