Adina’s POVIt had been the first time she intentionally had killed another living being. Adina expected to feel remorse or guilt. But she didn’t, which worried her.They had gotten back in the car and were driving home. Both Sean and Colin were sitting impossibly close to her. She felt their protective instincts. But they didn’t say anything. They let her have a moment to herself and let her know they were there.She could have let either of them kill Cleatus. They wouldn’t have objected or questioned it. Even Cernack would have done it if she had asked him. She knew this. But she had felt that it had been her duty as an alpha. It had also been personal vengeance. Cleatus had had a hand in the killing of her family.But the lack of feeling for what she had done still worried her. What she had said to Cleatus about the Beloved One not being detached was true. She couldn’t afford to be anything else but completely compassionate. Was she losing her compassion?“What are you thinking abo
Colin’s POVAdina looked nervous as they sat down to take the conference call with the White Rose pack. Colin took her hand and placed a kiss on it.“You got this,” Sean told her, and Colin sent him a smile. They could both feel how nervous she was.The meeting started, and Colin could see the faces of all the council members on the large screen on his office wall.“Good evening; thank you for joining the meeting on such short notice. I have several things I need to talk to you about,” Adina said. Most of the members nodded.“First, I would like to apologise. I have not been honest with you. And though it was for a good reason, I don’t like using these methods,” she then told them and took a deep breath.“I told you I had executed Cleatus as soon as I discovered he was a traitor. In reality, I held him captive to get information from him. I didn’t tell you as I didn’t know if he had friends amongst you that would try to free him,” she continued.“Why have you changed your mind?” a dry
Adina’s POV“What are you talking about, Sean?” Adina asked.At the same time, Colin stood up, still holding her, and he and Sean walked out of Colin's office and into their apartment.“Sean?” Adina asked again, feeling ignored.Colin sat her on the couch in their living room and got two bags from the clause as Sean headed for the bathroom.“Colin, did he tell you what this is about?” Adina asked and stood up from the couch.“No, but if he says you need to leave, then you are leaving,” Colin said as he headed for the walk-in closet.Sean came back from the bathroom with two toilet bags. He put in the bags Colin had put out. Colin came out with a bunch of Adina’s clothes and stuffed them into a bag. Adina just watched the two men that were working without saying a word.“Stop!” Adina finally said. She put enough determination into the word that both men stopped.Sean was stuffing some of his clothes into a bag, and Colin was walking out of the closet with a bunch of her panties. They b
Colin’s POVAs they got up to their apartment, they got to work. It was late, but they didn’t have much time. Colin started calling the pack's allies, and Sean and Adina called packs they had stayed at during the years they thought could help. Sean also called his brother to let him know what was happening.It was a little after midnight as they finished and went to bed. Colin relaxed as he took in the scents of Adina and Sean. Adina was in her back with Sean and Colin surrounding her, forming a cocoon to keep her safe.Colin still hated the idea of Adina remaining with the pack; he hated the idea that she would be on her own in the shelter. He also knew that there was no way for him to avoid it. As he let his thoughts run wild, he felt that neither of his mates was asleep. They all had too many ideas to settle down.He felt Adina take a deep breath, and then he felt the sensation, like bubbles, flow over his skin as she shared her magic with them. Once again, he could see the network
Adina’s POVAdina walked down into the shelter for the second time. She knew what she needed to do. She also knew her mates would have refused to let her do it. That is why she hadn’t told them about it. She felt a little guilty for that. But not so much that she wouldn’t do it.She stopped by the monitoring station and had a look. It was too early to get a sense for the battle of the numbers. But at least things looked to start off on a smaller scale. Adina was afraid that the enemies were just testing the waters.‘We are under attack, we need our allies on site now,’ Adina mind linked Cernack.‘Are you safe, my lady?’ he asked.‘I am, but my mates and my pack aren’t. I want the council, all of the council, to call in favours where we can. I want all the warriors that we wan get to be ready. If we have allies that are more than an hour's drive away that are willing to help, let me know,’ Adina said.‘Yes, my lady,’ Cernack said.Adina turned to her two friends and smiled.“I’m going
Sean’s POVSean knew he needed to get his men over to Colin as soon as possible. If what Adina said was true and the main vampire force was heading there, Colin and his men would be in trouble.He shifted back to his human form for a moment to give orders to the surrounding warriors. He was still amazed at how many warriors Adina had rounded up. Sean had a good idea about how she had done it. They would have a conversation about that when this was over.“I need half of you to stay here, half of you need to come with me. We have a large number of vampires moving towards team A’s position. We will offer them support,” Sean told them. Sean’s brother shifted back to his human form next to Sean.“We will follow you,” he told Sean, and Sean nodded. He had been surprised when he saw his brother come sprinting through the woods. But he was grateful that he and his warriors had joined them.Sean shifted back to his wolf and then he was off. He mind linked Jason and Mateo to make sure they knew
Adina’s POVThe enemies in front of Adina parted to let a tall woman through. She was slender and had short midnight black hair and brown eyes that was filled with hatred and loathing.“Diedre, I presume,” Adina smirked.“Adina, cousin,” the woman smiled. But Adina could tell that she wasn’t pleased that Adina had known her name.“It’s time to stop this, Diedre. You will never have my title and you most definitely won’t have my powers,” Adina said.“Why would we stop when we are winning?” Diedre asked. Adina laughed, but it was a laugh void of all amusement.“You are more delusional than I thought, cousin. Let’s stop this unnecessary killing and part ways,” Adina said.“I’m not the one with a mate that is more dead than alive,” Dierdre smirked.Both Colin and Adina growled at her.“You may not be, but you are the one with a fast-depleting army. Do you think these are the only warriors that will fight in my name? Magical creatures from around the world is standing by to send us backup.
