~Aida~The crash of furniture snaps me out of my daydream. I sit up and hear raised voices. My hand drags across the mattress next to me, but it’s empty. I throw the covers back and climb out of bed. Something’s going on, and if I had to guess, my mate is in the center of it.After meeting up with Adela, we headed to Ivan’s home. I was skeptical that it would still be available after all this time. Ivan’s been locked up for a very long time, and you have to guess that someone would have taken the home as their own or demolished it by now. Ivan assured me that he had left the right people in charge, and he was right.This house is bigger than the packhouse at Emerald Lake. It’s a real-life mansion. I still haven’t been in every room yet, but I’m working on it. The grounds are massive, and I haven’t explored it all. A lot of vampires live on this property, and there’s more than enough room for everyone.I descend the spiral staircase, and the yelling gets louder. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING
~Stuart~I stand at the bottom of the stairs in the packhouse, nervous as hell. I’ve been away; I’ve been grieving the loss of my daughter. The problem is that I’ve neglected the daughter I do have and my grandson. So many nights I spent crying over my lost child, and so many mornings I couldn’t pull myself out of bed.I have a void in my heart, and I don’t know if it will ever go away. If I’m being honest, I’m grieving for two of my daughters. Adela is dead, and Aida is gone. Deep down, I know I will never have that bond with Aida again. I’m not sure what her circumstances are, but I’m positive that they won’t lead her back to me.It’s been so painful replaying their childhood. I remember their first steps and their first words. I remember when they were born and holding them in my arms. The first time they put me on my ass is a memory I could never forget. I’ve spent days reliving their lives and wishing I had more time. The only thing missing in those memories is the presence of Ti
~Tia~I sit back in the rocking chair, watching Kian and Dad play. He’s been here for hours, and we’ve been enjoying our time together. I’ve missed him but didn’t want to put too much on him. I knew he would be grieving heavily, and I didn’t want him to feel like it was wrong.My phone chirps, and I pick it up to see a text message from Lynn. It’s a detailed message that leaves me with more questions than answers. “What’s wrong, love? Your entire face just dropped.” I sigh and fill him in on everything that he’s missed. Dad is silent with a thoughtful look on his face.“I….damn, I’m sorry. I didn’t think.” He shakes his head and gives me a small smile.“While grieving for Adela, I’ve been doing the same for Aida. Something tells me she’s lost to us, and I’d rather come to terms with it now than later.” I nod, having felt the same way, too. “So what’s the plan?”“I don’t know. I wouldn’t even know where to look for Aida. I guess we will have to talk when Lynn gets back.”“Maybe Mark sh
~Mark~“How’s it being back here?” I stand in front of the packhouse at Emerald Lake, and so many memories wash over me. I grew up here and always thought I’d die here. Now, I have a new home and a new role, but this place will always hold a special place in my heart.“It’s not like this is the first time I’ve been back since I’ve left.” Lynn places an arm around my waist and snuggles in close.“I know, but still. It isn’t the same without you.” I kiss the top of her head, and we walk toward the packhouse.My sister and her mates stayed a few days with me, getting to know Jenna and me as an Alpha. Tia called and suggested that I come back with them so we can make a plan about Aida. I hated to leave my mate, but it made sense. I need us to be on the same page. If there’s a pending war or something, I need to know what my involvement may be.It’s late at night, but we’ve been on the road for a while. I’m starving, and I walk into the kitchen to get some food. The kitchen is closed, but
~Sonya~Nothing has changed; the same thing every single day. I’m not saying that I’m surprised, but it’s downright boring. There’s no excitement, no variation. I get that jail isn’t supposed to be fun, but I don’t think anyone really gets the mundaneness of it all. I don’t think anyone truly understands how insane you can go living this way. I mean, unless you’ve been in jail before, that is.The only bright spot has been seeing my jailer, my favorite jailer. I’ve tried to talk to him, but of course, he doesn’t respond. I won’t give up, though. He’s wonderful to look at, and if I can get more from him, I want to try my hardest. I get to see him when he takes me for my visits, and it’s the highlight of my day. I don’t know how or when, but I’m going to get him to cave, and when he does, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of him.I’m wrapping up another mind-numbing visit with my dad. I swear I wish he would find something else to do. I have nothing to say to him since he’s part of the re
~Mark~We all gather in the conference room, ready to come up with a plan. Everyone is chatting among themselves, and it reminds me of how much I’ve missed being here. I’ve created a new family and friends in my new pack, but they could never replace what I’ve known all my life. I clear my throat while looking around the room. “Can we get this started? As much as I love you all, I want to get home to my mate.”“And his baaaaaaaby!” Lynn smirks, and everyone chuckles. I throw a pencil at her, but she’s quick to dodge out of the way.“Okay…. okay. Let’s get to business. Mark is right; we need to go ahead and get started.” I nod at Landon in silent appreciation and sit back as everyone is brought up to speed. My parents are here, along with the former Alpha and Doc Nikki. Stuart is here with the ranked members and their mates. It’s a big group, but everyone here is associated with this case in one way or another.“So what’s the plan? What do we do next?” Eyes land on Doc as she poses the
~Sonya~The week passed slowly, with me feeling like I was losing my mind. I couldn’t escape the voice no matter what I did. What was worse was my dad wasn’t even visiting. Since I said to him what I did, he’s been absent. I know that’s my fault, but I swear he picked the worst time to stay away. I haven’t been able to use him as a distraction.My trial starts today, and I’m not even nervous about it. I guess I’m so preoccupied with this voice that I haven’t given it a second thought. I can admit that I’m scared. I have no idea who the voice belongs to, and that terrifies me. It keeps saying they are coming for me, but who is ‘they’??I finish changing into the clothes that were given to me. These are the royals, so appearance is important. The trial won’t be like they have it in the human world. It’s the King, along with the Elders. There are no lawyers or anything like that. Evidence is presented, I say my piece, and then a decision is made. As one-sided as it sounds, it’s actually
~Lynn~I roll my eyes for probably the millionth time. “Don’t you two have an office to occupy?” I swear these two live to aggravate me. Vonte has been in my office flirting shamelessly for about an hour now. Devonte joined him at the half-hour mark and thought it would be fun to join in. Don’t get me wrong, I love flirting with my mates, but there’s a time and a place. I mean, they look good as hell. Devonte’s shirt is sticking to his muscular body because he has been training all morning. Vonte is just fine, no matter what he does or wears.A thought pops into my head in full force. My body heats up, and I feel a blush across my face. I swear I’m a big hypocrite! I distinctly remember going into their office strictly to seduce them. I still remember the fun we all had that day. We took turns and joined in together, spending a few hours in their office. I shake my head to get rid of the thought. That may all be, but I still reserve the right not to have it happen in mine. “Mmmmmm.” S