~Kimberly~I sit at my vanity, getting myself ready for this sham of a ceremony. That girl has no right to take over my spot in this pack. Jenna completely failed and went against our agreement. The Colby twins are missing and are destined for the dungeon. I wish I could just go back a few weeks, and I’d make sure things went my way. The closet door opens, and Paul walks out, looking as suave as always. His brown skin is glowing, and I notice he just got a fade-up along with his beard cleaned up. I can feel moisture start to pool between my legs. Paul’s fixing the cufflinks on this white dress shirt. He looks up, and we lock eyes. I give him a smile to be met with a frown. “You really should have joined them at the spa today.” I roll my eyes internally. We have gone over this again and again.“They had more than enough people if you count the guards that went as well. My presence wasn’t missed.” Paul walks toward me as I put lotion on my arms. “Why would the number of guards matter?
~Tia~The ceremony was amazing, and the celebration is in full swing. Landon, Lincoln, and I are receiving well wishes. The music is playing, and the drinks are flowing. Tables are set up all around, and pack members enjoy their time together and with the guests. Lynn comes over with her family in tow. “Surprise, bitch!” I grab her and give her a bear hug. I pull back and look between her and Mark. “What the hell, guys? When did this change get decided?” Mark gives me a sly smile.“This morning, I spoke to the twins and told them that as grateful as I was for the honor to be Beta, it would be hard to do since I would be in an entirely different pack.” “Yeah, he’s going to be the Alpha.” Jenna walks up to Mark and wraps her hand around his arm. “Wait, Jenna, I thought you would take over from your father,” Landon asks. Jenna smiles and shakes her head.“To be honest, I never really wanted to be Alpha. I have trained for both but have trained harder for Luna. I always just wanted to
~Stuart~We’ve been watching her all evening; Caesar has been hard to keep contained. He wants to be let free to mark her, mark her and ravish her. We are in agreement at this point, but there is no way that we can act on anything. She has a chosen mate, as do I. On top of that, her chosen mate is the Alpha, my Alpha. I have eyes on her from afar, and I watch her walk to the back door of the packhouse. I think she senses me watching her because she stops as if she’s trying to feel for me. FUCK! I swear I can smell her arousal from here, and I bet it’s just for me. Damn, the way her ass moves in that dress…..I wait a few minutes and head into the packhouse through the same back door. Her scent hits me as I close the door. I take a deep breath, letting it coat my lungs, and I look around, noticing that no one is there. I walk through the dining room, the kitchen, and into the hallway. I stop to listen, but there is no one, and I see nothing. I follow her scent upstairs to the second f
~Landon~What the hell is going on? We are trying to find Lincoln, and now there’s some kind of issue in Mom’s office. I run to the door first, pulling the wall out, and stop short. Mom is naked on the floor; Dad is standing in front of her, and Stuart is facing him. He is naked and looks like he’s about to shift. I slowly walk into the room, trying not to drop under the weight of my dad’s aura and the anger in the room. Mom picked up a men’s shirt and put it on in an effort to cover herself, and I’m pretty sure the shirt belongs to Stuart. I hear a gasp behind me, and I’m sure Tia and Doc have entered the room."Dad?”“Stuart?” The ladies each whisper, but I keep my eyes on my dad and Stuart. I slowly continue to make my way closer to them. I don’t want anyone to flip out and attack. “Touch my mate again, and I’ll rip your throat out.” Stuart’s eyes are pitch black, and his chest is heaving. I look at my mom, and everything clicks. Dad told us that Mom was his chosen mate, and he d
~Kimberly~Lincoln…..he said he had to find where Lincoln was. Where’s my baby? What happened while I was up here satisfying my urges? If something happens to Lincoln, I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself, and I’m not one to feel badly about my choices, no matter what they are.I hastily grab my dress, peeling off Stuart’s shirt. “We need to talk.” I hurry and fix myself, grabbing my shoes so I can head to Paul’s office. I walk past Stuart, and he grabs my arm, forcing me to look at him. “I said we need to talk.”“I can’t talk right now. Something is going on with my son.” I pull my arm out of his grasp and head to the wall door. I stop and turn back. “You may want to get out of here like Paul said.” I head through the door, putting a block up to keep Angie out of my ears. I can’t deal with her whimpering right now. Landon and Paul look up from whatever they are looking at on his desk as I walk into the room. Now isn’t the time to be embarrassed. What happened, happened, and I need
