Novels by Esther M.

ALPHA GREY She went silent. Then she asked again. "Who were they?""Swynford boys. Descended from me. I should be their great-great grandfather or so... I don't know. But I killed three out of their family's six children. The girl even wore my mother's necklace."At first, she was mute. Then she replied. "Everyone dies."I looked at her, at the nonsense she was saying, and she suddenly did not seem so good a witch to me. "Everyone dies. But I killed them.""For their skins. They would be honoured to know that they did so much for their ancestor."I thought of it, of the first boy with the broken arm that surrendered himself so I would set his siblings free. Brave as he was, the boy did not want to die. He only died because somebody needed to in the face of their threat. "No. They will never forgive me in the Land of the Dead. They will-"My utterance was cut up by the sound of her laughter, and I turned an ugly glare at her."On the positive side of things, you won't be going there.

ALPHA GREY The fact that the knife was sharp made it a blessing. I cut through the two young men with ease and without peace.There was a heavy, turbulent feeling within my chest as I worked, and I knew it was the beginning of my torment. Killing a fellow werewolf and without good reason came with a price-the tearing of your soul apart. I thought it was a funny bargain... losing my soul for some skin.My hands worked through the night, covering my arms in blood. And when I was finished, I rolled the skins up, looking at the bare musculature of the two young men. Then, I started to do as I promised, to bury them. I dug a grave so deep that it would take even more effort to dig up again, and put the young men in. With exhaustion, I started to cover the young men back, and just before sunrise, I had fully buried them.The whole time, I listened for the rest of their siblings, surprised that they were still hiding in the house and not making any efforts to run from me. The heavy feeling

ALPHA GREY "But you watched them kill me for something I knew nothing about. Your sister testified against me, and all because it began with a lie where I was made to come save someone from rape.""We only wanted to rob you and get a purse from you. Our parents are dead, and we struggle to find work. So we tried to rob you and let you go, but you killed our brother and left us with no choice but to find a way to avenge him.""I did not kill your brother with intent. I did not plan to, nor did I know when I did it."Already, I was starting to think of leaving them alone. But I needed a new skin. "I will only spare one of you. The rest will pay with their lives for my death. The only thing I will do as an act of mercy is make sure that your deaths are quick and not painful, unlike what I suffered yesterday. You will forget it as soon as it happens, like people in a dream."They looked around at each other, feeling like people in a dream, but aware that the threat I was was real and imp

ALPHA GREY By the evening of the following day I went out of the tree again.My feet were sure footed and determined on where exactly to go, and I was soon in the very alley where they had me arrested. This time, I had a different sort of hood on, and restricted my presence to the darkest shadows, waiting for my chance. People passed by me, but few of them actually paid any attention as long as I wasn't bothering them. Soon, I saw what I was waiting for.I had every face from the previous day etched into my memory, and there was no mistaking this one pulling the prostitute into the darkness, the both of them too caught up in their drunken laughter to notice anything else. I watched them from where I stood, and smiled in amusement as the lad pulled up his breeches and pushed himself into her."Enjoy, lad. This will be the last time you will ever be with a woman."I watched him pull back and forth while she moaned, and smiled when he slowed, pulling at her hair before completely takin

ALPHA GREY The sky was turning dark when they started to carry out their sentence.A gallows was quickly raised up for me, and I watched them all from where I stood on the platform, at all the people watching and waiting for me to die. For the first time in my life, I felt real hatred in my heart for other werewolves. They did not care for the truth. They only cared for whatever would make them happier and take them out of the miseries that had become a part of their daily life-even if it meant that entertainment was the unjust judgement and unnecessary death of one who was truly innocent.Not a word was even permitted for me to speak in my defence.I continued to hear comments and jibes about how ugly I was as they tightened the rope's noose about my neck. Then, I stood still as men who knew how to use arrows gathered and stood in position, ready to shoot at me. I swallowed as I thought of the young woman that brought me back and if she knew what was happening. She had told me that

ALPHA GREYWe ran down the stone pavement before turning down a lonely, dark alley.Almost immediately, the screams of a woman reached my ears and I ran even faster towards the five men I saw gathered around a spot. Without hesitation, I threw the first man I could get my hands on off to save the woman on the floor when wild bouts of laughter rose around me. The woman on the floor joined in the laughter and stood up before I saw that she was not a woman but a man yelling as one to draw attention. The five laughing men pulled backwards and stood in a circle while pulling out weapons."Give us all you own, and we'll let you go."I looked at them, and at the girl I followed, who had now burst into laughter herself while stepping back to let them deal with me. I looked them all over, noting how different their clothes looked from what I was used to before shaking my head as a no. I had nothing to give them."A stubborn one?" They laughed, before one of them with an axe moved and cut into

