After a long minute, Grayson swerved all the way to her face."The journey is still far, we have to find a place to stay tonight," he declared.A jolt creased Ayla's spine as a frown claimed her features. "What are you saying? Where are we?"“Somewhere Liam's men won't find us,” Grayson answered brusquely"But…”Grayson raised a hand, and she fell silent. "I'll tell you everything later, Ayla," he said, implacable. "But for now, we have to get you and your kids safe."Ayla looked at him, a part of her grateful, another suspicious.Ayla opens her mouth to ask another question, but Grayson raises his hand."No more questions," he says. "We have to move.By the time Grayson stepped forward, his posture tense, his gaze keen.Meanwhile, Ayla watches him, reeling inside, with a flood of unanswered questions, and more importantly, growing fear.‘Can I trust this man? And why do I think I'm walking into another trap?Grayson stepped back to her. His expression was unreadable."Let's go," he w
"Let me go!" Ayla wailed as loud as her voice could rise, hoarse with desperation and pliant with resistance, as she was held by Liam's soldiers.Whimpers issuing from triplets clutched around her skirts for dear life were forwarded with her in motion. Hearts pounding inside their ribs as she craned around, eyes scanning this place with denser woods around, anxiously searching for ways of escaping. And at this very moment, with a snarl, suddenly the crunch of an undergrowth whipped the hunch."Move on," one of the guards snarled, his circle of arm around her upper arm tightening."We are going back to the pack house," another said gruffly. "Don't make it any worse than it has to be."Ayla made herself think hard about the clamping down of the fear threatening to overwhelm her. There had to be a way out, there simply had to be. She was so close to freedom; painfully close. Now, it felt like one cruel dream running through her fingers."Mama?" one of the triplets, whispered, shaking. "W
"They let her get away?" Liam growled at the man, standing in front of him, his tone low and deadly. The rhythmic pounding of hooves on the dirt path did little for his simmering anger, as he rode with his men toward White Fang territory."She's surrounded now," the shaken voice replied. "Ayla and the kids haven't crossed over the border. What do we do, Alpha?"Liam bit into his teeth, knuckling white as he squeezed into the reins of his horse. How am I going to tolerate these slackers, they couldn't take care of one woman and three kids.”“Bring her back alive," he said shortly. "And do not hurt those children. If she struggles…. His voice curled at the memory. "Remind her of what would happen."He was done and turned to the soldier riding next to him. "Double the stride. We must reach White Fang before they comprehend their doom.”"Yes, Alpha," the soldier replied and dug his heels into his horse's sides.But Liam's mind was elsewhere, another time, another place. “Ayla, you never l
"Keep calm, Ayla. One step in the wrong direction and it's all over," she whispered to herself; her heart was racing by then, standing and holding the shelf of the door.The soft echo of footsteps echoed down the hall and froze her in place. She held her breath, the pulse pounding like a drum in her head. Outside, the huge guard from the pack house yawned loudly, said something incomprehensible, and then shuffled away. Ayla let her shoulders fall while releasing a sigh of relief; still, she had little time to waste.“This is my only chance,’ she thought, her fingers trembling as she tightened her shawl around her shoulders. Liam had left the pack house vulnerable, confident that no one would dare defy his rule while he was away. But he underestimated her resolve. “For my children, I'll do anything.”The triplets slumbered soundly in the room down the hall, their soft snores the innocence she was fighting for. Ayla darted across the hall to her room, cold wood silent beneath bare feet.
