~Tia~What a day! First, I wake up to a delicious few rounds with my mates; then I have a crazy serious talk with Mark. Who could have guessed that his mate would end up being Jenna, the pain in my ass? After speaking with Mark, I decided to take a walk and reflect on everything. Being back home has been a whirlwind, starting with finding out I’m mated to the twins, the future Alphas of the pack. I would have never imagined this to be the case, but here we are. So many things have gone on in such a short amount of time. There are so many changes in my life, but I guess that’s what it’s about. The important thing now is to figure out what to do and how to roll with the punches. I walk for some time, not really keeping track of the time or looking to end up at any particular destination. I watched pack members so about with their everyday lives, not many sparing me a glance. The sun starts to set on me, and the view is beautiful.Love, where are you?I’m just walking.We are heading
~Kimberly~No, no, NO! This can’t be happening. It can’t be….Jenna is mated to Mark?! There is no way. There is no way I brought her here to remove Portia; instead, she has found her fated mate. And what the hell is Paul thinking? He wants to have the ceremony this fast? He is really entrusting our sons with this pack when their mate is Portia?! This can’t stand. The dining room is dead quiet. Jenna is glaring at Mark, huffing and puffing. Mark is looking very unimpressed and passive. Lynn looks as if she wants to rip Jenna’s head off. Neither Landon, Lincoln, nor Portia looks surprised at this turn of events, so I wonder how long they have known this to be the case. I look at Paul, and he seems surprised and confused. He keeps looking between Mark and Jenna as if waiting for some more news to drop. Love, did you know about this? Is this why you brought Jenna to the pack? I growl into the mind link and cause Paul’s look to change.That isn’t what we should be concerned with. You an
~Jenna~Fuming. I can honestly say that I’m fuming. How dare Mark fix his face to reject me! Then go silent when I confront him. Just who the hell does he think he is? Why does he not know who he’s dealing with? My emotions are all over the place. I’m feeling everything at once, and it’s driving me crazy. I can’t get help from my wolf because she has basically shut me out. She wants our mate, and nothing else will be acceptable. I’m impatiently waiting for this meeting to start. I don’t know why Luna Kimberly wants to see Mark and me. I know what she wants from me, but Mark has nothing to do with that. I really just want to get this meeting done already so I can figure out what to do with Mark.I have been pacing around the room I’m staying in. My anger and anxiety are not allowing me to settle in on any one thing. I feel like I’m about to explode at any minute. I want to break something so badly, and if I were at home, I probably would. Daddy would only be mad for a second before h
~Tia~I swear my head hurts. This is all too much drama for anyone, especially someone like me who HATES drama. I want things to mellow out, and I can get on with my life with the twins. Life with the twins is something to really think about. We will need to figure out what that needs to look like. Landon and Lincoln went to their office once dinner was over, and everyone else went to do whatever it was they planned to do. I decided to go out looking for my mom. I have a ceremony to prepare for and want my mom’s help. I make it outside the packhouse and see my mom hugging my dad before they part ways. Dad seems to be going to the warrior center. He has an office there since he’s the head warrior and spends a lot of time there. I wait until he is out of view and run up to catch Mom. I wrap my arms around her, and she jumps. “Tia, you scared me to death.” I click my tongue and roll my eyes.“Mom, we are wolves. There is no way that I scared you.” She wraps an arm around me and chuckl
I wake up early the next morning, eager to spend time with my mom. A little shower play almost made me late to meet up with her. My mates can be insatiable, but I’m not sure I’d have it any other way. Mom wasn’t in the dining room for breakfast, but I wasn’t worried. I figured she may have eaten at home, and we would meet up later. The twins kiss me on the cheek and head upstairs to get some work done with the Alpha. I decide to wait for Mom in the lounge downstairs. There is more hustle and bustle in the packhouse than usual. I guess everyone is in overdrive trying to get ready for the ceremony, but I’m surprised that anyone would be working this hard. I know Luna Kimberly doesn’t want me to step into her role as Luna, but she doesn’t really have a choice. I’m mated to her sons, who are to be the next Alphas of this pack. She can’t circumvent the Goddess’ wishes. I check my phone and see that I’d been waiting for about an hour. It’s easy to lose track of time when you are engrosse
I stand in front of the door of my childhood home, memories rushing back to me. It’s always hard to come here because, growing up, this house was just not warm. There was love here, not love that included me. My mom loved me as much as any mom could love their child, but that love tended to be stifled by my dad. He only had eyes for my sisters and often tried to keep my mom from focusing on me. She did what she could whenever she was able, but there were many times that she had to pretend as if. She had to pretend as if my pain wasn’t important, as if my feelings didn’t matter, as if I was less than a member of this family. If I hadn’t had Mark and Lynn, along with their parents, I’m not sure how I would have gotten through. When my mom couldn’t be a mom to me, I would go to their home. I was like the second daughter to them, their third child. I loved every moment that I spent in that house and the love that they showed me. I’m sure many would wonder why I didn’t just move into the
