Blessed to the Luna

FATED SERIES
BOOK FOUR
JESSICA HALL
Copyright © 2020 by Jessica Hall
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission from
the publisher or author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Design by Zhandre Dex G. (MC Damon)
 Contents

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48

Authors I suggest
Fated Series
Also by Jessica Hall
 Chapter

One

A ndrei
The excitement still feels fresh, my entire body is buzzing. All
that, and more, because I know that now, Sage is mine and officially
the pack’s Luna.
I am woken by her wrapping her body around mine as she gets
comfortable in her sleep. Her leg hooks over my waist, and I am more than
content with the thought of remaining in bed with her all day, snuggled up
close to her.
We are finally getting somewhere, and she trusts me. If she didn't, Sage
would never have agreed to let me mark her or asked me to do it.
That knowledge alone is enough to make my blackened heart leap with
joy. Rolling on my side to face her, I brush her hair over her shoulder to
admire my mark that lies etched into her flesh. I don’t think there is
anything more rewarding or exciting than the sight of my mark, showing
the entire world that she is mine. Mine and mine alone.
I brush my fingers over it, and she shivers, her eyes flutter open, and a
sleepy smile spreads across her lips.
“Morning,” she whispers, snuggling closer and tucking her face under
my chin. I hear her sigh as she inhales my scent.
My fingers trace lazily down her side to her hip. I don’t want to move, I
am enjoying the sparks rushing over me everywhere her skin touches. My
reaction to having her so close, with her naked body pressed tightly against
me, is painfully obvious, I hope she doesn’t freak out. So for now I just
enjoy the moment.
 As time slips by, my pants become increasingly uncomfortable, and it
will only be a matter of time before she realizes and shifts away from me. I
remain still, soaking up as much of her scent as possible while silently
dreading the moment she notices my situation.
Eventually, I will have to move, and she will freak out like she does
every time. However, that scenario is something I really want to avoid, so I
roll on my back with the intention of forcing myself out of bed.
Only when I try to escape Sage tugs me back. “Stay, it's still early,” she
whines, and I stifle a laugh.
Sage never pouts or whines, but now that she does, I can’t say no to her
as she refuses to let go of my arm and keeps trying to pull me closer. Laying
back down I pat my chest and she moves, tossing her leg over me again and
snuggling her head on my chest.
I try to cross my legs without her catching on, but her thigh brushes
against me, and I freeze. Time stops as I hold my breath, expecting the
worst to happen. It might be a meltdown, or her fear filling the room, or
worst of all - she might have another panic attack.
“Is that why you were trying to leave?” Sage asks with a yawn, and she
tries to cover her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Yeah, I didn’t want you to panic, so if you just let me up, I can go get
rid of it and come back,” I offer her, but she shakes her head.
“It’s fine, Andrei. Unless you're uncomfortable.”
“Pretty sure I can manage.” I chuckle at her. Sage nods, her hand
running up and down my stomach. My muscles tense at the trail of sparks
her fingertips leave. “If you keep doing that, you will make me
uncomfortable,” I warn her, grabbing her hand and bringing it to my lips to
kiss her knuckles.
The newly forged bond connecting us lets me prod to gauge her
emotions. One bonus of the mate bond, I can feel her emotions at long last.
However, right now I can’t feel any nervous energy coming from her. Sage
can feel me too, our bond must feel a hundred times stronger to her.
“It is stronger. She knows we won’t hurt her. She feels safe with us,”
Donnie proudly tells me, and I can’t help but smile at his words.
At least she doesn’t think I am a monster, not in that sense, anyway.
Sage doesn’t share the same opinion as everyone else, who believes I am
the same dark Alpha, from a few months ago. Still, sometimes those urges
spring up, but it is getting easier to fight them.
 “Just remember to keep your head,” Donnie adds.
His insane urge to kill has completely faded. Not that he ever really
shared the same bloodlust for their screams as I did. It has been gone ever
since the moment we met Sage. Donnie's desire to hurt others is now a mere
memory as if he has had a personality transplant. If only I were the same,
yet I don’t think I will ever get rid of the hatred for them. I doubt I will ever
rid myself of the anger that resides in me, patiently waiting to be unleashed.
“What are you thinking about?” Sage questions, propping herself up on
her elbow and looking down at me. She presses the crease between my
brows, smoothing it out with her index finger.
“Nothing and everything,” I admit as she peers down at me like she is
trying to figure me out. There is a worried look on her face, one I hate
seeing on her. I lift my hand and cup her cheek. She leans into my touch.
“I’m fine, Sage. Sometimes I become stuck in my head."
She nods and leans down to press her lips to mine. She smiles against
my lips when I nip at hers. My fingers tangle in her hair as I deepen the
kiss. Her tongue brushes mine softly when I pull her on top of me, her legs
straddle me, and without thinking, I grab her ass before I realize what I
have done a second too late.
Her heart rate spikes, yet she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she kisses me
harder, her tongue fighting mine for dominance.
My dick throbs painfully with the crazed need to bury myself inside her.
I pull away to break the kiss, but in response, Sage growls at me. It takes a
moment for her to understand what she has done as I sit up. Her cheeks turn
a light shade of pink in her embarrassment at riling me up more.
“Sorry, I don’t know why I did that,” she murmurs.
As the words leave her lips, her arousal surges through the bond. It
smashes into me like a freight train, catching me completely off guard. But
with it comes tingles of uneasiness.
“It’s the bond. The pull is stronger now,” I explain. She sighs, and I grip
her chin, tilting her face back to mine. “Don’t be embarrassed, you’re
supposed to feel like that,” I scold her, nipping her lips gently and sucking
her bottom lip into my mouth.
She moans softly, pressing her body closer to me, and a deep purr
escapes her throat. It vibrates in her chest while her arousal perfumes the
room and I clutch her.
 The scent is so foreign to me it burns through my senses. Sage never
gets aroused. The closest she has gotten was when she let me eat her out.
And yet, all I want and can think of is how much I wish to catch the whiff
of this, every second of every day, for the rest of my life.
Usually, the only thing I get is the smell of her fear. She wraps her arms
around my neck, deepening the kiss. I roll her hips against me, and she
moans into my mouth.
I press her against the bed and move between her legs, and I press some
of my weight down on her when Donnie warns me. “Don’t push her too far,
Andrei. You know she sits on a blade's edge.”
“She seems fine,” I growl back at him.
“Because of the bond and Sierra, Sage is going off feeling now, and she
will break if you keep pushing her too far,” he snaps at me.
I pull away from her lips and focus on trailing kisses down her cheek,
jaw, and neck before letting her take my weight, my raging hard-on
pressing against her.
A loud, heavy moan escapes her, and the next moment, she freezes. Her
hand grips my hair, and she pushes her fear aside, but I don’t miss the slight
tremble of her fingers when I suck on her mark. Her hips involuntarily
grind against me, and I move away from her neck, aware that her reaction is
caused only by me touching that spot.
Her hips are still as I nip and kiss her jaw. I quickly press my lips to
hers and don’t let her pull me into another one of her tempting kisses. “We
should stop,” I whisper. Her breathing is hard. Her lust-filled gaze focuses
on my lips. I smile but stay strong and force down the desperate hunger that
burns in my chest.
“Maybe we could try,” she suggests, but her nervousness creeps back in.
As much as I hate it, I understand I need to move away before I do
anything that could send her spiraling back. But before I can act like a
responsible adult, Sage rushes forward, pressing her lips to mine, and pulls
me back to her. Once again, our lips lock, and I doubt I can hold myself
back longer if she keeps tempting me like this.
I groan at her warmth pressed against my crotch, and feel her need for
release. It overrides her as my hand moves between her legs. Her heart rate
spikes again as I graze my fingertips against her slit. A low growl leaves my
lips when I feel the moisture between her thighs.
“Mr. Andrei,” I hear a voice in the distance.
 My body tenses, but I shake it off. I must be hearing things. Fuck, I
hope I am because there is no saying when the next time Sage will allow me
to touch her might come. This is already the second time she has given me
the green light. I’m not willing to risk it.
“Mr. Andrei!” I hear a child's voice again, but this time, the child is
screaming at the top of their lungs. Sage jumps, hearing it too, and then
comes the knocking. That’s beyond odd. The steel door barely picks up
noise.
“Is that?” Sage asks.
“Jonah,” I answer with an annoyed growl.
 Chapter

Two

“M r. Andrei!” The voice gets louder, and Sage giggles.

