RYDEN My eyes fluttered open. The first thing I saw was the white ceiling until everything came back to me like flashes of memories. I was in Hawaii and Amelia and I had a fight. Nora was talking me out of it. Then I got shot. I groaned as I tried to move. I was shirtless, a bandage on my upper left chest reminded me it indeed all happened. I should have been dead by now. How am I still alive? Then I heard a snore. I turned my head to my right. There she was. I didn’t even know she snored. I guess, that was first. “Amelia?” I tried to move to reach for her, but my wound was killing me. I might have lost a lot of blood, and I didn’t heal faster than my normal healing process. “Ladybug.” She gasped, jolting to sit on the chair. Her eyes grew big as she turned to me and saw me awake. “Alpha? Oh, Goddess!” She threw herself at me and hugged me tight. “Agh!” I groaned and hissed in pain as I tried to wrap one arm around her. “My wound.” “Shit. Sorry.” She slowly pulled away from me,
AMELIA “You lost your wolf to save my life. I’m so sorry you have to choose between me and her.” “I can live as a human, but I can’t live without you. You said you loved me, did you mean it?” I lifted my gaze to see his reaction. He still looked handsome despite almost dying and still in pain. “I love you with every beat of my heart. I love you till my last breath, Amelia. I don’t care if you’re human or a tiger or a mouse.” “A mouse? Really.” I sniffled. He tried to hold his laugh, and he grimaced instead. “You should take pain meds.” “No. The bullet that shot me was not an ordinary bullet, was it?” “Yes. Sebastien said, it could be a high-grade military prototype silver bullet, and it should explode inside your body, but it didn’t. It was either intentional or faulty. We don’t know. None of us has seen that kind of bullet before, even at the Werewolf Council.” “How are you feeling?” “Why are you asking me when I’m not the one that has gotten shot?” “So you’re still feisty
RYDEN “You knew all this time, and you didn’t warn us?” The way Victor averted his gaze and looked as ashamed and guilty as ever. He only proved to us that he knew all along, and what after all, powerful alphas there were out there that he called himself the Alpha King. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Amelia was angrier than me. Despite losing her wolf, I could still feel her emotions, and my mark on her was still intact. “Whoever he is will come after every alpha who comes his way. Do you understand how deep the trouble you’re in? He will come after our allies, take control of the werewolf council, and take your position. But you don’t give a shit, do you? As long as you’re safe over there and sipping coffee and whiskey.” “Of course, I care.”I even rolled my eyes at his reply.“Cut the bullshit, Head Council. I know you’re scared, but we can protect you. Alpha Califf, Alpha Knight, and the rest of our allies can protect you, but you have to be honest with us.” “No, Amelia. N
RYDEN “Amelia, stop!” I crawled back to bed. My ears hurt, and that was killing me more than my wound. Then I felt a warm liquid rolling down my upper lip. I wiped it off and realized it was blood. “You’re killing me, please? Ladybug, you have to stop.” The shrilling sound abruptly stopped. The shaking ended. Her body went back to normal. “Oh, Goddess. Baby.” Her eyes were wide as she finally back to herself. She cupped my face and wiped off the blood dripping from my nostrils. “I did do that? I’m so sorry.” “Unless I have that kind of power.” I was still staring at her. What kind of power she had was both frightening and remarkable. “What the hell is going on?” The door slammed open, and Zarah came, furious. She scanned the room and shook her head. “She did it again, didn’t she?” Ren followed Zarah inside, looking at my bloody nose. Theia and Nora were tailing him. “If you can’t get control over your emotions, Amelia, we have to confine you. You can kill any being just with you
AMELIA “Alpha, stop it. You’re still healing.” Naughty Alpha was looking all cute as he started kissing me on the cheek first, licking my earlobe, then his hand moved to my abdomen, slipping it inside my shirt, tracing his fingers up, teasing my nipple from the bra. “I want you.” “No, you don’t.” I looked at him. His eyes darkened, his breathing was hot, and I could feel his growing erection pressed against my thigh. “Keep your dick under control until you’re fully healed or I will scream.” “I am. Trust me.” He kissed me on the nose. “I missed you. I miss being inside you.” “Really?” I pressed his wound, and he winced. “Right, you’re healed.” His hand was gone, and he chuckled, shaking his head. “Have patience there, buddy.” “Yes. Tell him that.” I faced him and kissed him on the lips. “When we go home, you can have me all you want. I will be yours all night.” He grinned at me. “Is that a promise?” “You know I won’t break it, Ryden. You can tie me to bed if you want.” He arc
AMELIA After what we’d been through together in a short time, something beautiful happened. I stared at him in awe, wearing the same face the first time he saw me in my wolf form and wolf fire. Now he had in him. He just became one of the four, and the most powerful alpha with that power. “Amelia!” everyone was yelling at me, except Ren. I felt like he already knew when I lost my wolf, that it would take over someone. “Ryden,” I called his name and looked him in the eye. He looked shocked and began to panic as his clothes burned down to ashes and he was completely naked before us, engulfed in fire. “Guys, can someone grab the extinguisher, please?” “You know it won’t work!” Theia yelled. I turned to her and pointed at the wooden floor. “It will work on the floor before this house gets toasted.” I’ll go take it,” Alessandro volunteered and stormed out of the office. “Ryden, if you don’t calm down, you’re gonna burn us all. Trust me. I’ve been in your situation, done that.” “W
RYDEN “You only agreed because you wanted to come back, did you?” I looked at her so beautiful, and for me, she was still the innocent girl I bullied. “Yes. I’m sure they got it covered for more veteran spies to do the job, which is paying.” I quoted in the air. “We still have a lot of work to do here.” “But—” I pressed my lips against hers to stop her from appealing her case to me because that was not going to work unless she planned on doing it behind my back or she got another assignment to infiltrate Lucius’ pack, but I would do my best as her alpha and mate to stop her from this suicide mission. I couldn’t lose her. Knowing what kind of werewolf Lucius was, he would not hesitate to kill Amelia if he knew he had been spying on him. “Let’s go on a date then.” She walked past me to the house. “I’ll see you at the pack house later.” I nodded at Ren and Theia and waved at Nora who gave us space. “Let us know if you need anything.” “I need to rest, that’s all. We’ll be there b
AMELIA “Welcome back, Amelia.” Fawn was an agent of SEO. He was recruited at a young age. It was expected knowing that his father was one of the members before he retired. I glared at Fawn who drugged Ryden. “Was that really necessary?” “You know it is.” He punched the elevator button N11. I joined him. “I know you don’t trust him, but I do.” “Understood. He’s your mate, but that’s protocol. Are you sure the girl is one of you?” “Her name is Nora.” I rolled my eyes. He knew who Nora was, probably more than what I knew. The elevator took us down below the eleventh floor where they kept Ryden and Nora. I knew he was going to hate me for what I did, but he needed to train to fight against Lucius if they hadn’t assigned anyone yet. “I know who she is.” Well, you might as well know that I’m not one of them anymore. But I kept that thought in my head. “Be ready for briefing,” he said as the door opened. He could be tight and an asshole, but he was also reliable. He was one of the
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