[Alexander]The last thing I needed was the insistent ringing of my cell phone. I picked a tree large enough to hide behind, far enough from any pairs of eyes that might witness the magic of shapeshifting, and began to undress. I didn’t have the liberty of tearing my clothes to shreds to allow the wolf to take over, and I barely knew what Acalanes Ridge was home to - except for witches of course. In my haste to leave, I didn’t think a change of clothes would be necessary until I heard the sound of my mate.I lifted my hoodie off my head, grunting in frustration when the ringing persisted. The screen showed my sister’s caller identity, and I had no choice but to answer the call.“Mel just arrived with the book. The Grimoire?”“Yes. Can you translate it?”“I told you I’ll try. Hold on -”I heard Layla in the background calling for Amelia. I waited as I heard Amelia’s footsteps take the tile

[Alexander]Amelia , Adam and Layla had their dinner, while Valerie and I offered to babysit Ava, whose eyes were becoming heavier the longer she smiled and cooed every time Valerie tickled her chin or spoke to her in hushed tones. The tenderness exuding from my mate struck a chord in my heart - one that longed to see her being as happy as she was now, with a child of her own. Even I yearned to hold a little one in my arms - a feeling I never felt before until I watched how natural it was for Valerie to watch over my niece.There was, however, too much going on for me to entertain the idea of reproducing right now. Our enemy still lurked out there, and the thought of putting another life - an innocent one - in danger, made me glad that producing a child wasn’t the only reason why I needed a mate. Yes, I was an Alpha werewolf, and I’d been pressured by my father to bring a pup into this world, but so was I human - with a beating heart that craved love just as mu

[Alexander]** One Year Ago **Ava’s birth was what brought our family closer than ever. I found myself spending more time at Amelia’s place than I did at my own apartment, but I enjoyed our family dinners and the time I got to spend holding my niece in my arms. She was so tiny, I was afraid to hold her when she first came home, but as the weeks passed and she grew into the cutest little baby I had ever seen, I was getting more comfortable with playing with her.Ava enjoyed it when I held her above my head, whisking her through the air and making whooshing sounds. She’d laugh until I imagined her tummy ached from the motion, then cried when it was time to be fed.“I got this.” I assured Amelia, who was there in an instant when she heard her baby cry. I went to the kitchen and got a bottle of stored milk from the fridge, then sat down at the island table to feed Ava.“You’re a natural with her.” Amelia mused, &l

[Alexander]I was searching for Val’s scent as the pungent sandalwood fragrance infiltrated my nostrils, and remembered that she’d masked our scent glands with some odourless substance. I squeezed her hand tighter as if to make sure she was still beside me, still real, and felt my trepidation ease up enough to keep me going. An old lady appeared from the back - the fortune teller, I assumed - and as soon as Valerie saw her, she gasped and let go of my hand to walk up to the woman.“Getrude?” Valerie stepped forward.“Ah, child, it is lovely to see you again.” The woman lifted her arms and wrapped Valerie in a hug.It was strange - Valerie didn’t seem bothered by the fact that this was, after all, a witch - like our enemies. But it wasn’t unlike her to be friendly with them. It just irked me that this was the same witch who had some kind of link to Elena if she was the one who could tell us where the witch leader was

[Alexander]We’d spent a long time at the mall, walking around and window-shopping. It was too late to drive out to Oakland, so we agreed that we would do it first thing in the morning. As time went on, I learned more about Valerie - like the fact that she was an avid fan of Marvel movies.“Really? I would have pegged you as a Harry Potter fan.” I asked as we stood outside the cinema staring at a poster.“Nah, we are magic beings, I was hardly interested in that. Black Widow, on the other hand,” Valerie bit her bottom lip and turned doe, pleading eyes on me.“You really wanna watch a movie? Right now?”“I mean,” Valerie shrugged, “We haven’t really been on a date before.”Ah! I wanted to kick myself. I hadn’t realized that Valerie - under all that magnificence - was also a normal girl who enjoyed the simpler things in life. She was just like me, and that’s why we clicked