AMELIA For the first time since we arrived at Tahoe City, we finally got a chance to go out and see some tourist spots. The view from the gondola was spectacular.“Did you know Ryden came looking for me that night?” “Yes,” Ren answered with certainty. I stared in disbelief. So, Ryden was telling the truth. “Do you expect an apology from me for wiping off the trail and your scent?” “Hell no. Thanks.” I kissed him on the cheek. “This is actually amazing,” Theia said as she enjoyed the view. “Yup, it is.” “So, are you going to talk to Ryden and treat him nicely?” “I treat him like an alpha, Theia. He deserves it. He’s a good alpha and doesn’t take advantage of people.” “Except—” Ren elbowed her who was typing something on his phone. “What was that for, Kazeshi?” she complained. “If you’re referring to his wild nights with Nora, yes, I know. Honestly, it hurts knowing they had a thing before I can even kiss my mate.” “But you’re his forever, and that should count. You shoul
RYDEN “You know the rules. No weapons, no clawing, and this is a sport. No personal grudges. You only get one warning, or you lose. Understood?” Everyone, young and old, and all genders gathered at the ground for our fighting events. The area was a small football field with benches and lights, just located in the backyard of the pack house. I could feel the excitement and anxiousness coming from the fighters for tonight. I didn’t compete anymore since I became an alpha. It would be unfair to my opponent. “Now let’s welcome our guests from White Moon and Night Stalker tonight.” Everyone applauded. Amelia and her friends were also present. It was not new to her. In fact, she had seen her brother fight before, and she knew the rules. Women category had less time than men. “All fighters are posted on the board. Our first fighters for tonight. Reede and Landon.” The excitement and cheers were off the roof. “You can start betting before we start, guys. The bet is just for fun. This
AMELIA I’d been humiliated in the worst way possible, bullied for my features, and my body size, but I’d never let someone punch me on purpose just to hide who I was. One thing my Sensei taught me I wished he never did was not to show off what I was true. Let them be surprised, but right now, I still couldn’t surprise Nora. It was frustrating. One of the few rules of fights in this ring was not to use the power or shift and claw someone’s eyes out. So I took her punches. It hurt so fucking much. I heard gasps from the crowd and grunts of satisfaction that their betted fighter got the best of me. “Get this bitch.” Yes, we didn’t use a mouthguard because it wasn’t necessary. It could get bloody sometimes, but everyone knew when to stop unlike Nora here who expected me to lose tonight, which was not surprising because I barely threw punches and kicks. I was thrown down to the ground with a thud. Gasping, I arched my back. My wolf was in chaos inside me, urging me to wolf out. I kne
AMELIA“We’re having a party right now. Come on.” He gestured towards the door. “What? Really?” I asked in disbelief. “It’s Theia’s idea when she heard Nora was going to celebrate for punching you.” “Oh, I see. Be careful with her. She might be small, but she’s dangerous.” I walked out of the washroom. The party hadn’t started but the DJ had already assembled his equipment. “How did you pull this off?” “We got friends from the rage and free booze from Knight and Califf.” Within thirty minutes, the dance floor was filled with raging and horny werewolves. The music was too loud, but everyone seemed to have fun. “Am!” Theia called me from the center. She had Ren, Maddie, Seven, and Walker with her. “Come over here and dance with us!” “Look at her, she’s already making friends.” I couldn’t help but smile. “You owe me a dance, Amelia!” Walker yelled even if he didn’t have to. Werewolves had enhanced hearing than humans. “I’m gonna hang him to a tree,” Ryden said. I didn’t know if
RYDEN My heart jackhammered in my chest. My eyes started glowing, and I almost shifted. “What the fuck!” I jolted up to the loud siren in my ears. Then my bed shook as if someone jumped on it. I groaned in annoyance as the sweet fruity scent assaulted my senses. “Wakey wakey, Alpha! Your masters are here!” “What the hell are you doing, Amelia?” I growled, covering my sensitive ears with the pillow as the siren continued. It must be coming from her phone. “Shut that fucking thing off.” Everyone knew I could be aggressive and feral if I didn’t get enough sleep, and nobody had ever tried to piss me off by waking me up unless it was a matter of a life-and-death situation. “Hey! Your training starts now. Do you want to save the world? Then get up and start with your punctuality, Alpha!” She raised her voice, clearly annoyed. “Fuck! I barely slept.” “Everyone didn’t get enough sleep after the party you threw. So do I, but here I am. Ren and I woke up an hour earlier than you. So you
AMELIA “Son, what’s this rumor I heard that you and Nora have broken up?” I instantly recognized that voice. This couldn’t be. I stopped behind Ryden’s office’s door before I could knock. I was supposed to ask him if he had updates on Zarah’s research of a mystery burned page, but it seemed that I was the one who was getting updates on his relationship. “I don’t mean to be rude, but Nora and I had an understanding before we got into that brief relationship. We both knew we were not mates and what we had was going to end,” Ryden said calmly. I knew it was bad to eavesdrop, but I was curious about the man with Ryden, now that he mentioned Nora, it verified my initial hunch. Alec Webster, Nora’s father owned a big company in the city. “Look, son. I like you. I like you to be my future son-in-law, always has been before you even became an alpha. Nora loves you, Ryden. If you’re not ready to settle down, it’s fine. You can fool around with that girl who just returned, I don’t know her n
