RYDEN “Sorry, I was rough on you.” Still catching a breath, I pulled her close to me until her back was pressed against my chest, and then I kissed the fresh mark between her neck and shoulder. She reacted as if it was sensitive, shuddering. “I know it was your first time, and I lost control. My wolf is possessive of you. Too possessive.” “It was perfect.” She grabbed my hand and kissed it. “I wouldn’t have changed anything.” “I’ll make it up, I promise.” “I think I told you that I can take you.” She chuckled. “And so you did as it both pleased us.” “Any regrets?” She turned and faced me. She had a sated look, eyes glittering with pleasure. “None. You?” “You’re beautiful and perfect. You make me feel good. We’re officially together, and you’re mine now. What else is there to regret for?” “Good.” She got away from my arms and dragged herself off the bed, completely naked. And damn, she was gorgeous and made my cock hard again. I followed her with my gaze until her ass disappea
AMELIA “Fuck! I get our guys killed. It’s all my fault.” I felt my heart crushing right now. How did I miss it? “You’re not making any sense, Amelia. Care to explain what’s happening? Aside from Alec motherfucker Webster, who are these people?” I pointed to the older guy two heads from Alec. “This old man is Rolden Banks’ father. Get the connection?” Rolden Banks was the only guy we identified who was supposed to be dead two years ago. “Son of bitches. Alec and Banks knew each other.” He growled angrily, hitting the steering wheel. “Yes, but that’s the only connection we have. It’s not even a piece of evidence because we killed that man.” “What?” His widened eyes glared at me. “What the fuck do you mean by that?” I swallowed hard as I tried not to let my emotions burst out. “About a year ago after I passed my training, I had a final test. Me and Ren had our mission. I will understand if you will change your view about me after this. Our mission was in Vietnam. Our target was p
AMELIA “We saw it all happened, Amelia. I saw what Ren did, too.” Oh, that. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Come on, Amelia. We can keep a secret,” Jeong Lee said. “Yeah. We promise.” Kalel did the pack symbol of honor and placed a wolf sign on his chest. I looked at Kalel, Jeong Lee, Landon, Reede, and Trent who were sitting on the sofa in silence. “You mean, this.” I snapped my fingers and the fire lit up. They gasped in chorus. “How did you do that?” “A magician never reveals his secrets.” They all sagged in dismay. “What about this?” I opened my palm and a fireball emerged. “Whoa! That’s a cool trick.” Walker just joined us. “How did you do that?” “Magic.” They knew I was messing with them, chuckling at me. “So you have a new fan club, huh?” Zeph arrived and gave me a scrutinizing look. “What’s with the scarf and coat?” “Alpha and I will go somewhere cold. It’s something important I can’t discuss right now.” “Will you come with me? I need to t
RYDEN “Why did the portal take us here?” I looked around. We were in the middle of the forest, with no reception, no GPS, and no map, and I was not familiar with this area. “Yup. No service.” Amelia had been lifting her phone to get us a service. “Or maybe there’s magic here that disconnected us from the civilization. I mean, she said it herself that there would be tests. Maybe this is one of them.” “I just hope she had no plan on feeding us to the monster. Let’s go.” I wasn’t typically a pessimist, and I couldn’t lose hope, but lately, I didn’t know what to do anymore. I woke up and got ready for what the day would take us. I was sure we were fucked, considering we didn’t have a clue who was our real enemy. As we started moving straight forward, I looked over at Amelia. She seemed to be optimistic and ready for the adventure. “Well, we have each other, right? How did she know about the ladybug and the beetle? It feels like she’s watching our every move. It’s creepy.” She smile
RYDEN“I thought we’re equal. You can boss me around in your house, but not when we’re here alone, about to fight a pack of wolves.” She was right, and she seemed to have it under control until a brown wolf got closer. She opened her palm, and that was when I smelled her fear. “What the fuck?” “What’s wrong?” I stole a glance at her, and she was already in her stance ready to fight. “I didn’t realize I didn’t have power here. Where the fuck are we? Is this some kind of another dimension or a blind spot?”“Or a test.”“And yes, I’m going to have a good talk with that witch.” She pulled out her gun and fired at the wolf. It fell in front of us. “That was closed.” “Fuck. I need to shift.” Another one coming closer. I pulled out the sword instead, and it seemed just activated. It rumbled and vibrated in my grip, and my rune shone like gold. Its power rushed towards my arm, throughout my body. A rune just like around my wrist lit up on the blade. “Is this always like this?” “Not the ri