~Aida~I swear training lasted forever today. I really just wanted to be home so I could fine-tune things. I have a lot to do, and I need the time to make sure I get it right. As much as I wanted to be home, missing practice is never an option when it comes to Daddy. We had to train every day unless we were sick. Since we are wolves, getting sick really doesn’t happen.As soon as training was over, I grabbed my bag and headed home. Adela tried to mind-link me, but I’ve been blocking her out. I can only deal with so much, and right now, I don’t have the capacity to deal with her. “I know, I know. We will have things finalized soon, I promise.” I shake my head and find my way home. I step to the front door and turn the knob. The door opens, and I’m shocked at what is in front of me. Mom and Portia are standing at the door. Portia has her hand out as if she were about to open the door. I look at both of them and notice that Mom has a bag in her hand. I’m not aware of any trips that Mom
~Landon~Tia left a while ago to sit with her mom. While her mom staying here isn’t an issue, Lincoln and I are aware that there is something going on that Tia hasn’t told us. I don’t want to pry, and I’m sure Tia will tell us everything when she’s ready. I just want to make sure we are prepared for the consequences of her mom staying with us.Lincoln left a bit ago to speak to some of the warriors while I’m toiling away in the office. Anyone who thinks being Alpha is all glitz and glamour has no idea what this job really entails. It takes a lot to make sure those around you are safe and healthy. My pack members will be relying on my brother and me to take care of all of their needs. That is a tall order, and it’s an extremely important job to have. The door slams open with a loud bang. I look up to see a furious Stuart in the doorway. He must have been training because there is sweat all over his face, and his shirt is sticking to his body. He has his legs spread, and his hands are
6 Months Later~Paul~It’s been six long months, and Nikki still hasn’t woken up. Owlyn has been here and tried to get a response from her. Nothing has worked because she says it has nothing to do with magic. The doctors don’t have an answer, and I’m just lost without her.I knew she shouldn’t have volunteered. I felt in my heart that it wasn’t the right choice, but what could I do? I love her with everything I have, and I couldn’t tell her not to do what her heart said was the right thing.I run my hands through my hair and then over my face. I haven’t left her side in six months, and I’m beyond tired of seeing these walls. My sons have tried to get me to leave, and so has Tia. I refuse them because this is where I’m meant to be. As long as my heart is here, I will be here. Tia has been here often and has brought our grandchild, but besides those visits, it’s just been Nikki and me. I refuse to believe that I finally found my fated mate just to lose her so quickly.I put my head in m
~Devonte~The pain in my heart is all-consuming. I want the pain to stop, but I don’t know how to make that happen. I curl up tighter, hoping that the pressure will help with the pain. It’s all too much, and I don’t know what to do to make it better.Abe has gone silent, and I’m not surprised. He’s been struggling the most, and I have no words to soothe him. I wish I could wake up yesterday when things were what they were. I’d give anything to go back.“BROTHER?! BROTHER WHERE ARE YOU?!” I curl up tighter as if that’s going to keep me from being found. I don’t think I can handle the words and emotions that will surely follow my brother. I can’t take what that would mean.His thudding footsteps get closer and closer. I know I can’t hide myself; there’s no way to become invisible. I can’t keep this from happening. I hold my breath, waiting for the inevitable. “D, I found you. I’ve been looking everywhere. Our mate, she needs us. She needs you.” I’m trying to block out his words, but I’m
~Third Person~Everything seemed to happen all at once. Andricia is thrown against a tree trunk and curls up with a whimper. The pain is too much, causing Andricia to shift back into Tia. The twins witness this, and all restraint is lost. They shift and run at Imogene, who quickly wraps them up in blue light.Nikki hasn’t taken her eyes off Imogene, so she’s ready to interfere. As she shoots her light at Imogene, it strikes her in the stomach. Imogene is taken off guard and loses her grip on the twins. They fall to the ground and falter as they try to get on their feet. Eventually, they gain their footing and try to attack Imogene again.Imogene defends herself, reduced to hand-to-hand combat with the edge of magic. She repeatedly strikes the wolves as they throw themselves at her. They are taking a lot of punishment, but they refuse to stop. Their only goal is to defend their love, though they’d rather take the time to see about her.The group is joined by vampires and rogues alike.
