AMELIA We stared for a moment in a crackling intensity through the bathroom mirror. I felt my body was burning like I was running a fever as he closed the gap between us, pressing his chest against my back. My heartbeat did chaotic fluttery strange things banging in my ribcage like panicked caged animals as he leaned in, whispering in my ear, “I’d been wanting to feel you naked, kiss you, be inside your tightness, Amelia.” “We should not be doing this.” Trying not to hyperventilate, I gripped the vanity hard enough it could break in my hands. When he breathed, I felt the electricity rushing through my veins, and all my nerves were screaming. “And why not? You’re my mate. This is what we exactly should be doing,” he said and lightly brushed his lips against my ear, sending a bolt of lust through me. I bit my bottom lip to stifle my moan as he let his hand slide below my belly, and slipped inside my panties. I knew I was wet the moment he pressed his body against mine. When a ga
RYDEN “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I glared at Nora. I was pissed off since morning she kept calling my phone while I was dealing with the issue at the lodge and trying to reach out to my allies for possible signs of wraiths sightings. Yet, there she was, giving me headaches because she was being childish. My mother was right. I should have ended it too soon before she got greedy and asked for more, for something I could not give. “Since she arrived, you’re distracted and busy.” I huffed out a frustrated and irritating breath. “I am busy. Always busy. I’m not just running a pack. I’m running businesses to feed these people who are under my protection, to provide a roof over their heads and a safe haven. I don’t have time for any social life right now, Nora. What you want from me is something I can’t give. From the very beginning, I was straightforward with you. There’s no relationship between us. We screw, and that’s it.” She flinched. “No. You changed.” “People changed. P
AMELIA “Ryden!” With my heart jackhammering, I rushed to him as he fell on the floor still gripping the sword. I felt its power blasting across the room, spreading throughout the house, sending vibrations everywhere like the effect of an EMP. Even the lights flickered off and turned it on after. I’d never seen an effect like this. It didn’t burn Ryden, but somehow it activated its power in his hand. “Ryden, let it go!” Ren came to us to help, but Ryden couldn’t hear us anymore. With his eyes wide shut, and his mouth hanging open, it scared the hell out of me. I realized just now that we were playing with an extensive power that we hadn’t explored yet. Now Ryden could be paying the price. I wrapped my hands around his to suck the power of the sword out of him. The last thing I knew was hearing myself gasping. The surge of energy rushed through me. One moment I was inside his office, and the next thing that happened was brought me to a vast uninhabited land caused by drought. I co
RYDEN “That was something back there.” I slumped my ass on my chair. I felt energized and tired at the same time. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I started learning something. I just talked to their Sensei minutes ago, and that meant something. Magic was not new to me after meeting Califf and Knight and fighting that son of a bitch Cyrius. In our world, it shouldn’t be a surprise anymore, but being involved in something hard to explain, sometimes screwed up a human brain. “What happened, Alpha Ryden?” Ren asked, his gaze shifted between me and Amelia. It was only fair that he had to know, considering they had just lost their own mind link. “Hey. I’m sorry about the link between you, two, Ren.” “Not a problem. I know this will happen eventually. After what happened this morning, this is for the better for both of us.” I stared at him for a moment before I turned to my mate who just put her sword back to the handle. “What happened this morning?” Ren smiled, like teasing Amel
AMELIA For the first time since we arrived at Tahoe City, we finally got a chance to go out and see some tourist spots. The view from the gondola was spectacular.“Did you know Ryden came looking for me that night?” “Yes,” Ren answered with certainty. I stared in disbelief. So, Ryden was telling the truth. “Do you expect an apology from me for wiping off the trail and your scent?” “Hell no. Thanks.” I kissed him on the cheek. “This is actually amazing,” Theia said as she enjoyed the view. “Yup, it is.” “So, are you going to talk to Ryden and treat him nicely?” “I treat him like an alpha, Theia. He deserves it. He’s a good alpha and doesn’t take advantage of people.” “Except—” Ren elbowed her who was typing something on his phone. “What was that for, Kazeshi?” she complained. “If you’re referring to his wild nights with Nora, yes, I know. Honestly, it hurts knowing they had a thing before I can even kiss my mate.” “But you’re his forever, and that should count. You shoul