AMELIA “You made it.” Someone caught us kissing, it made me freeze. Stunned, we pulled apart to look at the woman smiling down at us. “Who are you?” I stared up at her. “Beta Everlee?” Don’t tell me she was another Ryden’s lover. I swore he had a thing for tall with lingerie model figure. “Alpha Ryden and you must be Amelia. You’re prettier than what Shadow has described.” She chuckled as she might see my doubts. “Right, we haven’t met. I’m Everlee, Calder’s mate. Come on.” “You can trust her.” Ryden helped me on my feet. His heart was still hammering. Something must have happened that seemed to terrify him. His eyes were still deep in horror. “Just wrapping my head around, and I just want to make sure she’s not one of your lovers.” Chuckling, he kissed the side of my head. “No need to feel jealous, Amelia. You know what we have.” I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m not jealous. I’m just possessive and territorial.” A smile broke out on his face. “Good to know.” We followed Ever
RYDEN “What is he talking about, Amelia?” I stayed still and glowered at her. She glowed back. I knew Amelia was a strong woman, but could also follow orders. What I was seeing right now was a woman of defiance just to protect whatever secrets she kept. “We all have secrets, Ryden. Just like what happened with you in that cave.” “It’s not a secret, and there’s nothing much to tell,” I insisted even if I could still feel it in my bones. It was that real for me. “Then I have nothing to say.” She shifted and straightened in her seat, determined to have a stand. “I think the sword just tested me earlier.” I drew a deep breath. “It brought to a cave—” “A cave? How old?” Calder asked quickly with interest. “Seemed ancient, rocky, maybe limestone, tall around twenty or thirty meters, with a hole on top so I could see it was daytime,” I explained briefly without the shadow and smoke. “We’ll find that place,” Calder said. “Maybe the book should be brought there so we could destroy it.
RYDEN My footsteps echoed off the wood plank stairs as I carried my mate bridal style upstairs. Yes, Calder and Everlee left, giving this cabin for us for a couple of days, and couldn’t say no to the offer. After what we’d found out, I’d rather not think about it right now considering I had a gorgeous woman in my arms. I kicked the door shut behind us and threw Amelia to the well-made queen-size bed. Even if there was no bed, I would still make her feel loved and satisfied. The sated look on her face after she came was still fresh in my head. She giggled and took off her clothes, leaving just her underwear. “Take that off, too. I want you completely naked,” I said as I started stripping my clothes off. “Yes, Alpha.” When she obeyed and bit her bottom lip, I made a hungry growl. “What else do you want?” “Touch yourself and show me how wet and ready you are for me.” I was on the last piece of clothing. I pushed my boxers down my feet, and I was completely naked with a raging hard
RYDEN “Oh, so the Avengers have arrived.” Amelia looked at everyone, including Zarah, on the dining table. I took another slice of the steak and shoved it into my mouth, and I felt her gaze on me. “I’m starving. I wasn’t aware lying there like dead could starve me this much.” “Your body was recuperating, and you were lying there without food for three days. What do you expect?” Zarah said, grabbing some roasted asparagus. “Easy, Ryden. It would be too awful to die from choking. Headline: Alpha Ryden has lost his life to steak.” She did a little drama with her fingers. “Let him eat, Amelia. He needs the three-day meal he missed.” Sebastien watched me while he sipped his wine. “What matters is he made a full recovery.” “Thanks, Alpha King. Once this matter is over, we’ll be out of your hair.” “I’m not kicking you out. Take your time, Ryden. Your presence here takes Zarah away from her work. She has spent a lot of time here with me for the past three days.” “You make me look bad,
AMELIA “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked me, his voice soft as butter. “How are you feeling? Really.” “Aside from starving, I’m feeling good. I got a better idea to feed my hunger.” I got a better idea, too. I had no doubt he wanted me. I could see it in his eyes and feel it in his touch. His lips were a thread to mine when I pressed my finger against his own. “Ryden, you almost died. Whatever you are hungry for right now, that can wait.” He groaned as he dramatically pulled away from me and lay back on the bed. “I just missed you, ladybug.” “So do I. I was so worried about you, Ryden. I thought you wouldn’t going to make it. Rest your body. We’ll do it once you’re completely healed.” “Zarah told me that she has to make you sleep.” “Make me? What’s that supposed to mean?” She stared down at me, reading my face. “You wouldn’t leave my bed. She magically put you asleep like Sleeping Beauty. On the other thought, she did the right thing.” He traced his thumb on my
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