ALEJANDRO
"Kataleya how old are you now?" Azura questioned Kataleya, hands-on hips as she did.
I knew that the little devil was trying to test her. She fucking acted like she was eighteen or some shit like that, she was a dangerous one.
Kataleya blinked and held up six fingers.
That’s my fucking pup.
"Good girl." Azura replied, with an approving nod and went off to fuss over one of those Westwood pups.
I may see them often enough, but they all fucking look the same. Well maybe they don't, but to me, they do, not my fault that there’s an entire fucking army of them.
"Kia’s taking her time." Liam remarked, glancing towards the villa as he picked up one of his little fuckers.
"I’ll go fucking take a look." I took a final drag on my cigarette before tossing it to the ground and making sure I snuffed it out with my boot, walking towards the house, almost fucking stepping on one of these roach-sized pups. How the fuck are they all over the place?
I followed her scent, frowning as I realised she was upstairs, but what got me worried was the speed of her heartbeat. It was far too fast for my liking. In a flash, I was up the stairs. My heart was racing with worry the moment I saw her on the floor in the girl’s bedroom.
"Kiara! Kiara!" I lifted her into my arms, tapping her face. Fuck, what the hell happened? "Come on, wake up!"
Her eyes flew open, blazing purple, and she sucked in a breath as if she had been deprived of oxygen.
"Fuck, Amore Mio…" I hugged her tightly, my own voice hoarse, my heart thudding with relief as I held her close, stroking her back. "I got you."
"Al…" She whispered, grabbing my shirt, her heart beating erratically as she looked around and then up at me.
The sound of the kids screaming and laughing from outside reached us and she exhaled, slumping in my arms with clear relief.
"Thank the goddess... You’re all ok." She murmured, her lips brushing my neck before she showered my neck with quick kisses, sending rivets of sparks through me.
"Yeah, we’re fucking ok, but what about you? What happened?"
She looked around the room and the ground as if searching for something.
"I… There was a… a note."
Her eyes looked haunted as she looked around the room. I kissed her lips softly, my hand twisting in her hair and stroking her waist, wanting her to know she was going to be fucking ok.
"It’s ok, everything is fucking alright. Relax." I reassured her before looking around to see what note she meant. "Where’s the note?"
She shook her head, looking confused and I wondered if last night’s fucking sexathon had fucking drained her out.
"I…" She placed a hand on her glossy hair, and sighed, biting those luscious lips of hers, before she shook her head in defeat.
"Never mind. We’ll deal with this shit later; shall we go outside?" I asked, stroking her thigh.
She nodded, looking into my eyes and I felt my stomach twist. The look of fear that filled her soft blue-rimmed soft green eyes was one I hadn't seen in years…
Whatever the fuck happened was serious, and I was definitely going to ask her later. For now, I’ll get the men to scour the area. I stood up, lifting her to her feet and wrapped my arms around her tightly, never wanting to let her go.
If there was one thing I fucking hated above everything else, it was seeing my queen in any kind of pain. I kissed her neck and shoulder sensually, my hand massaging her back comfortingly until her heartbeat steadied.
"I love you, my sexy beast." She looked up at me, her eyes holding so many emotions, and I frowned.
Whatever the fuck happened had shaken her.
"And I fucking love you, Amore Mio." I replied, gripping her chin before kissing her passionately, only breaking away when she gasped for air. "We’ll talk later alright?"
She nodded, exhaling and giving me a tight hug before we returned to the garden after grabbing the sauces.
"Are you ok, Kiara?" Scarlett, Kiara’s mother, asked her.
"Yeah, perfectly." Kiara replied, blushing lightly under everyone’s gaze.
My nympho always looked fucking hot, but I fucking swear, each passing year she seemed to somehow become even fucking hotter…
"Right, everyone sit down!" Raven, Kiara’s brother’s mate and also Kiara’s best friend, called out.
She was probably the smallest one here, I'm sure Dante was her fucking height already. No idea how the fuck she had five pups at once, she had looked a fucking sight.
"Is the Alpha council still on next month despite Elder Allen’s health?" Rayhan asked me as he took the seat opposite.
"Yeah, we can't really delay it, the winds are changing. It’s fucking needed."
I glanced over at Elijah, his frown deepening. There was something afoot. After years of living in fucking peace, I could feel it in the air. Something was coming… but I didn’t know what…
"Do you boys really need to discuss work?" Maria, Rayhan’s mother, scolded.
"Blame him, I didn’t do anything." I replied coldly.
