Novel-novel oleh LNCWrites/Nisha T.

~Brackston~Weirdly enough, my wolf and I feel settled after the call with Jamorea. I don’t know what it is about her, but she calms me. I felt that the moment I met her, I knew that I couldn’t let her out of my sight, no matter what.I sit back in the chair and rest my hands on my desk. I know that I told her to check in every day, but if I’m being honest, that won’t be enough. I need to see her more than a video will allow. I need to be in her presence. It’s going to be hard to do that since she’s over there.I need her in that pack, securing my human weapon more than I need to see her. I wish I could have both, right now, but I don’t have that option. I know I should wait, but that hasn’t really been my forte, no matter how many years have passed.I push away from my desk and rise to my feet. I may not have a long-term solution to my problems, but in the short term, I could use some fresh air.

~Danny~Days passed much as they did before the incident with Skye. I kept to myself on the Beta’s floor. I tried to keep my distance from Dominic, not trusting myself to be around him. I wanted to stay away from Skye, too. It isn’t that she isn’t an amazing child. I just don’t want to be too close to her and have any reason to do what I was sent here to do. I never really thought about the mate bond before. I learned what all wolves learn about it. I heard what they said and memorized how they said things would play out. We were told it would be intense, and once your mate was scented, no one else would matter. We were told that all emotions would be in overdrive and that even when you claim your mate, the feelings would still be strong. Nothing could have prepared me for the real deal. The mate bond has to be the most powerful thing that I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s almost as if Dominic is a magnet and he’s drawing me to him. Fighting the bond is a full-time job plus overtime.

~Katarina~I stare at my mate, rocking our daughter to sleep. It’s been an eventful hour or so, and it has exhausted her. Elder Nadia left some time ago, promising to dig into this incident more.I won’t lie and pretend that I’m not scared for my daughter because I am. She seems to be manifesting some powers already, and I’m confused as to why that is. Gold wolves are supposed to get powers until they are marked by their fated mate. I don’t remember having any powers, and I wasn’t told that I did anything out of the ordinary.Skye looks perfectly fine; she looks like she always does. There’s nothing outward that could have contributed to what happened today, so it has to be something inside. Is it stress, or maybe something dangerous is about to happen? I wish I had a reference point to guide me, but I’m at a complete loss. My only hope is that Elder Nadia can find some helpful information.

~Dominic~Time is crawling, and it feels like we’ve been here for hours. I asked the question that needed to be asked, but there has been no response. I almost wish I could take the question back because her silence is killing me.My heartbeat is uncontrollable, and my mouth is suddenly dry. This could be it, this could be the end of a bond that I haven’t had the opportunity to experience. I know I said that if she ended the bond, if she rejected me, I’d deal with it. I wouldn’t make her feel bad, nor would I try to hold on. I would hold my head high and move on.I said that, but now that it’s imminent, I’m not too sure I can do that. I’m not sure I can walk away from her and act like this wasn’t something I wanted with every fiber of my being. I’m a coward, and I get that; I make no excuses.As quickly as the confidence filled me and propelled me to ask this question, it’s practically gone already. I feel myself coming down quickly, and my body is responding to the change. My chest i

I step out of the Alpha’s office and stop in the hallway. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. It doesn’t take long to catch my mate’s scent. I had expected her to go back to my apartment, but her scent is traveling in the opposite direction. I follow it while ignoring everyone I come across. I can’t let her get too far, and if I stop to talk to people, I will miss her. I don’t even know what I should say to her, but I’m hoping it will come to me when I’m in front of her. It doesn’t take me long to make it outside, in front of the packhouse. That would be a problem, given the mixing of scents and the freshness the air brings. Luckily for me, I’m a ranked member, so her scent isn’t lost for me. I turn and head toward the treeline, my mind racing. She doesn’t know this area, so I wonder why she might be going. The warriors don’t really know about her, so there’s a chance that she will be detained. What if she’s leaving?What are you saying, Gideon? Where could she be going