~Aida~Never did I think I would be able to see my sister again before we disappeared. I have to admit that I’ve missed her so much. We are twins who have always done everything together. There has never really been a time that we have been apart until recently. Maybe I can get her to go with us. I would love to have my sister by my side. “Come and sit down. How have you been?”“You heard me, Aida. What have you done? Why is Lincoln here and tied up?” I turn to Lincoln and blow him a kiss. Maybe I should have gotten Landon, too. That probably would have made my sister happy. Perhaps we can get him before we leave tomorrow night. “I got my man. Wasn’t that the plan……to get our men back? Well, mine is sitting right there.” I look back at Lincoln, and my smile grows while I imagine how our life will be once we get away from here. We are going to be so happy. Adela walks over to Lincoln, looking him over. I watch her movements while she walks around him. “She won’t,” I whisper. “She’s m
~Kimberly~I can’t believe that Paul would just walk out on me like that, walk out on us. After everything we’ve been through, after everything I’ve done for him and this pack. It can’t all be reduced to ‘I’m disgusting’; there has to be more. Before I can leave his office and go after him, Landon walks in and closes the door. He looks at me but says nothing. Landon walks over to the bar and pours himself a drink. He sits in the armchair next to the bar and leans forward, elbows on his knees, drink in hand. I lean against the desk, waiting for him to speak. I’m not sure how this will go, but I’m here for it.“You could have just rejected him, Mom,” I say nothing but watch Landon take a sip from his glass. “You could have rejected him, and this wouldn’t have happened.” Landon looks up at me. “Why didn’t you reject him?” I sigh and walk over to the chair on the other side of the bar. I slump in it and lay my head back."You have your fated mate now. You know how it feels to even think
~Tia~I move around; the sun is starting to shine in the room. I groan, feeling sore and cold. My head is hurting, and Andricia is silent. I move my left hand, and it hits something hard. I turn my head, and Landon is sleeping next to me. “That hurt a bit.”“I’m sorry.” I turn to the right, and the bed is empty and cold. That's when it hits me; everything that happened last night hits me, and I’m sad. My mate, my Lincoln, is missing. I feel like a piece of me is missing, and I don’t know what to do.“We will find him. I feel incomplete as well.” I sigh and snuggle into Landon as he holds me tight. I didn’t even change last night, but I’m only in my bra and panties. Landon must have taken my dress off. He is so sweet and would definitely do something like that. I can feel my emotions taking over, but I don’t want to spend the morning crying. I need to figure out how to find my man. Landon jerks up, causing me to tumble off of him. Thank Goddess, I sleep in the middle, or I would have
~Tia~I watch Aida’s red eyes get redder, if you can believe that. It’s almost as if they start to glow. She stands up and walks over to me. She reaches out to grab me just to fall forward. I turn to watch her try to get her balance. I’d laugh if this weren’t a pressing matter. “How are you here right now?”“Does it matter? I need you to focus right now.”“Since you aren’t actually here, I don’t have to do shit.” I tsk and shake my head.“I don’t have time for your teenage rebellion. I came to deliver a message.”“A message?! Unless you plan to tell me that you’re going to leave your lifeless body at my doorstep, there’s no message you have for me.” I shake my head.“Goddess, you are so pathetic.” Aida throws her head back and laughs.“Goddess?! As in Moon Goddess?! She’s no goddess of mine. How the hell could I follow someone who would ruin me like she did?! All I wanted was Lincoln. I prayed to her every night to make him my fated mate. When I realized he wasn’t my fated, I still pr
~Aida~That bitch has been prancing around here for days since she regained her magic. She’s constantly ogling my mate, and I don’t like it. I trust Ivan and have no doubt that I’m the only woman for him, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to pluck her eyes out of her head.I really can’t wait to get this entire situation over with. Ivan and I can move on with our lives, and she can go away forever. I’d tell Ivan to get rid of the bitch now, but I already know he won’t agree.The more I think about her, the more frustrated I get. I hate that she even showed up here. “You look like you’re thinking hard. I hope you aren’t thinking about how inferior you are to me.” I swallow thickly but don’t respond. I’m in one of the many sitting rooms, sitting in a huge armchair. She appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. “Cat got your tongue?” I sigh.“What do you want, Imogene?” She steps into the room and walks toward me. She sits on the coffee table in front
~Tia~“Mom’s recovering from everything, but we need to finalize our plan. We need to do as Mark suggested and go on the offense. I’m sick of them popping up whenever they feel like it and causing massive damage.”“I’m down with whatever the plan is. The witches here have us locked in so I can focus on the plan.” Mark is on the line, meeting over the phone. He doesn’t want to leave his pack, and we agree that it isn’t the best idea. Landon clears his throat.“Mark, we are going to have you stay right where you are. Your pack is covered with the witches and the royal warriors. We will engage them, but they may come your way in retaliation. You just be on guard and keep your pack safe.”“So, if we are going on the offensive, what’s the plan? We already agreed that bait isn’t the smartest,” Lynn elbows Devonte, causing him to grunt. I can’t be mad at him since he’s right, but I love how my bestie protects me. “Uh, I mean, bait isn’t the best way to go, so how are we going to get to them?