The world was filled with flames.The packhouse was being consumed by fire, thick smoke coming into the night. The heat burnt my skin, and the foul smell of burnt wood and blood invaded my senses. I could hear screams echoing in every direction. It was chaos. Amidst the destruction, I found myself frozen between two men.Liam his grip tight around my wrist, his green eyes filled rage mixed with an unfamiliar feelings.Alven standing amidst the smoke, sword drawn, his expression unreadable.This was war.And I was right in the center of it.***I had always called Alven was my brother.Ever since my parents passed away and I was a young rogue wolf, he stepped in as a family figure for me.He had protected, guided, and taught me how to survive. I trusted him with my life, and thought the bond between us was just for brother and sister.But I was mistaken.The way he looked at me...Initially, I refused to accept it, but whispers surrounded me. I noticed how Alven sometimes looked at me

The fire blazed fiercely overhead, thick smoke drifting into the dungeon and making it difficult to breathe. Liam held tightly to my wrist, as if afraid I might vanish the moment he released me. He had every reason to be afraid.Alven, still on chain, regarded Liam with a cold, amused expression, while Tina stayed at the entrance, her face a mask of neutrality. But I caught the brief spark in her eyes neither fear nor anger, but something more dangerous.Tina was plotting something.And I was about to find out what it was.Later that evening, once things had settled, I found myself confined to a different room, isolated from Alven. My wrists ache from the ropes, but my mind wouldn't allow me to relax.I was certain that Liam would come for me again. Yet my primary concern was not him; it was Tina.The way she had looked at him earlier made my skin has goosebumps.I had to discover her intentions.When the guards switched shifts and silence enveloped the hallway outside my room, I took

I sat in the cold dungeon, my body aching and thoughts racing. The dim light from a low torch illuminated the light, reflecting my own feelings of weakness and despair.Next to me was Alven, his breathing was unsteady, with his leg injury still oozing blood. Thick iron chains bound his wrists, designed for the most dangerous of prisoners; it was clear Liam wasn't willing to take any risks with him, as he posed the greatest threat. And that meant I was in danger too.Tina's words echoed in my mind: "Liam might be your mate, but I'm the one he's going to marry."The idea twisted my stomach in anger and something else, something I didn't want to acknowledge because part of me still cared, a part I wished I could erase. But emotions can't distract me now. Alven was here, and he had a plan.Alven looked around the room, his sharp eyes assessing our surroundings. "They believe we're powerless," he murmured. "That's their first mistake."I frowned at his injured condition. "Alven, you can

Pain.It was the first thing I felt upon waking. A sharp ache in my wrists from the ropes digging in. My entire body ached, my head shoked, my lips were wounded, and my throat was dry.I was back in Liam's territory.Back in the place from which I had fought to break free.The dim room was infused with the smell of damp stone, illuminated only by a small torch on the wall. I attempted to shift for comfort, but the cold chains on my ankles made it impossible. I had been locked up like an animal.Footsteps.Heavy, slow, purposeful.The door creaked open, and he entered.Liam.His green eyes found me, his expression unreadable. He looked disheveled his shirt stained with blood and his arm bandaged. Though injured from the ambush, he stood tall, unyielding.Unlike me.I glared at him. "I hope you bleed to death."He smirked and moved closer. "Good morning to you too, love."I held at the chains, my anger boiling. "I'm not your love. I was never yours to begin with."Liam knelt next to me,

I fled.The wind stung my face, and my legs ached as I ran faster, refusing to look back. I couldn't afford to hesitate; if I did, Liam would seize me.Branches brushed my skin, while my bare feet sank into the damp earth as I dashed through the dense woods. My heart raced, overwhelming the sounds of dangerous creatures surrounding me. Although the air was chilly, I was drenched in sweat. There was no plan, no destination only the pressing need to escape.Liam's voice echoed in my mind: "You belong to me, Gwen."That wasn't true anymore.A distant howl pierced the night. Then another. Liam's wolves were on the hunt.I drove my legs to run faster, my breath ragged. My body protested, still weak from all I had endured in his pack. But I couldn't stop.If they caught me... I might never have another chance.***My lungs burned as I reached a steep slope, my feet struggling for traction on the loose dirt. My body begged for rest, but I pressed on, my eyes scanning ahead.Then I spotted it

Just as I had thought, that night was only a one time thing.Once we were done, Liam had excused himself, taking off in the direction of the river. I, on the other hand, returned to the pack, trying not to regret what we did.Now, fast-forward to five weeks later, I'm sitting in the fields as usual, watching the warriors spar and listening to little Theo rant about something. Liam barely speaks to me these days; hell he hardly ever looks my way.In these past weeks, I had made friends with Helen who couldn't shift just like me. She told me she had always been afraid to approach me, wondering how I'd react to a pack wolf after all her pack had done.We clicked immediately and she became the only solace I had here.Along with Theo of course."Aunt Gwenny, will you come for the ceremony?" My heart takes a pause at that moment and I have to frown. Liam had been arranged to mate Tina officially. Her pregnancy was true, she was already showing.Seems he was really serious about getting th