AMELIA “What do you mean?” I gripped his arm as I sensed dread and fear in his thoughts. “Remember the test before we met Calder?” My gaze locked with his. Those eyes were haunting. “Of course, how could I forget? You froze and you told me you were brought to a cave and I was caught by the wraiths.” He looked up and studied the structure and pointed out where we got in. “You were there.” I gasped as I stared at him. My feature turned hard. My throat tightened as more fear flashed in his eyes. “Let’s keep this between us.” “Amelia—” “We’ll make sure we get what we came here for and make it out alive, okay? We’ve changed a lot for a couple of months. We’ve learned something. I’m sure we can fight it if it becomes reality. But we’re surrounded by sphalerite. They can’t get in here.” He managed to put a small smile on his lips before he nodded, but the fear and worry were still deep in his eyes. “You’re right.” “Are we digging or not?” Guston asked impatiently. I still didn’t tr
RYDEN Motherfuckers! I didn’t know how did they find us. They were always two steps ahead of us. My guess is it was Samarah. She was pissed off when Zarah declined her offer. “Did you bring the sword?” Amelia asked. “Do you really have to ask me that?” I smiled at her. “Verum revelare.” “Wow.” She looked impressed as she glanced at the sword holster that appeared on the back. “You mastered it.” “Put this on.” I gave her the holster. “Don’t shift. We can handle this.” “What’s the plan?” Guston asked. “Stay alive and attack,” I told him, and I’d never been relieved that he remained loyal to our friendship. “Be careful.” As Amelia pulled the sword, Guston’s men looked confused and surprised. “You bring a sword to werewolf fights,” Bryan reacted. “Trust me, Caltech dropped out. The sword might be the only thing that can save your fat ass,” Theia said irritably. “Fat, huh?” He smirked. “Focus!” Ren chided them both. “Get naked, guys, and shift,” I told them. “You heard the l
RYDEN I smiled. Ren used his power to drive the carts at full speed. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” wounded Bryan reacted at Ren. “What are you, man?” “A monkey king, Caldo,” Theia replied. I instantly noticed the sparks between them earlier. Were they mates?“Caldo?” Bryan’s eyebrows shot up. “Caltech dropped out.” “You’re making fun of me now?” He winced. “Fuck.” “Your cut is bad.” I thought I heard a worry from Theia. Amelia and I shared a look, and she knowingly smiled at me. We got out of the cave, and so far, I couldn’t see any wraiths. The rest of the guys had joined us. “Don’t let your guard down. I can feel them surrounding us.” Amelia scanned her gaze around. “Theia, take our wounded back to the airport. Stay alert, okay?” “I can’t leave you here, Amelia.” “Of course, Alpha.” She winked at me. “We stick together.” “The rest you can go.” I looked at Dane and Kailin. They had blood on their fur but looked like not their own. “Hurry up, guys!” Ren called o
AMELIA My eyes fluttered open and the blurry rift, the color of the blue flame cracked open. My heart skipped a beat. After all my doubts, I did it. After all those days of mastering of opening a door to another dimension, it finally became fruitful. It worked. The call from the rift, the whispering, the howling, and the wailing were ear-splitting. I whipped my head around, and the wraiths were sucked towards it. At the same time, my body was getting pulled in as if I was weightless and my feet started dragging against the ground. “Amelia!” Ryden screamed, and his arms wrapped around my waist, gripping me, and holding me in place, but the gravity sucking us inward was strong enough like we were dust against the vacuum that had hung me in the air. I could feel Ryden’s arm loosening around me. “You have to let me go!” “No fucking way! You have to close it.” Ryden was yelling into my ear, and I could feel the fear in his voice. “Do you trust me?” “You know I do. I always trust yo
AMELIA We barely made it inside the house, Ryden was all over me and spanked me in the ass, startling me. Then he grabbed me in the arm and pushed me against the wall, pressing his hard body against mine. “Ryden, let’s check your arm first, okay?” I turned my head to the side, avoiding his kiss. “No.” He groaned, protesting. His hand came behind my neck, forcing me to stay still. “I will fuck you first, plant my seeds inside you for my heir. Isn’t that the promise you made earlier?” What the fuck was he talking about? “Yes, but—” My heart had never stopped beating so hard in my chest as my fear finally came true. “No more buts.” He turned my head to the side, a little bit harsh, and ran his tongue over his mark between my shoulder and neck and whispered, “Get on your knees, Amelia.” I sighed deeply and pushed him away. “Okay, Alpha. Get on the couch and let me clean your wound.” “What the fuck did you just say? Did you just disobey me?” The way growled was so cruel and deadly
AMELIA“Then just come and take it, bitch! Because if I get the chance, I will put this in your chest and rip your heart out.” My heart clenched, saying those words to Ryden. I knew it was the demon talking, but it still hurt. I tried reaching out to his thoughts, but I couldn’t. Come on, Alpha. Snap the fuck out! You’re stronger than him. He snorted. “Pathetic, but nice try, Amelia. Was he good in bed?” He cupped his crotch. “I mean look at this. The size is magnificent.” “Fuck you!” Anger boiled under my skin. I put the sword back. “Let’s fight fairly.” “You’re barely a fair contender, little wolf.” “We’ll see.” I jumped and lunged at him, and hit him on the shoulder. He only responded with a laugh. I forgot the fact that the possessed body couldn’t feel the pain anymore. We fought in the living room. He hit me, I hit back. He threw things at me, I picked up anything I could throw back, and his body may not feel exhausted as quickly as an unpossessed Ryden. Furniture was br
RYDEN “Amelia!” I reached out for her before she faded from my vision. “Alpha Ryden?” someone called my name, gripping me in the wrist. “Ryden, can you hear me?” “Ren?” I cracked my eyes open. The first thing I saw was his blurry face and deep sadness in his eyes. “Where’s Amelia?” “Drink.” He offered a glass with a plastic straw for me to sip on it. I pushed his hand away. “Ren, where’s Amelia?” “What do you remember?” He put the glass down and looked at me. I grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him closer so I could look him in the eye. “Answer me or I will fucking break your wrist.” “Calm down, Ryden.” Zarah came forward.I let Ren go, still feeling disoriented. “What happened? Where’s Amelia?” Then I realized I was in the infirmary, and I felt my body hurt, especially my abdomen and my neck. “Did I get stabbed? Is everyone okay? Tell me Amelia is okay?” “You can feel her if she’s alive or dead, Ryden, but you missed out on a lot of things.” “Oh, thank Goddess.” I sat st
RYDEN “She’ll live. She’s not here because she’s mad at you, Ryden,” Zeph explained. “She’s not here because she’s guilty of hurting you.” “You’re lucky she’s trained by a guild that trained assassins and knows where not to hit vital organs.” Dane leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “I didn’t even know that.” I looked at Dane. “Yes, she’s that good. Now you know the feeling of being possessed. You’re stronger, but you have no control over your body and mind.” “Is that supposed to make me feel better? That I just hurt my mate?” “She did hurt you more than you did, and she was still holding back, but yes, she got sprained, cracked ribs—” “He doesn’t have to know that, Zarah.” Ren stopped her. “I’m more guilty than her.” I rose from the bed, hissing in pain. “Son of a bitch.” “I’m surprised you didn’t die in that sword. I guess we just figured out the purpose of that runes around your wrist,” Zeph said. “Zeph, take me to your sister.” “I don’t know where
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