The song is Ask of You by Raphael Saadiq....look it up....
~Mark~I know that being a ranked member is a lot of work, but I never considered how disruptive being an Alpha can be. Here I am, trying to seduce my pregnant mate, and Iโm being called away. I donโt regret coming here or tying my life with Jenna; it can just be a lot of work sometimes. I understand why she didnโt want the role, even though sheโd be an amazing Alpha. I imagine I could be a good Luna and wouldnโt have an issue in that role.I run out the back of the pack house, and the minute my feet hit the ground, I shift into my wolf. We bound through the forest, heading to the Western border. When I get there, I have three warriors waiting for me. I shift back and walk up to the group. They nod to me, and I nod back. โWhatโs going on here?โโSir, we found Jimmy out here. He was on the border. It looks like heโs had his blood drained.โ I walk toward the body and see how pale it is. Thereโs a message written on his body.โWhatโs that say?โ The warriors look at each other before look
~Lynn~Mark fills me in on what he found on his lands. I ask the usual questions: who are their enemies, and what new Alphas are trying to prove themselves? When he had no valuable information to contribute, there was only one thing that popped into my mind, but I didnโt want to be the one to bring it up. I said my goodbyes and hung up the phone.โWell, that was an enlightening conversation, I think.โ I put my phone down and lean back on the bed. I havenโt spoken to my brother in a while, and I feel bad about that. We both just got caught up in our lives, and checking in wasnโt the top priority.The bathroom door opens, and a shiver runs through my body. โWho was that, babe?โ I want to answer, but my mouth is suddenly dry. Devonte is standing in the doorway with just a towel hanging low on his body. There are drops of water running down his chest as he rubs his hands together. Just remembering what those hands do to me regularly has me leaking all over myself. โUh, babe?โ I shake my h
~Tia~Lynnโs right. I grieve for my sister because of the type of person I am. If the roles were reversed, she wouldnโt give a damn about me dying. She probably would have been the reason why Iโm gone. I canโt suspend my life grieving for someone who didnโt give a damn about me.I take a super short shower and throw my clothes on: a pair of jeans, a V-neck short-sleeved shirt, and some Airmaxs. Lynn is sitting on the bed waiting for me. She stands when she sees me and links her arm with mine as we walk out of our suite.It doesnโt take long to make it to the daycare, and they are surprised to see me. Our daycare is amazing, donโt get me wrong. Itโs just that if I donโt need their services, Iโd rather leave the spots open to those who do. I have enough family to care for Kian, so Iโd rather take advantage. โLuna Tia, here he is. He hasnโt been here long. Heโs such a good baby.โ I grab Kian from her and kiss his cheeks.โThank you for that. He will probably start coming when heโs older
~Landon~It did my heart good watching Tia and Kian come into our office. Iโm beyond grateful that sheโs up and about. I know that Adelaโs dying was taking a toll on her, and I was getting worried. I donโt know what Lynn said to her, but I owe her a big thank you.Tia kisses me on the cheek, and I take Kian from her. She walks to Lincolnโs desk and sits on his lap. Kian sits on my lap and starts to reach for the items on my desk. I move the dangerous items out of the way, leaving some loose paper for him to play with.Lynn walks into the office and plops on the couch. Surprisingly, sheโs alone, but that doesnโt last long as her mates walk in minutes later and sit next to her. I would prefer that my dad was going to be in this meeting, but I know heโs helping a grieving Doc, and I donโt want to disturb them.โSo you wanted us to meet. What about?โ Lincolnโs voice is slightly muffled since his face is buried in our mateโs neck. I find it funny, but reserve my chuckle for later.โI spoke
What a mind-numbing hour, a complete waste of my time. Every visit of his is a complete waste of time, and I hate it. However, I do have to admit that itโs nice that there is someone who cares enough to visit me. As nice as it is, heโs making no effort to get me out of here, so thereโs that. I donโt belong in anyoneโs cells because I didnโt do anything wrong. I simply tried to fight for what was rightfully mine.I didnโt say anything to my father and didnโt answer any of his questions. He filled the void by telling me all sorts of things I donโt care anything about. I donโt care about the pack news or what heโs doing as an advisor. The only thing I want to know is when I can get the hell out of here.My mood elevates the minute I hear the door open. My mood soars when I see that my favorite jailer is still on duty and will take me to my cell. My father says goodbye, but I donโt pay him any attention. Iโm much too focused on the gorgeous man uncuffing me from the table.Heโs 6โ5 with l
