I clutched the chain around my neck as I gazed out over my pack. How did we get to this point? I was the luna of this pack. It was my job to protect them, yet all I was able to do was spare their lives. I watched as they lined the pack members up to be counted and labeled. I was the only one in chains, a cruel symbol that they had control over their leader. “My luna, you did what you had to do,” Bastian whispered next to me. Bastian was my mate’s beta. He had remained loyally by my side, even after my mate abandoned us. My mate Alfred was the leader of the Stone Heart Pack. Everything was great until just a couple of months ago. Up until Ivy showed up. I closed my eyes, not wanting to drift to those unwanted memories. “I’m not your luna anymore, Bastian. Please, just call me Allissa.” I winced as I felt the silver chain burning at my skin. I could see Bastian tense up, balling his hands into fists. “I wish I could remove it from you.” “I agreed to this for a peaceful turnover. No
I could hear him growling as his eyes glazed over. Two men stood in front of him, one of them shot me a quick side glance. The other was the guy who had yelled at Bastian. From the look of it, they were the beta and gamma, but I had no idea who was who. The Lycan King let out another ferocious roar, but I felt no fear of him. It was almost terrifying how arousing this display was to me, even in my current vulnerable state. And what was even more mortifying, was that he seemed to notice my physical response. I watched as he took small breaths in the air, as if savoring my scent before his dark eyes turned towards me. “Pwease don’t hurt our Wuna she didn’t do anyting!” A small child sobbed from within the pack. I looked up to see the mother trying to console and quiet her child. It warmed my heart, but I didn’t want them to suffer any repercussions from it. I watched as the king turned to look at the child, and for a moment, I swear his face softened. But it was only for a second,
Darren When I first arrived at the Stone Heart Pack, I was furious that the alpha had escaped. They told me his luna had stayed behind to take responsibility for him. What kind of a luna would defend a man like that? I was so angry. But then as I walked down the path and looked at the pack members, I smelled an intoxicating butterscotch scent. It was heaven. I became anxious as I tried to find the source of the scent, and then my eyes landed on the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen. She had caramel colored hair that matched her butterscotch scent to perfection. I then noticed the chain around her neck and lost it. I yelled at my Beta Lyle and my Gamma Tim and demanded to know who put the control collar on her. How dare they put that collar on my mate! But they argued with me that it was for safety. We didn’t know anything about her, and her pupils were dilated. She could have a potion in her, making me feel the mate bond. I roared in agitation, knowing they could be right. B
Allissa I could feel the tingles against my skin and slowly opened my eyes. I stared up at the knotty pine ceiling as I tried to remember what had happened. Slowly, it came back to me, and the tiny tingles on my face made me remember about my mate. I turned my head slightly, to the green eyes of the Lycan King, whose thumb was softly caressing my cheek. “You should be feeling better, but let me know if you aren’t and I will call my healers back.” His voice was calm, gentle, and soothing. It wasn’t what I was expecting. “I’m sorry,” I muttered and moved to sit up. His arm caught mine as he slowly guided me to a sitting position. “You don’t have anything to say sorry for.” “For becoming a burden.” I looked down at my hands, because I was practically eye fucking him. I could see just how defined his strong, muscular arms were, and how I could imagine him carrying me in them. Damn, it sucked that I fainted during the best part. Maybe I should fake it so I can relish being in his arms
I didn’t know I could feel this way. I never knew my body was capable of responding like this. It would have been embarrassing even if I wasn’t in such an animalistic frenzy. My hands were roaming all over him, and I couldn’t get enough. His tongue was attacking mine, and it wasn’t enough. I wanted more, and I could tell he did as well. Finally, he lifted away from me, panting, but his eyes looked angry. I listened to his growl and then he snapped his head toward the door.“Get the fuck out of here, Lyle!”“Yeah, I can’t do that.” Lyle chuckled and I watched as Darren lifted himself completely off of me to turn and glare at him.“You alright there, angel?” Lyle asked me. I could feel the heat radiating off my face as I nodded. I sat up, not making eye contact with either of the men. I could hear Darren’s low growl and it seemed they were mentally communicating. I didn’t know what was going on, but I felt like it had something to do with me.As their mental argument continued, I felt th
This is what happens when you allow yourself to be consumed by the mate bond too early. It immediately made him think that I was easy, when it had nothing to do with that. The tingles and the pull were everything I had ever craved. I allowed myself to be swept away because I thought it was alright, since he was my fated mate. Apparently this put the label on me that I was afraid of.“Darren!” I heard Lyle snap. I noticed the way his eyes were looking at me with concern. Was he worrying for my safety? “He didn’t mean that,” he whispered. I glanced at him and noticed the pain in his eyes. That look was for me. I guess my poker face wasn’t on today.“I’m sorry,” Darren said, and went to reach for me. I jerked back and glared at him.“I wouldn’t want you to think I’m easy. After all, I must have a relationship with all the men in the pack, right? That’s why I’m protective of them. It has nothing to do with being their leader.” I clicked my tongue and turned away. I looked back at Bastian,
