JAXON I don’t know what happened by Art brought about memories from the opening of my last investment project in Bal Harbour, A weekend that I’m still trying to remember. I remember the softness of her skin, and the fullness of her lips, but what I can’t remember is her name or her face. How is that possible? Sadly, we’ve had to refer to her as my mystery girl. After we got back from the beach, I took a shower and laid down to rest a bit. What I didn’t expect was the dream. It almost felt like a memory of us dancing, I could feel her body, I could hear her laughter clearly, but her face was blurred. I stand corrected this isn’t a dream, but a nightmare. Ever since I’ve been feeling off, and not in the mood to deal with tonight’s circus. But here we are as they announce Art’s arrival. I bow and as I look up, I remain speechless. She looks like an angel dressed in all white and gold. Angel? Why does that endearment sound so familiar? “I know most of you believed me to be a myth. B
ARTEMIS To wake up in my bed this morning still fully dressed completely threw me for a loop. Last I remembered I was before the court of Gods one minute and then I was falling. ‘He caught us,’ says Selena. ‘Who, Aidan?’ ‘No Jaxon!’ ‘I think that was a dream. You heard him yesterday; he is only here because he must represent his pack. That’s it!’ ‘I don’t know, I think there is more to it . . .’ ‘No there isn’t, let’s just drop it ok. We must start getting to know the other alphas.’ ‘Ok, but something tells me we are missing something.’ I wish . . . Ok it’s time to get up, I need to go for a run and train. I need to get him out of my head. Immediately! I quickly got ready and headed downstairs to grab a water bottle, While I was expecting to see Eli, I did not expect to see Jaxon. “Morning Eli,” shocked I drew to a halt. “Good morning, Art!” he replies. “Good morning, Alpha, I wasn’t expecting you so early.” “I just came to check on you and make sure you’re ok.” Gabriel
ARTEMIS Ethan steps into the center and clears his throat, “ahem. Alright everybody, I know we are all excited here to show the alpha’s what we’ve been working on, but let’s remember our teachings and training. Did everyone stop over the whiteboard to confirm your pairings for today?” All the trainees nod in response. “Great, find your partners and let’s get started.” “Hey,” says Donovan nudging my shoulder, “Wanna pair up?” “Sorry alpha, you couldn’t keep up during our run earlier. I believe I’m way out of your league,” I mock. “Ouch, that one hurt,” he pretends to hold his chest. I kiss his cheek, “there all better.” He smiles and bites his lip. Damn he’s hot. “Anyways, I’m paired up with Cruz one of the recruits, he apparently wants a beating today.” “With that beast?” he exclaimed, shocked. He’s three; no, I take that back four times your size.” “Excuse you, I might be small, but I’m lethal.” I smile back at him and make my way over to Cruz. “Hey giant, you ready?” “B
ARTEMISI had drinks with Set, the Alpha from the Crimson pack. The guy was built like a truck, 6’6, 250 pounds of muscle, deep coffee-colored eyes, stern, but as yummy as Jason Momoa. The brooding type, but I would be lying if I said that wasn’t super-hot. A bit of a caveman, but he has his charms.I had dinner with Ares and boy did we have a good time filled with laughter; the guy is the king of flirting. But I can’t deny we had fun, and I’m looking forward to his pack visit. He gave me a rundown of his pack and how much I would love it. From the sounds of its Ocean’s Howl could easily, possibly be my new home. If I had to characterize Ares, I would say he has Ryan Gosling’s looks with Ryan Reynolds’ humor.Now I have my date with Draken, and to be honest I’m a little nervous. He just seems so hot and disruptive, #disruptive! His aura pulls on a darker side of me and I’m here for it.I wore a nude backless maxi dress for my dated with Set & Ares, but for my date with Draken I’m decid
ARTEMIS I ran straight to my room. What have I done? 'The right thing. He needed to remember us.' 'Why? Is not like that’s going to change anything, he still wants his mystery girl.' 'I don’t know, but something tells me we did the right thing.' 'I hope so, but we have no time to dwell on this we have to get ready for our date.' Forty minutes later while I’m putting the finishing touches on my makeup, Aidan knocks on my door. “Hey babygirl, can I come in?” “Hi, of course. What’s going on?” “I’m here to talk to you about Jaxon, and more specifically I need you to clarify something for me.” I began to worry and sat on the edge of my bed while he took a seat on my vanity facing me. “you two know each other already, don’t you?” “What makes you say that?” “I spoke to him, and he mentioned little details that give me the impression that this isn’t your first meeting. Plus, I know you, like the palm of my hand, and your level of comfort with him is very unlike you.” Chewing on my
AIDAN POV“Don’t!”Who that was or where the voice came from, I don’t know, but something didn’t want me intervening in my sister’s and Jax’s situation. So, I pivoted, and gave her a lame excuse for why I had suddenly changed my mind about what I was about to say and made my way out of her room.As I was closing Art’s room door, I realized maybe I got myself in some serious hot water, because there she was in all her regalness, Selene, our moon goddess.“Hello Aidan.”I vowed, “divine mother.”“Gods you’re good looking! Take after your father.”I couldn’t help but smile and blush.“It was you, you stopped me from telling Art about Jaxon and his true feeling for her. And my theories on them.”“Come, walk with me.”I offered her my arm out of custom and courtesy, I just didn’t expect her to take it. We walked in silence to the gardens in the back of the mansion, the fields of white roses have always made this place look and feel surreal. But I found it fitting that she would want to com
