~Lynn~“Are you ready, baby?” I secure the headband on my head and smile at Vonte.“I’ve been ready for this the moment I found out about her existence.” Vonte chuckles and kisses me on my temple. He holds his hand out to me, and I take it, following him out of the room. “Where’s Devonte?” His scent hits my nostrils before my eyes land on him.“I’m right here.” His hot breath caresses the top of my ear, causing a shiver to go down my spine. I can’t help the smile that grows and the arousal that scents the air. Both of my mates growl a little, making me giggle.“Not right now, boys. I have work to do. Maybe, if you are good, we can revisit this later.” Devonte starts to walk on my left side while Vonte slaps my cheek, walking on my right. I’m excited to get this over with so we can get to living our lives. I have no interest in keeping our bond in limbo.We walk down the stairs and out the back of the packhouse. The challenge will happen in the training area, so that’s where we’re head
~Third Person~Lynn steps back after slapping Sonya. The women glare at each other, sizing each other up. There are quiet cheers of encouragement in the crowd, but most silently watch the match unfold.Sonya starts to move around the ring, and Lynn does the same. They circle each other in an attempt to assess any strengths and weaknesses. Lynn stops moving and puts herself into a fighting stance. Sonya follows suit, glaring at Lynn. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR BITC?! IS THE MIGHTY BETA SCARED TO MAKE A MOVE?”One thing that bothers Lynn is being called out. She’s fighting her natural impulse to strike out of anger. She doesn’t want to be the first one to strike, even though Sonya is begging to get popped.The women engage in an intense stare-off. Sonya runs toward Lynn and stops in front of her. They stand toe-to-toe, neither moving. The crowd is tense, wondering what will happen. There seems to be something keeping them from going at each other. Some onlookers in the back start to mumb
~Aida~I open my eyes to find myself alone. Being with my mate was amazing, and being marked was even better. I stretch out in the bed, my arm and leg coming in contact with the cold, cool sheets. I sigh and slowly sit up.Hands are on my back, helping to steady me. I open my eyes, startled, and look up. Ivan is next to me, his hands caressing my body. How the hell did he get next to me so damn fast? “One of the many benefits of being a vampire.” I look at Ivan, stunned. It’s almost like he read my mind. “Not so much a mind reader, but I can sense different things in a person. Us being mated brings that sense a lot clearer.” I pull back a bit and watch the smirk grow on Ivan’s face.“Where were you? I woke up alone.” Ivan strokes my head and smiles at me.“I just needed to stretch my legs a bit.” Ivan leans over and kisses my temple. “Being with you was amazing, and I’m not just saying that because I’ve been locked up here for a while.” We both laugh at that and cuddle each other. “I
~Devonte~My eyes clear up, the mindlink connection being cut. This is an interesting development that needs to be explored. I need to get the ranked members together to handle this as soon as possible.I look out at the crowd and see the predicament my mate is in. She could end Sonya right here and now. A few people may be upset, but most will defer to her judgment in the matter. Then again, she could let her go, and I know she will be held in the royal cells for her crimes. I don’t envy her dilemma, but I may be able to solve it for her. Mom….Dad?What’s up, son?Yes, dear?We have a situation that needs to be handled immediately. Oh, well, what do you need from us?I got it, son. We will handle it immediately. I cut my mindlink, grateful that I didn’t need to give an explanation to my father. He’s been the royal Gamma for a long time, and I know he knows what will be best. I just need to get my mate on board.Beautiful? There’s a block, but it isn’t strong. Love? I feel the block
~Lynn~I get it; I really do. A situation with Adela lands in our lap, and we really had no choice but to follow through. That doesn’t mean that I’m happy that it came at the expense of fulfilling my blood lust. I wanted nothing more than to bury my claws in Sonya’s neck and watch her bleed out.I throw myself on the bed, landing on my stomach. I really want to punch my mate in the face, even though I know he meant well. Sparks erupt all over my back as my muscles get some much-needed attention. “Don’t be too mad at him, babe. Devonte will always be about business first,” His hands continue to knead my sore muscles.I feel his lips on my shoulder, and I moan in ecstasy. I love being with my mates, but that’s to be expected. I abruptly rise to my knees and pull my top off, tossing it to the side. I lay back on my stomach, and his hands slide down my back. When they get to my waistband, I lift my hips so my pants can be pulled down.Lips caress my right cheek, and a small slap sounds on
Brother, where is our mate?Mmmmm….she’s…cur…currently…being….r…..rammed….fuck….. Damn! I was hoping to have some time with her so we could get back on good footing. J…join us…..I slowly make my way to the Beta floor, suddenly nervous about this. My brother and I have never shared a woman before. It wasn’t just because we have different tastes in the bedroom. We’ve never been close enough to even consider doing something like that. I never really thought of us sharing Lynn, if I’m being honest.I walk to the door, the nervousness settling in my belly. I smell both of their arousals permeating through the closed door. I put my hand on the knob but hesitate to turn it. The grunts and moans are turning me on and making me want to watch the show.I slowly turn the knob and walk into the room. I let the door close behind me while I take in the scene in front of me. Lynn is on the bed, on her hands and knees. Vonte is behind her, slamming into her again and again. He’s either slapping her
~Adela~I swear I’ve been pacing forever. Serena told me to give her an hour, and it felt like she said it would be a few days. I couldn’t believe that I had heard from my sister. I wasn’t sure I would ever hear from her again, if I’m honest.It’s been hard to focus, but I did see Sonya being carted away. She was in shackles, and she looked pissed. I probably would be, too. I kind of can’t believe that her dad went along with this. Then I thought about my own father, and it makes sense. I’m still seething from the altercation with my own father, so Aida reaching out is right on time.I continuously rub my chest as I pace the room. I wonder how I will be able to get away with this device in me. They don’t have to be near me to set it off, and I’d imagine that the range is ridiculous. I can’t do anything but trust in Serena. If she says that she’ll work it out, then she will.A light tapping on the window startles me. I walk to the kitchen sink and peek out of the window to see Serena t
~Aida~Open….Every part of my body is on fire. I don’t think I could have ever imagined the pain I’m in right now. Ivan didn’t prepare me for this, and I’m not sure I’m going to survive. Maybe this wasn’t worth the trouble. Maybe there’s a way to go back to what I was before.Coming…..I pull at my eyes, but nothing is happening. I can’t seem to pull my eyelids apart. I want to open my eyes and let them land on Ivan’s beautiful face. How long is this going to last? This pain is too much, and I wish I could stop it. I wonder if Ivan is still near me and if he has a way to make me feel better.Betrayed….What the hell? This voice is beyond annoying. The voice is light and quiet. It feels like the voice is a part of me, but I can’t be sure. It would have to be Hazel, but I know her voice. Hazel’s voice is deeper and has more strength to it. This voice isn’t familiar to me, but I feel like I can trust it.Aida?Open…..So, I must be losing my mind on top of being in excruciating pain. Ho
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