I’m led to a conference room on the second floor of the packhouse. Alpha Aston stands at the door until we all make our way inside. His office is nice, I mean, it’s an office. I’m really not interested in how it looks, if I’m being honest. I’m more concerned with getting an explanation about what just happened. Luna Katarina leads me to a couch, and I tentatively sit down. I’m looking around the room, anxiety in every cell of my body. It’s almost like I’m waiting for something to happen. Who knows? Maybe someone will pop out of nowhere and drag me into darkness. I close my eyes and take a moment. I have no idea what’s going on in my mind right now. I sound ridiculous, and the only bright spot is that no one else can hear me. The Alpha and Luna sit around me, and another woman gets settled on the couch next to me. This must be the Elder they were talking about. She doesn’t look that old, but what do I know? Maybe the term Elder has less to do with age and more to do with experience.

6 Months Later~Paul~It’s been six long months, and Nikki still hasn’t woken up. Owlyn has been here and tried to get a response from her. Nothing has worked because she says it has nothing to do with magic. The doctors don’t have an answer, and I’m just lost without her.I knew she shouldn’t have volunteered. I felt in my heart that it wasn’t the right choice, but what could I do? I love her with everything I have, and I couldn’t tell her not to do what her heart said was the right thing.I run my hands through my hair and then over my face. I haven’t left her side in six months, and I’m beyond tired of seeing these walls. My sons have tried to get me to leave, and so has Tia. I refuse them because this is where I’m meant to be. As long as my heart is here, I will be here. Tia has been here often and has brought our grandchild, but besides those visits, it’s just been Nikki and me. I refuse to believe that I finally found my fated mate just to lose her so quickly.I put my head in m

~Devonte~The pain in my heart is all-consuming. I want the pain to stop, but I don’t know how to make that happen. I curl up tighter, hoping that the pressure will help with the pain. It’s all too much, and I don’t know what to do to make it better.Abe has gone silent, and I’m not surprised. He’s been struggling the most, and I have no words to soothe him. I wish I could wake up yesterday when things were what they were. I’d give anything to go back.“BROTHER?! BROTHER WHERE ARE YOU?!” I curl up tighter as if that’s going to keep me from being found. I don’t think I can handle the words and emotions that will surely follow my brother. I can’t take what that would mean.His thudding footsteps get closer and closer. I know I can’t hide myself; there’s no way to become invisible. I can’t keep this from happening. I hold my breath, waiting for the inevitable. “D, I found you. I’ve been looking everywhere. Our mate, she needs us. She needs you.” I’m trying to block out his words, but I’m

~Third Person~Everything seemed to happen all at once. Andricia is thrown against a tree trunk and curls up with a whimper. The pain is too much, causing Andricia to shift back into Tia. The twins witness this, and all restraint is lost. They shift and run at Imogene, who quickly wraps them up in blue light.Nikki hasn’t taken her eyes off Imogene, so she’s ready to interfere. As she shoots her light at Imogene, it strikes her in the stomach. Imogene is taken off guard and loses her grip on the twins. They fall to the ground and falter as they try to get on their feet. Eventually, they gain their footing and try to attack Imogene again.Imogene defends herself, reduced to hand-to-hand combat with the edge of magic. She repeatedly strikes the wolves as they throw themselves at her. They are taking a lot of punishment, but they refuse to stop. Their only goal is to defend their love, though they’d rather take the time to see about her.The group is joined by vampires and rogues alike.

~Jenna~I scramble backward, making sure my back is flush against the tree trunk. I try to quiet my breathing, but it's proving to be a task. I search around me, but there’s only darkness. The night air is still filled with the sounds of a battle, but I can’t see what’s going on.“Ughhhhh.” I slap my hand over my mouth in an attempt to stay quiet. I look down and see the bright red blood. I shut my eyes tight and try to think about anything else. If I freak out right now, I won’t be able to get back to safety.Every inch of my body hurts, but I can’t think about that now. I need to get out of here and make it back to the packhouse. I struggle to my feet, using only my right arm. My left just hangs against my body. Every twist and turn of my body brings a wave of excruciating pain, but I have to ignore it right now.I finally get to my feet and stand against the tree trunk. My breathing is erratic, and my chest is heaving up and down. “Where’d she go? I don’t see her.”“Sniff her out.”