JAXON POV It was her. It has always been her. Art is my mystery girl. How could I have missed that? The signs were all there for me, I just couldn’t put the puzzle pieces together. ‘She took our memories of her away,” said Ares in a hurt tone. ‘Why would she do that?’ I sat down on the grass; I couldn’t seem to be able to take myself back down the hill and into my room. I felt stuck, my body couldn’t be bothered to move. ‘Why would she hide from me? Now that my memories are back, I remember we had a great time together, I thought we were both on the same page. We even made plans to see each other a few weeks later in New York. Man, I’m so confused. Ares help me try and understand what just happened.’ ‘The only thing I could think off is that maybe she was scared.’ ‘Of me?’ I asked baffled. ‘Not you, you big baby! Of being exposed.’ ‘What are you going on about now …,” he didn’t let me finish when he interrupted. ‘Think about it Jax, we got here to an island that nobody could
JAXON’S POVI felt disheveled, erratic, having to wait for Art to finish her stupid date with Velazquez was driving me up the wall.‘Let’s go for a run, between your nerves and mine things could get ugly,’ suggested Ares.‘Yea, that sounds like a good idea.’We ran the perimeter of the island three times, and we still couldn’t get the anger and darkness to settle. I need to talk to somebody; I can’t wait any longer. Aidan, of course. He must know something, those two are very close. But why didn’t he say anything to me, we are supposed to be best friends?‘Let’s go and find out, Aidan did talk about theories, I have a feeling your best friend knows more that he wants to say.’‘You’re right, I think it’s time we find out exactly how much Aidan knows.’I quickly went to my room to clean up and change then set off to find Aidan, I looked everywhere and couldn’t find him. The last place left to look was the library and thank the Gods he was here.“Jax?” He looked at me confused.“We need
ARTEMIS POVWe walked back to the pack house chatting while Aidan continued to work with his newfound powers. I quickly greeted everyone and came back home, my mother and I were due for a chat, so instead of calling out to her I felt for my tether to the Moon Goddess realm and opened a portal. My mother was sitting in front of the fountain of life, “I see you’ve come to get answers.”“I think it’s only fair since I’ve had to figure things out on my own.” She nods, “what do you want to know?”“Why Ares? Mom, I was devastated when he left, I remember it now.”“Yes, now! And you were devastated, but you were reborn and had a chance to start over from scratch. Now why Ares? Aidan gave you that answer, I swear everyday he impresses me more and more.”“Mom!” I shout.“Ares is powerful enough to contain the shadows after all they belong to him. They are the evil souls he’s killed. Hades uses them to try and break him, but Ares is a lot stronger than what Hades gives him credit for.”“So, you
ARTEMIS POV“Cut it out,” I swat him. “Talk to him, as his best friend. And please help me find out what the truth is. I need to have all the details about everything. I really like him A, but if he is a threat to my mission, then I will have to let him go. Too many lives depend on us. I can’t be a woman and think with my hooha.” He raises his hands, “your what?” I groan, “my hooha, yes that what I call it. Moving on!”He starts laughing like a maniac, “no way, do you tell it oh good morning hooha, how did you sleep last night?” I roll my eyes ignoring his question, “listen just be grateful Logan isn’t here and couldn’t hear what you just said, he would never let THAT one go.” He was now holding his stomach while cackling like a banshee, “Are you done yet?” I ask, clearly annoyed. He coughs, “sorry, that was unexpected.” I roll my eyes again, “like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. I need to think like the queen and goddess that I am, not the woman.”“My feelings and wh
ARTEMIS POVI watched Aidan move, throw, hover, and fly rocks for a while, his enthusiasm was like that of a child in a candy store. I was able to recognize through the link how happy he was at feeling useful for me, what he didn’t realize was that he was more useful to me than he could ever have imagined. He wanted to continue to train and harness his newly found powers, but I was able to convince him to continue our walk. “I know it isn’t my place for me to divulge what I’m about to, but I can’t have my team look into it I would really feel like I’m breaking his trust.”“How about you open a portal into the wine cellar so we can grab a bottle, because from the conflicted feelings verging on anxiety that I’m reading through the bond; I’m going to need it.” It didn’t take much for me to open a portal into the cellar, as a child it used to be my favorite hiding spot. Aidan stepped in and seconds later steps out with a bottle of scotch that looks to be older than some of the elders. “Da
