Alpha Zenith'The moment I see Alyssa, my heart races. I watch her for a while and notice she doesn't seem sad or depressed. Not the way I have been, every moment I've been away from her. She laughs and dances with everyone, she even clings to her Dad's arm, kissing him on his cheek. I don't understand. Why isn't she upset or angry at him? Why does she look so happy? I thought there had to be a good explanation.''Alyssa walks over to the food table, plucks some grapes and strawberries from a fruit bowl, and eats them. 'Alyssa', I whisper. She stops herself from reaching for another strawberry and looks around. 'Alyssa', I whisper again.''She looks around to see me hiding in the garden. Her lips part as she lets out a small gasp. She is shocked to see me. She scans her surroundings to see if anyone is watching her, then looks back at me. I gesture for her to walk over to me. She is very hesitant and is debating whether or not to approach me.''She bites her lip and gives me a small n
AstridIn utter shock, I can't believe what Alpha Zenith has just told me. He is my mother's true mate and murderer. I stand, run to the cell door, and shake the bars with fury full of anger. 'You killed my mother! You killed her!' I yell. Alpha Zenith smiles. 'Yes, I killed her! After everything, I did for her! I gave her a chance to reunite with me, and she threw it away like I was nothing, like I wasn't even worth the risk!' He yells.'You killed her whole family! You murdered them all in cold blood! She didn't want to be with a monster!' I yell. The look on Alpha Zenith's face changes from a smile to aggression. He unlocks the cell door and grabs me by the throat, holding me against the cold stone wall.'What did you call me?' He growls, squeezing my throat tighter. I try to loosen his hands from my throat. I can't breathe. Black dots appear in my vision, and he loosens his grip and speaks.'Call me a monster again, Astrid,' he warns. Boring his eyes with mine, I know he will ki
Alpha RykerWe arrive in the city, park outside Zenith Creations, enter the facility, and find an elevator. The elevator door dings and opens. We step out and spot a large door and enter. It's quite a modern, sleek waiting room. It even has a water feature on one wall. I approach the large desk to see a blonde receptionist on the phone. Leaning on the desk, I tap my fingers impatiently. The receptionist raises a perfectly shaped brow at me. I take the phone from her and throw it behind her.'Excuse me!' She says. 'That was a significant client on the phone!' She yells.'I don't give a shit who was on the phone. Where's Zenith? I want to speak with him immediately!' I yell. She picks up a phone and presses a button.'There is a vulgar man here, with two other men wanting to speak with you immediately,' she says. She covers the mic on the phone with her nail-polished hand.'What is your name?' She asks.'Alpha Ryker,' I snap.'Alpha Ryker, sir. Yes, okay. I will send them in,' she tells
'Happy Birthday!' Amelia says as I wake.‘Happy Birthday, Luna!’ Seth cheers. I can't help but laugh.'Who would have thought I'd be celebrating my eighteenth in a cold, dirty cell?' I chuckle. Seth and Amelia laugh. We all go silent in thought.'Astrid?' Amelia says, concerned.'I'm terrified. I'm meeting my wolf tonight. What if Ryker doesn't save us in time? What if James marks me?' I worry.'Let's see if I can mind-link Alpha Ryker. James and John injected wolfsbane into me. But unfortunately, it weakened me and hindered our connection,' Seth says. We watch on as he concentrates, his eyes clouding over.'Is it working?' I ask. Seth nods.'I've gotten through to Alpha Ryker!' He says. I run to my cell door, hold the bars, and partially squeeze my head through them.'Seth, tell him I'm sorry. Tell Ryker I am so sorry. I should not have left. I didn't want to leave!' I yell desperately.'Ryker says he knows. Vanessa confessed everything. Did you know Alice poisoned him so Vanessa cou
Alpha RykerWe enter Shady Crest territory, right at nightfall. Vanessa and Alice walk in front of Kane with their wrists tied together while Leon leads the pack warriors. Alpha Zenith's warriors are all spread out, making them easy targets. Our arrival must have sounded an alarm. They retreat toward the packhouse.'Alpha Zenith knows we're here,' I yell out. Seth is mind-links me: Alpha! 'They know you're here!''Good!' I say.'Oh no!' Seth says.'What is it?' I ask.'It's Astrid! You need to hurry! She's shifting!' Seth says.'Seth, tell Astrid I'm coming for her. I will be with her as soon as possible,' I say.'Leon, Kane, we need to move fast! Astrid is shifting!' They nod. Leon and I shift into our wolves. Kane supervises Alice and Vanessa in his human form.'We will be right behind you, Alpha!' Kane yells out. We run until we can see the packhouse. There are hundreds of pack warriors ready and waiting for us. I shift into my human form and put my pants on. I scan the area for A
AstridFocusing, like Ryker, told me to. My body shifts back into human form. I open my eyes to see myself lying in Ryker's arms. I lock eyes with him, but this time, I see him through my wolf's eyes. 'Mate!' I say, and the world around me disappears. I feel a magnetic rush of endorphins and dopamine sweep through me—the attraction and lust I have for Ryker increase dramatically. I want to touch him, hold him, mark him and tell the world he is 'mine'. My arms wrap around his neck. 'Ryker, I missed you so much! I'm so sorry for leaving.'He wraps his warm, masculine arms around my waist and presses me to his chest. He cups my face in his hands. 'It's okay, babe. I know you didn't want to leave. I'm here now, and that's all that matters.' We stare into each other's eyes, and our mouths smash together. My body ignites with the intensity of our passionate kiss. It sends overwhelming, hot shivers down my spine. We eventually part from the kiss and pant.Ryker lets out a little growl and
Giggling and blushing as Ryker nips my ear playfully, I let out a slight growl. He puts me on the bed and crawls toward me, kissing me passionately. 'I love you,' I say, staring into his eyes. 'I love you. I've wanted nothing more in my life,' he whispers.'I want you to mark me, Ryker. It's time the world knows I belong to you and you, alone.'Are you sure you are ready?' He asks as his eyes glisten longingly into mine. Ryker pulls me on top of him, so I'm sitting fully on his lap. He caresses my back as we kiss with intense passion. 'Ryker,' I whisper.'Astrid,' he whispers. He grazes the spot on my neck, readying himself to mark me, and bites down with his protruded fangs. An overwhelming sense of love and euphoria rush through my body.My fangs protrude, and I hover over the marking spot on Ryker's neck before biting down on his skin. Intense drowsiness overwhelms me. I bite into his nape, marking him before I slump into his chest and instantly fall asleep.The sun shines on m
Three months later,Gently waking Ryker up, I cover his handsome face in kisses. 'I don't want to wake up,' He murmurs. I throw a pillow at his face. 'Hey!' He sits up and throws a pillow back at me. I lean backward, dodging the pillow. I poke out my tongue: 'Ha! You missed!' I tease.'Oh, did I?' He says, jumping out of bed and running toward me, flinging me over his shoulder and whirling us around in a circle. 'Ryker! Stop!' I giggle. 'You'll make me sick,' I say. Ryker stops.'Well, you're no fun!' He feigns a pout. 'No fun? We are always having fun,' I state. 'True.' He says, lifting me over his shoulder.Ryker runs into the dining room downstairs with a grin on his face. I scream his name the whole way down. 'Ryker!' I yell, trying not to laugh at his playfulness. Finally, he sits in a chair and pulls me onto his lap. 'There, I put you down,' he says, winking at me. I roll my eyes. 'Did you roll your eyes at me, Luna?' he laughs.Everyone at the table eats in silence, smi