Axel- Hearing that Stormie was pregnant, my blood ran cold. Releasing Jasmine, I collapsed onto the couch. My emotions were in turmoil as I didn’t know what to think or feel right now. Hearing I was going to be a father was thrilling, but knowing I might lose the child and my mate was terrifying. To make matters worse, if Landon or Misty found out she was pregnant, things might get worse for Stormie. It was clear that Misty wanted me, and Landon wanted Stormie. Misty would kill Stormie because she had my kid inside her. Landon was no better. “We need to find her.” I choked out. My body trembled with fear, anger, happiness, and more anger. Needing to do something rather than sit and wait for Stormie to be found, I went to find Dominic to see if he had found anything. He was still in the security office, using their system to hack into other security systems. His fingers flew across the keyboard as Kevin watched the monitors. Since I was a better hacker, I kicked Dominic out of the
Stormie-Intense pain spreads over my body as I wake up from a deep slumber. My head hurt the worst. It was as if I had been plunged into a pit of fire, head first. As for my body, it felt as if I had been lying on pins and needles all night.When my eyes opened, I had to blink a few times to focus. No wonder I was in so much pain. I was lying inside a metal dog kennel. The kennel was meant for large dogs, but I was able to fit inside of it. It didn’t allow me much space, as I was curled up in the fetal position.Turning my head, I looked over my shoulder to get an idea of where I was. It seemed to be a warehouse for car parts. There were even a few cars parked to the side. When I spotted Misty and Landon standing nearby, facing away, I quickly put my head down and pretended to be asleep.“We need to figure out what we are going to do.” Misty was talking to Landon.“Stop nagging me, I am thinking.” Landon snapped.“We can’t stay here forever. Sooner or later, they will find us.” Misty
Stormie-I was about to sit up to massage my muscles, but Misty and Landon entered the warehouse again. Closing my eyes, I pretend to be asleep. I could hear them approaching me, neither of them speaking.I listened to their movements and did my best to keep my breathing even and my heart rate under control. It sounded like one of them was going in a different direction while the other continued approaching. I silently prayed that they would continue to think I was still passed out.A short time later, something rattled the cage, and I couldn’t help but flinch. Hoping they didn’t notice, I continued to keep my eyes closed. Again, the kennel was hit by something, but I didn’t react this time.“You can stop pretending.” Misty grumbled.Since it was pointless to hide it, I opened my eyes and sat up. Misty was crouched next to the kennel with a rod in her hand. Her eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying. Based on what I knew about her, she had forced herself to cry to gain pi
Stormie-“Stop!” Landon shouted from across the room.Misty didn’t stop. She started laughing as if she had completely lost her mind. Thankfully, Landon rushed toward her and pulled the rod away from her. He kicked her away from me and placed himself between the kennel and Misty.“I told you that you aren’t allowed to harm her. The only thing you were supposed to do is dose her with wolfsbane. What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Landon broke the rod over his knee.Although Landon has played a considerable part in all of this, I was grateful that Landon was trying to protect me. As long as he was around, Misty wouldn’t be able to do much to me. Now that the rod was broken, I wouldn’t need to suffer through getting electrocuted again.“I am teaching her a lesson!” Misty yelled as she got to her feet.“The only one who needs to learn a lesson is you.” Landon moved toward Misty and grabbed her around the neck. “I warned you that you aren’t allowed to harm her.”While Misty and Land
Stormie-“What is your big idea then?” Misty asked, leaning forward in her chair and placing her elbows on her knees.“We could try to have you pretend to be me one last time.” I sit up straighter, glancing between Landon and Misty.I knew they wouldn’t go for it directly. The last time Misty tried, Axel admitted to not realizing it immediately. If I can get word to Axel about the plan, he might play along. The most important part was to get him access to us.“Do you think I am stupid? What makes you think that it will work? It isn’t like I haven’t tried already.” Misty scoffed.Thinking quickly, I came up with a solution that might convince them. “The last time we didn’t work together. I can help you convince him that you are me.”“What is your idea?” Landon asked.Misty looked skeptical, but Landon seemed interested in what I had to say. As long as he had reason to believe that I would stay with him, he could help convince Misty. Choosing my words carefully, I turned to him.“She al
Axel- “If she is not found in five minutes, I will start killing someone.” I slammed my fist against the wall in my office. I haven’t been able to connect with Stormie in a couple of days. I knew in my heart she was alive, but that didn’t help matters. I didn’t know if she was in pain or scared or if something terrible had happened to her. The girl who had been tortured in my office had still not given me anything useful. Since I didn’t want to look at her anymore, I transferred her to the dungeon. I haven’t slept since Stormie disappeared, and I was running on fumes. “I found an old warehouse on the outskirts of town. There is a lot of movement there, so I sent some men to check it out. They were informed not to act rashly until we can confirm Stormie is there.” Dominic was at my desk, using my computer to locate Stormie. “Breck, gather some men. If she is there, I want to be there to deal with Landon.” I didn’t wait for Breck to respond as I approached the door. I barely made i