I gripped the different pieces of yarn and held them up to my nose. I felt my eyes begin to well and, as stupid as this sounds, it felt like losing them all over again. My father, who vanished while leading my old pack, had taken them to investigate strangers who had crossed into our borders and never returned. After that, the pack disintegrated. They fled in fear, leaving mother and I alone. We had to move around often after that. She gave everything to make sure that I never went hungry. It was as if they were ripped from me all over again. I know they were just stuffed animals, but to me they were so much more. They were precious gifts my mother made for me. My parents’ scents sewn inside. They were all that I had left.I felt the lump form in my throat as my nose and eyes burned from the threat of tears.“Allissa, I am so sorry.” I felt Lyle’s presence as he kneeled down next to me. I didn’t know what to do now. I just stared at the sh
As soon as we stepped outside, I felt Darren change. He walked straighter, his powerful aura rising to make everyone aware of his presence. I saw Lyle and Tim barking orders in front of us as big vehicles began to pull up. I was being corralled gently by Darren’s hand, but I stopped abruptly, glancing over at my pack. They were all standing there watching from a distance. They looked apprehensive and a bit lost. It was painful to see them like this. Bastian was standing slightly in front of them, trying to put on a brave face.“What’s wrong?” Darren asked as he followed my gaze.“They’re worried.”“They’ll be taken care of. I have top advisors staying behind and someone to help the new alpha learn his role.” He didn’t seem concerned at all. As if packs lost their leaders all the time and they were fine. I know for a fact this wasn’t true. My pack fell apart without my father, even though my mother was still there. Without strong leadership, the pack can become unsettled. It can cause c
Darren“Who sent these?!” I clenched my fist around the photographs, a chill of shock rippling through my veins before it burned away. For a split second, my stomach turned as I glanced at the pictures of my mate and brother. But only for a second. Then, I realized there was no way. Those were the two people I trusted the most, and I wasn’t going to stop now. However, these pictures were a problem. Who had taken them in the castle? And who had access to the royal hallway?! This was a problem I was not comfortable with. I needed to call Ally and let her know. This was a security issue, not a mate issue.“It was left outside your tent,” Ivan said, as Dayanara plucked one of the pictures out of Darren’s hands.“No trace of anything. The photos are real, but the messenger made sure they blocked their scent and any traces of their aura.” She studied the picture for a moment before giving it back. “Allissa doesn’t seem like the type to—”“She wouldn’t. And neither would my brother. These pi
It had been days, and I hadn’t heard anything more about Darren. I was completely focused on solving the brainwashing in the kingdom. We now had some suspects and detailed descriptions of methods that were used. Lyle and I were going over the evidence when Milo burst into the room.“Is it true?!” he growled, putting Lyle immediately on the defensive.“Is what true?” Lyle glanced at me and I gave him a small shrug. I had no idea what he was talking about either.“You’re sleeping with your brother’s mate!”Milo yelled, and I spit the tea I was sipping all over the place. Lyle quickly moved behind me and began patting my back.“What the hell, dad?!” Lyle growled as he looked at my face. “Are you okay?”“Not really.” I looked at Milo. “Lyle has fallen asleep on the couch a few times, but I would hardly call it sleeping in my room. But you didn’t mean just sleeping, did you?”“Are you cheating on Darren?”Someone hold my crown, because I’m about to explode. Me?! Cheating on him? That wasn’
I sat on the couch in the dark with my feet tucked underneath me. My growing stomach was making getting comfortable a challenge. Lyle had stayed with me all day working. I caught him looking up at me with worried eyes a few times, but I pretended not to notice. I know he was trying to gauge how I was doing. It wasn’t until it was time for bed that he finally left my side.Now that I was alone, I realized that, at the time, I didn’t want to think about it at all. However, now that I had a moment to myself, I was in deep reflection.It wasn’t right for me to doubt Darren because of the pictures. For one, they were pictures and didn’t explain the scene fully. Maybe Darren was getting medical treatment? Maybe the woman was giving him support? Yes, the pictures looked intimate, but maybe this person was now a close friend of his. There were many unknowns.There are also enchantresses that could have bewitched him, and I couldn’t forget the changeling I fought against. It looked and smelled