Colin’s POVColin watched Adina work. Her eyes were closed, and she had her hands on Sean’s body. There was a steady trickling of silver coming out of is wound and into the basin.Clara came walking into the room with Jason. Jason went pale when he saw Sean. Clara swallowed hard but continued to walk up to the gurney. Before Colin knew it, he had emitted a low growl as a warning. His wolf was just under the surface and saw both his mates being vulnerable and he reacted out of instinct.“Sorry,” he said to Clara. She had frozen in the spot as he growled, and Jason had moved between his friend and his mate. “Go ahead, just go slow and don’t do any sudden movements,” Colin tried to smile at them.They had decided that Clara should stay in the shelter during the attack in case something went wrong, and Doc had been injured during the attack. Clara hadn’t been happy about it, but it was the prudent thing to do as they now had two doctors in the pack.She now carefully looked over Sean’s i
Jouko stood up and tried to look like he wasn’t half starving. He bowed towards the gods and the jury. “My lord, my lady,” he addressed the gods. “The things that you have been told here today have been taken out of context and twisted to make them seem like something they are not,” he continued. “I am happy to hear that. Could you put things in the right context, please?” Absalom said. “With pleasure, my lord. In the last five generations the Beloved One have been showing signs of weakness that, quite frankly, is dangerous,” Jouko said. “How’s that?” Selene asked. “They have been more restricting when it comes to interactions with humans. We have fewer ways to express our true nature. The council has put laws and restrictions in place to protect the weak humans from us. It’s a threat to my race,” Jouko told her. “The Beloved One, would you like to respond?” Absalom asked. “I would, thank you,” Adina said, standing up. She didn’t walk toward the gods or the vampire. She stood b
Colin’s POV It had been a month since the battle. The pack was in one place again. Colin, Adina, Sean and Clara and Julia had all gone to the dryads to thank them for watching over their pack members. Despite losing some of their pack members in the battle, the pack had stayed strong and as word got out that the Beloved One lived in the pack, they had gotten a lot of attention. The pack had taken it in stride. They were proud of their luna. Colin was proud of his pack and of his two mates. Today was the day for the trial and they would once again go to the dryads’ land. The only way to let them take part in the trial was to hold it on or near their land. The local tribe had generously offered to host the event. Each race had selected five representatives, except for humans that were peacefully unaware of the whole thing. The enemy vampires and the rogues had been allowed to choose three individuals each to represent them at the trial. The trial would be open to leaders of the race
Adina’s POV“Hello, mother. I’m fine, a little more tired than usual. But I’m perfectly fine to eat lunch with the pack,” Sean said.“You know Adina, and this is my other mate, alpha Colin. Colin, this is my mother and Tia,” Sean introduced them.“Mrs Murphy, Tia,” Colin nodded.“Alpha Colin,” both women said with a bow.Adina didn’t like that Sean’s mother hadn’t offered Colin to call her by her first name. It was a clear sign she didn’t accept him as her son’s mate. Adina felt both her mates tense up.“Would you like something to eat? You have had a long journey,” Adina asked.Sean’s mother looked at her and it wasn’t a hostile look, but it was cold and accusing. Adina had no doubt that Sean’s mother saw her as the reason her son had almost been killed. It was enough hostility in her eyes for both Colin and Sean to stand up and move closer to Adina.“No thank you, we ate on the way,” Sean’s mother told her.Adina saw it wasn’t just her mates that was reacting to the presence of the
Sean’s POV“So she brought Tia with her,” Adina sighed. It wasn’t a question.Sean growled, and he felt Colin tense up and growl as well.“That can be an issue,” Adina admitted.“Both Colin and I are more protective than usual, as you can understand,” Adina added.“I understand,” Liam nodded.“That goes for the pack as well. We have just been through a major battle, and they almost lost Sean. If they find out someone is trying to take him away, that individual will not have a peaceful time in this pack,” Colin said.“I get that, and if you allow her to visit, I will make that clear to her. I have talked to her after your visit and she knows she was in the wrong,” Liam said.“We will let them in. Sean’s mother should be able to see him,” Adina said.“Baby cake, that isn’t necessary,” Sean objected.“I have no issue turning them away,” Colin agreed.“But I do. Are you going to argue with me?” Adina asked.“No, baby,” Colin sighed.“You are too stubborn and kind-hearted for your own good