~Aida~I’m applying pressure to my sister’s neck, and I feel her body giving in. This is so easy it’s pathetic. I would have thought that she would have trained during my absence. She had to know that I would return, and with my return would come the fight for her life. I guess having a brain doesn’t guarantee that you’ll use it.Portia’s body slumps to the ground, and her breathing gets heavier. I swear she’ll be dead in a minute. While part of me is rejoicing, the other part of me feels that she’d be getting off too easily. She’s the cause of all my problems, even the cause of Adela’s death. I may have administered the final blow, but it wouldn’t have come to that if she hadn’t disrupted our plans.Portia completely falls under, and I let her go with a thud on the ground. I get to my feet and walk around her limp body. Her breathing is shallow, so I know I can still play around with her before I kill her. I just need to figure out what games will be fun to engage in.I walk around h

~Ivan~One of the twins lunges at me, and I step out of the way. The other twin moves toward me, causing me to dodge slightly. This can’t be how they expect to beat me. If things continue this way, I’m going to win without breaking a sweat.I don’t want to spend a lot of time with these two. I need to go find Aida and so help anyone who has tried to put their hands on her. No one will hurt my love and live to tell the tale. I’d scorch the Earth before I let anyone hurt her.These imbeciles are staring at me but have stopped lunging. I guess they realize that it’s useless. It doesn’t matter what they do to me, they won’t win. I’m a vampire, so my natural state is on a different level. On top of that, I’ve been around for a long time. There isn’t much that I haven’t seen before, so they are hard-pressed to find something new to throw at me. “We’re wasting time, boys. I have more pressing matters.” I flip two fingers in the air back and forth. I hear reinforcements moving in. “Let me jus

*Six Months Later*~Houston~“Hey, babe?” I walk down the hallway, searching open rooms as I go. “Love?” I continue down the hall, wondering where this woman is. “Daddy?” I turn to look at Zara. She’s coming out of the bathroom, using the wall to guide her. “Yes, Miss Zara, how can I help you?” Zara smiles and giggles at me. She loves it when I call her that. She says it makes her feel important. “Where’s mommy?” I walk over to Zara and pick her up. She settles against me, her arms wrapped around my neck. “That, my dear, is exactly what I’m trying to find out myself. I haven’t seen her.” I hear the door open ahead of me, and a smile grows on my face. I turn us toward the sound, catching her footsteps as they grow closer. “Hello, my two favorite people.” She kisses Zara on the forehead before turning her lips to me. Alayasia aims for my cheek, but I turn at the last minute so her lips land on mine. I use my free hand and bring her in closer, angling my head to deepen the kiss. I

~Shiloh~I step back in horror and conflict. My heart was in my throat when I thought that Houston was gone. I was grieving for the man I had wanted all my life. I knew he was gone, and my heart couldn’t take it. I rejoiced when I saw that he was still alive, but I was confused as to how that could be possible. Watching Geoffroy die is a lot. I’m not sure what I should do with myself now. Geoffroy was my ticket to getting those two removed from this pack. He was going to take both of them, and all I had to do was figure out who marked my man so I could get rid of her. Now, my chance is lost. I turn around and walk away from the crowd, trying to figure out how I can salvage this mess. The sounds behind me are loud, and they’re keeping me from thinking clearly. I continue to move away from the scene, the sounds thinning out. I find myself closer to the packhouse, but not too far from the crowd that I can’t see what’s going on. I stop in my tracks when I see that Gamma bitch outside.

