Uncle Aram growled at him. “Not now!”
Ada realized that the warrior had been looking at her. Alpha… She was supposed to make decisions now. She had killed her father and now she should sentence that man to death. One more death. Her hands had become coated in blood in just one day. Blood of her own family, of a friend. She couldn’t. Blood of another man that she had known since she was a pup would be on her hands soon too.
She felt her legs moving on their own. Before long she was away from the crowd. Running. She didn’t know where. Home! Her house. She had a suitcase packed just in case. Money and documents. She would be gone. An airplane. The next flight. Anywhere… She was running up the hill, when she heard a familiar voice. Ellen… She was up on the hill, right on the border.
Something hit her side and next thing she knew she was on the ground on her side, Damien’s wolf towering over her. He immediately shift
1 Week Postmortem - HellfireSoft Persian rug under her cheek. That’s all Ada could focus on in that moment relishing the calm before hellfire consumed her from inside again. This was karma. This was the payment. Her hand was still on the couch she had fallen off. How many hours had it been? She lifted her head to look out of the small window. Sundown. Even the sky was painted in the colors of fire.She took a shaky breath feeling it ignite again. She squeezed her eyes shot tightly, gritted her teeth and screamed into the rug. Fire, so much fire licking at her insides. She was sure her womb was going to be roasted by the time it was done. If she couldn’t have children before this, her organs would definitely not nurture a life after this was over.The pain, the burn lessened. She was panting, gulping air now that she could. Her skin was damp, even the rug under her cheek felt damp. Cold sweat. Her eyes fluttered open with the last rays of the orange
1 month and 1 week postmortem – MarkedAda was smiling at the video on her phone. Ellen’s marked neck.“Can you see it? Can you see it?” came her squealing voice. There was too much teenagery excitement in it.Ellen switched back to showing her entire face to be met with Ada’s soft smile.“Is it as good as they say it is?” Ada asked a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.“Pfft, if you think you’ve had a good orgasm, you’ve had nothing!” Ellen laughed.It had become an unspoken rule to avoid Damien’s name, so she wasn’t going to make a joke about her nights with the young Alpha.Ada rolled her eyes at her young cousin. She used to babysit them, now she was a marked woman.“How is living with Arsen? Did that custom table arrive in one piece?” Ada asked.“It is beautiful. The artist is so talented! And living with Arsen is grea
3 months and 3 weeks postmortem – MonsterCool spray from the fountains was a delicious relief against the heat. It was almost nine in the evening the large fountain set in the center of the square would start the show any moment. Habanera from Carmen opera started playing raising goosebumps on her upper arms. Jets of the fountain swayed, exploded and changed color with the rise and fall of the music.Ada had come to Yerevan’s central square every evening in the last week since she had moved back to Armenia. Young mothers with strollers moved around, groups of teen males were being too loud, a lone girl sat on the beige stone steps with a notepad and a pencil in hand, lights of a nearby café buzzed with life…It felt peaceful and almost content. No matter how hard she tried to focus on her present, on the life around her, thoughts from Emil’s message the day before kept invading her mind.An entire clan wiped out… Th
5 months postmortem – Seeking AffectionAlexandra’s smell was wrong. She smelled of something sweet, flowery, almost fruity. Or like trees that bloomed in the spring and smelled sweet hinting at the fruit that would be birthed from those flowers. Ada’s scent was different from hers. Ada smelled fresh and powerful. Avalanche… that was Arsen’s description. Chilly dawn in the mountains… that’s what she reminded Damien of.The hem of Alexandra’s dress got caught between two chairs and he caught a view of her legs. Same skin color, same height, even legs looked familiar. Those legs that he would lick and nibble in the moonlit bedroom. He watched the witch bend over and free her dress. That ass. He wondered if digging his fingers into her flesh would feel the same. Same plump ass. Was it as smooth as Ada’s? Alexandra wasn’t as toned, there was softness to her. Feminine softness. He didn’t mind at all. She wa
The restaurant bathed in dimmed lights and soft piano music was more welcoming than his own home. He had stayed behind after a dinner with a new Alpha in the city. They had been something like friends most of their childhoods and both wanted to establish an approachable relationship now that the young Alpha had taken over the clan. Damien had a good feeling about that meeting with promises of trade and semi-open borders, and even a conversation about drafting something like a military alliance.He sat by the bar and nursed a glass of cognac the large ball of ice clinking to the edges. Arsen had been trying to mind-link him for the last half an hour but Damien had been avoiding his friend. Recently the Beta had been inviting him out for drinks, tea, runs in the woods. Ellen had even extended a few dinner invitations. Getting tired of yet another knock on his mental wall, he opened it.Man, I hate when you do this. I am standing in front of your building. Flanna fini
Next morning Ada lay in the cold large guest bed listening to the changes in shower stream patterns. She could tell when it hit the tiles and when he stood under it. She sensed him moving under the hot water but at times the noise didn’t change telling her he was standing there immobile. She wondered if he always took long morning showers or that day was an exception. She deepened her breathing imitating sleeping and tried to calm her heart rate. He was very quiet, his steps careful, the clink of the doors hushed and she was sure he didn’t put on his shoes until after he was in the elevator.She turned to look out of the window. It was 6:30 in the morning, she would wait before mind-linking Emil.She stood in front of his bedroom door feeling like it was made of titanium laced with silver. It could be as impersonal as the rest of his condo she convinced herself. Her bare feet walked down the hallway. The smell of fresh coffee hung in the air and there was m
He nodded not surprised. “Would you have a meeting with me and a few other Alphas?” he asked nonchalantly. “What Alphas and what’s the agenda of the meeting?” “Your… actions started a series of events. The new generation is taking over. Third of the clans have an Alpha we went to school with. Some of us started a group, a council,” he explained. He looked almost uncomfortable. Looking her in the eyes he continued, “By lunch today most of Alphas in the city knew you’re back. The group we formed wants to meet you in hopes of recruiting you.” He disliked saying that for some reason. Damien and his team of Alphas. He was extending his power in non-traditional ways. Even if the group pretended to sit around a circular table, everyone knew whose word held the most weight. Was she one of his pawns, or perhaps a general for him to call on when he needed? The thoughts of their relationship having an undercurrent of power struggle right from the beginning made
Ada lay on the large empty bed listening to the shower sounds again. Another morning after a night filled with nightmares of future and past. His steps paused by her door again and he was gone shortly after. Smell of fresh coffee spread through his home. While enjoying a cup leaning against the kitchen counter top she cringed before mind-linking Emil. He was probably tangled in the sheets with the woman who looked so much like her. His answer came immediately and full of cheerful energy. They agreed that Uncle Aram would be the one to visit her and collect the documents. Pressing her finger to the numbers, she decided not to analyze why Damien had made their meeting date his passcode. Too many things contradicted about Damien Sevach. He was the most powerful man in the city and possibly one of the most influential ones in the werewolf world globally. She couldn’t make an enemy out of him because of a few nights and a broken and trampled bond. Her phone vibrated as sh