RYDEN “Are you sure you wanna do this?” I looked at her pretty black dress that fit her perfectly. Amelia looked at me through the mirror as she painted her lips in burgundy. “That’s the third time, Ryden.” “Look.” I held her by her elbows so that she would face me. “I know you’re upset with what I did to her.” “We’re gonna be late, Ryden.” She twisted the lipstick close and sighed. “I’m sorry. I just don’t trust her, okay?” I lifted her chin, forcing her to look me in the eye. “Ladybug, please look at me?” Gratefully, she did. “Don’t let your guard down. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you, Amelia. Please, be careful.” “I know what I’m doing. I wish you could just trust me,” she said begrudgingly. “I trust you. It’s her that I don’t. I know she’s not telling us everything, and I did what I did to get information from her.” “And that trick you pulled has gotten you what?” “Why are you even angry at me after what they’ve done to us? Why are you defending
AMELIA “Come in.” I opened the door wide when Ryden left. “Sorry about what you heard.” “You stay here?” Nora asked as she entered, checking the room. “Just a couple of days.” I went to the drawer to grab the gift, Kemet demanded, and then she noticed the wine. “I was supposed to drink it with Ryden, but he made me angry.” I uncorked the wine and poured it into the glass and I cast the truth spell in my head while she was looking outside the window. The red wine suddenly turned blue, making my heart pounded wildly. Why didn’t Zarah tell me about this?” “When is Zarah gonna arrive?” “Just texted her.” Anxiety rippled through me. Come on. Come on. Every second passed by, and my plan was going to be shattered if it did not change, and she would suspect that I was going to poison her. I slowly sighed as the wine changed to its natural color. It was closed. “Here. We can’t let this go to waste.” She smiled, genuine enough as she grabbed the glass from me. “Are you sure?” “Yeah. W
AMELIA I brought them to the living room. While I took a seat, Zarah and Nora remained standing. “I’m sure you can scan for viruses if there are in this pretty couch.” Kemet came, and the three girls went to the door. “Call us, handsome.” The bob-cut girl waved her hand at him. He inhaled and smiled. “Sorry about that. I might have lost track of time.” “Really?” Zarah was both amused and annoyed. “How did my portal work if you’re not aware of the time?” “I kept it open so you could arrive.” He crossed his leg over the other. “Where’s my gift, Amelia?” I took it from my purse and gave the small box to him. “Do you know how hard it was to find this piece?” Gratified, he grabbed it from me. “I know, my dear. That’s why I asked you for it.” “What are you going to do with that rare coin?” “A collection, my dear.” He looked at Nora and studied her. “Why is she with you? I thought you were hunting her father.” “She came to us.” “And you believed her that she wouldn’t stab you in
RYDEN “What the actual fuck is going on?” Theia asked the obvious. “I can’t even feel my wolf, can you?” Guston asked me as the possessed wolves started stalking us on both sides. “Neither am I.” I pulled the sword from the holster on my back. “Maybe you should start calling for help. I can’t link the guys outside. “What the fuck is this cave?” “We’re in the blind spot. It blocked the entire magic in this place,” Ren explained and grabbed his phone. “No service.” “Does the iPhone have an emergency service?” “Dude, they won’t get in here on time!” Ren yelled at me in anger. “Then explain to me why these wolves are possessed?” Theia asked angrily. “They’re not possessed. They’re just sick, rabid wolves,” I just said it out loud. “Hence those red eyes.” I groaned in anger. My heart pounded so hard as I felt like I was going to lose my shit. I couldn’t believe this was happening again, our lives were in danger. While these wolves might be small compared to ours, we were literally
AMELIA “Goddess.” I shuddered against his mouth as he kissed me long and deep, sliding two fingers inside me, overloading the sensations. With him on top of me, his strong body warm and hard, sculpted with muscles, I craved more. I rocked my hips into his fingers, and his thumb teased my sensitive clit, begging for him to make me come. I wanted him to love me, fill me, stretch me, fuck me, use me, and do whatever he wanted to please him and his wolf. “Hey.” He looked down at me, worry deep in his beautiful blue sad eyes. “Did I hurt you? What’s wrong?” I blinked. I didn’t realize I cried silently, tears rolling the corners of my eyes. “Oh, nothing.” “Are you sure?” “Yeah.” I smiled confidently. My heart pounded hard. “Make love with me, please?” That was all it took. A single response from his eyes. “With pleasure, sweetheart.” He kissed me again, stroking my hair. And this time it was slow and passionate. He lined up his rigid length into my entrance and slowly slid in inch
RYDEN“Alpha!” Trent stormed inside the pack house into the dining room where everyone was having their breakfast. His hands were on his knees, breathing heavily.“Trent, what is it?” My gut twisted as I instantly saw the horror on his face. I stood up abruptly and walked away from the rest.“While I was scouting the perimeters, a werewolf dropped Brant’s head outside the border.” He breathed deeply, wiping his sweat and tears from his face. His words made everyone gasp. “He has a message for you.”Swallowing hard, I walked towards him and my heart broke all over again. “What’s the message, Trent?”“Here. Drink.” Amelia gave him a glass of water.“Thank you.” His voice cracked and he drank the water empty. “I’m so sorry, Alpha. I feel like I failed my only job. Now Brant is dead.”“It’s not your fault. I’m so sorry you have to see your friend in a situation as brutal as that.” Amelia gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Whoever did this will pay for his crime.”My jaw clenched hard as