My brother, Rafael Rossi, died five years ago protecting Maria, his mate, and Delsanra… a death I won’t ever get over.
It was taking its toll on Maria too. With each passing year, she got weaker, slimmer, and more exhausted, as if simply living was becoming harder for her. Although she had kept her sanity, with our kids serving as a fucking distraction for her, it still wasn’t enough. I didn’t want her to lose herself, but when you are mated to a powerful Alpha, the parting is even fucking harder…
"Alejandro?" Maria’s voice brought me out of my fucking thoughts, and I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah?"
"Are you ok?" She asked, concern clear in her grey eyes.
I smirked,
"One hundred fucking percent." I replied.
She smiled slightly, giving me a nod. Once upon a time, we couldn’t stand each other, I'm sure Raf’s fucking proud of our bond now.
"Daddy, may I sit next to you?" Kataleya asked softly, her large dark eyes were the same colour as mine yet were filled with a warmth mine lacked.
"Sure thing."
My youngest pup, I swear despite how fucking crude my language was, this angel was the politest fucking sweetest thing on this damn planet, and sometimes I felt she was far too pure for this fucking world.
Unlike her elder twin and brother, her special ability was completely different from theirs. She smelt of something soft and sweet, yet you could only smell it when you were around her. You wouldn’t sense her coming or be able to track her scent. Which can become fucking worrying at times in case she wandered off.
Kiara sat down on my other side, kissing my lips softly, and I was fucking relieved. She seemed a little better again.
"After eating, I can’t wait to cut the cake." Skyla stated, she was the elder of the twins and I swear she was fucking Lucifer incarnate at times.
"Once you finish your food properly." Scarlett told her granddaughter.
Scarlett was only three years older than me, yet her daughter was my mate, it was fucking fun when that shit came out in the open. Who would have thought…
Skyla’s sharp green eyes turned to Kiara.
"Can I use the big knife to cut the cake?" She asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Not the big one, now eat your food." Kiara replied, shaking her head.
Skyla pouted with displeasure and I smirked.
You ain't getting away with shit when your mama’s around pup.
Kiara’s hand found mine, and she gave it a squeeze, almost as if she was reassuring herself.
‘We’ll figure out the note later, but whatever it was, don’t worry about it. I will always fucking protect you and the kids.’ I said through the link, letting my confidence and reassurance flow through the bond.
She gave me one of those beautiful smiles of hers and nodded, and I knew she was going to be ok. I just hoped that whatever it was, it was no big deal…
KIARA "Time to cut the cake!" Mom called, making both Skyla and Kataleya turn in excitement. I smiled. The kids had just spent the last hour playing games and I think they were ready for some dessert now. "Oh, I can’t wait!" Skyla exclaimed, skipping over to the cake, pulling her sister along with her. Alejandro picked both up, making them giggle when he kissed their cheeks. "Daddy's beard is poky." Kataleya giggled cutely, patting her dad's cheek before kissing him. "Yeah well, I ain't going to have a fucking babyface now am I?" Alejandro smirked, nudging his cheek against her own, making her giggle. "Where’s the knife?" Skyla asked. This girl and her love for weapons! "Here, now be careful, ok?" I warned her, passing her the knife and placing Kataleya’s hand on top of her sister’s as everyone began singing happy birthday. I kept my hand on top of the girls, guiding it to the cake and helped them slice it befor
KIARA The sun shone through the curtains, and I could still feel the after-effects of last night. The ache between my legs was a pleasant reminder of what had happened. Goddess, the man had incredible stamina, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I turned in bed, missing the feel of his arms around me. I turned, touching the other side of the bed, although his scent lingered in the room, his side of the bed was cold. I sat up, glancing towards the bathroom door, brushing my hair back from my face. ‘Alejandro?’ I mind linked. ‘Morning… I hope you slept well.’ ‘Perfectly. Why didn’t you wake me up, what about breakfast?’ I asked. We didn’t bring any omegas along for the cooking so it was just the five of us. ‘You were spent after last night, as much as you love spreading those legs for me, you fucking push your limits." I smiled, rolling my eyes. ‘As if you’re not to blame for me wanting you.’ ‘Good, beca