“Jonah likes you,” she points out, her lips twitching.
“He can’t help it,” I sigh as I roll my eyes at the unexpected
visit of what I assume is now my new best friend. And yet as annoying as it
is, I know it isn’t the boy’s fault, and I can’t blame him for anything.
Children, especially orphans, are drawn to auras they feel to be safest
near.
However, why he gets that from me is beyond me. I am far from
approachable, even I know that.
I get up, move to the window to wave him off or spot someone to tell
him to go away. Only when I toss back the curtain, he is at the window,
nearly making me jump out of my skin as he balances on the ledge on the
second floor. Sage shrieks, scrambling to cover herself with the blanket.
“Jonah, what the heck are you doing? How did you get up here?” I
demand, both terrified and amazed at the same time. This little brat is
something else.
“The ladder,” he says, and I look out the window for a ladder but don’t
see one.
My eyebrows furrow as I return my gaze to the boy. “What ladder?
What are you doing?”
“This ladder?” He asks, pointing to the side, and I look where he is
pointing. I shake my head and pinch the bridge of my nose with my fingers.
“That is a drain pipe, Jonah. Not a ladder. Now, get down from there,
you don’t look through windows,” I scold him, and Sage giggles behind me
like this kid didn't just become the biggest cock-block ever.
 He grins at her. “Hi, Miss Sage,” he chirps, waving a little too
enthusiastically as he leans too far back.
My heart nearly leaps out of my chest, and I step forward on instinct.
My face smashes against the window when he nearly topples backward. A
horrified shriek leaves Sage behind me before she exhales in relief when
Jonah manages to catch himself.
I rub my nose and glare at him. Pain and initial panic aside, I’m glad the
boy didn’t fall. “Jonah, enough. Now climb back down,” I snap.
Little shit is going to give me a heart attack. When his voice reaches my
ears again, I turn as I watch him shuffle back to the drainpipe. “Mr. Andrei,
I’m scared,” he whimpers. I roll my eyes as I watch him walk back to the
window.
“You climbed up here, you can climb down,” I tell him as he clutches
the drain pipe.
He shakes his head, looking at the ground. He places his foot on the
drainpipe bracket, clinging to the pipe with his hands. The boy freezes and
looks back at me.
“Climb down,” I repeat myself as I motion for him to go back down, but
he shakes his head.
I can’t and don’t bother to hold back the growl of annoyance that leaves
my lips. I was so damn close, so damn painfully close, and now, I have to
deal with this. His little green eyes peer back at me pleadingly, and I roll my
eyes at him.
“Fine, just hang on,” I growl, turn around, and stomp out of the
bedroom, and down the steps. I unlock the door and march around to our
bedroom window. Jonah is still clutching the drainpipe. I suppress the next
growl that threatens to escape me.
I very much want to snap at the boy, at least for his recklessness. Didn’t
he fucking think before he decided to use my house as his playground? He
could get bloody hurt.
“Jonah, can you get down or not? That pipe will not hold my weight,” I
warn him, shaking the thing gently. Maybe that will encourage him to get
down. Worst-case scenario - he will understand how unsafe it is to cling to
that thing and at least try to climb to somewhere safer.
Rushed footsteps echo behind me, so I look over my shoulder. “Jonah, I
told you to leave the Alpha alone, what are you doing up there?” Malik
growls at him.
 “I’m stuck,” Jonah cries out, looking down at us. Malik facepalms
himself right as a very frustrated sigh leaves his lips.
Me too, pal. Whatever you feel right now, I feel it too.
“I’m so sorry, Alpha. I told him to steer clear of here,” Malik
apologizes.
“I wanted to tell Mr. Andrei about his packages,” Jonah whimpers, and
by now, tears are rolling down his cheeks.
“Alright, that’s enough. You will be sitting in the naughty corner when
you climb down!” Malik scolds, and I raise an eyebrow at him.
His head snaps in my direction. “What? That's what my mother did. It is
better than getting the wooden spoon on my backside,” Malik shrugs.
I chuckle, and shake my head, looking back at Jonah. “Jonah, you had
enough of playing around, and now, you climb back down,” I tell him, but
he shakes his head.
I can’t fucking believe it. The little shit is actually going to make me
climb up there and get him down. I wonder where he is hiding that massive
audacity.
“Ah, God damn it, just hang on,” I tell him.
I test the pipe looking at Malik, who is obviously judging me for the
slip-up that escaped me. “Should hold,” he says.
“Feel free to volunteer,” I tell him, and his eyes widen in horror.
Malik is half of my body weight, if not less, so the chance of him
getting up there uninjured is far bigger than mine. However, he is terrified
of heights and would rather bite off his own leg than climb anywhere higher
than a damn stool.
I mutter a slew of curse words under my breath, and Malik snickers as I
clamber up the pipe. It shakes as I climb up, and the thin metal brackets
groan under my weight with complaining creaks as I dig my toes into them,
pulling myself up to Jonah.
Once I get close enough, I grab the back of his shirt. Jonah turns to look
at me, with tears streaking his face, but he is quick to act as he turns his
body and clutches my shoulders.
Sage watches me from the window, wearing nothing but that skimpy
dressing gown of hers. If there has ever been a moment I hate seeing a little
more of my mate’s skin, it has to be this exact moment. How am I supposed
to save a life, or I don’t know, a few bones if I’m distracted by the view?
 However, once I notice how concerned she looks, I push aside every
lustful and filthy thought that is trying to run through my mind. I had my
chance, she insisted, and here I am, climbing a darn pipe.
As I try to take a step down, the bracket snaps under my weight, and the
pipe pulls away from the wall. I feel myself fall backward, as the rush of
adrenaline hits me, and courses through my veins.
Acting on instinct, I let the pipe go, gripping Jonah and shoving him to
the center of my chest. I have to fight my instinct to turn and brace my
hands out to break my fall. Jonah screams bloody murder, he is so loud that
my ears ring right when I smack into the ground, landing on my back.
The impact smashes the air out of my lungs while the little shit is
winding me further as his knees smash into my stomach as he lands on me.
I blankly stare at the sky—everything aches. My entire body is
experiencing some sort of pain, and I don’t know where it starts or ends.
For fuck’s sake, I’m pretty sure even my skin is throbbing, which I thought
was impossible before this accident. My head throbs to its own beat as I
smack it on the grass.
“Oh,” Jonah murmurs as his face comes into focus. Something warm
and wet puddles on my stomach before dripping across my abdomen and
sides. Donnie howls in my head with laughter, and Malik snorts out a laugh.
I glare at him as he leans over us. “I think I peed a little,” Jonah whispers.
Malik erupts with laughter while I am not only fucking sore, but also
drenched in piss. Just to make matters way better, it’s not even my own.
Hell, I’d rather piss over myself than experience this, the kid just marked
his damn territory on me.
Sitting up I groan, it’s not even just a little pee. The little brat lied. I feel
like I could fill a jug if I twisted the piss out of my clothes.
Finally, Jonah scrambles off me. He glances over his shoulder, possibly
to assess the damage of the bent pipe. As he does, he confirms my suspicion
- I might be covered in his piss, but at least I’m not the only one drenched
in it. So is he.
I groan and roll on my side right when Sage comes rushing out of the
house. Her eyes are wide, even wild, and she looks like she is just about to
have a panic attack. A look of relief crosses her face as I stand up, and her
eyes dart between Jonah and me.
“Did you see Miss Sage? I flew off the window and didn’t even get
hurt, not a scratch,” Jonah brags. I can’t believe it, but the little shit is
actually grinning and acting like he’s some kind of a superhero, and this
was merely some stunt or attempt at flying.
The only reason why Jonah didn’t get hurt is that I took the fall for him.
In return, I get to watch him brag about his adventures to my mate. While
I’m the one who is in pain, has some serious hearing damage, and on top of
everything, I now can walk around smelling like a piss factory.
Malik is still laughing and tries to contain himself as he motions for
Jonah to come to him. “That was very naughty, Jonah. You don’t climb
houses, and you peed on the Alpha,” Malik adds, chuckling at the last part,
and I growl at him.
“I need to shower!” I snap at no one in particular and stomp off back
inside the house. No way am I letting them have a laugh at my expense.
Sage follows in my steps, snickering as if this situation is amusing her. I
stop and turn to glare at her, and finally, she stops.
“Are you okay?” She asks, and she bites her lip, trying not to laugh.
“You think this is funny?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at her. Sage forces
her lips together in a line and shakes her head, but I can feel her
amusement.
Somehow, she manages to forget that since I marked her, I can feel her
emotions. Let’s see how long her amusement lasts. I reach for her and wrap
my arm around her waist to pull her towards me. Her heart rate spikes up,
and her breath hitches when I press her body against mine. Sage shrieks and
pushes on my shoulders.
I lean down to hide my face in the crook of her neck and inhale her
scent. Sage relaxes in my arms. Just what I need so I can go in for the
attack. I guide my tongue up her neck until my lips reach her ear, and I
whisper. “Not so funny anymore now that you are covered in piss, too.”
Sage squirms in my hold, desperately trying to break free from my grip
on her. When I finally take pity on her and I let her go, she chuckles. “It’s a
little funny,” she admits weakly.
If I weren’t the one being peed on, I might manage to see the humor of
the situation. Or at least what everyone else deems amusing, then I would
watch from the side. But right now, in my situation, nope, I don’t see the
funny side of what happened.
Instead of escalating the situation and providing more laughing material
for my mate, I rub my ass and hiss under my breath—each step I take hurts.
I’m literally aching as I walk. I feel like an old goddamn man. “My ass
hurts,” I groan.
Maybe my beautiful mate will forget about what happened and will
have enough decency in her to pity me a little. Only a little, after all, I saved
that little shit, and he got a chance to pretend to be a hero at my expense.
It’s about time I get some good words too.
“You’re not seriously jealous of Jonah?” Donnie snickers. I huff in
annoyance, choosing to ignore him.
“Want me to rub it?” Sage chuckles, as she locks the door after us. She
undoes her dressing gown and lets the fabric slide down her arms until she
catches it. My eyes are drawn to her like a moth to a flame as I slowly drink
in her body.
A smirk spreads across my lips as my eyes focus on her plump ass as
Sage brushes past me. Since coming here, she has filled out nicely, with no
more frail skin and jutting out bones. She turns and tosses her dressing
gown in my face. I scrunch up my face in disgust as the smell of piss
invades my nostrils and destroys the fantasies that are already building up
in my mind.
Sage laughs at me and darts away. “I call dibs on showering first,” she
squeals, racing up the steps.
I growl, toss the gown on the floor, and take off after her. She skids in
her haste when she reaches the top step. My heart nearly stops as she slides
across the floor. Sage corrects herself and giggles while I feel like I’m
having a fucking stroke. That woman. What if she hurts herself?
Sage clearly uses my moment of hesitation as she takes off toward the
bathroom door. I pick up my pace, and as she reaches out for the door
handle, I catch up to her and snake my arms around her waist. She shrieks
and quickly turns in my grasp.
“You weren’t about to lock me out, were you?” I accuse her.
Sage grins at me and wraps her arms around my neck. I swear, she has
changed so much compared to how she was the day we met. Her confidence
has grown, and she seems so much more relaxed these days. I enjoy every
moment we spend together, even if she’s in the mood to tease the living hell
out of me.
I reach around her, grip the door handle, twist it, and walk her backward
into the bathroom with a growl. Sage realizes she hasn’t given me an
answer, so she wiggles her eyebrows and whispers, “maybe.”
I lean in and nip at her lips.
 Chapter