Stormie-I dared not to move. I knew that if there were a single drop of blood, Axel would become unhinged. Had I known they were going to check me after giving me another dose, I would have tried to reason with Landon a bit more and make him think I was willing to give him a chance.“If I do that, it will kill her!” Axel screamed.I could see in his eyes that he was afraid and at a loss for what to do. I didn’t know how long the Wolfsbane in my system would last, so I was powerless to do anything. I tried to tell him to leave, but my mouth was covered.“Do you think I care?” Misty pressed the blade against my neck harder.Trying not to swallow, I held my breath and tensed up so I didn’t move. While I did care about my life and my unborn child, Axel’s life was more important. He had an entire Pack to protect. My life, compared to hundreds of others, wasn’t worth it.“In order to save her, you are asking me to kill her. What makes you think I would agree?” Axel slowly took a step forwa
Stormie-“Pin her down!” Misty ordered.A few seconds later, multiple hands grabbed me, making it so I couldn’t move. Landon’s hand released my neck, and his hands gripped my shoulders. Opening my eyes again, I watched as Misty took the dagger from Landon and straddled my lap.Misty grabbed my chin, forcing my head to move from side to side. “What is so special about you?” She removed her hand from my face and then grabbed my hair, forcing my head back. “We have the same face, yet everyone wants to flock around you. First, you took Axel from me, and even Landon became obsessed with you.” I wanted to tell her we were nothing alike, but I couldn’t speak with the tape in my mouth. Narrowing my eyes at her, I silently cursed her. I wasn’t surprised that even though we were both the daughters of the Moon Goddess, Misty had been abandoned. I knew in my heart that the reason Misty wasn’t as gifted as me was because she had disappointed our biological mother.As I thought about it, I realiz
Axel- Sitting at a table in a holding cell meant for visitations, Stormie and I waited for a guard to bring Landon in. Considering Landon had been involved in harming Stormie, I wasn’t about to let him near her without enforced supervision. After waiting for five minutes, the door to the cell opened, and Landon was guided inside with his wrists and ankles handcuffed. Once Landon was sat down and chained to the chair, I waited and watched to see what would happen. I didn’t have much to say to Landon, as I never planned to forgive him entirely. Until he could prove himself worthy, I would always regard him as a danger to Stormie. I was only here to give my mate the support she needed. I noticed that even as Landon sat across from Stormie, he avoided her gaze. Stormie, on the other hand, stared at Landon for a long time. Neither of them said anything, and I wondered if we would sit here silently for the entire hour. “I am sorry.” Landon mumbled forty-five minutes later. Stormie kept
Stormie-“Is it because I am the Alpha King?” He chuckled.Feeling a knot in my stomach, I tentatively nodded, my hand instinctively reaching up to rub the back of my neck. “A little.”“When I met your mother, she pretended to be human. When she was pregnant, she left me a note telling me that she was pregnant but had to return home. I tried to find her, but it was like she vanished off the earth and then reappeared with you and your sister. She vanished into thin air before I could ask her where she had been. I realized that nothing about her was simple. After I lost the two of you, I stopped searching for your mother and focused on finding you.”Feeling like this was a lot to take in all at once, I wanted to change the topic. “I am sure I will have more questions, but we can slowly get to know each other over time. Why don’t we head to the cemetery now?”Axel stood and helped me to my feet just as my father stood. Still a little nervous, I grabbed Axel’s hand as we headed toward the
Stormie-When I went to the living room after my shower, Axel was pacing the floor. Before letting him know I was done, I watched him for a few seconds. He kept mumbling something as he paced, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. He kept rubbing his hands together, and his eyes were drawn to the ground.“Axel?” I approached him slowly.His movements stopped as his head snapped up. Like a deer caught in the headlights, he stared at me before rushing toward me. I couldn’t help but flinch when he suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and steered me toward the couch. Forcing me to sit down, he resumed pacing.“What is wrong?” I asked, starting to feel anxious.Rapidly, he stopped pacing and sat beside me on the couch. His body was angled toward me, and I could see he was trying to process something. The longer it took him to speak, the more afraid I became.“While you were sleeping this past week, there is something I did that I didn’t report.” Axel said in a rush.“Whatever it is, you
