RYDEN I was about to knock on the door when Amelia opened it. Behind her was Lucius. It always pissed me off how it was easy for him to come between us and felt no guilt, while I was grateful at the same time that he didn’t choose violence to get Amelia away from me, considering his nature. “Alpha, you gotta change your shirt. Here.” She has Lucius’ shirt with her. “Mine is so big.” “I’m good thanks.” “Come on. Take it. I wanna go down and check on Ren.” She pushed it to my chest and walked away. “You have the same size.” “We’re not the same size,” we said in unison, making her chuckle. Lucius and I looked at each other. Then he said, “Put that on. She chose that for you.” “You can’t just stay away from her, can you, asshole?” I pulled off my shirt and put on his gray shirt. “I won’t until she’s safe.” I stared at him before I spoke. “When this is over, will you stay away from her and leave us in peace?” “Are you threatened by me, Ryden?” When I didn’t answer, he added, “Yo
AMELIA We made it back to the pack. Ren was still sleeping at the infirmary. Mom has seen him, and so far he was recovering well, but he had received another bag of blood. “Let’s go home.” Ryden took my hand and kissed it. I looked at him. “Can I stay here for a while? I’ll be home tonight.” He thought for a moment before he nodded. “I’ll come back to pick you up. I need to change.” It brought a smile to my lips. “You hate it, don’t you?” “Not the shirt, Amelia.” He smiled too. “Okay. I’ll see you, later.” I tiptoed to kiss him on the lips, and he wrapped one arm around my waist, the other at the back of my head as he deepened the kiss. I smiled to our lips as I kissed him back. His kiss went from soft to passionate until someone cleared a throat before us that pulled us apart. “Honey, get a room.” My cheeks burned. “Sorry, Mom.” “Well, I’m not.” Ryden smiled at her. “I have to go.” He kissed me one more time before he left. I sat down for a while with Ren when I started y
AMELIA He didn’t give me a chance to recover from my shock. He yanked my legs apart and settled in between. I gasped as he folded my knees, spread my thighs apart, and buried his face between my legs. Then he sucked me hard. My hips bucked as I cried out, clenching my fingers into his head, pulling his hair out. I was conflicted between pushing his face to my pussy because it felt so good or pulling him away because of embarrassment. He ate like it was his last meal or he was starving and locked up for years. When he made a low humming that vibrated through my aching core, I moaned loudly. With his grip tightening into the flesh of my hips, he shoved his tongue deep inside me and began to fuck me. I rocked my hips against his face, pushing his head down the same way he worked his tongue in and out. I could feel and hear my wetness pooling. I could feel my skin tightening, and my muscles clenching. He must have felt I was close to orgasm. He reached for my breasts, kneading them,
AMELIA I woke up gasping. My heart was racing. I could barely breathe in anger. That son of a bitch killed me. And the dream was real. How was it even possible? I could smell him all over me. I still felt everything, the ripples of pleasure, and the wetness between my legs. “Shit.” I got up from bed and went to the bathroom for a quick shower. My body was still shaking in anger. Once I was done, I changed to my old clothes and grabbed my things. AMELIA: Dad, can you do something for me? DAD: Of course, honey. Name it. AMELIA: Can you pull up records of Amelia Celine Reidshaw and Alexander Lucius Whitmann? Please, don’t ask. I love you, Dad. Thanks. I called Ryden on the way. “Hey, ‘bug.” He sounded like he was sleeping, his voice groggy. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry to wake you up.” “It’s fine. Should I come to pick you up?” “No, baby. Change of plan. I have something to take care of. Do you trust me?” “Why do I feel like you’re about to do something that gets you killed or makes
AMELIA Lucius shook his head. “I didn’t see him again. I prayed for him to come for three days, but he didn’t show up. My mother was wounded, too, but you were worse. You were so pale as a sheet. You were burning with fever, and you didn’t turn because you wouldn’t make it.”“Oh, Goddess.” My voice broke. I could barely hear my own words. I shuddered as I stared at him. This was the guilt he’d been carrying for two decades, eating him up alive. It was too much even for an alpha and a man as strong as Lucius. No wonder he was this way, so protective, and tried to save many lives, it was his penance for taking my own life.“My mother believed it had something to do with your blood. She treated you and made you comfortable. While the whole pack was busy burying and burning our dead, I still wore the same clothes I had on our wedding day. She saw my grief.” He shook his head, tears rolled down his face. “I’m sorry.” I hugged him tight. “I’m so sorry you have to watch me die.” “That wa
RYDEN We reached the perimeter in the south. The boys had been sniffing rogues for the last two days, but tonight they hadn’t spotted one. I ignored Zeph’s eyes on me on our way there. I knew he had something to say but held it back. I scanned the woods ahead, and there were no movements, on the trees, too. “The scents are gone. Did they move to the west?” “Or they’re done with their job and left. Maybe this area is a weak spot. Is the camera on that tree working?” I pointed at the old tree to my left. “Yeah. Every camera works just fine.” “Or it plays in a loop, and Jeong Lee and Seven didn’t notice it.” He looked at me for a moment before he spoke. “Let’s check it out.” “No. I have a bad feeling about this. We have to scan for the bear traps. Just call Jeong Lee or Seven to recheck the footage.” “No. I’ll do it. I’ll be very careful.” “Fine, but if you get injured, you’ll explain to Amelia that I didn’t coerce you to get your foot stuck in the bear traps.” A smile lifted
RYDEN “We came from Tahoma. Our small pack was attacked by vampires. I didn’t believe it at first, but then a sheriff said, those dead bodies were drained out of blood.” “So you survived? You and a kid survived? How’s it even possible?” Zeph asked, not buying her story. I wouldn’t believe it, too, if I didn’t encounter vampires two nights ago. “I picked up Romy from school and then we went to his grandpa in town. We got home around 8 PM, and there were sheriffs and three college boys who went to a frat party. We’re the only what were left in our pack. Our alpha was killed, too.” It was either they were lucky that the vampires attacked while they were away or she was involved. “They left the frat party at eight? Lady, you better tell us the truth or I will call the cops for trespassing.” “I swear to the Goddess I am telling the truth. I came here because there’s been a talk in the pack about a young werewolf who helped people. I wouldn’t have come here if I could get killed.” Horr
AMELIA “No! Please, stop!” I watched Ryden with his head about to get snapped. The son of a bitch forced me to watch him as he took my mate’s life. My whole body was in excruciating pain, one of my legs was broken. What was worse, was my wing was clipped off, and the other was about to be ripped off from my back. And I was too weak to save my own mate. “Please, stop! I’ll give you what you want. Take my life. Just let him live.” With my blood-shaking hand, I tried to crawl to Ryden as I begged for his life, but I couldn’t reach him— he was too far. The feeling of helplessness was like getting stabbed in the heart over and over again. “I can take your life as easily as I take your mate’s.” Then a snap and crack echoed. He dropped Ryden’s lifeless body on the bathed blood ground. “No!” “Hey.” I sucked in a breath. Breathing was even more difficult. Still disoriented, I was clutching at someone. “Breathe, Amelia.” He was freaking out. I could hear it in his voice and his heartbea
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