Three

A ndrei
As soon as we finish showering, to my displeasure, Sage leaves
for training. I have a couple of things on my mind as my hands slide
over her body in the shower, but I suppose we have enough time to fulfill
those fantasies later.
“Patience, Andrei, we’re still on thin ice with her,” Donnie snaps at me
out of nowhere. I can’t say I am surprised by this, so I don’t react to his
words.
I am aware of this fact. I know she needs time, and so do I, at least in a
sense. Besides, I shouldn’t feel worried about anything; we marked each
other. Now, our forever after begins.
While my amazing mate is busy learning new skills, I walk outside and
head to check the packages that the couriers have dropped off.
Recently, we have had to order a few new traps. Of course, Sage
disagreed with it when I brought the issue up, and she isn’t very supportive
of the fact now that they have been delivered either.
But, she swears up and down that she understands that safety
precautions are highly necessary, regardless of the amount of pack members
we have. Plus, now we have these kids here, so she seems to be a little more
lenient about the traps.
To be completely fair, I wouldn’t bother ordering any if it weren’t for
the fact that someone stole the traps along the river a few weeks back.
Finally, the order is here, and I want to sneak them out to the forest
before Sage gets back from training with Casen and Malik. I am not lying to
my mate, just to be clear. I am being a tiny bit secretive not to worry her.
Some things can stay as my business, so she can worry about Luna stuff.
Since Zane decided to have the day off so he can spend it with his mate,
I suppose this task lies on my shoulders alone. Walking across the grass
oval to the small post office, I see a few people about and nod to them as I
pass by.
Today is turning overcast as the storm clouds roll across the sky. I look
up at the clouds and hum to myself. I still should have plenty of time to get
out there, and back in time.
As I pass by the huge old willow tree that sits dead center of our small
town, I see Jonah facing the trunk, his chin propped on his hand and glaring
at the tree as he plays in the dirt.
Ah, so this is where Malik ordered him to sit for a time out. And here I
am, thinking his words are nothing but an empty threat. I guess I should be
happy he didn’t go for that wooden spoon he mentioned earlier.
I shake my head and keep walking toward the post office, it’s not the
right moment for me to get distracted and waste more time. Besides, Jonah
kind of deserves that time out. If not for pissing all over me, which is
disgusting, then at least for pulling off such a dangerous stunt.
I get it, the kid wanted to tell me something and be the first one to
deliver the news, but let’s be real, he went too far with it.
As I get closer to the post office, some uncomfortable thoughts assault
me. The small red and white building is the only one that wasn’t ruined
during the attack. I can only assume it is because it was the only place that
didn’t house anyone.
We use the building for more than one purpose. Aside from the post
office, it is also a general store for backup and emergency supplies if the
trucks are running late.
Everyone in the pack has their key to get in now that Martha, the lady
that used to run it, is no longer with us. Yet another casualty of Jackson's
pack and band of rogues.
As I grip the key and unlock the door, I find two medium-sized plastic
tubs. I stack them on top of each other before grabbing them. Walking out, I
am about to lock the door when I look over my shoulder at Jonah. Damn
that little shit for looking so sad.
I groan and decide to grab him a juice box from the fridges in here. My
eyes snap to the rows of dry foods, fuck it, we’re not missing much, so I
add a small packet of chips. He experienced the scare of a lifetime, and
even though it’s only him to blame, he’s still just a kid.
I place Jonah’s treats on the plastic tubs, step out of the building and
lock it up. Grabbing the bottom tub by the handgrip, I head back across to
the house, detouring slightly to the willow tree.
Right as I near the boy, Jonah looks up at me with a big, toothy grin
splitting onto his face. “Malik said I have to wait here until training is
over,” he says and then pouts. Jonah crosses his tiny arms in front of his
chest and juts his bottom lip as if he is genuinely offended by the
punishment. It amazes me how the boy makes it look like he’s suffering and
it’s not his fault to begin with.
I huff as I place the tubs down and hand the juice box to Jonah. He
smiles, jams the straw in it and slurps away before I hand him the salt and
vinegar chips. “Now behave. I will be back soon to check on you,” I order,
grabbing the boxes.
“Can I help?” Jonah perks up, sounding a little too eager for my liking.
If I have to think back to the last time he tried to help someone it ended
with some rather unpleasant experiences and a sore ass. Big, massive
fucking pass on that.
I look over my shoulder and shake my head at the boy. “Nope, now stay
here. You better be here when I return,” I tell him and walk off toward the
house.
I skirt around the back to the treeline and place the boxes on the ground.
Quickly, I scan the surroundings and then open them. I grab the traps out by
the chains so they are easier to carry and stomp into the trees, heading for
the river.
It takes me a good hour to hide and set up the traps. Placing the last one
down and setting it, I stand up to stretch my back when I hear the chink of
metal. Donnie excitedly jumps around in my head. He is wondering the
same thing I am. Has something fallen prey to our traps? He urges me to
investigate.
I creep back toward the last one, but it is still fine. But I stop dead in my
tracks when I see Jonah standing there. The trap has been set at his feet, and
he is trying to pry a large stick from it. The end snaps off, and he nearly
falls backward on his butt.
I suck in a deep, very fucking frustrated breath as my lips press together
in a thin line. Jonah spins around and jumps when he spots me standing
behind him. “Jonah, what are you doing? Why did you leave your spot at
the tree?” I demand answers from the boy.
At this point, I am struggling to keep my cool. I get it, he’s a kid and all
that crap on top of it, but for fuck’s sake, he seems to be adamant to go
above and beyond to ruin my day. Not to mention that he ignored what
Malik told him, and now, he’s clearly ignoring commands from an Alpha.
“I wanted to help, but I kept finding these traps, so I set them off,” he
boasts.
“How many have you set off, Jonah?” I ask through gritted teeth.
He thinks for a second and looks at his hands to count on his little
fingers. “This many,” he says as he proudly holds up both hands, and then
adds another finger.
I suppress the growl that really freaking wants to escape me as I keep
reminding myself that I am facing a child. Jonah is only a child. Annoying
little shit, but a child that doesn’t know better. “So, eleven?” I ask him,
running a hand through my hair in obvious frustration.
Jonah nods. His eyes light up like he just did me an excellent service
instead of making me waste an hour of my life setting them up.
“You were told to wait by the tree.” I remind him.
The boy averts his gaze to his feet and his shoulders slump. “I just
wanted to help, and then I saw the traps when I was following your scent.”
“Why would you set them off, Jonah? You don’t play with bear traps,” I
lecture him. I’m not sure if I’m that annoyed anymore since I think I’m a
little concerned for the boy’s well being too. Anything could have happened
to him.
Fucking hell, his leg might have been caught in one of those traps and
he is still too young to heal without a wolf, so the process would likely take
an immense amount of time and pain. Reckless little shit.
“Because someone left them out, and I didn’t want you to step on one. I
was careful, I used a stick. My dad showed me how to set them off.” Jonah
explains as he holds up the stick he is clutching in his tiny hand. I can tell it
has been chomped down considerably from the traps.
I rub a hand down my face, annoyed at this small creature and his
troublesome ways.
“You can’t really be mad, Andrei, he thought he was helping,” Donnie
prods me, and I sigh.
I give up. My wolf has a point. “Come on, it will rain soon,” I tell him.
 Jonah jumps excitedly and immediately leads the way back. He runs off,
which results in me jogging to keep up with him. I spot eight traps he has
set off on the way back.
“Come on, Mr. Andrei,” Jonah waves as a playful giggle escapes him.
I roll my eyes and pick up my pace to catch up with him. All thanks to
my goddamn luck, I step on something that is not ground.
The damn trap catches my leg, and the pain ripples across the lower part
of my shin. “Mother fucking bitch ass fucker,” I swear as I drop on my ass
to see my foot, caught in my own trap.
This day couldn’t get any damn better anymore. One goddamn
adventure after another, all thanks to a little shit. He wants to help me? Help
my ass, Jonah! I look at the trap, tightly trapping my leg and cutting into my
flesh.
I punch the ground, furious at myself and the entire world. Jonah comes
skipping back to me a few seconds later. He stops, freezes in his step, and
stares at my leg. The boy’s face turns a little green at the sight of the blood,
and I pray to the gods to save me from the risk of getting puked all over.
Piss was enough from this boy.
On the bright side, as bright as it fucking gets, my leg isn’t broken. Sill,
it fucking hurts like an ass fucking bitch, and right about now, I really want
to strangle the life out of my little, oh so innocent helper.
“Jonah, are you sure you counted correctly? And why is this one
moved?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“I found that one first, and I didn’t have a stick, so I moved it between
the trees,” he murmurs as his little eyes widen in pure horror.
I push the springs down on either side of the trap, the jaws open up
enough for me to get my foot out before they snap shut again. I look at my
leg, fighting the urge to curse him out or whoop his bloody ass. My leg
slowly starts healing and I carefully try to move it.
Everything seems fine, especially since I can still move it and there
doesn’t seem to be too much damage, except for the blood loss, but then, I
hear a soft thud.
My eyes snap in his direction. Jonah seems to be weak to the sight of
blood. The boy has passed out on the ground, face down.
As I haul myself to my feet, I curse every living and dead creature for
the luck that I have been having today. Of course, no one but me would
have such damn luck - literally.
 Although I think about leaving Jonah in the forest, just to teach him a
lesson about what can happen to someone when they keep ignoring
commands and try to escape the punishments they earn, but I can’t. Thunder
rumbles across the sky, the storm is approaching us quickly, and Sage
would kill me if she knew I left the little worm here.
I groan, bend down and grab him by the back of his shorts and shirt in
my fist.
“Andrei, he is not a bag for you to fling around,” Donnie says
disapprovingly as I trudge back toward the house.
I can already hear everyone frantically racing around, securing
everything for the storm. Jonah comes back to his senses as I step out of the
treeline.
“Weeee!” Jonah squeals, holding his arms out to his sides like a plane.
I chuckle at him, of course, he would think being wedgied and carried
like a piece of luggage is fun. I get a few stares as I step between the
houses. Jonah is waving at everyone when Malik spots us.
Malik’s mouth falls open and his body tenses. He takes a few seconds to
recover from the initial shock, but once he’s back to his usual self, his lips
purse with determination, and he marches over to us. “Jonah! I have been
looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?”
I place Jonah on the ground, and he scrambles to his feet, looking up at
an angry Malik. “I was helping Mr. Andrei,” Jonah beams as he points his
finger at me like I’m some animal.
I scoff and Malik's eyes dart to mine nervously. He sighs, rubbing his
temples, looking just as over and done with the tiny trouble maker as I am.
Malik opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it and shakes
his head. He takes another moment to think before the mask of anger slips
back on his face. It looks like he is fighting his own emotions on this one.
Malik groans and points his finger back at the house he shares with the
twins without saying a word to him. Jonah hangs his head, looks at his bare
feet, and walks to the house.
“And I thought Casen and Vince were a damn handful. That boy,” Malik
grumbles and shakes his head. His eyes focus on me. “Any idea when you
will put a call out for any family?”
I raise an eyebrow as I cross my arms in front of my chest. As fun as it
seems to everyone watching from the sidelines, I am more than ready to get
over this mess. We have had enough accidents around here already. “The
Alpha meeting, but I will ring Kat and ask if she can send her doctor out to
collect blood to see if anything comes up in the blood banks database.” I tell
him.
“Yeah, hopefully, he wasn’t born a rogue, or they may not have any
records or matches,” Malik sighs as he watches Jonah walk closer to the
house. Lightning cracks, streaking across the sky, and the wind picks up.
“Sage?” I ask him.
“Casen took her home. I see you finally marked her.” The look on his
face changes completely as Malik grins and nudges me with his elbow.
“Yeah,” I say, unable to contain my happiness. Even my lips tug up.
“So, what happened to your leg?” Malik points his finger at the blood-
stained leg and raises an eyebrow at me.
I groan at the reminder of the adventures in the forest and run a hand
through my hair. “Jonah happened, it’s fine. He thought he was helping, and
it has already healed.”
Right as he parts his lips to speak, it starts to rain. I look up at the dark
sky, everyone has finished securing everything. “You should head in, Malik.
It looks like we are in for it with this storm,” I tell him. He nods, pats my
shoulder with his hand and jogs home.
I head inside myself. I can hear Sage upstairs doing something, but
instead of joining her, I head to the kitchen to retrieve my cell phone from
the counter where I left it.
Taking it off charge, I dial Kat’s number. I need to ask her some
questions about Jonah and the upcoming Alpha meeting that is supposed to
happen in two days.
Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, I also want to know when my
father is coming back. Hitting call, I listen to the phone ring.
 Chapter

