BLADE. “If they start blaming you, I will cast them out of our packhouse and our territory.” I told her as I wiped the tears from her cheeks with my thumb. “You will?” “I will do that. Should I let them come here?” I asked. “You’re naked, Blade.” “I didn’t even notice.” I chuckled softly. “Lucy and Patrea will see you.” I wanted to tell her they had seen me naked, not just today but the other times that I shifted into my wolf and shifted back to my human, but I didn’t want to argue with her. I knew where she was coming from, as I would never want Lucius, Stone, or any males to see her naked. “I can put clothes on, and I can change yours too, but would you like a bath?” She initially nodded but then changed her mind and shook her head. “Maybe later. I don’t want to keep them waiting. Maybe they will get bored.” “This is about you, Althea. I can tell them you’re okay and want to rest. We will meet them later.” “Do you think it’s okay?” “Yes. I know they want to see you, bu

BLADE.“She doesn’t love him!” I growled as my eyes dilated before I lunged at Lucius. I couldn’t take what he said, even if I myself had thought of that to keep her alive. But the possibility that she was in love with him was such a dagger to my heart that I could not control my outburst. I knew Althea loved me, but what if she felt the same way for him and was just not aware of it?A powerful force knocked me off even before I was able to reach Lucius, but instead of my body being slammed into a wall or somewhere, I floated as if I were in an invisible bubble while everyone around me was staring at me. And before any words could come out from any of us, the adjoining door opened, and my very naked Althea stood there holding the doorknob, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at me.“Fuck!” I growled at her naked state, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t get out of where I was.Althea was covered up in seconds, wearing jeans and a simple t-shirt. I had no idea who among them c

QUEEN PATREA. The moment Althea appeared in the bedroom where we were, I knew something had changed. Or maybe I was just feeling guilty for keeping the secret from her. But I’d been keeping this secret since I met her for more than six months. It shouldn’t be any different, but somehow, I knew something had changed — if it was her or me, I needed to find out. After Blade had calmed down, we decided to discuss everything in his office. We waited until they appeared, and the moment they did, Lucy asked Althea to come to her to check on her marks. As soon as she walked away from Blade, I created a floating fire in bold letters behind her, asking Blade: Did you tell her she’s not my blood? Blade shook his head. I then changed the letters: We are not telling her yet. And he nodded. No argument. No objection. He just agreed. I had no idea as to why, but I wanted to believe we both didn’t wish for Althea to feel unwanted, either by us or by her biological parents, until I got an

BLADE.I was not comfortable letting Althea use her spells tonight, but I didn’t want to upset her by rejecting her idea of finding Fabian. Lucius and Adan reminded me earlier to avoid angering Althea, as it might trigger something from the necklace, as it seemed that the azurite stone had an attachment to her. And since they knew the stone was protected and created by dark magic, triggering any forces could pull Althea towards the dark side of witchcraft.They said they would find more information, but it was up to me to make sure Althea would not draw energy from the necklace. I had no idea how I would manage not to anger my little witch when it seemed she would snap at me if I said no to her every whim. I just needed the necklace off her neck. “We’re here.” I slapped her ass lightly before I let her down on her feet, but I didn’t let her get away from me. I turned her body around and pressed my torso against her back before snaking my arms around her shoulders, caging her into m

BLADE. “Thank you, sir.” The little girl said politely, but she refused to meet my eyes. The female, whom I now identified as Adora, was carrying her. “Are you afraid of me?” I asked, trying to soften my tone, but with my build and how hoarse my voice was, it was next to impossible. She didn’t reply, but she nodded her head with her gaze still fixated on the ground. I felt Adora wanted to take her away, but I refused to make way and still blocked them. “I’m not a bad guy.” “I know, sir. I don’t like... people looking at me. They look at me all the time.” “Very well, then. Are you sure you will be okay with her?” “Yes, sir. My spirits don’t like her, so it means she’s good.” I was baffled by her answer, but I was not able to ask more as Adora slipped past me. And as soon as she did, she began running away. I saw her grab another female’s hand, and they both ran away. It was only now that I was trying to remember everything that I could see — that the female she grabbed was the