AMELIA As soon as the door unlocked, the hair stood in all parts of my body. My heart pumped so hard as I stood at the horror before me. There were different species inside the symmetrical giant lab tubes similar to an aquarium. They were preserved, for what purpose, I had no clue. โThis is sick.โ โAmelia, look.โ Ryden held my elbow and pointed at the huge rectangular glass framed with angel wings. โOh, my Goddess.โ I wrapped myself as I shivered in terror. I couldnโt fathom who could do this, cutting off wings for decoration, and whoever owned the wings must have suffered an extremely excruciating pain. They were beautiful, so huge spreading the entire wall, the color of ash reminded me of a cloudy dark sky before the storm. โWhat should we do with that?โ โI donโt know, Ryden.โ I sat on the concrete step when I felt like I lost all my strength. โI could be next in one of these glasses.โ โHey.โ He kneeled before me, holding my cold shaky hands. โI wonโt let that happen, Ameli
RYDEN โBrace yourselves!โ Amelia yelled. โFor what?โ Nora asked. It didnโt take long, she said, โOh, my Goddess.โ Another earthquake rumbled, shaking everything around us. This time, it was stronger and longer than the last one in Tahoe. Amelia stared at me. She didnโt bother hiding her fear. โThis isnโt normal.โ โI know.โ As the ground danced in waves, we stilled until it stopped. Then another howling roar erupted. This time, it came from both mountains. Are gazes flew to the mountains surrounding us.โThis isnโt good,โ I muttered, not hiding my fear. The mountains began to shake as if they were controlled. I watched its slope break and fall apart. A low rumble swept over the mountain causing a huge avalanche. The trees were falling like dominoes, rolling down from the top towards us in the form of a landslide. โShit!โ Lucius stared at us. Fear flashed in his eyes. โRun! Away from the valley!โ โGo ahead, Iโll follow!โ โRen, what are you doing?โ Amelia stopped running, turni
AMELIA โOh, Goddess.โ I instantly sensed extreme fear everywhere. The pack was under attack. I pulled out the sword from my back and swung it at the wolf attacking Jaxon, pinning him to the ground. โJaxon, donโt move!โJaxon froze. The wolf hadnโt seen me, and I took it to my advantage. The blade made a zing sound, piercing my ear. Its head nearly separated from its body. โAmelia, weโre under attack!โ Zeph said. My brother was one of the members who hadnโt shifted yet, but carrying a gun. โWho are these people?โ I asked him as he shot the werewolf in the head and watched him drop dead to the ground. โThe fuck I knew. I called Zarah, but the New York packs were also under attack. I couldnโt reach Alpha Knight.โ โCan you hold for a moment? Where are the others?โ โWomen and children are already in the bunker. The rest of the guys are fighting at the borders. Where are you going?โ โGetting a reinforcement. It wonโt be long.โ I dialed Zarah, and she did not pick up, which left me on
AMELIA Lucius struggled to start telling me the story of his sigil, but I waited patiently. I wanted to know why it came and went, and why it appeared now. He drew a deep breath and let it go slowly. โA few months after you died, I had constantly dreamed of you dying. It was a nightmare for weeks. I couldnโt sleep. I didnโt want to sleep, and it drove me crazy. One of the elders told me about a Shaman. I tracked him for a week and found him in Asia, in Mongolia. He was retired, peacefully living in the forest, but the people there accused him of practicing witchcraft. I saved him before they could shoot him with arrows.โ โOh, Goddess. That was awful.โ โYeah. Then I told him the story and my dreams. He healed me. I stayed there for a few days. Then he gave me this sigil. He only touched me, and the sigil on his arm moved to my neck. He said it would protect me from harm and evil spirits, and also warn me for the incoming threats. I didnโt trust it at first, then it sometimes felt l