I wandered down the dimly lit halls, my footsteps echoing softly as I searched for Lyle. I knew he wouldn’t have gone far, but I thought it was odd he wasn’t in plain sight. My gaze caught on a room to the right, partially hidden by a lush red velvet curtain. There was no door, and the curtain was elegantly pinned back, suggesting that Lyle might have ventured inside.I stepped closer and peeked inside, my eyes instantly landing on Lyle. He stood on a narrow balcony, silhouetted against the soft glow of the setting sun, gazing contemplatively into the distance with a gentle breeze ruffling his hair.“There you are.” I walked up to him as he continued to keep his gaze at the sky. “Darren is okay but … well, it doesn’t seem like he will be coming home anytime soon. I—I don’t know if he will even make it home for the birth of our child. As long as he eventually makes it home in one piece, I guess—” I looked up at Lyle’s taut face and stopped talking. “Lyle, are you okay?”“I was so relie
I stared at the desk, looking at the blizzard of papers that needed my attention. The past week had been a blur of ‘Your Majesty’ and ‘My Queen’ and ‘These require your attention.’ Demanding and exhausting.“Your Majesty.” Damnit, here comes another one. I look up from the evil papers to the messenger coming in. “These require your review and royal seal.”“Thank you.” Those were the flat tones words that came out of my mouth, but my mind was saying, ‘Fuck you.’Lyle walked in just as the messenger left, carrying two cups of steaming goodness. Hot chocolate!“I have our fuel. Let’s dive into the sea of paperwork before we drown in it.” He smirked, setting my cup in front of me before he pulled up a chair.I scooted over, making room for him. “Where do we start?” I asked, motioning over the stack of papers.“We start at the top and work our way through to the bottom.” He made a spot in front of us. “I’ll read and you stamp? Or do you want to read and I’ll stamp?”“You read. I’ll stamp.”
“The watch is hot, but it was cold when it was first given to me. The heat from the watch is a type of energy, but what does it mean?!” Fury was trying to help me. She was giving me tiny hints the best way she could. I needed to think about everything she had told me. Every word could be a tip.“Gujin is a messenger. Was that his way of telling you the watch is a message?”It made sense. Maybe even Gujin was trying to leave me a clue. I guess neither one was able to tell me anything, which was frustrating, especially when they may have been involved. That would mean that Gujin knew what happened to my father. I know I’m meant to figure it out on my own, because it seems like this is the type of game the gods enjoy.“You know what? One mystery at a time.” I sighed and brushed my hair behind my ear. “So the guards have found some evidence of brainwashing?”“Evidence of ... manipulation. Mind games. Enough that it has convinced my father. He’s with mom now. He decided to talk with her an
AllissaI thought that becoming the queen would make me feel different. But I was still just me. Lyle followed me everywhere and was always helping me. There were a lot of boring things I had to read and sign. I wonder how Darren managed to stay awake. I honestly felt myself dozing several times. Luckily for me, I could blame the pregnancy.“Issy, look, this just arrived from Darren!” Lyle ran to me with childlike excitement.My fingers moved so fast as I dove into the letter. It had been days since I’d heard from him. I felt my eyes watering up. His words reflected exactly how I felt. I wish I could see him … I wish I could hold him. I wonder if he knew I was the queen now? At least I knew he was okay, but it did little to heal the aching pain in my chest.“He’s okay.” I smiled, glancing up at Lyle’s relieved eyes. “Sounds like the battles have been steady. I’ve been so worried—” The tears welled up in my eyes as I held his letter to my chest. I had barely been hanging on. My mate was
DarrenI dragged another fallen enemy across the blood-soaked earth, my body screaming in protest.“Another one,” I grunted to myself, tossing the limp form atop the pile with a dull thud. I wiped the sweat from my brow as I looked over the battlefield. It had been a non-stop onslaught for days. I haven’t even had time to send a message to Ally. I can imagine her blue eyes as she sits in our bedroom. She was probably worried and each day without contact would make it worse. I have been fighting to the brink of exhaustion. Collapsing for an hour or two of sleep and then right back at it.There were so many vampires … many were new. When they took over these towns, those who lived there either became food or new vampires. They were building their army. If that wasn’t enough, the demons who have joined them were also well prepared.I was barely able to catch my breath and another battle would arrive. I surveyed the chaos around me, that had become a frequent sight. In all honesty, we nee
I had no clue who or what I was looking at. A small, delicate person? Or something more like a fairy? The figure was small, no taller than a child, but it radiated an otherworldly power that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Delicate, translucent wings fluttered behind her, her skin as white as ivory. She wore a white, shimmering gown that flowed around her. Her face was impossibly beautiful, with high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes that seemed to glow with an inner fire. But it was her expression that truly captivated me. A fierce determination and cold detachment that sent a shiver down my spine.The way she was staring at me almost looked aggressive, which made me defensive.“Who are you? What do you want with me?” I demanded, injecting as much authority into my voice as I could muster.“I haven’t decided yet.” Her voice was cold as her eyes fixated on mine.“You haven’t decided who you are, or you haven’t decided what you want with me? I asked you two questions