Four

K atya
I let out a heavy sigh as Andrei finishes the call. I haven’t heard
from him for a few days and I was seriously starting to worry about
my brother and his mate.
To be honest, I still worry about them. I fear so many different scenarios
simply because I know all of them are possibilities. But what scares me the
most is that Sage won’t let him mark her.
The issue I have is I don’t see any actual progress between those two
just yet. Sure, there is some, but not enough to exhale in relief thinking
things will work out. Time is slipping away. I can’t stop it and neither can
they.
At this point, I just hope I haven’t signed my brother’s death warrant.
“Hey, what’s up with you?” Ezra asks, walking into his office, scaring
the living daylights out of me.
I am sitting at his desk because I wanted some privacy during the phone
call, but I didn’t expect anyone to look for me this soon. I haven’t got
enough time to fully process the conversation with Andrei, let alone discuss
it.
I glance at my mate and shake my head. “Nothing, it’s just I’m still
worried about Sage and Andrei.”
Ezra moves closer to the desk and stands in front of it, bracing his hands
on the surface. “You will see them at the Alpha meeting,” he assures me
with a slight smile across his lips.
He is right. I am hoping I can catch Sage and talk to her while we are
there. I’m pretty sure we can easily find a quiet place for that talk while the
men busy themselves with their own discussions.
Ezra pushes himself off the desk and raises an eyebrow at me. “So, what
did Andrei want?” He sits on the edge of his desk and peers down at me as
he folds his arms over his chest.
The serious look on his face amuses me a little. I know he is trying to
distract me from my worries and fears, and yet, here he is, looking like he is
ready to fight the entire world if I don’t disclose the details of the phone call
with my brother.
Although I might get irritated by his pushy attitude, all I do is smile and
tell him the truth. “He took in some rogue kids. One of them was his Beta’s
mate and one is orphaned.”
Ezra loses his cool attitude for a second, appearing to be just as taken
aback as I was when Andrei told me this. I’m still surprised by the change
in him. I feared he was still obsessed with torturing the rogues, but here he
is, taking in a few and trying to help them.
Sage is bringing positive changes and helping my brother to not only
see reason, but also understand life is more than he sees it to be. He is
getting better and truly trying to become a better person. I hope this new
side of him remains and doesn’t fade in time.
Andrei deserves to be happy. It’s about time he lets the past go and
focuses on the future he can share with Sage. But for that, of course, both of
them have to take the steps to actually live long enough to share the future.
They’re so close, I hope, I so so hope, they will get there.
I almost lose myself in thoughts again, but the hum from my mate
brings me back to reality just in time for me to hear Ezra speak up. “Ah,
yeah, that makes things tricky without parental or guardian consent. Has he
checked the blood database?”
I shake my head. “No, that’s why he rang. Can you see if Mathias or
someone can take some blood samples for him?”
“Yes, I will organize it. Have you taken your meds?” As the question
escapes Ezra’s lips, I suddenly feel irritated with myself. I should have seen
this coming. It’s so typical of him to change the subject to something that
concerns him more than it could concern me.
I glare at Ezra. He knows I hate those damn things. They make me feel
airheaded.
“No, she hasn’t,” Mateo snitches as he walks inside the office with a
glass of water in one hand and my antidepressants in the other. That bloody
traitor! Can he call himself my mate after betraying me like this?
Ezra growls and glares at me as Mateo stalks closer. “You have no
excuse, Kat, you aren’t breastfeeding anymore,” he scolds as he passes me
the glass of water and mimics the judgemental facial expression Ezra is
giving me. I can’t believe this, both are working against me.
“I don’t need them,” I object, shaking my head and turning my focus
back to the computer screen. I don’t have to look at my mates to know that
they are seething as I place the glass on the desk. Their gazes heat up my
skin, but I ignore it.
“Kat, there's nothing wrong with needing medication. It doesn’t make
you weak,” Ezra lectures yet again, taking the pill from Mateo’s hand.
I know he is switching tactics just to make me drink them. First comes
the feeble attempt to intimidate me, then it’s the care and gentle words to
assure me, and then there will be anger.
An idea pops in my mind, and I turn my gaze to Ezra and wiggle my
eyebrows. “Then you take them,” I challenge.
“Don’t make me force it down your throat,” he growls.
Ah, there it is, stage three - anger. If anger is what he wants, anger is
what my dead mate gets. “You can fucking try, Ezra, and I will put you in
your place real quick,” I warn him, and he snarls deeper.
“Don’t make me bring Maddox forward, Kat. Take them. Mathias said
your psychosis will get worse without them.” Ezra tries to threaten me.
Look at this, the big bad Alpha can’t take me down on his own. He
needs to run to his wolf. “I will just shift, I have been shifting, and I am
fine,” I stress.
Why can’t they understand that I’m so damn sick of everyone at this
point? I’m sick of their attempts to stuff medication down my throat. I hate
it. Those pills stunt my aura and weaken me. Everyone claims I need those
pills. But on them, I can’t fight off Ezra's commands. I hate that it makes
me unable to put my walls up and shield myself.
“You have three seconds,” Ezra warns, but all I do is roll my eyes at
him.
I try to feel out for my severely muted aura. The meds have ruined it,
but since I haven’t taken those pills, at least for a day, I can feel my aura, if
only a little. I don’t want to lose it again. I’m tired of trying to reach out in
the dark and not finding anything I seek.
 “We have this stupid Alpha meeting in two days. I don’t want to be
weak when we go to it,” I point out. This should be a convincing argument
for my mates to understand that I need to be able to protect myself if
anything were to go wrong. I refuse to rely on their abilities to protect me.
Besides, I think it is fucking stupid that we even have to go. I don’t
want the title of Queen of Alphas. Why can’t things just stay how they are?
I have enough shit going on with the twins and our pack. On top of
everything, we are still dealing with Jackson’s old pack that needs to be
moved and re-housed into new packs.
Most packs are still reluctant to take in new members, and the rogue
populations are growing out of control. There are so many more important
issues to focus on. I don’t see a point in attending an event while so many
shifters are out there, suffering and fighting for their survival.
“Kat, please don’t do this now, just take the damn thing.”
I turn in my chair and look up at him.
Mateo shifts his weight from one foot to another, visibly nervous. I
know he hates when Ezra and I go toe to toe, but I am sick of him treating
me like a child. I swear he likes me being on meds because it gives him
control over me.
“I said no. I will take them after the Alpha meeting.” I stand my ground.
Ezra has to learn how to listen to me. But more than that, he has to learn
how to let go of the crazy control he wants to have over everyone, including
me. I’m done.
Ezra growls at me, about to stand up, but Mateo stops him by gripping
his shoulder. “Maybe she is right, you know her walking into that meeting
will cause an uproar.” Mateo reminds him.
“Why will it cause an uproar?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. This is
something new.
“Every Alpha in the country will be there, including the Alpha of
Alphas. You may be their Queen now, but they won’t take that lightly, they
may challenge you.” Mateo explains.
I furrow my brows. How does that make any sense? “Now, why would
they do that?”
Mateo sighs and exchanges a look with Ezra. I cross my arms in front of
my chest and wait for an answer. He groans and shakes his head. “Because
it is no secret what you did at Jackson’s pack. Rumors have circulated that
the Goddess has returned, reborn, made a Queen and blessed you. The
current Alpha of Alphas is not going to like to know that you pull a rank
over him. They will sense it the moment you step in there.”
“So you think he may challenge me for it?” Mateo nods.
Before I can ask another question, or even try to make sense out of men
and their stupid egos, Ezra sighs. “I didn’t think of that. Fine, but you go
back on them straight afterward. But Kat, you will have no excuses left
after we return home.”
I roll my eyes and focus on the most important matter rather than
involve myself in another argument with Ezra. “I don’t see why Dominic
would feel threatened. It’s not like I am taking his title.”
“No, but you are female and overrule his title now. The Moon Goddess
was always our Luna Queen, our Goddess. Kat, you changed her blessing.
You changed everything. Werewolf society has never had Kings and
Queens of Alphas. Well, until now, and technically, Ezra is King because I
submitted to him and stepped out of the Alpha role. But if push comes to
shove, I am still your mate. Even I would pull rank over Dominic. So to
Dominic… Kat, we are a threat in his eyes.” Mateo explains.
Ezra nods at his words. “I didn’t think of that, Beta King.” Ezra
chuckles as he teases the words and Mateo slaps his arm.
I roll my eyes at how quick these two can change. One moment, they
are so goddamn painfully serious, just to turn into a duo of clowns the next.
“Ah, this is stupid, I don’t need this stress now.” I groan and run a hand
though my hair, barely fighting the urge to tug on it. “So what happens if
they challenge me or either of you?”
“They would be stupid to try.” Ezra growls. As always, he appears to be
ready to jump into action to defend me. As much as I admire his attempts to
show me how much he cares, sometimes I wish he could give me more
space.
Mateo is right, at least with some of the things that he pointed out. As
soon as we all appear there, our presence will cause quite a ruckus, so I
need to be able to stand up for myself. I will never do that if my mates
always try to jump in front of me.
Just as I part my lips to point that out, Mateo perks up. “Unfortunately,
we heard rumors that Dominic doesn’t believe you are blessed by the
Goddess and said that he will never bow down to anyone.” He scoffs, as if
he can't believe that someone would ever say something like that.
 The thing is that I very much believe that it’s something Dominic could
say. The guy is a dick, the only thing that is bigger than his ego is his
audacity.
I can’t stop the growl that forces its way out of me. “So he is going to