RYDEN “Amelia!” The line cut off. I looked down at Ren’s phone screen for a second trying to process what had just happened, who attacked her, and why. “Ryden, what did she say?” I stared at Ren, looking for the right word to say. I couldn’t find any. I gave his phone back. “Amelia is in trouble.” “I’ll go and find her. Where is she?” “She’s on her way back.” He left before I could stop him. Theia followed suit, and I felt so stupid and useless. “Zeph?” I scanned the living room where the guys watched football. “Hey, are you looking for me?” Zeph came quickly. “Yeah.” I went to the back of the staircase and pushed the lockdown button. Since I lost men in that black virus, I spent a huge amount of money on security, including CCTV around the parameters. I would find out who attacked Amelia. It was only a matter of time, and he would pay for it, severely. “What’s going on?” Zeph asked when everyone stopped what they were doing. When the entire house went silent, I went into a
AMELIA “What the hell is wrong with you? He offered you to join back his pack, why aren’t you jumping into it?” Theia was more excited than me to be back in the pack, but she didn’t know why I didn’t want to. I blew out a breath and sipped my water. “I have reasons.” “Wow. That must be more important than being with Ryden. I’m actually beginning to like that guy. He’s hot and cool. He may want to spread you and eat you for his dinner, but he’s patient for an alpha.” She smiled wickedly. “Geez, T.” I rolled my eyes as I continued jabbing against the pad. It may sound ridiculous, but I felt my heart just pumped hard. “I have eyes and ears and I put them to good use. You should do it sometimes. He’s definitely hard on you, Am. The mating bond must have been driving him insane. You’re a lucky gal that he hasn’t grabbed you, thrown you over his shoulder like a potato sack, and taken you home with him, and Goddess knows what he could do to you when it’s just the two of you.” “You’re i
RYDEN I wasn’t healing fast. I was losing my strength quickly. I knew I had broken bones, and something wrong inside me that made me difficult to breathe. I was even surprised I was still able to shift earlier. I could barely stand but Amelia was still out there, waiting for my help. The moment my pack managed to escape into the woods, I felt relieved. I knew they could make it out even if they scattered everywhere. We could regroup later once Amelia was safe. “Ryden!” I was still in wolf form when someone called my name. Zeph jumped off the tree and dropped some clothes for me. “Thank Goddess, you’re okay.” I quickly shifted back. My bones were cracking, and I instantly felt a couple of broken bones. “I’m not okay, Zeph. They have your sister. Goddess, why did she have to be—? Fuck!” I couldn’t even breathe without struggling. “What’s wrong?” He looked at my chest. The bruises were getting worse, turning purple quickly. “Oh, shit.” “Yup.” I tried to move my shoulder back, but
AMELIA They’d been fighting for half an hour now. They were both bloody, and breathing hard, but none of them wanted to give up. There was something weird going on with Alec. He came prepared. For a man in his fifties, probably twice in human age, he was strong, like he was on steroids. “This is taking too long.” Zeph became more anxious, constantly sighing when Ryden received another kick in the chest. Our pack just gasped, hearing that crack, surely he just got another broken bone. “That’s not good.” My heart bled, and couldn’t compensate for pumping so hard as Ryden fell to the ground. “He’s taking a lot of punches and kicks, why isn’t he even trying hard to fight back, Amelia?” I narrowed my eyes at Theia. “I don’t know, but Alec seems on magic steroids.” “Yes. He has something going on in him,” Ren agreed. I hadn’t told him the sword was gone. I stared at Walker with my jaw clenched as he watched the fight. That son of a bitch. He seemed to grind his jaw hard every time R
AMELIA “Can we talk?” “Nope. I’m done talking, and we have nothing to talk about. You made it pretty clear. The only decisions matter are yours, and you chose not to involve me. I respect an alpha’s decision.” “Amelia, that’s not—” “That’s not what, Ryden?” I glared at him. “I came here only to help heal my brother, but I put my plans, my life on hold for you because you’re my mate, and I would do everything in a heartbeat for you, but right now, after what you did? I don’t think I will risk my life for you again. You’re not the mate I risked my life for, the man I married, and the alpha I swore my loyalty to.” I didn’t want to say some shits that I would regret later. I went into his closet and grabbed my backpack. “What are you doing?” I heard the panic in his voice behind me. “I can’t watch you get yourself killed. I don’t want to lie about my feelings for you.” I felt his grip on my arm, forcing me to face him. “You’re leaving me?” “I’m leaving, yes.” I met his gaze, makin