~Vonte~I know thatโs her brother, but WTF?!I know, but heโs the Alpha here, so we have to eat it. I really want to rip my brother-in-mateโs head off right now. Heโs being way too aggressive towards my mate. Honestly, itโs not me that has an issue; instead, itโs Abel. I know how sibling love can get, and I think itโs cute.Luna Jenna leads us up the steps and into the packhouse. We stop right inside the doorway, watching Lynn plead for mercy. Mark has her on the couch, tickling her with everything he has. I didnโt realize my mate was ticklish, but now I have something to use to my advantage.I sit in an armchair across from them, and my brother sits in an armchair next to mine. We are both enjoying the show. I turn to Luna Jenna, who decides to stand between us and notice the smirk on her face. โAre they always like this?โโTo be honest, I donโt know. Mark and I had a rocky start at best and left right after accepting each other. Iโm sure you heard about the mess that pack has dealt
~Devonte~I feel like we got off lightly. I expected an entire interrogation by Alpha Mark and wouldnโt have been mad. If I had a younger sister, hell, a sister at all, Iโd probably do the same thing. You want to make sure that your family is taken care of, and any man knows that if he even thinks of hurting her, there will be severe consequences.We follow Alpha Mark upstairs to the second floor. We walk down the hall with him, and I can smell my mate. He points to the door but continues to the end of the hall. There are back stairs that he takes up.I walk forward and bump into my brother. He has the door open but has barely passed the threshold. I crane my neck to look past my brother, and my breath catches in my throat. Our mate is displayed on the bed in the sexiest pose. Sheโs on her back, slightly propped up with pillows. She has one hand on her breasts and the other rubbing her nub. Her eyes are closed shut, and small moans are escaping her lips.My body responds to the sight,
~Aida~The crash of furniture snaps me out of my daydream. I sit up and hear raised voices. My hand drags across the mattress next to me, but itโs empty. I throw the covers back and climb out of bed. Somethingโs going on, and if I had to guess, my mate is in the center of it.After meeting up with Adela, we headed to Ivanโs home. I was skeptical that it would still be available after all this time. Ivanโs been locked up for a very long time, and you have to guess that someone would have taken the home as their own or demolished it by now. Ivan assured me that he had left the right people in charge, and he was right.This house is bigger than the packhouse at Emerald Lake. Itโs a real-life mansion. I still havenโt been in every room yet, but Iโm working on it. The grounds are massive, and I havenโt explored it all. A lot of vampires live on this property, and thereโs more than enough room for everyone.I descend the spiral staircase, and the yelling gets louder. โWHAT WERE YOU THINKING
6 Months Later~Paul~Itโs been six long months, and Nikki still hasnโt woken up. Owlyn has been here and tried to get a response from her. Nothing has worked because she says it has nothing to do with magic. The doctors donโt have an answer, and Iโm just lost without her.I knew she shouldnโt have volunteered. I felt in my heart that it wasnโt the right choice, but what could I do? I love her with everything I have, and I couldnโt tell her not to do what her heart said was the right thing.I run my hands through my hair and then over my face. I havenโt left her side in six months, and Iโm beyond tired of seeing these walls. My sons have tried to get me to leave, and so has Tia. I refuse them because this is where Iโm meant to be. As long as my heart is here, I will be here. Tia has been here often and has brought our grandchild, but besides those visits, itโs just been Nikki and me. I refuse to believe that I finally found my fated mate just to lose her so quickly.I put my head in m
~Devonte~The pain in my heart is all-consuming. I want the pain to stop, but I donโt know how to make that happen. I curl up tighter, hoping that the pressure will help with the pain. Itโs all too much, and I donโt know what to do to make it better.Abe has gone silent, and Iโm not surprised. Heโs been struggling the most, and I have no words to soothe him. I wish I could wake up yesterday when things were what they were. Iโd give anything to go back.โBROTHER?! BROTHER WHERE ARE YOU?!โ I curl up tighter as if thatโs going to keep me from being found. I donโt think I can handle the words and emotions that will surely follow my brother. I canโt take what that would mean.His thudding footsteps get closer and closer. I know I canโt hide myself; thereโs no way to become invisible. I canโt keep this from happening. I hold my breath, waiting for the inevitable. โD, I found you. Iโve been looking everywhere. Our mate, she needs us. She needs you.โ Iโm trying to block out his words, but Iโm
~Third Person~Everything seemed to happen all at once. Andricia is thrown against a tree trunk and curls up with a whimper. The pain is too much, causing Andricia to shift back into Tia. The twins witness this, and all restraint is lost. They shift and run at Imogene, who quickly wraps them up in blue light.Nikki hasnโt taken her eyes off Imogene, so sheโs ready to interfere. As she shoots her light at Imogene, it strikes her in the stomach. Imogene is taken off guard and loses her grip on the twins. They fall to the ground and falter as they try to get on their feet. Eventually, they gain their footing and try to attack Imogene again.Imogene defends herself, reduced to hand-to-hand combat with the edge of magic. She repeatedly strikes the wolves as they throw themselves at her. They are taking a lot of punishment, but they refuse to stop. Their only goal is to defend their love, though theyโd rather take the time to see about her.The group is joined by vampires and rogues alike.