RYDEN Lucius rubbed the sigil on his neck. My instinct told me it was a warning sign, and he failed to inform us about it. It wasnโt there before. Suddenly, it appeared when he was in danger. Was that how he survived being hunted all these years? I could see now the dreaded look in his eyes. โWhat did Margaret do over there?โ I couldnโt figure out what she did earlier than casting a spell, and I was hoping it would be useful. โTrap spell.โ He didnโt explain further, but Lucius seemed to know what he was doing.I learned to trust him. He had more honor, humility, and integrity than most alphas. In fact, he was better than me in so many ways. I had tons of respect for him as the Alpha King.โAsk Amelia for her sword?โ Confused, I asked, โWhy?โ Then I saw his sigil lit up in the color of a fire that terrified me, not his sigil, but what was about to happen. โWhat the fuck is going on?โ โCalm down. Just act normal.โ He walked along with me to the pack house. โLucius.โ I gritted my
RYDEN Once he released me, I marched toward Amelia. With my heart felt like crushing in my chest, I stared at this person who had Ameliaโs face, wearing the same clothes. โWhoโs this?โ โMeet, Arakiel, but I doubt if heโs Arakiel,โ Lucius told me, holding his sigil. The Arakiel had my Ameliaโs face smirked. The evil smirked, making the hair at the back of my neck stand. โArenโt you clever? How did you figure it out?โ โWhereโs Amelia, demon?โ I asked her, and she just laughed at me. โYouโre not Arakiel, are you?โ Lucius asked. โYou used your fatherโs name, who owned the wings at the tower?โ He faced Lucius, leaning towards him, looking at him eye-to-eye. Her eyes were dark as an abyss. โYou know for a fact that this is not Arakiel or his son anymore. Iโve been trying to kill you all these years, and you managed to escape and stay alive. Iโm impressed Alexander, or do you prefer me to call you Lucius.โ โWhereโs my mate?โ I summoned the fire, forming a fireball in my palm. She on
AMELIA I suckled in a breath, waking up to a reality. I thought I made it through, but it was like a dream talking to them, telling them what I saw. But I swore I was there before something pulled me out. I cracked my eyes open, only to see the same darkness I walked in before. I quickly got on my feet.โWhat the hell?โ I felt like someone just pulled the ground under my feet, throwing me through the hole into the abyss. I tried to walk through many times, but I was still here, in this wasteland of dying people. It was horribleโ the smell of death and corpses. The atmosphere was worse than the desert in summer. It felt like being inside the heating pot without the water and my skin kept simmering. The canister smoked a long time ago, and those people stopped running after me. They couldnโt keep up anymore and went back to whatever they were digging. I realized they were not dead. They were just trapped here to starve to death. There was nothing left but bones and skin. The hollow
AMELIA Victor scoffed but it came out like a pig snort. โI would have tried it weeks ago if I knew how.โ โWhere are we anyway?โ โCall it hell because this is hell to me. Itโs his lair anyway.โ Or another dimension. โI know you can help me, Victor. I need you to think. Maybe you know an incantation or something.โ โThese people worked at the council and the Enochian. They knew many things, and they tried everything. Do you think we would last a day here if we knew how to escape? Weโre gonna die here, Amelia. I hope youโve said goodbye to the people you loved.โ โNo!โ I stood up, towering over him. โI donโt believe that! I will find a way. And you wonโt die here either. This is all your fault. You and Alec fell under his spell, you pathetic lapdog. I will take you with me and you will pay for what youโve done!โ โDo you think I havenโt been paying for everything I did? Keeping me in the cell at the council was way way better than down here no food and smell like a rotten corpse.โ โ
AMELIAThree years laterEnochian Institute โOkay, bud. Are you ready?โ Ryden towered at his son as he tried to prepare him for his first day of school. โNo, Dad. Please, donโt call me buddy or bud anymore. Iโm six years old. Alex is fine.โ I looked at them and tried hard not to grin. When Ryden saw my smile, I looked away. โYou will always be my boy, so I can call you bud or buddy until you get a girlfriend or have kids on your own.โ โMom, I need help here. I want to be like every kid at the institute.โ When he gave me this puppy-eyes look, the same look he gave me when he wanted to be with his Uncle Ren or Uncle Drak. I knelt before him as I fixed his coat. Alex was carrying a blue backpack. I looked right into his blue-green eyes. Every time I looked at him, he always reminded me of his father. โMy love, listen to me. You grow up so fast. Me and your dad still see you like our two-year-old boy. Thatโs why Dad still calls you buddy, and itโs actually cool that you and Dad ar