~Geoffroy~There’s no way, there’s no fucking way! The gasps around me made me feel like I was in a tunnel. Everyone is looking at what I’m looking at; everyone saw what I did. I’m not crazy; this isn’t all in my mind. I know I cut him deep. I felt my claw slice through a few layers, not just skin. I know we heal fast as wolves, but the damage I inflicted doesn’t heal that fast. I quickly look around me before letting my eyes land back on the pup. He’s slowly standing to his feet, his eyes stuck on me. He stands tall and flexes his upper body. He makes a point of stretching his neck this way and that. It’s almost like he’s making sure I see that there’s no damage there. His expression is growing more and more smug, and I’m getting even more pissed off. The whispers have started, and I hate that. It’s like they are so taken with him because of some lame magic trick. I growl out in frustration, wanting to make everyone pay. “What type of trickery is this?! What pack uses a witch to d

~Third Person~A small crowd has gathered as word spread fast. It isn’t every day that there’s a challenge issued. On top of that, it was issued on packlands, which probably hasn’t happened in anyone’s lifetime. To add more fuel to the fire, the challenge involved the Beta of the pack.They are a bit beyond the training area, with nothing but open land. Those gathered have formed a loose circle around the Alpha and Beta. Alpha Tyrice is standing with Alayasia, Jakob, and Elder Haynes.Houston has stripped down to a pair of athletic shorts with no shirt. He’s pacing a bit, stretching out his arms and legs. Geoffroy stands tall, watching him in amusement. As far as the Alpha is concerned, this will be a quick battle where he will definitely come out on top. He will take Alayasia and her child back with him. He plans to punish Alayasia before handing her over to Leon. She’s done too much and needs to remember what she’s on this Earth for. Alayasia watches the men in the middle of the ri

~Third Person~As soon as those words leave Houston’s lips, everyone stops. Alayasia is horrified that Houston could be so spontaneous. Houston is determined to protect his family, and the Elder is lost. The air becomes still, and silence envelopes the room. It is broken by the sinister laugh that slips from Geoffroy’s lips. Geoffroy steps forward again, making sure to invade Houston’s space. “What did you say, little pup?” Houston makes himself taller and squares his shoulders. He truly isn’t afraid of Geoffroy. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to challenge him in front of Alayasia, but there’s no turning back now. “You and everyone else heard me; I didn’t stutter. I challenge you.” Houston moves in closer. “You walk around, thinking you can do whatever you want, treat people however you like. A breeder, really?! You’re fucking disgusting and pathetic!” Houston spits at his feet, making sure to maintain eye contact. Geoffroy closes the distance between them. They are almost the same

~Alayasia~Come in now. I walk into the office and stand next to my mate. “Hello, I’m Alayasia, the Beta female. I hear you were looking for me.” Geoffroy's body is rigid, and his jaw is ticking. I know he’s pissed, and he wants to grab me, but he can’t show his hand right now. The Elder looks completely confused; his head keeps moving between me and Geoffroy. “Uh, yeah, uh, hello. I’m Elder Haynes. I came here in regards to the young Zara.”“Zara is my daughter. What do you need with her?” He clears his throat and sits up in his seat. “I was under the impression that Zara was being held here when her family was looking for her.” I tilt my head to the side, making sure my eyes never leave his. “I’m not sure what you were told and by who, but my daughter is safe here. This is her family, with me being her mom and Houston being her dad.”“He isn’t her dad! Her DNA came from Maxim!” I lift my eyes to look at Geoffroy, but I say nothing. I want to see how far he plans to go. “You were

I roll myself out of bed, my body instantly screaming in pain. It isn’t the type of pain that makes life hard to live; it’s much more subtle than that. It’s the type of pain that stems from soreness. I don’t think I’ve ever been this sore before, and that even counts when I started to train for the first time.I look over at Atlas, loving how he looks when he’s asleep. His face is calm, and he looks peaceful. If you didn’t know him, seeing him like this would make you think that he has no cares in the world.I look around and pick up my clothes from the night before. I don’t have any clothes with me, so I guess I will have to put these on again. “Check the closet.” My body stills, and my heart practically beats out of my chest. I turn to the bed, but Atlas still has his eyes closed. He still looks as peaceful as he did before. “I brought you some clothes and they’re in the closet.”Atlas partially opens his eye and gives me a panty-dropping smirk. I slowly turn, feeling suddenly embar

