ALTHEA. After the fire had taken all of Fabian’s physical body and there was nothing left but his ashes, the people began leaving until it was just me and Blade left. We sat in front of the big fire as he told me about their childhood. How their parents died together in an accident when he was already an Alpha, and how Fabian came home after that. Fabian left their pack when he turned nineteen. He wanted to do things to follow his heart. He loved traveling and painting. For three years, he traveled around the world, but he never forgot to send pictures to Blade. He knew Blade couldn’t do what he was doing because he had a pack to manage. So he told him he would see and discover the world for both of them. For three years, he was able to do what he wanted, but when their parents died, he came home without being asked. And he had never left Blade’s side ever since. He said it was just the two of them, and they should stick together. Fabian kept that promise, but Blade didn’t.

BLADE. “I lost everything… but I found Althea. She’s the only light that I see in my life right now.” I said this without breaking eye contact with my people. The atmosphere in the crowd changed, and the stare I was getting became warmer. Maybe this is what my pack was waiting for — for me to explain my side. This pack has always been supportive, despite my not showing any emotions almost all the time. Before I met Soledad, I would always get an invitation for any celebrations, no matter how small they were. Some I would attend, and some I couldn’t. But they never took it against me, and I would always get another invitation. It changed after I came back. There were no more invitations, and they barely acknowledged me in public. Whenever I would walk the streets, people would hide inside their homes or shops. The elders no longer stopped by the packhouse for brief conversations, nor did they send me flowers or pastries. Although, lately, Althea has been getting gifts — just for h

ALTHEA. “I hope I’m wrong with my intuition because there’s no way I would let my child be with Alastor.” I let out a sigh as I leaned back on the small couch inside the cabin. We moved from the outside, and we’d been discussing this topic for the last ten minutes. We just kept going around in circles, as we had no answers to any of our questions. “I’m sure there’s another reason and not that one. Besides, Lucy was a half-wolf, too, so she got mated to a wolf. Alastor is a pure demon, so there’s no way…” “I’m a pure witch, but I got mated to Blade.” I cut Patrea. “What I’m trying to say is that it looks like a werewolf could be mated to other species, not just their own. So a possibility exists that my child could be mated to another species, such as a demon.” “I know. But let’s not let that idea get to us. We should be celebrating your child. We only need to keep that witchling safe against Alastor, for whatever reason he wants it alive.” I nodded. Patrea sat beside me before

ALTHEA. “Mine!” Aldrin growled at an intensity I had never heard from him. My eyes widened at the feral expression on his face. This man had always been calm, and even when we were in danger, I had never seen this fierce expression from him. If I ever doubted he was capable of handling and making his men follow his order, it went out of the window. Aldrin was more than what met the eye. Because I was sure, despite seeing an Alpha and two Betas before him, he looked like he was ready to rip someone’s heart out. Thalia had told me stories about shifters’ mates and how men could be territorial, especially if it was the first time they were meeting their mates, and they had no idea if a female was taken or already mated. I was sure I was seeing that today. Blade moved me, and in an instant, I was already behind him, his arm blocking me from going anywhere. “Calm the fuck down!” Beta Dalton must have seen the same thing I saw, as he was facing the direction where Aldrin stood,

BLADE. The pack was in celebratory mode the moment Aldrin announced he had found his fated mate. The people didn’t care if she was not moving into our territory yet, but they were just happy that their ranked wolves were already complete. Everything happened so fast that, by the end of the day, it was Collin who went home with a broken heart. The fucker couldn’t believe his sister found her mate in my pack, and even if he was glad that it was Aldrin, the way he hugged Sheena before he left was telling me he was having a hard time letting his sister go. Meanwhile, my future Gamma Female decided to stay for the night, and Aldrin would drive her back to her university tomorrow. I had no idea how my Gamma did it — that he was able to change her mind in less than thirty minutes. If I had known Aldrin had the capability to melt a female’s heart in an instant, I should have taken lessons from him and avoided the many slaps and insults that I received from Althea. But that was all in