AMELIA I still cried whenever I felt alone. I still cried to sleep knowing he was gone because he wanted me to live. The feeling of losing someone I loved hit differently. It felt like I lost a part of me, a part of my soul. I woke up to the blinding light streaming from the opened window. Or at least I felt like I just woke up when the image of my father appeared before me. โDad?โ I sat up on the bed. I was still sleeping in the same bed I shared with Lucius. โWhy did you let it happen? Why did you accept his deal? Now Iโm all alone.โ โYouโre not alone, Amelia.โ I wiped the first tear that fell on my cheek. โI died twice. You should have let me die. I canโt. I canโt take it anymore. Lucius was a good man. He had a lot of things to live for.โ โAnd you donโt?โ he asked me calmly. โI know life isnโt fair, but I donโt deserve another chance. I would have swapped places with him. These people need their alpha.โ โAmelia.โ He stood before me. โHe accomplished his mission in life. H
RYDEN The moment I received a call from Drak, I knew something terrible had happened. He couldnโt hide the sadness in his voice. I quickly asked help from Zarah to send me to the Blood Moon Pack. Every last member of Luciusโ pack was around. His compound was crowded with the people who loved him, who believed in his cause, and the people he saved and had given a second chance. As I entered the house, a howl of mourning echoed from the forest. It was heart-wrenching. I didnโt only feel extremely sad about losing a great alpha, but he was also a savior and a hero, and I was proud to call him a friend. โThis is so unfair.โ Amelia ran into me. She looked like sheโd been crying. She really looked like a mess, with wet cheeks, and red eyes and nose. โThis canโt be happening.โ โIโm so sorry, my love.โ I took her in my arms. I knew my presence wouldnโt help the fact that Lucius was gone, but I was hoping I could somehow help ease the pain in her chest. โHeโs gone, Ryden. Heโs gone.โ She
AMELIAIf this was the last day we had together, then I would make the best of it. I couldnโt fathom a life without him, my hero, who sacrificed everything so I could live another day. He was the true savior, not me. He was the true leader, the greatest alpha Iโd ever met. He deserved that recognition, yet, here he was, waiting until he let go of his last breath and succumbed to death.It was unfair. Life was so fucked up and unfair. โMaybe you should give me an heir. I wanna have a mini you, please?โ I wiped my tears away. โFor that, I might be able to forgive myself. Then Iโm going to tell him the story of how amazing and brave his father was, his sacrifices for this world, and how much we love each other, and show him our photos together.โ โI will give you everything, my love. If we have a son, I want you to teach him to be a good man and respect and treat Ryden as his father. If we have a girl, tell her, that her father will always be watching her. Tell them their father loves t
AMELIA Lucius pulled away, looking right into my eyes. โWeโre not doing it again, Amelia. Iโve accepted my fate.โ โWell, Iโm not! You should have told me. I could have done something other than keeping me in the dark. I have every right to know, Lucius. Have you forgotten that?โ โI know that, my love, and Iโm so sorry.โ โSave it,โ I said as I faced Ryden and pointed a finger at his face. โYou, I trusted you. Are you happy now? Lucius had sacrificed his life twice for me so I could be with you. And I only asked one thing. Just one thing from you, and you couldnโt do it. You canโt be honest with me. Why should I stay with you if you donโt value honesty?โ Ryden looked away as pain and agony laced in his eyes. โAmelia, donโt say that,โ Lucius said. โOh, so now youโre his best friend because youโre peas in a pod?โ โAmelia, I know this is hard, but Lucius made his decision. You would have been dead by now and the rest of the werewolves who had fallen that day.โ Shit. Zarah was right
