MasukTalia dressed up for breakfast and she turned to see Drake buttoning up his shirt with much more force than necessary.She knew that his mood was fluctuating because they were about to meet with the ex-Alphas."Drake?", Talia called. "Will you be OK talking to Sophia and Isaac?"How can he be calm when he was about to meet with two people who were directly responsible for Talia growing up in hellish conditions? And then they tried to harm him which caused him to forget about his own mate!Drake rolled his shoulders to release tension, with little to no result. "I will try.""You don’t need to force yourself.", she said.Drake’s head snapped to look at her. Did she think that he will sit this one out? "I want to.""I know, but it won’t help if you commit murder before we find out anything useful. Remember, they have the information we need.""I will pressure them with my aura and squeeze all their secrets.", Drake said through his teeth.Talia was conflicted. She understood Drake’s ang
Axel didn’t want to cause trouble, or start a fight he can’t win. He needed to be friendly with Drake because he didn’t want to make things awkward for Talia, so Axel quickly said to Drake, "Investigating the phenomenon doesn’t mean actually going there. We have various ways to get information."When Drake’s shoulders relaxed, Axel continued talking to Talia, "I was reading some old documents and I found a cryptic text that points to the lake, and then I discovered this. Yasmin said that this amount of energy is not natural. There is something down there, something powerful.""Do you think it’s a portal?", Talia asked Axel with concern while looking toward the center of the lake that shimmered under the moonlight.If there was a portal at the bottom, it was open because a non-active portal wouldn’t create any disturbance. Before the portal to the realm of witches was opened, anyone would pass next to that massive rock without finding anything unusual.Talia remembered the map which sh
After dinner, Axel and Yasmin led the group to a lake.It was a fifteen minutes-long walk that passed in friendly chatter.Talia noticed that some members of the Midnight Guardians pack were following them. It felt awkward because they were keeping their distance, but she knew that they were curious about her and Drake, yet staying away out of respect, so she pretended not to see them.No one talked about swimming, but it was an opportunity to spend time outside, see the area, and enjoy the night scenery with the lake as a backdrop.The forest ended abruptly to open into a narrow clearing that was covered in grass and occasional protruding rocks before it melded into a calm lake that glistened under the moonlight.Talia smiled at the sight. It was beautiful.They all sat on the rocks and ground and chattered.Yasmin and Cornelia were talking about the outside world with James and Axel listening.Kai and Meg were asking Keith and Liam about Sandy because Meg wanted to prepare a welcomi
Tyler stared at Sandy while her words ’another woman’ and ’prefer men’ bounced on top of his head, refusing to be processed. Did she just accuse him of womanizing? Or did he look like he would rather be with a man than with her?For more than two decades, Tyler kept himself pure, body and mind, suffering endless lonely nights and faking smiles whenever he saw a couple while longing for his mate, and now that she was finally there, she was doubting him!"What!? From where are these ideas coming from?", Tyler asked in outrage. "Why would I look at men or women when I have you for a mate? I gave you my first kiss, my first everything."Sandy pressed her lips into a line guiltily. She knew that as a member of the Midnight Guardians pack, Tyler was saving himself for his mate, and the mate bond rewired any previous crushes to become insignificant when compared to Sandy, but that didn’t mean Tyler didn’t have some other commitments. But it seemed that there was no one else, so why did he wa
Drake raised his arm, at the same time as he released a short burst of his aura, and two-hundred-something people in the noisy cafeteria quieted down abruptly like someone flipped a switch."I am glad to be here.", Drake said. "The Dark Howlers pack was always on friendly terms with the Midnight Guardians pack. We are in the process of discussing how Talia and I being mates will reshape our relationship, but I can assure you that our bond will strengthen. We are a family now. Your Alpha here is planning a mixer for unmated members of our packs, and I will help her make it a reality. Expect it in the near future."Boisterous cheers shook the cafeteria, and Talia allowed all that joy to wash over her. They were really looking forward to this, and Talia appreciated this dose of happiness that Drake gave them.’Axel?’, Talia called through the pack mind-link. ’Do you have pack runs?’’We didn’t have one in a long time, but yes, we do.’, Axel responded.This information was just what Talia
"Do you have any plans for tonight?", Axel asked Talia as they walked toward the cafeteria.Talia glanced at Drake whose arm was around her shoulders. He was super-clingy. Drake didn’t say anything, but she knew he didn’t approve of her leaving him behind when she talked to Axel. Talia didn’t want to hide things from Drake, but she didn’t want to worry him either, and things like leaving the Alpha position were worrisome. If she knew he would feel so neglected, she would do it differently."We don’t have any firm plans.", Talia responded to Axel. "Tomorrow morning, we can talk about the schedule, but I will warn you in advance that we don’t want to do much. Drake and I are determined to treat this like a vacation. It was a long time since we relaxed." They planned many relaxing moments, but those either didn’t happen, or they ended with some emergency (like Drake being unconscious and then falling under the influence of dark magic)."You are at the right place for relaxing.", Meg said
Caden rubbed his forehead forcefully while looking at the stubborn Alpha in front of him.He knew that Drake will resist, but this time he seems to be more determined than ever.The truth is that Caden handled numerous emails from Elders who are trying to matchmake Drake with his next bride.Elder
~ the Dark Howlers pack ~ Drake entered his study and looked grumpily at the stack of documents that are waiting for him to sign. Why is the Alpha of the largest pack in North America forced to do this office work? As a child, when he imagined his future, Drake saw himself as a mighty warrior, s
In the guest bedroom… Drake pushed Marcy away from him and Marcy fell on her butt unceremoniously. "Who is that girl?", Drake asked while buttoning up his pants. Marcy was confused. "What girl?" "The one with towels! She left towels in the bathroom and left!", Drake roared and jabbed his hand i
In the guestroom… Drake sat in the comfy sofa chair and observed Marcy smugly. She was standing three steps in front of Drake with her hands crossed over her chest defensively. "You wanted privacy, so here we are.", Drake said while waving his hand, gesturing for Marcy to start talking. "Conside







