RYDEN When I thought I could not deal with another loss, here it was again. I meant to protect them, and I failed. And I failed to protect my mate. I just watched her taken away from me and I couldn’t do anything to help her. “I know that look, man. Don’t go there.” “I shouldn’t have trusted Dane. I thought he was on our side.” “Dane would never betray us.” I faced Califf. “He was there when we checked the crime scene this morning. I brought him to my house. I was the one who printed those pictures Amos sent me. I brought it to myself. I let this happen.” Crestfallen, I shook my head in regret “I shouldn’t have seen it coming. Dane was a distraction. For all I know, he’s a part of this. He’s an assassin. I’m sure he knows these mercs.” “Man, don’t jump to any conclusion.” Despite my judgment, Califf tried harder to convince me of Dane’s innocence. “Dane is a good guy despite his job. I trust him with my life and my family. Trust me when I say this. Dane is not involved.” “I’ll
RYDEN She met my gaze. “You, blaming yourself wouldn’t take their lives back. It wasn’t your fault. None of these was your fault, but I’m not gonna stop looking for whoever is responsible for killing our people, Ryden. You have my word. I will avenge them.” “That should have been my line. You took the words out of my mouth.” I kissed her hand. “I may have the fastest way of finding out the identities of those assholes.” “How?” I stole a glance at her until she showed me her badge. “What the fuck is that?” “They know what I am and Ren.” “Of course, they do. It seems that Victor has a way of recruiting gifted people. He issued a bounty on Nirvana’s head because he found out she’s Katzius’s descendant and had carried wolf spirit.” “Wow.” “What did he offer to you?” I wasn’t impressed. In fact, I was worried about her involvement with the council, but I should respect her decision that she might have reasons for taking the job offer. “Salary. I don’t have to report to them, but I
AMELIA The funeral was held in the backyard. It was short yet emotional. The families had received the ashes of their loved ones. I didn’t know well the two fallen members and barely chatted with Dyland and Baron, yet I felt everyone’s pain and sorrows, especially the families they left behind. “Alpha Ryden would like to say a few words.” Zeph smiled tightly at Ryden. “I thought of what to say before you today. Words are not enough to express how sorry I am. Those boys were not only just a part of this pack. They were my family, too. They grew up with me. Your loss is my loss. I feel like I failed everyone again. Last night, I wondered if I was still the right person to be your leader. But here’s what I can tell you. I will not stop until we get the justice we deserve, justice for our boys, and for this pack.” Ryden blew a heavy and shaky breath as everyone dropped their gazes, filled with so much sorrow. “I will miss them, surely. They were such good boys, fun, and reliable, and
RYDEN “You take her home, Ryden. Now.” For a moment I stared at Zarah. “Why?” “Just do as I said.” She widened her eyes at me to stop asking. When I told Amelia we were going home, I was surprised she didn’t resist. She buckled her seatbelt silently. “Hey. Thanks for what you did back there. I’m proud of you.” “I did nothing, Ryden.” I squeezed her hand and kissed it. “You were there for me and never left my side. You handled the dinner like a true Luna. I guess you’re just natural.” “I was shy back then, and I’m still shy right now, but you’re not alone in this anymore. I thought we should be working together side by side instead of acting like strangers.” “You’re right.” As soon as we arrived at home, she turned to me. “I feel weird.” “What do you mean?” I unbuckled my seatbelt and she did the same. We barely made it to the entrance of the house, she started acting weird, so weird, seemingly not the usual Amelia. “It’s hot in here. I need to shower.” She walked right up
RYDEN “Goddess!” She suddenly screamed, throwing her head back against the tub. It was a good thing I was fast to support her head. “Agh! Fuck!” She had her hands moved down to her waist, tore off her panties, and threw them at my face. I sucked in a breath as I felt the lacy material covered my face, water dripping down my jaw and neck. Swallowing hard, I grabbed the panties and dropped them down the floor. “Goddess, I feel so horny right now.” She breathed hard. Her face was red, her eyes dreamy. She then moved her hand between her thighs, making my teeth clench. “Do you enjoy watching me pleasure myself, Ryden?”When she licked her lips, I had to look away. “Look at me, Alpha. Damn it!” “Amelia, enjoy your bath time.” I rose to my feet. Even my pants snagged against my crouch, and I was so hard it could break the zipper. “Where are you going?” “To wash my face and change.” “You’re lying.” She groaned in frustration. What the fuck is going on? “Come back here, please?” I di
