Alpha Ian’s POV “Damien is your mate?” I repeated dumbly, staring at my brother as though he’d grown two heads. “Is it really that shocking?” Dominic said. “I thought you might have suspected. He did have a point. This shouldn’t surprise me at all, not with the way Dominic has been behaving ever since Damien became part of our lives. The thing was, Dominic has always been an extremely intense person, so I’d assumed he just liked Damien a great deal. But Damien being his fated mate made absolute sense. “When did you know for sure?” I asked. “When we had our first kiss,” Dominic responded, looking to the side. “I felt this electric shock go through me and my wolf started howling within me. I was so disoriented that Damien had to hold me.” “Oh wow.” “Yeah,” Dominic said with a short laugh. “I felt so connected to him but I knew he didn’t feel the same. How could he? He’s a fucking five-hundred-year-old vampire, not a werewolf like me.” “Oh snap, you’re right,” I said, fina
Alpha Ian’s POV “Is that Ian or am I too high on blood right now?” Philippa said, looking in my direction as the woman in her lap blinked several times, no doubt trying to regain her equilibrium. “If it isn’t our newly wedded Alpha!” Caleb bellowed. He pulled me into a side hug as I sat next to him. It was a decision I was probably going to regret before the night ended. “It’s good to see you, my friend,” I said to him, patting his back. “Philippa, who is this poor woman you’re draining right now?” “This is Anastasia,” Philippa said and proceeded to suck on her neck for a bit. “She’s the loveliest. So accommodating too! Say hello to Ian, darling.” “Hello Ian,” Anastasia slurred. “Philippa, I think you’ve had enough for one night. Anastasia, you’re excused,” Damien said, tone leaving no room for argument. Both Anastasia and Philippa were less than enthused about his order but they knew better than to contest it. “Wait for me in our special room, okay?” Philippa said. She l
Alpha Ian’s POV Dominic’s words echoed in my head as the night breeze whipped past us. The atmosphere was somber as I retreated into my thoughts. Caleb picked up a cigar and started smoking. Philippa’s attention was momentarily claimed by her phone. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was sexting Anastasia. Damien was staring at Dominic while the latter was playing with his fingers. When I’d stood at the altar promising myself to a woman who wasn’t my fated mate, I knew the path that lay before wouldn’t be easy. I’m beginning to realize I had no idea how fucking impossible it was going to be. My wolf hated me for it. My own body will fight me every step of the way. Living with Francesca meant I had to fight every instinct I had pulling me toward her. It seemed as though there was no magical solution to my problem. There was no quick fix that would put an end to my torment. I had to walk through the fire. At some point, if I am lucky, all of it will become easier. “So this is why you’v
Francesca’s POV For the past two weeks, it’s been feeling very much like I’ve been watching myself from afar. I’ve been outside of my body, moving on autopilot. Bianca and Patrick have been on edge. They’ve been watching me like a hawk. They may be thinking I haven’t given myself enough time to process my loss and healthily deal with my emotions. To me, I’ve felt more like there were no emotions to deal with. The only thing driving me forward was anger. It was all I had and it was the only thing I needed as well. Anger built you up. It made you a stronger and more resilient person. It meant you were ruthless enough to cut your enemies down without thinking twice. There was a reason I’ve been doing so well in training. I think I’m becoming deadlier with each day that passes. Patrick never stood a chance when we sparred. Bianca has had to up her game to remain undefeated and even with that, there were times when I tore through her defenses and emerged victorious. He kept watching me
Francesca’s POV It’s been five days since the month of August graced us with its presence, and it’s been raining non-stop. This has in no way meant training has ceased or slowed down. Although we’ve spent more time at the shooting range and the indoor training hall. Dominic has been driving us insane with all the weightlifting and heart-thumping cardio exercises he insisted on daily. But the man did know what he was doing. All the extra energy was doing me a lot of good. I was always in high spirits after the intense workouts. Much like the constant pouring weather, my mood was usually somber when I returned to my mood. I would pace around, watching the rain through my window, and the atmosphere would quieten the chaos in my head. I listened to chill and moody music, songs that made you feel as though you were gliding through sugar-spun clouds. Sometimes, I ate junk food while watching documentaries or thrillers with the occasional sound of thunder cutting through. If I was bein
Francesca’s POVA few hours into the party and we were as fucked up as we could be. Even our supernatural metabolism couldn’t recover fast enough to allow for sober thoughts. Somehow, this suited me just fine. Bianca, Patrick and I have given up on the drinking. We were now on our third joint individually. The weed was kicking in and I was feeling deliciously mellow. There wasn’t a single bad thought to be had. Patrick was dancing in front of us. He wasn’t very good at it. He only knew a few moves and he could execute those well, I would give him that. But right now, he wasn’t sober enough for that to be the case. He was basically flailing about, a goddamn comical sight that made Bianca and I howl in laughter. “Goddess, Pat, you’re embarrassing,” I said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. My eyes closed momentarily as the high got to my head. It felt so good. I had missed the feeling that came with it.“We should denounce him,” Bianca suggested amidst a series of giggles. She was leaning heav
Louise’s POV One might be wondering how I, Louise Giroud Fontaine, a twenty-three-year-old all-powerful French Quarter witch came to be in an alliance with a psychopathic rogue Alpha werewolf. Well, there were days even I wondered the same thing myself. The story was a long and complicated one. Many chess pieces were moved by our coven of witches to make sure I found myself in this exact situation, standing next to Ezekiel, and spying on a group of young werewolves who were none the wiser of the danger they were in. It started about a year ago when my coven met with the vampire king of New Orleans, Damien Du Pont. Meeting him was an experience I wouldn’t forget any time soon. His beauty had been a mesmerizing thing to behold, and I seldom looked twice at a man. Yeah, I was all about tits, sue me. However, Damien had pulled me in, and I had almost forgotten all about his deathly reputation and the natural disposition of an all-powerful vampire. But the one I had ended up hooking up
Louise’s POV Once I declared that I should be the witch to go undercover with Ezekiel and his rogues, everyone’s attention was directed at me. Damien and Caleb seemed slightly surprised by conviction while Philippa only was grinning from ear to ear like the cat who ate the canary. One would think she knew me well enough to predict what I was going to say. She looked smug and proud at the same time, as though, as though she had a hand in my decision. Aunt Lettie had a similar expression on her face, but it made sense where she was concerned. She’s always prepared me for a moment such as this one. The only one who seemed apprehensive was my mother. I could see the worry and anxiety in her gaze. I could also sense it in the energy of her magic. I knew she was well aware I could take care of myself but something like this wasn’t exactly child’s play. Ezekiel was as deranged as they came, and his minions were just as ruthless. They were devoid of all humanity. The only thing they cared a