cause drama? Great!”
I'm so damn frustrated by this situation. Why can’t we have a day, or an
event, that doesn’t bring our life more unnecessary problems? Don’t we
have enough on our plate already? I get it, the Moon Goddess blessed me,
and that’s super cool to some, but I doubt anyone would say the same if
they were to stand in my place.
Some say the Goddess gives the hardest battles to the strongest, and if I
meet her again, I need to ask her when did I sign up for a fucking war.
“Simple, if he doesn’t bow, you make him,” Ezra presses, pulling me
out of the miserable thoughts.
“I don’t like using my aura.” I retort, pointing out what he already
knows. In fact, he should know that better than anyone, so I don’t
understand why he mentioned it. It’s not going to make the situation any
better.
“Well, you will have to, or go hand to hand, depending on what he
challenges you with, I say he will want to challenge your aura.” Ezra hums
to himself.
“Well, that’s stupid,” I chuckle. Although I’ve never met him, I have
heard enough about Dominic, and I know he is bad at accepting defeat. I
guess he’s in for the surprise of his life, if he thinks he can pull that stunt
without consequences.
“Yes and no. Dominic is also touched by the Goddess. Rumor has it that
he has certain abilities that put him at the top, but you are a deity yourself,
and nothing is stronger than that.” Ezra adds.
Alright, that is something I haven’t heard about him. I mean, his
reputation has always traveled faster than he does, but no one mentioned
anything like that to me before now. Even the Moon Goddess herself never
mentioned anything about Dominic or the gifts she might have given him.
I furrow my brows and look at Ezra. “What sort of abilities?”
“Not sure, most of it is a rumor, no one gets close enough to him to be
sure,” Ezra explains.
“But he is the Alpha of Alphas.” I point out the obvious that we already
know. The Alpha of Alphas shouldn’t have any extra abilities.
 Ezra shakes his head, clearly amused by how confused I am. “Exactly,
Kat, no one challenges an Alpha of Alphas. I believe that the only reason he
is even coming to the annual Alpha meet is to call you out. He sent a
personal invitation, insisting you be there. Whether you like being Moon
Blessed or not, Kat, there is no way of avoiding it, you are their rightful
Queen, and they will challenge that.”
I push my fingers through my hair, suddenly nervous about tomorrow.
All this pressure that lies on my shoulders is making me feel sick to my
stomach. I never asked for any of this or extra responsibilities.
Perhaps I still have enough time to try to reach out to Seline and ask her
what gifts Dominic has received from her? It is strange to think I now have
a direct link to her, but she has actually grown to be a friend.
On one hand, it is truly amazing how a person can suddenly lose all the
people they previously called friends once they have children. On the other
hand, while everyone is too busy or tired with their own lives, Seline seems
to be happy to see me whenever I call on her. No matter how busy she is.
A loud cry from upstairs startles me and I instantly look at the ceiling.
“I will go,” Ezra offers, but I shake my head to refuse his offer as
politely as I can.
The twins are due to have their bath time, and I would rather deal with
that myself. Both Ezra and Mateo already do a lot for our kids, and these
days, since our relationship is getting better again, I want to spend more
time with my children.
As I head upstairs, Mateo trails after me, but doesn’t say anything. My
mates are amazing fathers, so if they want to help, even if I don’t need a
hand, I try to appreciate their efforts, even if I feel like they are being a little
too much.
Mateo grabs some towels on the way past the linen cupboard. He hands
those to Ezra and me, and we bring them to the nursery. I love how
thoughtful Mateo is. He always chooses the best of the best for our children.
Even the small things like fluffy, warm towels are the greatest gesture in my
eyes.
“Mathias said he will head over to your brother now,” Ezra announces
as he scoops Eziah out of his crib. I didn’t even notice when Mathias
mindlinked him. I swear, these days, I get so distracted, and stuck in my
own head it’s getting ridiculous.
 My eyes focus on the twins. Both of them are growing like weeds under
the sun and rain. Eziah is crawling already, though Marabella has not quite
mastered it yet. They are early bloomers, our children are barely four and
half months old and already advanced for their age. I don’t think it will be
long before Eziah pulls himself up on the furniture, as he already tries to
when he sits up.
Grabbing Marabella out of the crib, I pop her on my hip. Her big,
beautiful eyes look around the room, and then, they glaze over.
“That is what I was telling you about the other day,” Ezra says, pointing
at her. I raise an eyebrow as I watch her eyes turn dim and turn back to
bright a few seconds later.
A shiver runs up my spine. For some reason, an uneasy feeling creeps
up on me and tries to seep into every bit of my body and mind. Ezra is
watching her while Eziah is busy eating his hand and drooling all over it.
“Eziah does it too,” Ezra adds. He sounds slightly worried, but I don’t
blame him. Not the slightest, because now that I have seen it happen for
myself, I am worried about them too.
“She finally caught sight of what we said,” Mateo says, walking in the
nursery.
“Yeah, it is definitely strange. It almost looks like she was mindlinking,
but that would be impossible, they have no wolf yet, and they are babies.” I
object as I run my fingers through Marabella’s short, dark curls.
“Are you coming to dadda?” Mateo asks, clapping his hands in front of
her.
Marabella flashes him a big gummy grin as she holds her mittened
hands out for Mateo, clearly, more than happy to be carried around by her
dad. I pass her to Mateo and look over at Eziah, who is currently slobbering
on Ezra’s arm, biting him with his gums.
“He must be teething. I swear, this drooling is getting out of control,”
Ezra groans, holding him up and looking at him.
Eziah giggles and Ezra rubs his stubble on his belly. Our boy coos and
smiles as drool runs down his chin.
Although the drooling is a little disgusting, I still smile at the view. I
don’t think I will ever get tired of watching my mates with our children.
They are such great fathers, they don’t fail to amaze me every day. And the
love that radiates off them makes me fall for Ezra and Mateo over and over
again, each time, harder than before.
 I let them enjoy some time together as I waltz out of the nursery, down
the hall, and to the bathroom. As I run the bath for the babies, I realize how
preoccupied my mind is.
Starting with tomorrow and everything that might happen during the
Alpha meeting. All the risks and possibilities circle through my mind. Then
in between everything else, there are still my worries about Andrei and
Sage. And to top it all off, now I have to figure out what’s the deal with our
twins and what their strange behavior might mean.
There is already so much going on, and too much on my mind, but I
can’t forget that there are also my mates. I didn’t notice it at first, not much
anyway, but since Seline brought me back, there seems to be a power
imbalance within the house. Ezra is so used to being the strongest out of us,
he struggles with certain things, not to mention he really doesn’t like giving
up his control. I don’t think he will ever give up, if anything, I believe he
will keep fighting me every step of the way.
Mateo, is the complete opposite, he has always been so chilled out, he
never cared to be the Alpha amongst us. He was, and still is, more than
content with being Beta, and letting us run things and argue amongst
ourselves. The only time Mateo argues with me is an issue about the kids,
or my mental health, which unfortunately has been slipping lately.
Being a Gemini and Goddess reincarnate is exhausting, and we all know
how that worked out for Josiah. The power of being a Gemini sent him
mad, and sometimes I wonder if I am doomed with the same fate. I can feel
it at the edges of my mind, but that also makes me wonder and worry what
this means for our kids as they grow up.
On the bright side, for the most part, Ezra and I are pretty evenly
matched until I tick him off and Maddox comes forward. My aura
outweighs Ezra’s, but Ezra knows Maddox is a force to be reckoned with,
and if things aren’t going his way, he is quick to bring him forward.
On the not-so-bright side, when Maddox comes out, all hell can break
loose. Maddox will just fight against my aura until I exhaust myself, and
then he quickly tries to shove me under his. Neither of us wants to bend to
the other, which is why I feel like our bond has become chaotic and a little
unstable.
“Kat, the water,” Mateo prompts behind me.
His voice startles me, making me jump. I hadn’t realized that I was
stuck in my head and had allowed my own thoughts to get the best of me. I
look down to see the bath is overflowing, my knees are saturated, and
somehow, I failed to feel the water washing over them.
Mateo glances at me with genuine concern in his eyes. I quickly lean in,
drain some of the water out, and shut the water off just as Ezra finally
comes in. “What happened?” He asks, and I grit my teeth.
“Nothing, I got distracted.” I tell him. I’m not angry at my mates or
their questions. If anything, I am angry at myself for not paying enough
attention and letting my mind fade somewhere away from reality.
“Go get changed. We can bathe the babies,” Ezra assures me, and I nod.
Maybe I really need to get back to my senses before I try to do anything
with the twins. Being so easily distracted is dangerous and worrisome.
Thankfully, I wasn’t bathing the kids while my thoughts took over.
I get up off the floor and glance at my wet knees, already experiencing
the intense annoyance all over again. I take a step and manage to slip on the
wet tile floor, but Ezra is quick to react, and he grabs my arm.
“You alright? Maybe go make a coffee or lay down for a bit,” he
suggests.
“I’m fine; I just distracted myself,” I wave him off. He cups my cheek,
and I lean into his touch. “We can’t help you if you don’t let us,” Ezra
whispers, and I pull away from him.
I am sick of the same argument. They can’t help me being a Gemini.
Why can’t they see that? Ezra grips my chin, tilting my face to meet my
eyes. “Stop fighting us. You are too stubborn,” he growls, softly pressing
his lips to mine. “Go. I will come to find you when I am done here,” he
says, letting me go.
I peck Eziah's head and cautiously walk out of the bathroom and head
downstairs to make some coffee. Hopefully, it will wake me up, but I can’t
stop wondering if something is wrong with the twins. The uneasy feeling I
got when Marabella’s eyes glazed over races through my head.
 Chapter