Apollo looks down at his phone, checking the time. He left them alone for hours, hoping that they were able to spend time together. He didn’t want to interrupt that time.If he’s being honest, a part of him is a little jealous. It isn’t everyone who comes across their mate to find out that they saved themselves. The selfish, animalistic side of him wanted to be the one to take her first time. It’s probably an ‘Alpha’ thing, or maybe any man would feel the same way. He could have pushed the issue and gotten that part of her, but that didn’t feel right.Atlas has always buried himself in the future, in being the future Alpha. All the brothers will take over the pack together, but Atlas will be the point man. Atlas will be the one that everyone turns to for answers.Their father had always put the most pressure on Atlas, which turned him into a bit of a recluse. Women have always wanted him; that was never an issue. Atlas never let them get close because he had the weight of the pack on

~Third Person~Atlas continues to kiss Akia, grinding his body against hers. His hand lands on her hip, where he massages her gently. He moves that hand up, under her shirt, until he reaches her breast. He really hasn’t done anything like this before, so he doesn’t really know what would be considered too much. Just pay attention to her movements and sounds. They will tell you everything you need to know. Atlas is sure that without Roul, he’d be lost and pathetic. He wraps his hand around the base of her breast, feeling her body push into him. He moves his thumb up until it brushes against her peak. Akia shudders and moans into his mouth.He pulls her peak between his thumb and index fingers. He squeezes gently and flicks the very top of it. His mouth moves from hers to her neck, where he lets his tongue swirl around and around.Akia is moaning and pushing into his hands. Something breaks in him, and he realizes that this is not enough. He sits up, straddling Akia’s body. He yanks of

~Atlas~Fuck! I’m nervous as hell. I’ve never done this before, and I have no idea if this is even something that she wants. I can’t help but hope that she isn’t completely appalled at the thought of being with me. Where do you get this shit from? How are you so commanding as an Alpha, yet weak as hell when it comes to women? I block him out, not wanting to hear any more.I know I sound sad and weak, but what am I supposed to do? I’ve always been cautious when it came to women. It was for several reasons, one being that so many are only out to get what they can from you. I’ve seen it time and again: a woman using a man, especially if they hold rank. I always told myself that I wouldn’t allow that to happen to me. I would make sure that I was only with my mate and, even then, I would make sure my mate was pure-hearted.Akia is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Her heart is definitely pure, and the fact that I’m an Alpha means nothing to her. She is sticking around us because of us

~Apollo~I notice the tick of his jaw and the clenching of his fists. I know Ares is pissed, and if we were anywhere else, he would come for me. Us, being here at the school, is keeping him off me. It’s temporary, but I’ll take it.Don’t get me wrong, I’m not afraid of Ares. We’ve been at it many times in our lives, both as children and adults. We go hit for hit without either of us being the victor. I don’t really care about fighting with him; I just don’t want to go through that right now. “I should be asking you that. I take classes here, so what’s your excuse?”“I take classes online through this school, too, so there’s nothing wrong with me being here. When I left home, you were doing something with father, so when did that change?” I watch as his eyes glaze over, and I know he’s talking to his wolf.Adolf is a deranged bastard that I really don’t like dealing with. It’s crazy how our wolves are brothers, yet Adolf is always the odd one out. I’ve asked Luka about this, but he’s n

~Akia~The classroom door opens, disrupting the quiet in the room. All eyes travel to the door, including mine. I expected to see the professor, but instead, Matt is standing there, his eyes scanning the room.I quickly put my eyes on my notebook in front of me. My body is almost numb, the shock rolling through me in waves. Matt is here, standing in this room. I haven’t seen him in what feels like forever. I never thought I’d see him again.We left so many things unsaid and unsolved. Well, I didn’t leave anything; it was him. I still have no idea where he disappeared to or why he refused to communicate with me. I should hate him; I should see him as the scum of the earth. Maybe it’s because I’ve found happiness in my mates, but I’m not mad at him. I’m hurt and confused, but not mad.My breath catches as he gets closer to me. He sinks into the desk behind me, close enough that I can detect his heartbeat. The air around me changes, and I wonder if he plans to say something. The classroo