~Jenna~I scramble backward, making sure my back is flush against the tree trunk. I try to quiet my breathing, but it's proving to be a task. I search around me, but thereโs only darkness. The night air is still filled with the sounds of a battle, but I canโt see whatโs going on.โUghhhhh.โ I slap my hand over my mouth in an attempt to stay quiet. I look down and see the bright red blood. I shut my eyes tight and try to think about anything else. If I freak out right now, I wonโt be able to get back to safety.Every inch of my body hurts, but I canโt think about that now. I need to get out of here and make it back to the packhouse. I struggle to my feet, using only my right arm. My left just hangs against my body. Every twist and turn of my body brings a wave of excruciating pain, but I have to ignore it right now.I finally get to my feet and stand against the tree trunk. My breathing is erratic, and my chest is heaving up and down. โWhereโd she go? I donโt see her.โโSniff her out.โ
~Aida~Iโm applying pressure to my sisterโs neck, and I feel her body giving in. This is so easy itโs pathetic. I would have thought that she would have trained during my absence. She had to know that I would return, and with my return would come the fight for her life. I guess having a brain doesnโt guarantee that youโll use it.Portiaโs body slumps to the ground, and her breathing gets heavier. I swear sheโll be dead in a minute. While part of me is rejoicing, the other part of me feels that sheโd be getting off too easily. Sheโs the cause of all my problems, even the cause of Adelaโs death. I may have administered the final blow, but it wouldnโt have come to that if she hadnโt disrupted our plans.Portia completely falls under, and I let her go with a thud on the ground. I get to my feet and walk around her limp body. Her breathing is shallow, so I know I can still play around with her before I kill her. I just need to figure out what games will be fun to engage in.I walk around h
~Ivan~One of the twins lunges at me, and I step out of the way. The other twin moves toward me, causing me to dodge slightly. This canโt be how they expect to beat me. If things continue this way, Iโm going to win without breaking a sweat.I donโt want to spend a lot of time with these two. I need to go find Aida and so help anyone who has tried to put their hands on her. No one will hurt my love and live to tell the tale. Iโd scorch the Earth before I let anyone hurt her.These imbeciles are staring at me but have stopped lunging. I guess they realize that itโs useless. It doesnโt matter what they do to me, they wonโt win. Iโm a vampire, so my natural state is on a different level. On top of that, Iโve been around for a long time. There isnโt much that I havenโt seen before, so they are hard-pressed to find something new to throw at me. โWeโre wasting time, boys. I have more pressing matters.โ I flip two fingers in the air back and forth. I hear reinforcements moving in. โLet me jus
~Lynn~I reach into the vampireโs chest and pull out its heart. My hand is covered in blood, but itโs as black as tar. Thereโs a stench to it; it smells like itโs rotting. I guess that makes sense because vampires aren't like the rest of us. They are the undead.I look to my left and can make out Abe in the distance. Heโs ripping the head off of a vampire. Another vampire has climbed on his back, but he shakes him off. I look to my right, and Mace has the leg of a vampire in his mouth, and he shakes him like a rag doll. I duck quickly, missing the clothesline that was intended for me. I look behind myself and kick out, catching the perpetrator in the stomach. I wind the rope around my fist and throw a punch. The rope, mixed with the strength of my punch, causes my hand to literally push a chunk of her arm onto the ground. I follow up with a round kick and straddle her body as soon as it hits the ground. I rain a combination of punches on her body before ripping her throat out.Iโm tir
~Jenna~Iโm herding those who canโt fight into the safe rooms. We have entry points on both ends of the pack, but Iโm only worried about those on this end where the packhouse is. Elderly pack members, as well as children, have been running here in droves. The sooner we get them to safety, the better off we will all be.I take one last look around and turn to the opening that will lead to the underground tunnels. It isnโt a long walk from the tunnels to the rooms; we wanted to make sure everyone would have a chance to get to safety. Once I get inside, the doors will be locked, and we will wait for word that everything is over.Crying sounds behind me, causing me to whip around. A pregnant woman with a toddler is running toward where Iโm standing. A few warriors rushed out to her, working overtime to keep the vampires back.I watch the woman run forward with her babyโs hand in hers. She trips, and her knees hit the ground, causing her to lose her grip on her child. She cries out and cra
~Mark~Iโve been on alert all evening. I know tonight is the night, but I have no idea when. Itโs just a guess, but we expect an attack on this pack. It isnโt that Iโve done anything to Aida, but her enemy is my best friend, and my mate has gone after her obsession. It seems they are trying to hurt Tia in any way they can, and that would include attacking this pack.I havenโt been Alpha that long, and Iโve only had my fated mate a bit longer than that. I have a baby coming and I like my life right now. I donโt want to lose anything right now, but this battle could have me lose it all.I clean off my desk and put files in the filing cabinet. I think the best thing right now is to have time with my mate. I want her to know how much sheโs loved, just in case. I close the office door behind me and turn to head up the stairs. Alpha, we have a breach! My heart begins to thump in my chest as the seriousness of the situation grabs me. I take a deep breath and let it out. Hey, beautiful. Wher