Five

A ndrei
The storm was huge, worse than I expected. The weather outside
was so vile, no one would have the heart to send their dog out there,
let alone walk around in it.
But luckily, Mathias managed to take the blood samples from Jonah,
and still get back home safely. However, he did mention that it would be
helpful if Jonah knew his last name. Which unfortunately, the boy claims to
have forgotten.
Since Derrick returned overnight, I have more time to manage my
responsibilities now that I have his help again.
And today, both of us are planning to head up the mountain. We hope
that we can find Jonah's cave and see if there are any personal belongings
with his last name on them, or at least anything that can help him to
remember something. At this point, any information will help us find the
boy’s family.
Jonah is a nice boy, but the little shit is an actual pain in my ass - every
time he tries to help me, everything crumbles and burns to ashes. His help
creates more unnecessary mess rather than actually being helpful.
Sage releases her hold from around me and steps away. I hate losing
contact with her, so I cup her cheek and gaze at my beautiful mate. “Are
you sure you will be alright on your own?” I whisper right when we hear a
knock on the door.
“It’s open,” I call out.
“Of course. Besides, I was planning to go over to Zane’s house to spend
some time with him and Nora today. Even if you decide to stay, my day is
planned out.” Sage says, and I nod when she looks over my shoulder and
smiles.
“Ready, son?” My father’s voice echoes off the living room walls as his
scent hits me.
“Yeah.” I nod, still looking at Sage. Her beauty always manages to hold
my attention, and sometimes, I find it difficult to look away. Derrick clears
his throat behind us, so I shake my head and restrain myself from glaring at
him. “Did you get the map off Nora?”
“Sure did,” he announces with pride as I turn around to face him.
Derrick rummages in his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. As he
approaches the coffee table, I follow his lead and stop at his side.
Derrick lies out the piece of paper and speaks up, “She thinks around
here is where they found him, there is a trail we can follow here.” He
explains, pointing his finger at the trail, I furrow my brows as my eyes
follow his finger. The trail isn’t far from where I used to go with my father
when I was a kid. I have come across it once before, when I was hunting.
It is about a thirty minute walk, higher up the mountain.
My stomach twists at the thought. All this time, on so many occasions I
could have been so close to Jonah and never realized he was in a cave by
himself. He had no one to ask for help, no one to ensure he ate or was warm
enough.
I am the reason for that. And at the same time I am the man that boy
follows and admires for some twisted fucking reason. I’m the person who
took all that safety away from him. Because of me, the last family Jonah
had is dead at my hands.
Shaking my head, I try to focus on the important matters - I need to find
out if he has anyone left out there. I grab my bag and toss it over my
shoulder, my father replicates my movements with his own bag.
“We should be back by dark,” I tell Sage as I approach her and quickly
kiss her lips. She stays quiet, smiles at us, and simply waves her hand. One
thing I have noticed is that my little mate seems to hate saying goodbye,
even if for a short period of time.
As I walk outside, I spot a group of my warriors assessing the tree that
fell through the roof of a house. They have chainsaws in their hands as they
struggle to figure out the best approach to remove it without further
damaging the house's structure.
 Striding over to my car, I unlock it right as Jonah rushes over, and I
groan. I have had enough of the inner struggle with myself, I don’t need the
boy to follow me again and pull on the strings of my tainted soul even
more.
My father chuckles at my reaction to the small boy. His green eyes light
up as he sweeps his hair from his eyes. “He can’t be that bad, he is a kid,”
my father chides, clapping his hand on my shoulder.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the blood results show he's the spawn of
Dennis the menace,” I grumble under my breath, once again, making my
father laugh at my misery.
“Mr. Andrei, Mr. Andrei!” Jonah calls out, waving his hand at us with
so much enthusiasm, he draws everyone's attention to him.
“What, Jonah?” I ask, tossing my bag in the backseat. Maybe, if I’m
lucky, Jonah will notice I am busy already and will back off. Fingers
crossed.
“Are you leaving?” Jonah asks, as if he’s completely oblivious to the
fact that I am, in fact, getting ready to sit in the car and drive away. Before I
can take a breath, the little shit turns to my father and glares at him as if
Derrick is an unknown species. “And who are you?”
Jonah sniffs the air around us. His little brows pinch together once she
realizes how similar our scents are, which does nothing but confuses him
even more.
“He is my father, and yes, I am swamped. Now, go play or do
something else away from me, maybe go harass Sage, she is inside,” I
instruct him and point at the house, where my mate, I’m sure, is watching
my misery and having the time of her life.
Jonah is about to turn around and look at my house, but he jumps when
we hear yelling, and a loud crash. I glance over at the house to see the men
have knocked the tree down off the roof with the digger.
“Oh, shit!” My father drops his bag next to my feet and jogs over to
them.
I follow in his footsteps. Everyone is frantically trying to lift the
monstrous tree, as I get closer, I hear groaning. My eyes scan the
surroundings and focus on Clay, trapped on the ground. His body is under
the tree and he has a branch caught across his stomach, which pins him
down.
 Luckily, only the branch is pinning him, and the gigantic trunk didn’t
crush him. A sigh of relief leaves my lips as I walk closer to the scene.
“How the hell did that happen? Are you good?” I ask Clay.
Clay nods and holds his thumbs up. Thank fuck it looks like he’s just
trapped and he isn’t suffering any injuries from the accident.
While everyone present is trying to lift the tree off him, I facepalm
myself at their idiocy. “What are you idiots doing?” I groan.
“Trying to help lift the tree,” Casen replies, and my father laughs beside
me as the four warriors try hauling the tree up.
"I swear you fools only have one brain cell amongst you," I mutter.
“Yeah, and even that one is fighting with itself for third place,” Derrick
adds and I barely hold back from laughing like a damn hyena.
“Help us, Alpha,” Casen begs, and I shake my head, pointing next to his
feet.
“What is that?” I ask him, and his eyes follow where I am pointing, just
to look back at me as if I’m trying to explain to him the most complicated
math formula.
“A chainsaw, Alpha.” Casen replies. He sounds a little too proud of his
immense knowledge, and I really have to fight not to facepalm myself
again.
“Exactly, bravo. Why are you trying to lift the entire tree when you
could just cut the branch off that's trapping him?” I ask, and they all look at
each other.
Thank God I depend on them for their fighting skills, not their brains. If
I were to take any of these men as my advisors, the entire pack would be
fucked. No, scratch that, let’s make it double fucked up the ass with no way
to return.
“Why didn’t we think of that?” Vince mutters, reaching for the
chainsaw and picking it up.
“No, wait, please, don’t let them do it! Alpha, those morons will
probably cut me in half! Or even worse, they could slice off my balls.
Imagine how traumatizing that will be, I stress, slice off someone’s balls
with a chainsaw! Bloody nightmare, Alpha. Don’t trust them!” Clay
screams at the top of his lungs.
He looks absolutely horrified as Vince approaches him with a chainsaw.
“Good point.” I nod and look around. “Malik!” I call for the only person
here who isn’t sharing one brain cell with the entire pack.
 I hear a door open and slam closed, and a moment later, I hear jogging
behind me. I point to Clay. “Cut free the idiot, who decided it would be a
good idea to stand under a falling tree,” I instruct him, and he nods. Malik
looks at Clay and mouths what the fuck.
“How?” Malik grumbles as he walks over to Clay and snatches the
chainsaw from Vince.
“Are any of you guys capable of hearing it when someone talks, or
should we make a mass doctor appointment to check your hearing? Do you
think I speak only to hear myself talk? And where the fuck are your
hardhats? What about goddamn safety?” Malik yells at them.
They all drop their eyes to the ground, and I click my tongue as I spin
around on my heel. I know Malik and Zane can handle the situation just as
well as they can handle the bunch of morons.
"There's always something going on in your pack," my father muses
with a chuckle.
I ignore the remark as I walk over to my car. He is right, there indeed is
always something going on around here.The weirdest shit happens thanks to
that one community brain cell, so there’s no point in arguing. I press my lips
in a thin line as I get in the car and start it up. My father buckles up, and we
head off.
Driving around the other side of the mountain will be quicker than
trekking through it on my side, and there is a parking area at the bottom,
and the trail that leads off it.
But first, I pull up at the service station, fill up the car and head inside to
pay. Once I get back inside the car, we immediately drive off to head toward
our destination. So far, plenty of time has been wasted with the stunt the
pack members pulled already, and I’m eager to get back home already.
There is barely any traffic on the road thanks to the storm, which I am
sure has left plenty to clean-up. However, about ten minutes out, a foul odor
fills the car, and I crack the window. “That you? Fuck, Derrick, my
windows are up,” I growl at him as I gag and try to get some fresh air. The
stench is killing me.
“What? Fucking wasn’t me,” he protests turning his head to look at me
and gags too. “You dirty bastard! It was you! That's a protein fart from that
crap you drink!” My father snarls, winding his window down and forcing
his face out in the wind.
 “Fuck off, it wasn’t me. It must have slipped out of your old ass without
you knowing. Old age has something to do with this. You must be so loose
back there that you probably didn’t feel it escape!” I snap at him.
“It wasn’t me,” he argues back, and I sigh. The smell is slowly wafting
away with the wind anyway.
The drive takes an hour from the time we left home and stopped to get
fuel before finding the trail. “Yep, this is it, the kids trekked a bit,” my
father observes, looking up the steep trail, and I agree. He pulls the map out
of his pocket and scans it. Then he looks back.
“I know this place!” The high-pitched shriek startles me. I jump in my
seat as my head snaps to the back of the car to see Jonah popping up
between the rear seats. Shit fucking damn it, I didn’t expect to see anyone
back there, let alone the menace himself.
My father nearly lurches out of his skin as he smacks into the dash. He
spins around and clutches his heart. Fuck, not this, please not this, don’t tell
me the old man is having a fucking heart attack. I knew that fart reeked of
death, but this is a little too much.
“Jonah!” I scream as I glare at the boy.
At this point, my father really looks like he is on the verge of having a
heart attack. He looks a little pale. Maybe I need to turn the car around and
take him to the nearest hospital?
“What the hell are you doing here?” I growl at the boy. He drops his
head and attempts to give me the puppy dog eyes. Shit, I knew I had to
check the car before heading off, Jonah isn’t one to leave me be. He is like a
zit on ass - painful and always reminds of its presence.
“Where the heck were you hiding?” My father asks as he points his
finger at Jonah and leans over the seat. “Anyone else back there?” He
demands, searching the backseat.
“I was under this?” Jonah announces, or asks, I’m not sure, as he holds
up my jacket. It was supposed to stay on the floorboard, yet the little shit
found it, must be why I didn’t notice him.
“I told you it wasn’t me that farted,” my father announces with a
victorious grin on his face.
I glare at Jonah. “It just slipped out,” he admits.
I scrub my hand down my face and groan. Gritting my teeth, I shove my
door open and get out of the car, then check my phone. There are no missed
calls or messages. Scrolling through the contacts, I press Malik’s number.
 “Missing someone?” I question as soon as he answers the call.
“Yeah, how did you know? Did Casen mindlink you? I told him not to
bother you, that damn Jonah has taken off,” Malik stresses. I’m pretty sure
he’s still running around as we speak.
I huff at him. “Jonah is with me.”
“Are you bloody serious, Andrei? You couldn’t have told someone? The