RYDEN “If you’re so suicidal to fight Alec tomorrow why didn’t you just slash their throats when you got the chance?” she said harshly. Her gaze grew serious. I groaned in exasperation. “I have plans, Amelia. Don’t worry, it will work.” “And what is it?” She glared at me before getting into the passenger’s seat. “You’re acting out of anger. You’re illogical.” “I can’t tell you right now.” I joined her back in the car. She shook her head in disappointment. “Because you don’t trust me enough to share your plan with me. You don’t see me as the Luna of the pack. You don’t see me as your equal. Why am I wasting my time here with you if I can’t be useful?” “That’s not true.” My voice was low and urgent, eyes still blazing with fury. “That’s the truth, Ryden!” She wiped her face and looked outside the window. “Don’t talk to me.” Amelia was fuming in her seat. She hadn’t said a word, but working in her truckload of anger not to light this car to flames. She had no idea what betrayals
RYDEN “I’m sure you know what’s taste of vengeance is like, Alec. And I’m not here to threaten you. I want that man before sunset today or I will find a way to cut his head off and give it to you as a present.” He snorted, shaking his head. “You think you’re so brave and smart, Ryden, but you’re not.” “I know I’m neither of those, but when people come to me and hurt the people I care about, I don’t need to be smart or to be brave. I do what’s necessary.” “Yet, you haven’t found the people responsible for the attack on your pack house. You’re too busy finding the, what do you call it, wraiths? Yes, I know every plan you make. I know everything about you, especially that woman you call mate. I know her secret, too.” I didn’t have to listen or react. He’d already anticipated I would be pissed off. I stayed calm as if he wasn’t trying to intimidate us both. “Then you should be very careful.” “You should be, Ryden. If I wanted to kill you, I could have done it already, and you would
AMELIA “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” “To see the man who came to kill us,” he said through gritted teeth, eyes screamed revenge. “In your condition?” I looked at everyone in the room to help me get some sense into him, but nobody wanted to stop their alpha. “You’re getting yourself killed. I almost lost you last night, Ryden. Give it a day. Rest, then I will help you kill that son of a bitch.” “We might not find him.” He put his clothes on, and that was it. I couldn’t stop him, and he wouldn’t even listen to me anymore. “I don’t wanna lose you.” My words had stopped him, but he just turned around and smiled tightly. “I’ll be back. I promise.” “I hope not dead and cold, but I’m coming with you.” “No, you’re not.” His eyes narrowed. “You said it yourself, you’re exposed now. You’re maybe stronger, but you can be killed. I can’t risk you, too.” “So you can risk yourself but not me? How is it even fair? I can help you not get killed, Ryden. Suck it up because you ca
LUCIUS“He has a huge territory and depends on the human security system?” Eann complained as he watched the unguarded ground. “Is he nuts?”“Don’t say the obvious.” I groaned as I studied the weak spots of Ryden Braxton’s land on the map in my hand.“Maybe we should just let him get killed then we take Amelia with us.”I narrowed at him and growled. “What in the words I said this needs to happen you didn’t fucking understand? Do you know how she would feel losing a mate?”Drak sighed deeply beside me.I turned my head at him, throwing him the same glare. “Is there something you wanna fucking say to my face?”He shook his head. “We’ve been tracking this asshole for days, and he’s always got away. He’s more slippery than the legions. We have no clue what he’s planning next. How about we go and talk to his boss?”“And then do what?” Eann asked him.“He will deny any connections to his fucking guy and clean his hands like every rich asshole does. Then Douglas will know we’re after him.”
RYDEN “Ryden!” Amelia called my name. I was screaming in pain in my head in my own blood with the blackness almost taking over me while I was buried under dead werewolves, wounded and bleeding. Her voice was shaking as she kept calling my name, trying to pull away charred animals on top of me. I already shifted back and begun to succumb to the wounds I obtained, and I was losing a lot of blood. Though I got used to smelling blood, the smell of burning flesh was repugnant and horrible. “I’m fine, Amelia.” I wasn’t. I knew the cuts were bad. I was more worried about her. We were caught off guard. And here I thought my territory was safe. Undeniably, I was targeted. Those rogues were coming after me, and not Amelia, but they didn’t see it coming. They weren’t aware of who Amelia was. “Ryden! Baby, oh, Goddess.” She cupped my face and checked for the injuries. “I’m good.” “No, you’re not!” Her voice cracked as she stared at my face and the wounds on my shoulders and legs. “I’ll sh
AMELIA “Yes, yes. Don’t stop.” My pulse went haywire. My lips went dry. My breasts were heavy as he pumped his finger in and out of me in my panties. I could feel how wet I was, it made an obscene sound. “Do you want my cock inside you?” When quickened his pace, and pressed his thumb against my clit, my head fall back against the backrest of the couch and my thighs widened, my knees weakening. “Yes, please?” My nipples started to ache as he pulled his hand into my panties. I looked at his finger. It was wet from my arousal. He knew I was watching him. He unapologetically shoved it in his mouth and licked it clean. I felt my skin turn hot, and my eyes almost glowed. I even found it hard to breathe, so I pulled my shirt off my head and took off my panties. I watched him unbutton his pants, then unzipped it and pulled down his ankles. His rigid cock freed and sprung before me. I nervously moistened my lips. Then he sat on the couch, pulled his jeans off his feet and spread his thig