AMELIA It had been three months since that war against The Director ended, and our lives had finally returned back to normal. The pack was going strong. No more sightings of demons and wraiths. No more threats other than rogues on occasion. The mother and son Ryden took in, and some werewolves had become the new pack members. Theia and Bryan were still like cat and mouse, but I could feel how much their relationship had developed, especially when it was built with trust. The two elemental werewolves had begun their training at Elysian. We still talked over the phone, especially with Ryden, since he was one of them. Margaret finally woke up a few days after I went back home. Zarah, Samarah, and her had never been closer, and that made me happy. My Relationship with Ryden had never been strong. I told him everything, and he forgave me. He and Lucius seemed to have formed a friendship, which was weird. Since the day I left the hotel room, I stayed close to Lucius, not as a mate or
AMELIA I joined him in bed and kissed him on the lips, and he scooped me so I could rest on top of him. I curled into a fetal position as he wrapped his arms around me, his fingers tracing my spine. I felt tiny and fragile when I was with him, but powerful at the same time. He sighed again as if something was bothering him. โHow did you find me?โ โYour mate gave me your letter. I supposed you went back from where you started. Did you mean what you said?โ He was talking about the letter. โAll of it.โ โHmm.โ He kissed the top of my head. โHe came to me. Heโs worried about you, sweetheart. You should go back.โ โWhat about you?โ I lifted my head and looked him in the eye. โI always trust what you do that you know whatโs best for you. Like always, I wonโt control you.โ He smiled as he tucked my hair behind my ear. โBut of course, I get worried all the time even though I know you can take care of yourself.โ โHowโs everyone?โ โIโm not telling you anything, Amelia. Itโs about time y
AMELIA โI want you right now, Alexander.โ The moment those words left my mouth, he carried me to the bed in my hotel room. He ripped my clothes from my body until I was naked and exposed. Then he spread my legs wide, and one thing led to another. My ovary was throwing a party as he dipped his head between my legs. A gasp escaped my lips as he pressed the softest kisses on my foot, my leg, and my inner thighs, nipping my skin. Then captured my entire pussy with his hot mouth. โAh!โ My hips bucked, hand came to his head to grab a handful of his hair, shamelessly pushing his mouth to my sex. Then he dragged his tongue from my folds upward to my clit, making my head spin. Tingles ran down my spine as I shuddered in delight. โGoddess!โ I panted, rocking into his talented tongue, stroking my clit. Every muscle in my body clenched, and my legs trembled. Then he glided it in my entrance, thrusting in and out, alternately sucking my sensitive hard nub. Tension instantly coiled in my lowe
AMELIA โSo where are you going?โ Gaia asked. Sheโd been spending some time with Ren and Theia while Nora was trying to fix the broken relationship she had with her father. With Victor in the council jail, there was no threat to Alec anymore. โI donโt know yet.โ I looked at the three of them. โPlease, take care of each other. The greater demon might be gone, but there are still a lot of bad people out there. Maybe the good citizens could use your help.โ โIโm gonna miss you.โ Theia hugged me. โDonโt be gone too long, okay?โ โI wonโt, but you should go and be with the Caltech dropout.โ โI will. Ren doesnโt need a driver anymore. Heโs the monkey king after all.โ She got a groan from Ren. โGaia and he will start a new adventure anyway.โ โI have to go.โ I hugged Ren tight. โThanks for not giving up on me. You always have a place in the pack. I love you, Ren. Iโll see you soon.โ โI love you, too, Amelia. Donโt be a stranger. Visit the Raito house once in a while.โ โOnce I figure out