AMELIA I groaned as I stretched my limbs. My head hurt, though, the kind of headache from a hangover. I couldn’t remember I drunk irresponsibly, but it felt like someone tried squeezing it till my skull cracked. Then the undeniably addicting scent hit me. It was definitely better than the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sugary pastries I craved in the morning. I cracked my eyes open to see the most handsome man sleeping on the chair. He looked terribly uncomfortable. His hair looked messy as if he’s been pulling it out of frustration. There was a frown between his brows. His arms folded over his chest and his legs crossed over the other. It was already morning, the sun was bright outside. The clock on the bedside said, 7:30 AM. I realized I was not in my bed. When I looked down, I was wearing his gray hoody. I lifted the blanket covering me, I wasn’t wearing anything down but his boxers. “It’s not what you think it is,” he said in a low groggy voice as he stretched out. “How
RYDEN The damages in the pack house had been repaired and furniture had been replaced. The place looked like nothing happened two days ago, except the memories of our dead pack members. When we arrived, we found Dane and Zeph waiting for us. He probably came for Amelia since she was now an employee of the Werewolf Council. “What are you doing here, Dane?” I opened the door to my office. He and Zeph followed, carrying the sword. “Do you have updates?” “I went to see the house of one of those assholes. It was obvious he didn’t live there anymore since his death. I followed the trail of the mail from his mailbox. I ended up finding a P.O. Box, and it was empty. Like someone already went there to clean it up. Dead end. Do you find something?” Amelia entered, joining us. “Dane, you’re here.” “Amelia, I’m still gathering intel. Where are you both headed?” His eyes landed on the sword, still in Zeph’s hand. “Is that what I think it is?” “What do you know about this sword?” Zeph handed
AMELIA “Amelia.” I heard the worry in Ryden’s voice as he called me. He’d proven by the tension on my shoulders that I was not going to back down. I’d been in front of his laptop, working for hours. “You haven’t even touched your food.” I barely glanced at the sandwich he put on the counter hours ago. “This can’t be. There must be something. How on earth there’s only one person, Rolden Banks, who has a record while the rest didn’t seem to exist?” He began massaging my tensed muscles, and I yearned to his touch. It felt so good. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a spa. It was months ago with Ren, and it was a part of the job. “You said it yourself. Special ops. Maybe they went rogue or something. The council has levels of access, doesn’t it” I turned my head at him as I realized he was right. “Right. And I’m not even under level one, but Dane is probably level three or more.” “He would have found something about that fucker. Ladybug—” I groaned. “Okay, Amelia. You should
RYDEN I cracked my eyes open to an unfamiliar room, yet I knew where I was as the smell of sage and spices assaulted my nostrils. “Well, welcome back to the world of living.” I tried to clear my throat but I was so parched. “Zarah.” “You’re alive. You should thank the goddess and your annoying stubborn mate.” I turned my head at her. She looked stubborn as well. Her arms crossed over her chest. “How long I’ve been out?” “It doesn’t matter.” “How’s everyone?” I propped my elbows so I could get up She shook her head in annoyance and pressed the button. “You’re not going anywhere, Ryden. The next time you get injured, I won’t be coming to heal your sorry ass.” “Thank you.” I accepted the glass of water she offered and took a sip from it. “Where’s Amelia?” “Sleeping. Resting. She’d been up for more than a day since they brought you here. If I didn’t let her sleep, she would still be here watching you until you wake up.” “You mean you put her to sleep.” I chuckled. I knew how Am
AMELIA “Why he hasn’t woken up? It’s been eighteen hours, Zarah.” I watched Ryden still unconscious in bed. The portal took us to Italy, where there was an infirmary, and where Zarah had a den and conducted her magic. “You should rest and get some sleep. He needs you when he wakes up, Amelia. I will take care of him. You have my word.” I shook my head stubbornly. “I can’t sleep. I can’t rest. I can’t breathe until I know he’s okay and will wake up soon.” “Now you sound like a wife and a luna. He’s recuperating right now. He has internal bleeding. A lobe of his left lung is punctured. He should be dead by now if he wasn’t strong enough that he still chose to find you instead of getting treatment. You owe him that much, Amelia. Now go and rest.” I blew a breath. I was beyond exhausted. I was even surprised I hadn’t fallen to the ground, and I had barely eaten since we got here. “Maybe I should call my mom.” I pressed my lips on his forehead. He was warm which was a good sign. “N
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.”