~Lynn~The walk back to the pack was somber. No one really said anything; I guess there wasn’t much to say. I know I’m still reeling from everything that just happened. I still can’t believe what happened happened.We enter packlands through the back; the warriors are handling the body. I had them link everyone to meet us behind the packhouse. I want to get this over with as soon as possible. I don’t know how to say what I need to say, but I hope it will come to me when the time arises.Tia is the first face I see, followed by her mates. I notice her parents and Alpha Paul. Everyone is seated on the patio, just waiting for us to arrive. I feel sparks on my lower back, and I know my mates are trying to lend me all the strength they have to break this news.Tia stands up and runs down the steps toward me. “Where are they? Did you get them?” I stop walking, and Tia stops in front of me. I take a deep breath, not knowing how this will play out. I watch everyone stand up and look toward me
~Nikki~“Baby?” I’m startled at the sound of his voice. I look around the dark room, wondering how long I’ve been sitting here. I swear the sun was shining when I sat down, but now it’s pitch black. Sparks erupt on my shoulder, and I lean into the feeling.“How long have I been sitting here?” I feel his heat on the side of my body as he sits next to me on the couch. We are in the family room, which we don’t use very often, but it’s a quiet room and exactly what I needed.“It’s been a few hours, baby, but that doesn’t matter.”“Why doesn’t it matter?” Paul turns my body towards his. I adjust my eyes so I can see him in the dark. He has a look of pure sorrow on his face, and it compounds my pain. I don’t want him to feel bad because I feel bad.“Baby, you just lost a child, and I have no idea how that feels. I couldn’t imagine losing one of the boys.” Paul is rubbing my lower back, and it’s beyond soothing. It got Aluma to stop whimpering in my mind. She lost a pup just as much as I lost
~Paul~When Nikki said she needed to get some air, I had a feeling she would end up at her former home. She’s been taking the news pretty hard, and I get it. I don’t know what I would do if one of my boys ended up gone. The devastation is something I don’t even want to think about, let alone feel.As soon as the sun shone through the window, I popped up and checked the bed. Nikki’s side was cold, and she wasn’t there. I jumped out of bed and threw some clothes on to go find her. Now I’m standing in the doorway, watching Nikki and Stuart asleep. The moment Nikki senses me, her eyes pop open and land on me. She sits up quickly and detaches her hand from Stuart’s. Goddess! I’m so sor- This isn’t what it looks like. I….I just….Nikki, stop. Do you honestly think that I would read anything into this? We are fated mates, so I would have felt that if you had been unfaithful. You and Stuart have children together, and you have lost one. I don’t fault you in finding comfort in him.But I should
~Mark~I know that being a ranked member is a lot of work, but I never considered how disruptive being an Alpha can be. Here I am, trying to seduce my pregnant mate, and I’m being called away. I don’t regret coming here or tying my life with Jenna; it can just be a lot of work sometimes. I understand why she didn’t want the role, even though she’d be an amazing Alpha. I imagine I could be a good Luna and wouldn’t have an issue in that role.I run out the back of the pack house, and the minute my feet hit the ground, I shift into my wolf. We bound through the forest, heading to the Western border. When I get there, I have three warriors waiting for me. I shift back and walk up to the group. They nod to me, and I nod back. “What’s going on here?”“Sir, we found Jimmy out here. He was on the border. It looks like he’s had his blood drained.” I walk toward the body and see how pale it is. There’s a message written on his body.“What’s that say?” The warriors look at each other before look
~Lynn~Mark fills me in on what he found on his lands. I ask the usual questions: who are their enemies, and what new Alphas are trying to prove themselves? When he had no valuable information to contribute, there was only one thing that popped into my mind, but I didn’t want to be the one to bring it up. I said my goodbyes and hung up the phone.“Well, that was an enlightening conversation, I think.” I put my phone down and lean back on the bed. I haven’t spoken to my brother in a while, and I feel bad about that. We both just got caught up in our lives, and checking in wasn’t the top priority.The bathroom door opens, and a shiver runs through my body. “Who was that, babe?” I want to answer, but my mouth is suddenly dry. Devonte is standing in the doorway with just a towel hanging low on his body. There are drops of water running down his chest as he rubs his hands together. Just remembering what those hands do to me regularly has me leaking all over myself. “Uh, babe?” I shake my h
~Tia~Lynn’s right. I grieve for my sister because of the type of person I am. If the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t give a damn about me dying. She probably would have been the reason why I’m gone. I can’t suspend my life grieving for someone who didn’t give a damn about me.I take a super short shower and throw my clothes on: a pair of jeans, a V-neck short-sleeved shirt, and some Airmaxs. Lynn is sitting on the bed waiting for me. She stands when she sees me and links her arm with mine as we walk out of our suite.It doesn’t take long to make it to the daycare, and they are surprised to see me. Our daycare is amazing, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that if I don’t need their services, I’d rather leave the spots open to those who do. I have enough family to care for Kian, so I’d rather take advantage. “Luna Tia, here he is. He hasn’t been here long. He’s such a good baby.” I grab Kian from her and kiss his cheeks.“Thank you for that. He will probably start coming when he’s older
~Landon~It did my heart good watching Tia and Kian come into our office. I’m beyond grateful that she’s up and about. I know that Adela’s dying was taking a toll on her, and I was getting worried. I don’t know what Lynn said to her, but I owe her a big thank you.Tia kisses me on the cheek, and I take Kian from her. She walks to Lincoln’s desk and sits on his lap. Kian sits on my lap and starts to reach for the items on my desk. I move the dangerous items out of the way, leaving some loose paper for him to play with.Lynn walks into the office and plops on the couch. Surprisingly, she’s alone, but that doesn’t last long as her mates walk in minutes later and sit next to her. I would prefer that my dad was going to be in this meeting, but I know he’s helping a grieving Doc, and I don’t want to disturb them.“So you wanted us to meet. What about?” Lincoln’s voice is slightly muffled since his face is buried in our mate’s neck. I find it funny, but reserve my chuckle for later.“I spoke
What a mind-numbing hour, a complete waste of my time. Every visit of his is a complete waste of time, and I hate it. However, I do have to admit that it’s nice that there is someone who cares enough to visit me. As nice as it is, he’s making no effort to get me out of here, so there’s that. I don’t belong in anyone’s cells because I didn’t do anything wrong. I simply tried to fight for what was rightfully mine.I didn’t say anything to my father and didn’t answer any of his questions. He filled the void by telling me all sorts of things I don’t care anything about. I don’t care about the pack news or what he’s doing as an advisor. The only thing I want to know is when I can get the hell out of here.My mood elevates the minute I hear the door open. My mood soars when I see that my favorite jailer is still on duty and will take me to my cell. My father says goodbye, but I don’t pay him any attention. I’m much too focused on the gorgeous man uncuffing me from the table.He’s 6’5 with l
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