RYDENZarah might be powerful but Samarah was canny and used black magic, and so far we always fell for their traps.I sighed heavily as I felt like I didn’t know what to do right now.We arrived at the site. I tested the shield. “The shield is down. We have only a two-minute window,” I informed them. I couldn’t even look at Brant’s wolf’s head. He must have been so scared, and I wasn’t there to protect him. Again, I failed everyone for the umpteenth time.I looked away. My chest was imploding as grief, pain, and regret filled my chest.My phone vibrated catching my attention. It was Amelia.“Ryden, don’t touch the head. Do you hear me? Don’t touch the head.”Zeph just crossed the barrier. His hands an inch to Brant’s head. “Don’t! Zeph, don’t touch it!”Dane managed to grab him on the arm and threw him back inside.Zeph fell on top of him, glaring at me. “What the fuck?”“Ryden! Ryden, are you there? Can you hear me?”I briefly closed my eyes and replied, “Amelia, I hear you.”“Did Z
AMELIA “Where is she?” Our plans were successful, except Nora got shot. I didn’t know how bad it was, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty for letting her go to her father’s firm. “She’s fine.” A deep frown formed on Zeph’s forehead as he strolled his gaze at me. “Why do you care so much about her after what she did to you?” I ignored my brother as I walked past him. “Am.” He grabbed me by my arm, causing Ryden to growl at him. I rolled my eyes at Ryden for being overprotective of me towards my own brother. “You’re being ridiculous. Call up for a briefing.” He didn’t move until Zeph let go of my arm. His jaw clenched. “Geez, Ry. She’s my sister, and I would never hurt her.” Scowling, Zeph released my arm and walked away. “Hey. Wait,” I called Zeph and followed him. “Just wait, Zeph!”Groaning, he stopped and faced me. “Is Ryden okay? He seemed aggressive.” I understood Zeph. He had a good moral compass and was way more sensible than any of us. That was why he was good as Beta
AMELIAThree years laterEnochian Institute “Okay, bud. Are you ready?” Ryden towered at his son as he tried to prepare him for his first day of school. “No, Dad. Please, don’t call me buddy or bud anymore. I’m six years old. Alex is fine.” I looked at them and tried hard not to grin. When Ryden saw my smile, I looked away. “You will always be my boy, so I can call you bud or buddy until you get a girlfriend or have kids on your own.” “Mom, I need help here. I want to be like every kid at the institute.” When he gave me this puppy-eyes look, the same look he gave me when he wanted to be with his Uncle Ren or Uncle Drak. I knelt before him as I fixed his coat. Alex was carrying a blue backpack. I looked right into his blue-green eyes. Every time I looked at him, he always reminded me of his father. “My love, listen to me. You grow up so fast. Me and your dad still see you like our two-year-old boy. That’s why Dad still calls you buddy, and it’s actually cool that you and Dad ar
AMELIA I still cried whenever I felt alone. I still cried to sleep knowing he was gone because he wanted me to live. The feeling of losing someone I loved hit differently. It felt like I lost a part of me, a part of my soul. I woke up to the blinding light streaming from the opened window. Or at least I felt like I just woke up when the image of my father appeared before me. “Dad?” I sat up on the bed. I was still sleeping in the same bed I shared with Lucius. “Why did you let it happen? Why did you accept his deal? Now I’m all alone.” “You’re not alone, Amelia.” I wiped the first tear that fell on my cheek. “I died twice. You should have let me die. I can’t. I can’t take it anymore. Lucius was a good man. He had a lot of things to live for.” “And you don’t?” he asked me calmly. “I know life isn’t fair, but I don’t deserve another chance. I would have swapped places with him. These people need their alpha.” “Amelia.” He stood before me. “He accomplished his mission in life. H
RYDEN The moment I received a call from Drak, I knew something terrible had happened. He couldn’t hide the sadness in his voice. I quickly asked help from Zarah to send me to the Blood Moon Pack. Every last member of Lucius’ pack was around. His compound was crowded with the people who loved him, who believed in his cause, and the people he saved and had given a second chance. As I entered the house, a howl of mourning echoed from the forest. It was heart-wrenching. I didn’t only feel extremely sad about losing a great alpha, but he was also a savior and a hero, and I was proud to call him a friend. “This is so unfair.” Amelia ran into me. She looked like she’d been crying. She really looked like a mess, with wet cheeks, and red eyes and nose. “This can’t be happening.” “I’m so sorry, my love.” I took her in my arms. I knew my presence wouldn’t help the fact that Lucius was gone, but I was hoping I could somehow help ease the pain in her chest. “He’s gone, Ryden. He’s gone.” She