ALEJANDRO The kids were having a fucking blast, and as much as I wanted Kiara to have been here, I knew yesterday that whatever happened was on her mind and she needed rest. I made sure the villa was surrounded by guards. The kids were safe with me, but I was not going to fucking risk leaving her alone. This place was pretty fucking neat, with the mountain backdrop, the waterfall and the clear river. The greenery and the trees were in full bloom, and the sound of birds chirping in the trees rang in the clear blue sky. I frowned, watching Dante take his shirt off, seemingly irritated, and I realised what he was about to do. "Dante, don’t." I warned, closing the gap between us and grabbing his hand as he was about to yank the necklace of concealment off. "Dad, I just want to go in the water without this, I feel stronger without it." He frowned. A sliver of guilt rushed through me, knowing we were practically subduing him as a person, but
KIARA "I'm ok." I said looking up at Julio, who had found me. My body was aching and I could barely think straight. "What happened?" He asked, frowning. "Should I call the Alpha?" "I don’t know, there was a paper… I… I’ll call him just to see how they are." I murmured, looking at my own shattered phone. Worry, pain, and fear were swirling inside of me, but it wasn’t my own emotions - Alejandro. What was happening? "Contact Alejandro!" I exclaimed suddenly, making Julio grab his phone, but just then, the sound of running reached my ears and Alejandro appeared at the door, blood and dirt covering his body. Clad in only torn sweatpants which told me had shifted. My eyes snapped to the limp bodies of Dante and Skyla in his arms, and I sprang up. "What happened?!" I cried, my powers surging around me. Panic and worry consumed me as I took in their state. Skyla’s heartbeat was steady yet weak, but she seemed to simply
ALEJANDRO Fear ran through my veins and, although I may be the strongest shifter out here, I felt helpless. Kataleya. She was all I could fucking think of. Remembering the way, the wolf's teeth were clamped around her tiny body. The blood dripping from his mouth, her blood… and the terror in her eyes as they got further and further away. I’d give my fucking life for her safety. Then Kiara’s pain, the way she pushed me away ripped at my heart. I knew she was in pain, a mother’s reaction after all. She was the perfect mother to our child, not like my own fucking mother, who played dead for years and then came back with her psychotic plans to destroy the world over eight years ago. She sure fucking didn’t care if any of us went down with her. But Kiara, she was firm, fair and affectionate. She loved her pups unconditionally and even then, made time for me, her family, our pack and her friends, as well as for a certain fucker I couldn’t stand. She
KIARA "Leave him." I glanced at Rayhan as I was about to lift Dante from the bed. "You need to sleep too." He shook his head, "I can’t sleep anyway. Leave him here, I’ll watch over them both." Our eyes met and I nodded, feeling terrible. "I'm so sorry, Ray." I whispered. He shook his head, giving me a small smile that didn’t take away the emotions in his eyes that were riddled with worry and pain. "We’re family and we stick together. You need to stop apologising." He said, caressing Delsanra’s snowy white hair. "She’s a fighter, they both are…" I nodded as I kissed Dante’s forehead. How much pain was he in? Was he going to be ok? I looked over at Delsanra, caressing her hair for a moment. She had two little pups, Ahren and Sienna. Goddess, they needed their mother. "Kiara?" Rayhan’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and he raised an eyebrow. "They’ll be ok." I nodded, unable to
KIARA I hadn't been able to sleep properly. Both Alejandro and I had tossed and turned. The sun hadn't even risen but I sat up, picking up the pad and forcing myself to write the second message. I was halfway through it when Alejandro woke up. We had barely slept, although we had been trying to sleep for the last four hours. How could we sleep when our baby girl was somewhere? All alone. I knew he wanted to get back out there to look for our pup. His arm was around me, his hand over mine as I wrote the words, painstakingly slow. The sparks of his touch were like the comfort of warmth on a winter day. He didn’t speak, simply placing a few comforting kisses on my neck and shoulder. ‘A debt must always be repaid, by blood or by life.’ I had done it! I gasped, dropping the pen. Alejandro instantly grabbed some napkins from the tray of left-over food from last night and dabbed them gently over my bleeding hand, then over the paper that was
KIARA "This is worse than we thought, isn’t it?" "Demons are rare, and if this was cast by a demon, and I’m sure it was, then finding the one behind it is going to be rather difficult, even for us." I closed my eyes, wishing that was not the case. "Is there no other way?" "Of course there is, finding the one who summoned the demon. If we find him, then we find the rest of the answers." Magdalene stated, smoothing out the sleeve of her dress. The two women exchanged looks, I knew they were keeping something from me. "There’s more to it, isn’t there? Tell me." I asked sharply, just as Mom entered. Janaina sighed heavily. "If anyone else had performed this spell, or any spell for that matter, trying to lift the curse…. They would have died instantly. The only reason Delsanra survived is because of her demon side." Her words made my blood run cold, I felt as if I had been slapped across the face. God