Stormie-Moving from room to room, I was amazed at how spacious everything was. The apartment had a living room, office, kitchen, and dining room, all of which had an open concept. Aside from the bathroom connected to the primary bedroom, a smaller bathroom was next to the living room.There were also three bedrooms in total. One of the bedrooms had been converted into a nursery. The nursery hadn’t been fully set up, but it was filled with things for a baby.A box contained magazines and samples for decorating a nursery. I felt emotional as I sat on the floor and skimmed through one of the magazines. Inside, I found hundreds of notes in Axel’s handwriting.He noted the things he liked and put my name and a question mark on a few others. Many of the notes were about what to get depending on the gender of the baby. There were also notes about whether something would be safe for an infant.Tears filled my eyes as I flipped through a few more magazines. At the bottom of the box was a book
Stormie-When Landon released her, I rushed forward to get Misty away from him. In a split second, Landon turned Misty toward him and plunged the knife into her chest. My own chest exploded with pain as Landon pushed Misty away, and she fell to the ground.Placing my hands over my heart, I gasped for air. Falling to my knees, I was thankful when Axel caught me. My eyes focused on Misty as she lay on her back, with blood pouring out of her chest. Her eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling.I didn’t need to confirm that she was dead, as I could sense it. A dark cloud formed inside me, and I slowly succumbed to the darkness. Falling limp in Axel’s arms, everything around me disappeared.While I was asleep, I kept dreaming of the life I had, starting from an early age. Every good and bad moment replayed in my head. When I woke up, I abruptly sat up, gasping for air. My hands covered my chest as if I could relieve the pain in my heart.“You’re awake.” Axel moved onto the bed from a chair
Stormie-Something snapped inside of me at the last second. As if time slowed down, my face hardened as I glared at her. Feeling my strength return in a hot burst, I broke through the rope that tied me to the chair.My eyes burned with fury as I narrowed them on her. Seconds before Misty could shove the needle in me. I caught her wrist with my newly freed hand. Her eyes widened, and I could feel fear resonating from her. Keeping her wrist in my hand, I rose to her level.She took a staggering step back as he attention darted to my hand around her wrist. Misty attempted to twist her wrist as she tried pulling it away. Not willing to release her, I tightened my grip.“You have made me suffer, almost killed me, turned people against me, abused everyone around you, stolen from me, tried to take away the one person you will never be able to have, and so much more.” I edged forward, pushing her back at the same time. “Never again will I allow you to treat me like this. From this moment for
Stormie-“How can I trust you not to change your mind again?” Axel's jaw muscles tensed as he glared at Misty.“If you want to be technical, you were the one to break the rules.” Misty stepped away from me.“What rule did I break?”“I told you your body can’t touch the ground, but you did multiple times. The only reason I didn’t say anything was because I was enjoying the show.” Misty moved away from me, but she was out of my line of sight.Craning my neck, I looked over my shoulder to see what she was doing. I was nearly at full strength but still needed a little more time. When I saw her approaching the crate holding the wolfsbane, my eyes widened as I turned my head toward Axel.From what I could see, he was watching her every move. Turning my head again, I couldn’t see what Misty was doing, as her back obstructed my view. It wasn’t difficult to guess that she was preparing a syringe to inject me again.My gaze moved past her, where Landon was standing. His eyes were also focused o
Axel-Hearing a noise from behind me, I didn’t need to look behind me as I heard a whooshing sound, like a bat swinging through the air. Ducking my head, I grabbed the bat after it passed over my head. The rogue held tight.While he pulled on it, I reached behind me and grabbed the rogue's ankle. Another attack came as I pulled the rogue's leg out from under him. At the last second, I had full control over the bat. Using it as a shield, I blocked the next attack and then retaliated.Swinging the bat as hard as I could, I smashed it against the second rogue’s leg. When I heard the sound of a bone breaking, satisfaction swirled within me. A third rogue came at me with a whip in his hands.Unlike the others, he didn’t directly approach me. He stopped a reasonable distance away before swinging his arm out to throw the whip toward me. Using the bat, I held it out so the whip twisted around the bat. Grabbing the end of the whip with my hand, I pulled it toward me.The guy holding it wasn’t
Axel-“What do you want us to do?” Breck’s and Dominic’s voices overlapped as they spoke inside my head.“It is too risky to try anything right now. Until I can find an opening, I have no choice but to play by their rules.” I responded through the Pack link.I hated that Stormie was injured twice because of my failure to abide by Misty’s wishes. I could tell that Stormie was more upset about what I was being forced to do than the pain that had been inflicted upon her. Regardless of how much it hurt mine and my wolf’s pride, nothing was as crucial as Stormie’s life.“I have never asked you for anything, but I am begging you to please stop.” Tears streamed down Stormie’s face as she looked at Misty.“I am okay.” I gritted my teeth and smiled at Stormie, but she didn’t look in my direction.“I am just getting started.” Misty swatted Landon away from Stormie.Landon seemed reluctant at first but ended up backing away. Seeing that Landon was showing a little decency to Stormie, I might all