AMELIAIf this was the last day we had together, then I would make the best of it. I couldn’t fathom a life without him, my hero, who sacrificed everything so I could live another day. He was the true savior, not me. He was the true leader, the greatest alpha I’d ever met. He deserved that recognition, yet, here he was, waiting until he let go of his last breath and succumbed to death.It was unfair. Life was so fucked up and unfair. “Maybe you should give me an heir. I wanna have a mini you, please?” I wiped my tears away. “For that, I might be able to forgive myself. Then I’m going to tell him the story of how amazing and brave his father was, his sacrifices for this world, and how much we love each other, and show him our photos together.” “I will give you everything, my love. If we have a son, I want you to teach him to be a good man and respect and treat Ryden as his father. If we have a girl, tell her, that her father will always be watching her. Tell them their father loves t
AMELIA Lucius pulled away, looking right into my eyes. “We’re not doing it again, Amelia. I’ve accepted my fate.” “Well, I’m not! You should have told me. I could have done something other than keeping me in the dark. I have every right to know, Lucius. Have you forgotten that?” “I know that, my love, and I’m so sorry.” “Save it,” I said as I faced Ryden and pointed a finger at his face. “You, I trusted you. Are you happy now? Lucius had sacrificed his life twice for me so I could be with you. And I only asked one thing. Just one thing from you, and you couldn’t do it. You can’t be honest with me. Why should I stay with you if you don’t value honesty?” Ryden looked away as pain and agony laced in his eyes. “Amelia, don’t say that,” Lucius said. “Oh, so now you’re his best friend because you’re peas in a pod?” “Amelia, I know this is hard, but Lucius made his decision. You would have been dead by now and the rest of the werewolves who had fallen that day.” Shit. Zarah was right
AMELIA It had been three months since that war against The Director ended, and our lives had finally returned back to normal. The pack was going strong. No more sightings of demons and wraiths. No more threats other than rogues on occasion. The mother and son Ryden took in, and some werewolves had become the new pack members. Theia and Bryan were still like cat and mouse, but I could feel how much their relationship had developed, especially when it was built with trust. The two elemental werewolves had begun their training at Elysian. We still talked over the phone, especially with Ryden, since he was one of them. Margaret finally woke up a few days after I went back home. Zarah, Samarah, and her had never been closer, and that made me happy. My Relationship with Ryden had never been strong. I told him everything, and he forgave me. He and Lucius seemed to have formed a friendship, which was weird. Since the day I left the hotel room, I stayed close to Lucius, not as a mate or
AMELIA I joined him in bed and kissed him on the lips, and he scooped me so I could rest on top of him. I curled into a fetal position as he wrapped his arms around me, his fingers tracing my spine. I felt tiny and fragile when I was with him, but powerful at the same time. He sighed again as if something was bothering him. “How did you find me?” “Your mate gave me your letter. I supposed you went back from where you started. Did you mean what you said?” He was talking about the letter. “All of it.” “Hmm.” He kissed the top of my head. “He came to me. He’s worried about you, sweetheart. You should go back.” “What about you?” I lifted my head and looked him in the eye. “I always trust what you do that you know what’s best for you. Like always, I won’t control you.” He smiled as he tucked my hair behind my ear. “But of course, I get worried all the time even though I know you can take care of yourself.” “How’s everyone?” “I’m not telling you anything, Amelia. It’s about time y
AMELIA “I want you right now, Alexander.” The moment those words left my mouth, he carried me to the bed in my hotel room. He ripped my clothes from my body until I was naked and exposed. Then he spread my legs wide, and one thing led to another. My ovary was throwing a party as he dipped his head between my legs. A gasp escaped my lips as he pressed the softest kisses on my foot, my leg, and my inner thighs, nipping my skin. Then captured my entire pussy with his hot mouth. “Ah!” My hips bucked, hand came to his head to grab a handful of his hair, shamelessly pushing his mouth to my sex. Then he dragged his tongue from my folds upward to my clit, making my head spin. Tingles ran down my spine as I shuddered in delight. “Goddess!” I panted, rocking into his talented tongue, stroking my clit. Every muscle in my body clenched, and my legs trembled. Then he glided it in my entrance, thrusting in and out, alternately sucking my sensitive hard nub. Tension instantly coiled in my lowe
AMELIA “So where are you going?” Gaia asked. She’d been spending some time with Ren and Theia while Nora was trying to fix the broken relationship she had with her father. With Victor in the council jail, there was no threat to Alec anymore. “I don’t know yet.” I looked at the three of them. “Please, take care of each other. The greater demon might be gone, but there are still a lot of bad people out there. Maybe the good citizens could use your help.” “I’m gonna miss you.” Theia hugged me. “Don’t be gone too long, okay?” “I won’t, but you should go and be with the Caltech dropout.” “I will. Ren doesn’t need a driver anymore. He’s the monkey king after all.” She got a groan from Ren. “Gaia and he will start a new adventure anyway.” “I have to go.” I hugged Ren tight. “Thanks for not giving up on me. You always have a place in the pack. I love you, Ren. I’ll see you soon.” “I love you, too, Amelia. Don’t be a stranger. Visit the Raito house once in a while.” “Once I figure out