RYDEN “You know the rules. No weapons, no clawing, and this is a sport. No personal grudges. You only get one warning, or you lose. Understood?” Everyone, young and old, and all genders gathered at the ground for our fighting events. The area was a small football field with benches and lights, just located in the backyard of the pack house. I could feel the excitement and anxiousness coming from the fighters for tonight. I didn’t compete anymore since I became an alpha. It would be unfair to my opponent. “Now let’s welcome our guests from White Moon and Night Stalker tonight.” Everyone applauded. Amelia and her friends were also present. It was not new to her. In fact, she had seen her brother fight before, and she knew the rules. Women category had less time than men. “All fighters are posted on the board. Our first fighters for tonight. Reede and Landon.” The excitement and cheers were off the roof. “You can start betting before we start, guys. The bet is just for fun. This
AMELIA I’d been humiliated in the worst way possible, bullied for my features, and my body size, but I’d never let someone punch me on purpose just to hide who I was. One thing my Sensei taught me I wished he never did was not to show off what I was true. Let them be surprised, but right now, I still couldn’t surprise Nora. It was frustrating. One of the few rules of fights in this ring was not to use the power or shift and claw someone’s eyes out. So I took her punches. It hurt so fucking much. I heard gasps from the crowd and grunts of satisfaction that their betted fighter got the best of me. “Get this bitch.” Yes, we didn’t use a mouthguard because it wasn’t necessary. It could get bloody sometimes, but everyone knew when to stop unlike Nora here who expected me to lose tonight, which was not surprising because I barely threw punches and kicks. I was thrown down to the ground with a thud. Gasping, I arched my back. My wolf was in chaos inside me, urging me to wolf out. I kne
AMELIA“We’re having a party right now. Come on.” He gestured towards the door. “What? Really?” I asked in disbelief. “It’s Theia’s idea when she heard Nora was going to celebrate for punching you.” “Oh, I see. Be careful with her. She might be small, but she’s dangerous.” I walked out of the washroom. The party hadn’t started but the DJ had already assembled his equipment. “How did you pull this off?” “We got friends from the rage and free booze from Knight and Califf.” Within thirty minutes, the dance floor was filled with raging and horny werewolves. The music was too loud, but everyone seemed to have fun. “Am!” Theia called me from the center. She had Ren, Maddie, Seven, and Walker with her. “Come over here and dance with us!” “Look at her, she’s already making friends.” I couldn’t help but smile. “You owe me a dance, Amelia!” Walker yelled even if he didn’t have to. Werewolves had enhanced hearing than humans. “I’m gonna hang him to a tree,” Ryden said. I didn’t know if
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
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 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 The surgery was successful. I didn’t even know Sebastien was a corpsman until today. He, Zarah, and Shadow just saved my mate, and I owed them a lot. Ryden was still critical. Since the bullet was silver, it slowed down his recovery. He could be dead, though, but what kind of message our enemy was trying to send to us, and who were the people behind this? What would they want from us?” I was still grateful despite everything. Watching Ryden in bed, breathing, and alive, was the greatest feeling in the world. I still felt the dread crawling in my skin of almost losing him. “How do we find Margaret? “That’s a problem for another day. And it’s not your problem anymore. It’s mine.” I turned and faced Zarah. “Do you think she’s working with Alec now? I mean, why would she? She’s your leader. What did Alec have against her?” “I don’t know, and I’m exhausted, kid. You should get some rest, too.” “Are you avoiding my questions?” I rose from the chair and looked at Ryden one mor
