Layla POV I am still sitting in my office; my mood hasn't improved since the meeting with Darius and Riley, ‘Who the fuck do they think they are?' Why haven't I got a mate yet? Really, bit fucking personal; don't you think, he only came into my life a couple of days ago. What do I look like, a bleeding heart? Lea irritates me further by saying, “Darius might be our second chance, mate, Layla.” I growl. “Are you ready to let your guard down yet, Lea?” She whimpers “I don't know.” I frown “Well, neither do I.” ‘What if we tell him a small part of what happened to us, Layla?” “Like what, Lea?” Lea’s voice is uncertain as she says, “Only about Nathan.” “Why?” “Because I can feel the moons pull to his wolf Layla.” I rub my forehead and say, “Really?” “Yes.” “I am not rushing into anything, Lea; Darius needs to earn our trust before we can even think about getting close to him.” “Ok, but I am going to talk to Gray.” “Suit yourself, Lea, but don't tell him e
Darius POV Curiosity is eating me alive; when Layla said her mate rejected her, I couldn't believe it. What kind of a moron would throw her away. The moon goddess pairs us for a reason; on the other hand, I should be thanking him because if he hadn't rejected her, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to get to know her. After sending Riley to talk to our warriors, I spent the rest of the day with Layla and the twins. Layla asked if Riley and I wanted to come to the packhouse for supper again tonight; there was no way in hell I was going to say no. Riley should be back any minute now; when he walks through the door, I ask, “Did you find out anything?” Riley shakes his head as he says, “Nothing, her warriors, are friendly, but if we ask them anything about their Alpha, they won't say a word.” I didn't expect they would; we have been here for a couple of days, and they are incredibly loyal and protective of Layla. Riley snorts before saying, “Thanks for volunteering me to set
Layla POV After my warriors have finished their morning training session, I duck into my flat for a quick shower. Diana insists on coming to the flat every morning to watch Ellie and Beth for me; Diana is a wonderful person, and I appreciate all her help. My heart skips a beat when Ellie holds out her arms, chanting, “mm, mm, mom.” My heart feels like it wants to explode with love, and my eyes fill with tears. I get her out of her cot and hug her tightly against my chest; Diana smiles and rushes over to us. I look at her and ask. “Did you hear that Diana, Ellie just called me mom?” Diana giggled before saying, “Now I can start teaching her to call me nana.” I laugh, I am unsure how my mother will feel about that, but they can sort it out between themselves. Beth starts to stir and opens her eyes when she looks at me; she chuckles, pulling herself up the side of the cot and reaching for my shirt. I laugh, handing Ellie to Diana and picking her up. Beth grabs two handfuls
Darius POV We wait until the mist rolls across the forest floor before we enter Declan’s territory; we aren't called the mystic shadow pack for no reason. My father could call the mist in from the forest to hide his warriors when we attacked or were under attack from another pack; when he handed the pack to me, his power also passed to me. It's not uncommon for Alphas to possess different abilities blessed by the moon-goddess; the difference between my father and me is that I can call the mist to surround my warriors day or night. The ten warriors I sent to watch Declan are waiting for us; Shane mind-links me, saying, “We haven't seen any movement in the town since last night, Alpha.” I motion them to follow me, pulling the mist around us as we walk into town; I mind-link my warriors as a whole. “Riley and I will head for the packhouse; stay hidden until I give the command.” Declan's territory is deathly quiet; we enter the packhouse cautiously; no lights are on. I growl whe
Layla POVIt's the first time since I became Alpha of The Red River pack that I have not gone to training; I wanted to spend the morning with Ellie and Beth before going to the packhouse for breakfast. The first thing I noticed when Zach and Anita came downstairs was that Anita’s eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she was very subdued. Ellie and Beth bring joy to everyone who knows them, so I move the high chairs closer to Anita before putting them in their chairs. If I had not been watching her closely, I wouldn't have noticed her lips trembled slightly when she looked and smiled at me. Marian, Simone, and Monique walk in laughing and chatting, followed by Sebastian, who has his arm around Diana’s shoulders. Breakfast is quieter than usual; everyone can sense Anita’s sorrow. Diana and I take Ellie and Beth into the loungeroom before I race down to my flat for a shower. When I return, Anita’s sitting on the floor, playing with them. She looks up when she senses my presence.“I c
Darius POV I am still furious that Declan and Xander managed to leave their territories before I could get my hands on Declan. I have been pushing my wolves hard all day so we can get back to the Red River pack territory as fast as possible; Riley mind-links me, “We need to stop for a while, Darius; we will be no help to Layla if we are exhausted when we get there.” I hold my hand up, motioning for my warriors to stop, “We rest for half an hour, then continue.” I am pretty confident that Declan and Xander won't be there, but doubt creeps into my mind now and then, making me uneasy. We reached Layla’s territory late in the afternoon; my heart was beating like a drum inside my chest at the thought that I was wrong and wouldn't get to Layla’s domain before Declan and Xander. When we crossed her border, I breathed a sigh of relief; everything was just as we left it. Gray's voice in my head, “Lea knows we are here. Layla is at the packhouse.” Adrenaline raced through me at t
Layla POV My heart jumped inside my chest when Darius asked, “Do you want to have pups, Layla?” Lea whimpers inside me and says, “You have to tell him, Layla.” I sit there chewing the inside of my mouth for a moment. I turn my face away from him, so he doesn't see the tears pooling in my eyes and whisper, “I can't have pups, Darius.” He gasped in shock before saying, “Fuck Layla, I am so sorry I don't know what to say.” I glance in his direction; Darius’s face is white. I sigh, untangle my legs from under me and go to stand. He reaches across and gently tucks my hair behind my ear before putting his fingers under my chin and turning my face back to face him. He leaned toward me as he whispered, “Did you think I would run back to my mountain when you told me, Layla?” I massaged the back of my neck; I had no idea what he would do. I look at him; his voice is husky as he says, “You are not getting rid of me; we have two girls.” He was so close that his lips brushed ag
Layla POVMathias leads us to the basement. As he opens the door, he whispers,“I will be back at midnight to show you what rooms Declan and Xander are in.”We go over the finer details of our plan. I watch as Darius empties most of the wolfsbane in the syringe Monique has given him into a sink in the corner of the room. I hand my needle back to Monique and say,“Hold onto this until I tell you otherwise.” She nods, smiling at me. Darius and Riley will get Declan and meet us at the cabin, and Monique and I will take care of Xander; nothing can be out of place in the room when we leave; otherwise, suspicion will fall on Mathias. If I pierce Xander in the heart with the needle, it will look like he died in his sleep. The excitement in the air is contagious. Darius looks at me and winks, causing my heart to flutter in my chest; I look at the floor, avoiding eye contact with him; I need a clear head for what I am about to do. The door creaks as it opens; Mathias motions for us to follow