"Tonight, we take down our enemies!" Liam yelled in a clear, commanding voice that cut through the cool night air.Ayla peered through the small crack in the curtains from the safety of her room, her hands shaking while she watched Liam stand tall in front of the gathered soldiers, his posture commanding authority and his words sending sparks flying into the crowd before him."This is it, this is our moment," Liam concluded, the words still ringing as his gaze turned toward the men and women facing him with absolute allegiance. "Long enough we have been oppressed by the White Fang pack they have taken a lot from us; now, show them what to make of the Moon Shadow Pack!"Ayla's heart sank further. She could barely stand to watch as Liam rallied the soldiers, his charisma undeniable. But beneath his confident exterior, she saw something else—an edge of desperation, perhaps even fear. He's risking everything, she thought.**********Downstairs, Liam's beta stepped forward. “We're ready, A
"Get your priorities straight Sophie.” Silas's message had seared into her brain as she stared at the paper that had been delivered to her. Simple words, but laced with the kind of menace only her uncle could deliver. ‘Use the drug tonight. Make sure it works. Get out before the soldiers arrive. No mistakes.’She reread the message for a third time, as her hands still shook. The walls of her room seemed to close in on her, and the gravity of decisions above her head weighed down upon her begrudgingly. The kitchen had burst into noise: Ethan was preparing dinner amidst peals of laughter. For one second, she wanted to ignore the message and live life as if it never came.But the aftermath … Sophie screwed her eyes tight. She couldn't afford even a thought about that.Ethan's voice dragged her back from her trance. "Sophie, are you coming? Or did you get lost in that little world of yours again?"She forced a smile and called out, "I'm coming!" The cheer in her voice sounded foreign, jar
“Ayla, you've been quiet this whole time. Something on your mind?” Liam's voice was smooth yet sharp, laced with a possessiveness that made Ayla's stomach churn. He stood by the window of the dimly lit room, watching her like a predator surveying its prey.Expression is not frank enough on one side to disclose the stormy turmoil of her inner being. "I'm just tired," she whispered softly, her gaze skating over the triplets innocently sitting on the carpeted floor and pulling at her heartstrings. "It's all been overwhelming, I suppose; maybe I wasn't supposed to experience all of these at one go."Liam walked over to her, his boots heavy on the hardwood floor. "Overwhelming or you've been overthinking? I need you to trust calm Ayla. Relax, focus on us on our future, nothing else matters.”She dug her nails deep into her palms so as not to snap at him. "I am trying," she mumbled, keeping her face averted from his. Actually, every minute that she was anywhere near him fanned her desperati
The clash of swords in the training ground as Ethan sparred with a soldier, sharp and swift, the movements flowed well, the body of a man seemingly honed to it for years, each strike to kill, every party to murder.She sat sideways on the bench, her gaze not once leaving his figure. The tiniest tug of a smile on her lips while watching him disarm his opponent in such finesse drew respect to the commanding manner with which he dominated the space."Cool, isn't he?" Grayson, Ethan's Beta, caught his body weight with a leaning prop against her and spoke in a casual-sounding tone though his eyes were anything but casual.Sophie nodded, never once taking her gaze off of Ethan. "He's always like that-consumed, driven. It's one of the things I… respect in him."Grayson raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Respect? Is that what we are calling it now?”The smile wobbled for a moment before Sophie's mask slipped right back into place. "Yes. And I think he's finally starting to respect me. Don't you
“You're gonna stand there all day staring into the woods?" Silas' deep voice cut through the crisp evening air as he stepped closer , sharp eyes landing on Liam, who stood at the edge of the pack's grounds.Liam turned to his uncle, smirking. "You said you would be here earlier, uncle.”“Yeah, I got delayed," Silas said dryly, smoothing his clothes. “And I had to take care if someone few interruptions, I can't afford to be followed here.”Liam's eyes flashed dark. "Alright. Is everything good?”"Yeah" Silas returned tightly. He scanned the compound with a critical eye. "Shall we go inside and talk? Hope you've had everything ready?”Liam strode into the pack house, his purpose in every step and movement. It took Silas further inside where Liam said, "We can head out when the word is given. My people are in their positions, the routes have all been scanned.Silas inclined his head, impressed, but the moment they were inside the hall, Liam's words stopped him in his tracks. "And Sophie?