Sean’s POVSean was slowly gaining consciousness. He felt tired; it wasn’t the kind of tired he usually got after a long day. This was tired like as if he wasn’t lying down, he would probably have ended up in a pile on the floor. He had a faint recollection of being injured; he had a clear memory of wanting to see Adina one last time.Was he alive? He pondered as he focused. He could feel someone having their hand on his arm and someone was holding his hand. Sean could feel the sparkles that ran over his skin. His brain got a little clearer, and he smelt the scent of his mates. He opened his eyes and looked to his left.Besides the bed he was lying in, Colin sat in an armchair with a sleeping Adina in his lap. Adina was holding Sean’s hand in hers, even in her sleep, and Colin had his hand on Sean’s arm.Sean met Colin’s eye and Colin smiled.‘Welcome back,’ Colin mind linked Sean and squeezed his arm.‘Thank you. Where have I been?’ Sean asked.‘Out of it. You are in big trouble, my
Colin’s POVColin watched Adina work. Her eyes were closed, and she had her hands on Sean’s body. There was a steady trickling of silver coming out of is wound and into the basin.Clara came walking into the room with Jason. Jason went pale when he saw Sean. Clara swallowed hard but continued to walk up to the gurney. Before Colin knew it, he had emitted a low growl as a warning. His wolf was just under the surface and saw both his mates being vulnerable and he reacted out of instinct.“Sorry,” he said to Clara. She had frozen in the spot as he growled, and Jason had moved between his friend and his mate. “Go ahead, just go slow and don’t do any sudden movements,” Colin tried to smile at them.They had decided that Clara should stay in the shelter during the attack in case something went wrong, and Doc had been injured during the attack. Clara hadn’t been happy about it, but it was the prudent thing to do as they now had two doctors in the pack.She now carefully looked over Sean’s i
Adina’s POVThe enemies in front of Adina parted to let a tall woman through. She was slender and had short midnight black hair and brown eyes that was filled with hatred and loathing.“Diedre, I presume,” Adina smirked.“Adina, cousin,” the woman smiled. But Adina could tell that she wasn’t pleased that Adina had known her name.“It’s time to stop this, Diedre. You will never have my title and you most definitely won’t have my powers,” Adina said.“Why would we stop when we are winning?” Diedre asked. Adina laughed, but it was a laugh void of all amusement.“You are more delusional than I thought, cousin. Let’s stop this unnecessary killing and part ways,” Adina said.“I’m not the one with a mate that is more dead than alive,” Dierdre smirked.Both Colin and Adina growled at her.“You may not be, but you are the one with a fast-depleting army. Do you think these are the only warriors that will fight in my name? Magical creatures from around the world is standing by to send us backup.
Sean’s POVSean knew he needed to get his men over to Colin as soon as possible. If what Adina said was true and the main vampire force was heading there, Colin and his men would be in trouble.He shifted back to his human form for a moment to give orders to the surrounding warriors. He was still amazed at how many warriors Adina had rounded up. Sean had a good idea about how she had done it. They would have a conversation about that when this was over.“I need half of you to stay here, half of you need to come with me. We have a large number of vampires moving towards team A’s position. We will offer them support,” Sean told them. Sean’s brother shifted back to his human form next to Sean.“We will follow you,” he told Sean, and Sean nodded. He had been surprised when he saw his brother come sprinting through the woods. But he was grateful that he and his warriors had joined them.Sean shifted back to his wolf and then he was off. He mind linked Jason and Mateo to make sure they knew
Adina’s POVAdina walked down into the shelter for the second time. She knew what she needed to do. She also knew her mates would have refused to let her do it. That is why she hadn’t told them about it. She felt a little guilty for that. But not so much that she wouldn’t do it.She stopped by the monitoring station and had a look. It was too early to get a sense for the battle of the numbers. But at least things looked to start off on a smaller scale. Adina was afraid that the enemies were just testing the waters.‘We are under attack, we need our allies on site now,’ Adina mind linked Cernack.‘Are you safe, my lady?’ he asked.‘I am, but my mates and my pack aren’t. I want the council, all of the council, to call in favours where we can. I want all the warriors that we wan get to be ready. If we have allies that are more than an hour's drive away that are willing to help, let me know,’ Adina said.‘Yes, my lady,’ Cernack said.Adina turned to her two friends and smiled.“I’m going