ARTEMIS POVBack home I felt drained, all I wanted was a glass of wine and m bed. But I also felt the need to work through everything that had just happened, and who better to do that with than my brother. I quickly hop in the shower and then get dressed, once ready I made sure to mind link him, ‘hey, just making sure you’re decent before I pop in.’‘Were you planning on opening a portal into my room?’ he asks. ‘Why would I do that?’ I reply.‘Then how were you going to catch me with my balls in hand Art?’‘Eww, the image. I could really do without those.’‘You walked yourself right into that one.’I groaned.‘Get your ass over here already.’Picturing my childhood home, I open a portal right outside the packhouse, just seeing it makes me smile. This mansion will always be home to me. I made my way up the front steps and let myself in. “Hi Clarice!” I greet, Clarice is my brother’s nanny. She has been running the packhouse ever since I can remember. “Hello, my darling,” she rushes ove
ARTEMIS POV“What brings about your Lycan form?”“I don’t know how to explain it, when the darkness pulls on my essence, I go into a place that I’m forced to be my truest, strongest self.”“That place where I found you earlier?” He nods.“The shadow realm. I was tasked by your mother to keep the doors sealed shut, to prevent Hades from releasing his hell on our world sooner than the Gods have planned for it.”“Does he know? “He shakes his gigantic head. “No Jaxon isn’t aware of what happens when I go there. I hid it from him. I lock him away, I’m protecting him.”“I don’t think you are.” He turned, looking at me with worry on his face. “I wouldn’t have survived that place without Selena by my side.” I sense her nodding in my head in agreement. “You need Jaxon when you go back there Ares. Your human is your anchor. As my wolf is mine.”He is pensive and quiet for a moment, then nods, “perhaps.”“Where is he now? Still locked away?”“Yes, once I get off the mountain and away from the de
ARTEMIS POV I kept trying to reach out to him, but the darkness emanating out of his aura was dense, and it prevented me from reaching him. ‘Try Ares,’ suggest Selena. ‘If we can’t reach Jaxon then perhaps, we can reach out to Ares.’ She’s right, it won’t hurt to try. And so, we concentrated on Ares on our connection, on my memories with him and everything good that we have with him. The more we focused on the wood the more progress we made through the fog, the darkness becoming less and less dense our path for the first time in what felt like hours was finally clearing. What was once a wall of darkness was now a mist, with a very tiny flame at the end; and there he was Ares. Lost in his own consciousness his eyes black like this place, a place that lives in his own mind. “Ares? Ares can you hear me? I asked. I went to reach out and touch him, when I feel resistance from Selena, ‘no art, I don’t think that’s Ares.’ ‘I know its him. We have to snap him out of this trance. Gods kn
ARTEMIS POVThe next few days flew by. With so much to get done prior to our departure my focus was solemnly on getting ready for what’s to come and ensuring the island would continue to run smoothly without most of my team. I had texted with both Jax and Donovan, but just briefly. Tonight, I’m supposed to join him for dinner and bring Ale back with me.“Ahem, no you won’t be going there.”“Mom? Why not?”“Because you are showing preference, and the fates are not liking it. Darling you can have your preferences, but you cannot make them so obvious. Your aunts a quite tricky, and you can tilt the scales in a manner that you won’t like. With them is act first consequences be damned, you have to be the opposite. Think first, plan, educate yourself, then act.”“Crap, I did something similar with Donovan.”“That was different.”“How so? I was in his territory, in his space, in his home.”“Donovan had essential information that you needed to know, Jaxon doesn’t have that for you, not yet.”
ARTEMIS POV“I don’t blame you,” he replies. “My parents told me they were warned in a dream that I would be a special wolf, and that I would recognize my purpose when the time was right. So, we hid my powers from the council, and from everyone that posed a threat. My parents taught me from an early age how to hide my inkling for the sun. And I have kept true to their wishes. Well, that was until I saw you last week and I felt my pull towards you and the way my power swelled just by being in your proximity. I knew then, Donnie wasn’t mad, and that you were the person and the sign I have been waiting for all along.”We were so immersed in our conversation that when the chef announced the menu for the night, we were both startled. “In tonight’s menu we have tuna tartar in a miso soy glaze, followed by a fennel Frise salad, and filet mignon with roasted potatoes and creamed spinach.”Neither of us paid much attention to what he said, we were lost in each other’s eyes. Donovan was giving
ARTEMIS POVJax and I were on the phone till late last night, we talked about anything and everything, and I felt my bond to him growing. Today, I have a huge project to present to a client for my company and then I’m excited at the prosper of seeing Donovan. He texted early morning sending me the location for our dinner. I got to New York early this morning, Kane and Liam are with me, I need them to help me dig into all the alphas. I need to be ready prior to entering their territory, I don’t want to be caught off guard, and I know if here is anything out there these guys will find it. The rest of the week will be intense, I have to pack, ensure that the island will be taken cared of while I’m gone, and in order for me to do that I will have to enlist the help of Aunt Hecate. She’s been helping me learn protection spells, but she says I can also learn to weave them. I need to make sure the island is protected from Hades, the people that live in the island are my responsibility, and I