~Jenna~I scramble backward, making sure my back is flush against the tree trunk. I try to quiet my breathing, but it's proving to be a task. I search around me, but there’s only darkness. The night air is still filled with the sounds of a battle, but I can’t see what’s going on.“Ughhhhh.” I slap my hand over my mouth in an attempt to stay quiet. I look down and see the bright red blood. I shut my eyes tight and try to think about anything else. If I freak out right now, I won’t be able to get back to safety.Every inch of my body hurts, but I can’t think about that now. I need to get out of here and make it back to the packhouse. I struggle to my feet, using only my right arm. My left just hangs against my body. Every twist and turn of my body brings a wave of excruciating pain, but I have to ignore it right now.I finally get to my feet and stand against the tree trunk. My breathing is erratic, and my chest is heaving up and down. “Where’d she go? I don’t see her.”“Sniff her out.”
~Aida~I’m applying pressure to my sister’s neck, and I feel her body giving in. This is so easy it’s pathetic. I would have thought that she would have trained during my absence. She had to know that I would return, and with my return would come the fight for her life. I guess having a brain doesn’t guarantee that you’ll use it.Portia’s body slumps to the ground, and her breathing gets heavier. I swear she’ll be dead in a minute. While part of me is rejoicing, the other part of me feels that she’d be getting off too easily. She’s the cause of all my problems, even the cause of Adela’s death. I may have administered the final blow, but it wouldn’t have come to that if she hadn’t disrupted our plans.Portia completely falls under, and I let her go with a thud on the ground. I get to my feet and walk around her limp body. Her breathing is shallow, so I know I can still play around with her before I kill her. I just need to figure out what games will be fun to engage in.I walk around h
~Ivan~One of the twins lunges at me, and I step out of the way. The other twin moves toward me, causing me to dodge slightly. This can’t be how they expect to beat me. If things continue this way, I’m going to win without breaking a sweat.I don’t want to spend a lot of time with these two. I need to go find Aida and so help anyone who has tried to put their hands on her. No one will hurt my love and live to tell the tale. I’d scorch the Earth before I let anyone hurt her.These imbeciles are staring at me but have stopped lunging. I guess they realize that it’s useless. It doesn’t matter what they do to me, they won’t win. I’m a vampire, so my natural state is on a different level. On top of that, I’ve been around for a long time. There isn’t much that I haven’t seen before, so they are hard-pressed to find something new to throw at me. “We’re wasting time, boys. I have more pressing matters.” I flip two fingers in the air back and forth. I hear reinforcements moving in. “Let me jus
~Lynn~I reach into the vampire’s chest and pull out its heart. My hand is covered in blood, but it’s as black as tar. There’s a stench to it; it smells like it’s rotting. I guess that makes sense because vampires aren't like the rest of us. They are the undead.I look to my left and can make out Abe in the distance. He’s ripping the head off of a vampire. Another vampire has climbed on his back, but he shakes him off. I look to my right, and Mace has the leg of a vampire in his mouth, and he shakes him like a rag doll. I duck quickly, missing the clothesline that was intended for me. I look behind myself and kick out, catching the perpetrator in the stomach. I wind the rope around my fist and throw a punch. The rope, mixed with the strength of my punch, causes my hand to literally push a chunk of her arm onto the ground. I follow up with a round kick and straddle her body as soon as it hits the ground. I rain a combination of punches on her body before ripping her throat out.I’m tir
~Jenna~I’m herding those who can’t fight into the safe rooms. We have entry points on both ends of the pack, but I’m only worried about those on this end where the packhouse is. Elderly pack members, as well as children, have been running here in droves. The sooner we get them to safety, the better off we will all be.I take one last look around and turn to the opening that will lead to the underground tunnels. It isn’t a long walk from the tunnels to the rooms; we wanted to make sure everyone would have a chance to get to safety. Once I get inside, the doors will be locked, and we will wait for word that everything is over.Crying sounds behind me, causing me to whip around. A pregnant woman with a toddler is running toward where I’m standing. A few warriors rushed out to her, working overtime to keep the vampires back.I watch the woman run forward with her baby’s hand in hers. She trips, and her knees hit the ground, causing her to lose her grip on her child. She cries out and cra
~Mark~I’ve been on alert all evening. I know tonight is the night, but I have no idea when. It’s just a guess, but we expect an attack on this pack. It isn’t that I’ve done anything to Aida, but her enemy is my best friend, and my mate has gone after her obsession. It seems they are trying to hurt Tia in any way they can, and that would include attacking this pack.I haven’t been Alpha that long, and I’ve only had my fated mate a bit longer than that. I have a baby coming and I like my life right now. I don’t want to lose anything right now, but this battle could have me lose it all.I clean off my desk and put files in the filing cabinet. I think the best thing right now is to have time with my mate. I want her to know how much she’s loved, just in case. I close the office door behind me and turn to head up the stairs. Alpha, we have a breach! My heart begins to thump in my chest as the seriousness of the situation grabs me. I take a deep breath and let it out. Hey, beautiful. Wher