~Nikki~The silence is heavy, and it’s starting to feel awkward. I know this is a lot; hell, it’s a lot for me as well. I definitely didn’t wake up this morning expecting to be presented with an opportunity to wield magic and help save my family and pack. It’s a major undertaking, and I have to admit that I didn’t know much about magic in the first place.Lynn is the first to break the silence in the room. “I wonder if we should take an hour to think about things before coming back with a decision.”“I don’t know, beautiful. We really need to get a plan in place since we have no idea when they will be trying to attack.” Paul scoffs.“I don’t know what we’re thinking about. This isn’t going to happen.” I look at Paul, and for the first time, I’m disappointed in him. Don’t get me wrong, I understand where he’s coming from. He is my fated mate, and there’s a pull to take care of each other and keep each other safe. Right now, he’s acting like Stuart did in the past. He’s trying to dictat
~Nikki~I jolt upright, sweat dripping down my face. I look around, and I’m surrounded by darkness. I look to my right, and I see the lump in the bed. His breathing is heavy, and he is snoring lightly. I slowly lay back down, wondering what it was that woke me so forcefully. “That would be me.” I jolt forward again, looking around.At the end of the bed, a few feet away, I see her. My heart rate increases, and I can feel my breathing become erratic. What the hell is she doing here? I lean to the right with the thought of waking my mate until her voice stops me. “I wouldn’t do that. If you wake him, I may have to take more….preventative measures. You and I need to talk, and I don’t want interruptions.” I lean away from Paul, not wanting him hurt.I throw my blankets back and turn to the side of the bed. She cackles, and I can’t stand it. “What, exactly, do you plan to do? I’m not even really here. Me talking to you is a form of astral projection if you will. If Paul wakes, he can’t do
~Landon~Lincoln and I stand in the gym's doorway. Tia is on the ground, sweaty and delicious-looking. We both step toward her at the same time. Lynn kisses her on the cheek before standing up to leave. She pats our shoulders as she walks past us, leaving us alone with our mate.There’s an awkward silence in the room, but I don’t think any of us know how to begin this conversation. To be honest, I’m torn. I understand where Tia’s coming from, and I’d probably have the same mindset. I just don’t think it’s wise to risk herself like this when we can come up with another way.Tia takes her time getting to her feet, and she stretches once she does. I swear she could have me on my knees literally, and she wouldn’t have to do much. Not only is she gorgeous, but she’s everything I ever wanted in a mate. I’m so grateful she was called home for our ceremony; otherwise, we would have missed out. Lincoln was the first to speak.“Tia, I think we should talk about everything. I think tempers were
~Tia~I hit the punching bag again with a left uppercut, cross combo. I do it again and again before throwing some kicks in. My anger is off the charts, and this is the only thing I can think to do to calm down.How dare they act like I can’t help with this. We need to draw them out, so it makes sense to use something that they want badly…..someone…..me. I’m the Luna of this pack, and it’s my job to help them protect everyone. I’m fully capable of protecting myself and would have no trouble doing the job.I continue to hit and kick at the bag, letting my anger permeate through the room. They are the reason that my father is dead. One day, I’m going to have to explain to my child why his grandpa disappeared. They were so close, and Dad couldn’t wait until he was old enough to start to train. He told me all about how he was going to teach him everything he knew so he could be a powerful Alpha one day.My falling tears are making it hard for me to see what I’m doing. I’m starting to miss
~Landon~We are all in our office, ready to have yet another meeting. I don’t know that I’ve ever participated in so many meetings, but I guess there’s no reason to complain. I could have easily succumbed to the injuries from the battle, and I wouldn’t be a part of another meeting ever again.In defending our pack and trying to protect our mate and child, Lincoln and I got bitten by the vampires a few times. The bad part is that vampire bites are poisonous to werewolves. The good thing is that we have the necessary anti-venoms to help if we get bitten. Lincoln and I had to stay in the clinic for a while to get the venom out of our systems.We hated that we couldn’t be by our mate’s side as she dealt with the loss of her father. I may have hated the bastard before, but he’s grown on me lately. He became the father he always should have been to my mate and an amazing grandfather to our child. I hate that he lost his life the way he did and by his own child. I hate that Tia’s in so much
~Mark~I stretch and readjust in my chair. I swear I’ve been sitting here for days; at least, that’s what it feels like. I’m just happy to be alive so that I won’t complain too much. I’ve been stuck in the office trying to get some things together. We are tying up the loose ends from the battle and waiting to hear from the witches who are here to help keep us safe.My phone rings, and I answer, putting it on speaker. “Yes, my annoying sister?” Lynn clicks her tongue.“Don’t start with me, Mark. You’re lucky I don’t come out there and kick your ass for almost dying. Do that shit again, and I’ll bring your ass back just to kill you all over again.” I chuckle and roll my eyes.“But I didn’t die, though. Almost doesn’t count.”“I fucking swear, Mark!”“I love you too, my wonderful sister. How’s Tia?” Lynn sighs.“She’s better since the twins have gotten out of the clinic, but she’s hurting. She and Stuart had gotten so close lately.” I hate this for her. When I was there last, I saw how t