entire pack is out looking for him!” I growl to stop his rant before Malik
tries to cross some limits that shouldn’t be crossed. “Sorry, Alpha,” he
quickly mutters.
“Do you think I would really drag a kid, barefoot on a mountain trail,
Malik? The little shit nearly gave my father and me a damn heart attack
when he popped his head up between the damn seats, and that's after he
tried to kill us by gassing us.” I glance over my shoulder to check if those
two are still in the car. My father and Jonah are talking about something, so
at least they are distracted for now.
“How did you not smell him?” Malik asks. I swear, I can hear how he’s
furrowing his brows at me.
“Well, I wasn’t exactly scenting my damn car, I can only smell my
father and my scent here!” I growl at him.
Malik sucks in a sharp breath and slowly releases it.“I’m sorry, I
thought he was with Nora and Zane until I went to go get him. I didn’t
realize he stowed away. Do you want me to come get him?”
I check over my shoulder again to see what the menace is up to now.
Jonah is already out of the car and is sitting on my father’s shoulders. The
boy is pointing his finger up at the tree, trying to show my father a bird that
sits on a branch.
As much as I hate it, I don’t have another hour, or more, to wait on
someone. “No, we can’t waste time, we will just take him with us.”
“Sorry again, Alpha.” Malik mutters.
“It’s fine,” I assure him, and hang up the call.
“Ready?” my father asks as soon as he notices I’m not on the phone
anymore.
I nod and grab our bags out of the car. I toss them over my shoulder
since my father is carrying Jonah, and I lock the car. Then slowly, we hike
up the trail.
This would be so much quicker if we could shift, but with Jonah it isn’t
worth the risk. As annoying as our unexpected little confidant is, I don’t
want him falling off one of us and getting hurt.
A couple of hours in, my father stops and places Jonah on the ground to
stretch his back. I get it, he isn’t that young anymore and might run out of
energy faster than me, but even I’m fucking tired. Walking around is one
thing, but literally climbing up the hill is another.
Jonah sits on a rock, and I dig through my backpack to grab my water
bottle out.
“It shouldn’t be too much farther. There are more caves farther up and a
few around over that way,” my father says as he points his finger in another
direction, where the trail leads off.
“What are you looking for?” Jonah perks up as I sip some more water.
I hand him the bottle and he chugs down some water without second
guessing my offer. This kid, he is too trusting.
“We are looking for the cave you were staying in.” My father explains,
and Jonah nods.
“It’s near the camp with the berry bushes,” Jonah tells us.
“What camp?” I ask.
Jonah looks between my father and me, and shrugs. “Sometimes I could
see the smoke from the fires,” he adds.
I take a moment to scan my surroundings and check if there is anything
nearby. I see no campsites around us. We didn’t pass by any either, and
being this high up, we should have noticed one. That is, if there are any.
“Maybe on the other side of the mountain?” My father hums, clearly
wondering about the same thing.
I just shrug and stand up. We can’t know for sure if Jonah is telling the
truth or trying to mislead us, so we won’t find something he could be trying
to hide. Honestly, it might be wishful thinking, but I believe he wouldn’t try
to lead us away. He has no reason to do so. Right?
I groan as I realize what I’m thinking about. I am a grown man, an
Alpha, and here I stand, in the middle of a fucking forest, doubting a child.
Who in their right mind is so suspicious of a child?
“Come on then,” I press Jonah and toss my bag over my shoulder.
Jonah jumps up from the rock and I reach down for him. The next
moment, the boy is happily sitting on my shoulders, giggling like
someone’s tickling him. Shit, I hope the piss and fart situations were one
time things, it would really suck to experience that again while he’s so
damn close to my head.
 Jonah places his hands on my head, and I have to peel one hand away to
see where I’m placing my feet. The happy little shit doesn’t seem too
bothered that his hand might be blocking my eye.
Derrick grabs the other bag, and we head off. We head around the
mountain, as if we have a silent agreement to scan the place before we
venture farther up. Besides, if we check more places, we could find the
camp Jonah mentioned to have seen before.
“So, did you sometimes live in the camp?” I ask Jonah.
“No. We moved all the time. So many times, I can’t count that high. My
dad drank a lot, mom always said that's why he couldn’t keep a job.” He
says in a screechy voice that I think is meant to imitate his mother. “Once
we lived in this house in a city. It had boards on its windows, but I didn’t
care because it had a huge tree. I liked climbing it.” Jonah recalls some of
his memories.
I assume he’s telling me this with fond memories since it sounds like
he’s smiling. However, as much as I wish the boy really has some good
things to remember, I can’t get past one of the things he just said.
I furrow my brows and voice my confusion. “It had boards on the
windows?”
“No. Trees don’t have windows, the house did, silly.” Jonah corrects,
and Derrick chuckles.
This is just what I needed right about now. A smartass kid who’s
making fun out of me, and my father, gladly showing off his amusement for
the fact. I force down the irritation and sigh.
“I meant the house you lived in,” I stress.
“Yep, that house was cold, nearly as cold as the cave.” Jonah shivers as
he speaks. I’m sure it’s not because he’s actually cold, those are memories,
pretty vivid ones if anyone were to ask me.
“Jonah, do you remember anyone calling your mom a name that wasn’t
mom?” Derrick asks.
“Hmm, dad called her babe sometimes,” Jonah offers. I exchange a look
with my father, but both of us stay silent, just in case the boy remembers
something. “Oh, but most of the time, he called her bitch,” he adds. Alright,
this isn’t going where I thought it would.
My father’s eyebrows lift almost into his hairline, and I press my lips in
a line. Clearly, both of us aren’t happy about the things we are hearing here.
 “So, no one else used to call your mom another name?” Derrick presses.
He is doing the right thing, and just a moment ago. I wanted to press the
matter too, but thankfully he’s already at the top of it.
Jonah seems to think for a second. “No, but I heard someone call my
dad and my mom filthy rogues,” he quotes.
“So you have no one else? Your parents had no friends or family?” I ask
him.
Before Jonah can answer my question, I feel a nudge at my side. “Up
that way,” my father says, pointing off toward some caves.
“That’s it! That one up there!” Jonah squeals excitedly. He points a little
ways off from the direction my father pointed, and I see a cave.
We head in the direction of it. “So you never met any family?” I repeat
the question Jonah didn’t get a chance to answer.
Talking can distract Jonah, so even if I don’t get any helpful answers, at
least, he won’t freak out and start thrashing on my shoulder. The last thing
we need is a nasty fall.
“No, only uncle Lior. My mom had a brother too. Well, I think he was
her brother because they smelled the same as you and Mr. Andrei's dad.”
Jonah explains his reasoning and I chuckle.
“My name is Derrick, Jonah. You don’t need to call me Mr. Andrei’s
dad.” My father tells him, and I smirk.
In the meantime, Jonah is patting my head softly as if I just became his
damn pet. It is annoying, but I ignore it since we are trying to get
information from him.
“So your mom’s brother… Does he have a name?” I ask him.
“I only met him once, mom said he wasn’t a very nice man. He looked
like her, but I can’t remember his name,” Jonah confesses.
Shit well so far this isn’t bringing us anywhere closer to figuring out a
thing. Maybe, if I try a different approach, it might work. “What do you
remember of him?”
Jonah hums and pats my head with more vigor. “I remember he called
my mom some names, so dad punched him, and they had a big fight. My
dad was winning until that man pulled his gun out. Dad said it was just a
toy, but we still had to leave.”
“Leave from where?” My father asks the question that runs through my
mind. I glance at him, and he sends me a nervous glance. It’s clear to both
of us that Jonah’s parents don’t exactly sound like upstanding citizens.
 “My grandma’s house. She died a long time ago, and she gave mom the
house,” Jonah sounds excited as he explains it. I almost let out a breath of
relief as this is information we can use to find his family, but then his little
body tenses on my shoulders and Jonah whispers, “But then, he took it from
us.”
“Do you know how long ago that was?” I ask him.
“I don’t know, it was lots of sleeps ago. I was only short then.” He tells
me and I chuckle because he is still short now.
We make it to the cave entrance, and I spot a small sitting area around a
fire that has been out for a long time. It looks like there is barely anything
left from the wind, just burnt rock under the debris. I place Jonah down, and
my father uses his flashlight to look inside the cave.
Jonah runs away to a tree with some red and purple berries. I furrow my
brows because the damn tree looks so out of place here. I have a feeling it
isn’t supposed to be in these surroundings as such, let alone grow here and
have the shady-looking berries.
Jonah quickly plucks some off and happily tosses them inside his
mouth. He’s still chewing on the berries as my father approaches him.
“Oh, a mulberry tree,” my father point out, picking one of the berries
off.
“Yep, I love mulberries,” Jonah chirps while eating some, his lips
staining purple.
“Are you alright with him?” I ask my father, and instead of giving me
an answer, he tosses me his flashlight.
I enter the cave, it isn't very deep into the mountain, and it doesn't take
long before I trip over and kick some beer cans. Using the light, I spy
blankets on the ground, a couple of garbage bags and some clothes, a man's
jacket, a crate with empty food cans in it, but that's it.
It’s clear someone has spent time here and actually lived inside this
cave, but I’m not sure if everything I find are just leftovers or everything
was owned by them. While I would boldly assume some rogues must have
found this place and cleared it out of everything of use, I can’t be an
ignorant prick and take it as a fact either.
So, either I am looking at freaking leftovers after a robbery, or it’s
everything an entire family once owned.
Stalking back over to the bags of clothes, I huff as I pull the clothes out
of the bags and check every pocket. I find nothing of use until I pick up the
jacket and rummage through the inside pockets.
Finally a lead, a club card with the name Marshall Peters on it. There’s a
photo on the card too, and the man looks very similar to Jonah. I suppose
this could be his father, but thankfully, I have Jonah right here and he can
tell me who the owner of the card is.
I bring the card with me as I leave the cave and hike back to find my
father and Jonah. They are standing at the edge, looking at the trees down
the mountain. Hearing me approach, my father turns around and waves me
over, a pair of binoculars in his hands.
“Found the camp,” he calls, and I walk over.
I pass him the ID, and he hands me the binoculars. “Marshall Peters?”
he reads the ID. “This your dad?” He prods Jonah while I look for the
camp.
“Yep, that's him,” Jonah says, just as I spot the camp in the distance
amongst a small clearing in the forest.
Alright, now that we have found a lead, an actual name of a relative, I
can focus on surveying the rogue camp from a distance. It's a rather large
camp with tents and small structures set up all over the area. It's big even
for a rogue camp, easily a hundred people could fit. Children frolic around,
dodging back and forth in their play and women hang their clothes on
makeshift clothes-lines, chattering amongst themselves. Small fires dot the
area.
“Pretty big for a regular rogue camp, Kat told me they have had reports
of a growing number of rogues. It has to be because there are far too many
packs at war these days, and people have decided to flee from their homes
to stay alive.” Derrick notes next to me, and I nod, handing him back the
binoculars. “What do you want to do?” My father presses.
“Nothing, let's head back, I want to do a background check on Jonah’s
father,” I tell him.
To be honest, finding this camp leaves a weird aftertaste in my mouth. I
know we need to head home, but I still hesitate, if only for a brief moment.
There are so many families down there. Children, women, and elderly.
Shaking the feeling off, I grab Jonah and place him back on my
shoulders. Once again, he acts like the happy little shit he is and starts
running his hands through my hair. God, I’ll need a shower after this trip.
One with bleach possibly.
“Are we going home now?” Jonah asks.
“Yep.”
 Chapter