AMELIA “Father!” I felt the surge of energy rush through me that siphoned from around that it shook the house down and exploded into an intense blast, shattering the glasses in the entire house, everything near me went flying including Theia. I could still feel the extreme pumping of my heart as the sound of splashing shattered glasses dropped on the floor. I heard Theia hit the wall and then she fell, groaning. “Amelia!” Ren came, his eyes could slice me into two at how pissed off he was. “Are you going to get us all killed?” I breathed deeply, trying to calm myself down, but it wasn’t working. I still felt the unconfined energy rolling and thundering through me. “Holy shit!” Theia was quicker on her feet and rushed in my direction. Ren stopped her, blocking her from getting close to me. “Stay there.” “Why?” Theia asked, but Ren was actually talking to me. “Amelia, stay right there.” It was not a statement but a warning. Sebastien came, still wearing the bloody gloves. “Wh
AMELIA Ryden. My breathing caught as I mumbled his name. I felt him— he was in great pain. He was terrified of something. Something happened. I quickly put my clothes on, grabbed my things, and went outside the room. Nora’s scream poured adrenaline through me as I stormed out and followed her voice outside. “Ryden!” A shudder of dread and terror ran down my spine, and I sucked in a sharp breath as I looked down at my wounded mate. My world stopped. Tears streamed down my face. I stood still, then my body shook, and watched Ryden bleed out to death. “Amelia!” Someone shook me. “Get the fuck inside!” I watched Sebastien and his beta Alessandro carry Ryden back inside. “Now is not the right time for a nervous breakdown. Amelia, look at me.” Ren cupped my face, forcing me to meet him in the eye, and I did. “Ryden.” My chin trembled. My entire world faded as I met Ren’s terrified gaze through my blurry eyes. “Pull yourself together. The shooter is still out there.” “Yeah. He wi
RYDEN “Hey.” Amelia’s eyes widened. She just came out of the bathroom in a towel with wet hair, and water dripping down her shoulders. Her thighs were exposed, with a little bend, I could see her ass completely. “Hi.” I was expecting a what the fuck are you doing here in my room, asshole. Instead, she ran to me with a smile, threw herself at me, and cupped my head, and I caught her midway, my hands on her ass, her legs wrapped around me as we kissed each other like there was no tomorrow. I was a little surprised myself. As a matter of fact, I prepared a little pitch in my head and expected a punch on my face and a knee into my balls. But right now, who gave a shit. I was not complaining. “Goddess, I missed you, ladybug.” We kissed like we were starving. It felt like we’d been anticipating this moment for years, and now that we were here together, there was no holding back. When she opened her mouth, I greedily glided my tongue inside, tasting what I’d missed. She tasted like too
AMELIA “Why? What did you say?” I started swimming away, and Nora followed. “Oh, just being a nasty best friend, you know,” Nora replied. “She just couldn’t help it. She has to let her anger out of her chest. She said, that if she were you, she already rejected him. Tit for tat.” “Hey, wait up!” Theia called. “You can swim. Just swim like normal people.” I couldn’t help but laugh and shook my head in amusement. “You should have seen his face, bitch.” Her expression suddenly changed. Her face fell. “He’s worried about you, Am. And we need you together.” “Why is that?” “You both are like night and day, sun and moon. One can’t survive without the other.” Theia made a dreamy look. “That’s not true.” “Don’t lie, bitch. I know you miss him, too. Just give him a call, will you?” “Why is it everyone should tell me what to do?” I looked at both of them. “Because that’s what friends are for,” Nora said. “I had a one-on-one with him. I told him to think before he speaks. I told him th
AMELIA “Hey.” I couldn’t help it. I hugged Ren tight. “I’m glad you’re okay.” “Don’t just run off like that, Amelia,” he said softly. “Yes, Dad.” I chuckled as I looked at him. Yesterday, he barely breathed, let alone chided me. It scared the hell out of me. I couldn’t lose a friend like him, who was like a brother to me. Then things got heated between me and Ryden. Out of anger, I completely forgot a friend who was dying and needed me. “Are you okay?” I sighed. “I’m so sorry I ran away like that. When you needed me the most, I wasn’t there for you, but every time I needed you, you were always there for me.” “You two need to talk.” By how Sebastien told me, it suddenly made me nervous. “About what?” “We can talk about it later. The girls want to surf,” Ren said. “Does Theia know how to surf?” Ren laughed. “Don’t let her hear that.” “I heard that, bitch.” She was already dressed up for the occasion as she passed by us. “I’m a fast learner,” she said proudly. “We’ll see a