Derek“I can’t do that,” my words made my mate stop once more.If hell was a feeling I was certainly there now. To hear her say those words, that even if she forgave me she couldn’t forget… it was far too painful for me to withstand. How could I, when she had even implied that I should move on and marry another? That I should forget about having her back in my life, save for the twins? It was like she was a judge of my sins, damning me to a life sentence filled with eternal regret and pain.“That’s not for you to decide,” she responded to me.My wolf roiled in me, straining to reach out to our mate through the bond. That mate bond with was warm in my chest now bhrnwd with the power do a thousand suns.“I’m not going to do as you wish this time, Alisha,” i said to her, my tone certain and leaving no room for doubt. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t for you to decide either. I can’t move on, and leave you behind. Not when I know it would be a lie. I can’t be a husband to anyone else, and no on

DerekShe shook her head as did Benjamin.“You’re not going alone, Derek,” Alisha was the one who said that, and Mischa and Benjamin looked to be in agreement.“If it’s something like this then the less everyone else knows about this the better,” my best friend seemed to agree with my mate. “Let’s hit at them tonight. We can destroy their borders while we’re at it.”“I’m coming too,” Mischa said, and Benjamin was about to protest, but she gave him a glare, and spoke again, “Don’t tell me you forget how I’m also a warrior, Ben. I can handle myself and this mission will be a breeze, trust me. I’m not staying back.”My best friend looked like he had tasted a lemon, but didn’t say anything to refute what his mate had said and she looked mighty satisfied at that.“I’ll get Hilda and Mark to watch the twins,” Alisha added, and I nodded. “I can trust them to handle anything that comes up.”A part of me truly wanted to also stop her from doing so - putting herself in danger wasn’t something I

DerekMission accomplished, I thought with triumph.“At least the chief guard didn’t pose us much trouble once we caught him,” Benjamin remarked.Alisha was silent; I didn’t know why but it didn’t please me one bit.“Don’t you think that was too easy?” Mischa asked, and I assumed my mate agreed for she nodded.“Too easy,” she repeated her friend’s words. “The chief guard practically begged us to kill him.”“It’s possible there are more dissenting opinions on Sebastian than we thought,” in said, stating my thoughts. “He didn’t look happy to see us but he didn’t look willing to die for his sock either. At least he spoke highly of the Beta.”“The same Beta who was supposed to be Sebastian’s replacement by their pack Elders? Definitely isn’t on the Alpha’s side then.”I rubbed my eyes as we made our way back through the small gate at our borders. Too much thoughts and too little sleep too make sense of it all.At least it seemed likely that the Res Wolf Pack could win this battle quicker

I could hardly get the thought of Melissa out of my head. I was lucky to have the day off due to my late night yesterday, and today was not a clinic day. But I only remembered Keenan, my biological father, and how he had died without ever letting me know I was his actual daughter.I held the locket in my palms now, gazing at the portrait inside it.I felt fear that I would lose someone else that I loved. It was something i never thought about but that was why I was overly protective of my children, and why I had worried so much about Mischa going off with some warrior she didn’t know. I didn’t want Melissa to die suddenly without knowing the love of her grandchildren, or knowing her family was at peace with each other.Shaking myself, i stood up and gave myself a brief once over with the small mirror on the wall before moving down to the kitchen where I knew Mischa and Benjamin were. My eyes found the golden eyes of Derek who seemed to have just arrived, and I cleared my throat so tha

AlishaI pursed my lips and looked over myself again, feeling my face warm up at the sound of my adoptive father’s disapproval. By the goddess, what was wrong with how I looked?I was used to dressing up in a more militaristic way, with no desire for fashion and every need for practical approaches. I had no dresses of my own, and barely had a colour that was girly in any way.Muttering under my breath I went back to my room and reached to open the closet, which I avoided y mess it was to keep some of my children’s items.Simon’s late mate had some clothes still left behind that he hadn’t gotten rid of. I suspected part of the reason he hadn’t gotten rid of them was because of me.Perusing quickly through the blouses folded in the corner I selected one out and made to change into it with a sigh.Peer pressure, and the things I did for the people I loved.I was glad that I got an approving glance from my adoptive father this time and I left the pack clinic through the back entrance and