Six

S age
Jonah has once again managed to force everyone into panic mode.
We scour every inch of the forest and the road leading into the town.
And yet, no matter how far some of the pack members were ready to go,
there is no lead to the little guy.
Even my heart beats out of rhythm in fear for where he might have
gone. However, just at the very peak of the panic, Malik receives a phone
call from Andrei and the worry fades from his features.
The entire pack seems to have regained the ability to breathe and exhale
as Andrei tells Malik that Jonah has joined him and Derrick. Unexpectedly
of course, but at least the boy is safe.
During the entire time of the search, Malik looked beside himself at the
thought of losing Jonah, and he kept repeating to himself that he had lost
Andrei's little buddy.
Apparently, all Jonah talks about is Mr. Andrei and Mr. Andrei’s wife.
Malik’s words about Jonah fills me with some foreign feeling that I’m
not, and probably can’t get used to. The more I listen to the praises that
have come from Jonah, the more I wish I could have kids.
I can only imagine how amazing it could be. To have a tiny copy of my
mate and watch this kid grow into an amazing person, to hear our child
speak so fondly of us. And yet, I am sane enough to understand and accept
that it’s impossible.
Although many things must be written in fate for Andrei and I, kids
aren't one of them.
 Looking around, at the faces of the pack members, who were looking as
desperate as ever just minutes ago, I smile. The moment we found out that
Jonah went missing, Casen was the first to try to convince everyone that
someone had kidnapped the boy.
Every single pack member dropped everything to go and search for the
little boy. This is what it means to truly be part of a pack, not just a
community with everyone living beside each other, but a family looking out
for each other. I have no doubt that it doesn’t matter which member would
go missing, the reactions would all be the same.
While I’m sure all of us have enough work on our hands, I find myself
sitting aside with the rest of the pack. We are waiting until Jonah returns
and we can see for ourselves that he is safe.
As soon as Andrei pulls his car into the driveway, everyone gets to their
feet and rushes toward the car. Malik nearly rips the rear door off, reaching
into the car and pulls Jonah out. He dangles Jonah upside down by his foot,
and scolds him, yet, I can’t catch even a hint of anger in his words, just
immense relief that the boy was ok and safe.
Jonah squeals, probably thinking it is hilarious as he dangles from
Malik’s grip and tells everyone he ate berries and went on some adventure
with Mr. Andrei and Mr. Andrei’s Dad. Derrick tells him to call him
Derrick, but I suppose this has been quite an issue for a while already, so he
just gives up on repeating himself with a shake of his head and a laugh.
Andrei is trapped in his car, still unable to get out while the pack
members crowd around it. Jonah is hugged, crushed and tossed in the air by
everyone. His laughter is contagious, exciting the pack even more.
It is truly amazing to see how one little boy can instill such fear and
happiness in a pack full of only warriors. Grown, tough men gather around
him as if their life could lose purpose if it weren’t for Jonah.
My eyes dart back to Andrei and I can’t help but chuckle at the annoyed
look on his face. In fact, he is so over it that after another unsuccessful
attempt to get out, he climbs over to the passenger side and finally escapes
out of the car.
Andrei makes his way over, and stops next to me. Wrapping his arm
around my shoulders we both stand aside, watching the pack members
swoon over the boy.
Despite how visibly annoyed Andrei feels for the time he had to spend
trapped inside his own car, something else surges through our bond,
happiness. True, raw, bubbling happiness that I don't think either of us have
felt in a long time. He is over the moon to see his pack this happy.
And all it takes to reach this point in life is a little boy. A rogue boy who
keeps cheering as he retells everything about the adventure he had with Mr.
Andrei.
“And how are you, Mr. Andrei?” I chuckle, wondering if he will ever
live down the nickname given by Jonah. It seems the little boy doesn’t want
to drop it, and it’s yet another thing for me to use to annoy my mate a little.
Andrei growls as he presses his nose into my neck. “Can honestly say
he is the only person that actually calls me that instead of Alpha,” he
grumbles.
And yet again, here he is, the grumpy Alpha Andrei. Or should I say it’s
a role he’s trying to play? In fact, regardless of what my mate claims, I
know he secretly likes Jonah and his attention. No matter how much he
whines about how naughty and annoying the boy is.
Andrei stuffs his hand in his pocket and pulls out a plastic card to hand
it to me. “That was Jonah’s father. Unfortunately, there is no date of birth,
but I already sent someone to the city to go to that casino and look up his
information.”
I nod, glancing at the card.
“What’s wrong?” Andrei asks.
“Nothing,” I lie. Having a mate is the most wonderful feeling until the
moment they want to keep something a secret. Andrei feels my deceit and
growls at me, nipping at my neck.
“What’s wrong, little wolf?” He whispers against my skin. I can feel the
waves of worry surge though our bond, which makes me feel so freaking
bad that I hate it.
“Nothing, Andrei, it is selfish.” I admit, embarrassed about even
thinking about it.
He is about to press the issue and force me to tell him everything, but
my little savior Jonah skips over to us, as excited as ever.
Andrei snorts as Jonah skips over to me and stops. “Hi, Mr. Andrei’s
wife, I got you something,” he chirps.
I glance at Andrei, who clearly is having the time of his life since he
knows something I don’t and focus my gaze back on Jonah. The little boy
jams his hand in his tanned shorts pocket. I furrow my brows once I notice
the pocket is stained purple, just like his lips.
 “Her name is Sage, and you need to stop calling us that,” Andrei tells
him.
“But you are Mr. Andrei?” Jonah pouts.
Andrei chuckles and shakes his head. Just like Derrick, Andrei realizes
it’s time to give up. There is no point in trying to correct the boy if he isn’t
listening, no matter how many times he is being told the same thing.
Andrei leans in a little closer to me. “He makes me sound so old,” he
grumbles as Jonah finally fishes out what he was looking for.
With the widest smile I have ever seen on someone’s lips, Jonah opens
his hand and raises it up for me. He is holding squashed berries, a rock,
some leftover marshmallows from a couple of days ago, and some pocket
lint.
“Look, I brought you some berries back so that you could try some,” he
chirps, shoving his hand toward me. “You can have some too, Mr. Andrei,”
Jonah adds excitedly.
“Oh, no.” Andrei shakes his head. “Those berries are Sage’s favorite,
she won't want to share,” Andrei grins as he nudges my side and laughs at
my misery.
I huff but still hold my hand out for the mushy blob and whatever else
he crammed in that tiny pocket. “Ah, thanks,” I tell him.
“Don’t they look great? You will love that, try some.” Andrei snickers
behind me. I glance over my shoulder and glare at him. How did he manage
to get away from me that quick?
I look back at Jonah and realize he is looking up expectantly, waiting
for me to try his delicious pocket gunk. Andrei nudges my back, still
laughing like the traitor he truly is.
“We have eaten worse,” Sierra reminds me. I don’t want to remember
anything before my pack, but she has a point.
Sierra is also very fond of the little boy. So I sigh, grab the tiniest chunk
that looks the cleanest and close my eyes as I pop it in my mouth. I force it
down before I can catch any trace of the actual taste of the berries and
whatever else I just swallowed.
While I am trying to be nice, Andrei is trying to stifle his laughter
behind me. He thinks he’s so smart and funny, huh?
I lean down to stay at Jonah’s eye level and grin. “Mm, that's delicious.
I think Mr. Andrei should try some. I am feeling generous today and will
share my delicious berries.” As soon as the words leave my lips, Jonah
beams up at Andrei and nods his head as eagerly as ever.
Andrei’s laugh cuts off instantly, and he clears his throat. “I’m allergic,”
he suddenly declares. Wow, would you look at that slick shit!
Jonah scratches his head and his eyebrows furrow in confusion. “What’s
allergic?”
“Means you get sick from touching something that your body doesn't
like,” I explain to Jonah before Andrei can answer the question. The most
important part of this odd situation is that if I had to eat those berries, so
does Andrei. He can laugh all he wants, use every excuse under the sun, but
he’s not getting out of this.
And before I can catch Andrei on his lie, Jonah does it for me. “Silly
Mr. Andrei.” He laughs and waves Andrei off. “You were eating them when
we walked back down the mountain.”
I raise an eyebrow, straighten my body, and glare at Andrei over my
shoulder. Just like I thought, that slick shit!
“They were different berries.” Andrei objects, raising his hands as if he
didn’t tell a lie just seconds ago. I see what’s happening here. My mate is
trying to dig himself out of this situation.
“Nope, definitely those. I got Jonah to help me pick them.” Derrick
joins our conversation.
A wide smile spreads across my lips as Derrick sends me a wink and
stands aside to stare at his son with a smirk. Would you look at how the
tables have turned on the liar.
“See?” Jonah says excitedly.
I barely restrain myself from snorting with repressed laughter as Andrei
mumbles something about being Alpha and his traitorous family.
I turn around to face Andrei and mimic the same smirk Derrick has.
Andrei presses his lips in a line and gives me something that suspiciously
looks like a warning glare. Before Jonah catches on to what he is doing,
Andrei looks at my hand and he swishes my palm with his finger, hoping to
find a clean piece.
“Sage said you could have the rest. That is very generous of your mate,
so you better appreciate her efforts and willingness to share. So bottoms up,
son,” Derrick encourages with a laugh.
Andrei glares at his father, and I grab his hand to dump the contents in
his. Since I obviously am no monster, I pick out the rock and put it in my
pocket.
“Come on, Mr. Andrei! I kept them warm in my pocket for everyone,”
Jonah squeals.
“Yes, Mr. Andrei,” Derrick adds with too much enthusiasm.
To my surprise, Andrei growls, but quickly tosses the berries into his
mouth. It’s a massive chunk and definitely needs a lot of chewing.
“Is it good?” Jonah asks, and Andrei gives him a thumbs up. His cheeks
puff out like he is fighting the urge to gag, but he manages to swallow it all.
He’s a champ. And if it weren’t for the rather pained expression on his face,
even I could believe in his lie.
“Yep, delicious,” Andrei tells him.
Jonah bounces on his feet excitedly. “Good, now I can give Casen,
Malik, and Vince the rest in this pocket,” he says as he rummages through
his other pocket while his eyes are already scanning the surroundings as
Jonah looks for his next victims.
He calls out to Malik, who doesn’t hesitate when Jonah offers him some
of his special, squashed berries.
“He has an iron gut,” I mutter while watching Malik.
I turn back to Andrei and almost laugh at the view before me. A deep,
annoyed growl leaves my mate as he glares at us and pinches at his tongue.
He pulls some lint off and cringes. “I need to go brush my teeth and
tongue,” Andrei grumbles and stalks off, heading inside the house.
“I think he is upset. Best to feed the pouting man-child. I feel like
pancakes, let's go make pancakes for dinner,” Derrick muses as he drops his
arm across my shoulders and tugs me inside.
Andrei mutters something to himself as soon as we step inside the
house. While I could go and check on my mate, the safest option seems to
be his dad. So without any hesitation, I follow Derrick to the kitchen.
I put the kettle on while Derrick grabs ingredients from the pantry and
the fridge, to make pancakes for dinner.
Derrick cooked every night when he stayed the three months with us.
He never cooked at home because he had no one to cook for and felt silly
cooking for himself. But I can tell just how much he loves cooking as he
hums to himself while making the batter and heating a fry pan.
“Coffee or tea?” I ask him.
“Ah, after that hike we had, I might have a coffee. Thank you." As I
grab the coffee and sugar to prepare his drink, Derrick speaks up again. “I
see Jonah gave everyone quite the scare,” he ponders.
Once again, I just nod as a smile spreads across my lips. He’s right,
Jonah did give the entire pack a massive scare. Everyone was running
around like headless chickens.
“He is a little ball of energy,” Derrick comments.
“That he is,” I agree, pouring some milk in his mug.
“Sage?” Derricks calls my name, grabbing my attention. I look up from
the mug and at him, Derrick instantly stops mixing the batter.
He has an uncertain look in his eyes, as if he is still contemplating if he
should speak his mind, but Derrick breaks out of the haze and clears his
throat. "Andrei and Kat gave me a hard time mentioning you and Andrei
having children. I had no idea you couldn't." His eyes dart away from me,
and return the next second. "I apologize for bringing it up, and my intention
was never to upset you,” he says.
“It’s fine, you didn’t know, and it's not your fault, so don’t feel bad,” I
reassure him, a little shocked that Andrei confided in his dad.
A shy smile spreads across his lips. “You know, you don’t have to carry
a child to be a parent. My mate, Shirley, wasn't Kat’s biological mother, but
she loved her all the same. Andrei wasn’t Anthony’s either, yet he raised
him and loved him. He was there for my boy and did the job I should have
done,” Derrick whispers the last part. Regret radiates off him.
Honestly, I have no idea what I am supposed to say to that confession.
This is the first time he has ever mentioned not being a good father to
Andrei. Derrick turns back to the fry pan and returns his attention to us
making pancakes.
“One thing I have never forgiven myself for is walking out on him. I
should have taken him with me, I just hope I can make it up to him. I
blamed Anthony for my mate's death, though Andrei had her killed,” he
muses, shocking me. Had I heard right? I did not know that Andrei killed
Kat’s mother.
“Andrei killed your mate, and you forgave him?” I ask, unable to keep
the shock from my tone.
“No, not him directly, but he helped Jackson's men do it. I understand
though, he saw Shirley as the one that took me away from him. Like I said
Sage, I wasn't a good father to Andrei. Anthony was a far better man than
me. We all do things we regret, and I was honestly shocked when I
discovered my son was raised by the one man I destroyed. So, don’t feel
bad for me. Andrei had every reason and then some to hate me, this is my
karma,” he explains.
“Yes, but everyone has regrets,” I argue.
“Do you have regrets?” Derrick asks.
I have no idea why I decided to mention anything about regrets in the
first place. This has to be the first time that I have ever admitted that I have
one. If only to myself.
Derrick is one of those people who has a comforting aura. Like anyone
who stands near him would instantly feel comfortable to be around him.
Besides, he reminds me a lot of Kat, with his no judgment policy. And he
seems to honestly have a way of understanding people.
“Just one,” I whisper before I can stop myself.
“And what do you regret?” He asks.
“I regret asking my father if we could visit the flower meadow,” I
confess.
“That’s the place on the other side. Near the town of the Bright,
opposite side of the mountain, that flower meadow? Lovely place, we drove
hours down there in spring to take Kat there when she was little. She loved
that place, filled an entire basket full of flowers, and pressed them when she
got home.” Derrick smiles as he recalls obviously pleasant memories. I
wish mine were the same.
“Yes, that’s the one,” I answer softly as I force down the lump in my
throat.
“You would be the first person I have ever heard to regret going there,
so why is that?” He looks at me over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow.
“Did Andrei tell you about when he found me?” I ask him.
“Yes, he told me,” he says, and I nod.
“We were traveling in the opposite direction. We were supposed to go to
the next town over, but I asked my father if we could go to the flower
meadow. He agreed, mom also wanted to go, so we went there instead.
When we left, we decided to camp just outside Bright on the outskirts of the
forest surrounding it. That’s when they stumbled across us, killed my father,
took my mother and me,” I tell him, my voice shaking by the end.
“You know that isn’t your fault, right? You did nothing wrong there
Sage, you just stumbled across some bad people.” Derrick tries his hardest
to reassure me that I hold no blame, yet no matter how many times I repeat
that to myself, I still fail to believe those words. Deep down, I still feel
guilty.
“I know it’s not my fault, but we also would have been in the next town
if I never asked, and both my parents would still be alive,” I stress.
“Either way, those rogues would have caught someone. Unfortunately,
you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Your parents took you
there because they loved you. Just remember that there was nothing you
could do about it. What they did is on them, not you,” Derrick comforts,
and I nod.
I don’t want to talk about this. The thing is that I know that what
Derrick is saying is true. I really understand that now. However, as a nearly
thirteen year old at the time, back then, all I saw was fault.
“My mate, Shirley, took a bullet for Kat. Jackson’s men took a shot at
Kat. It would have killed her too, but Shirley shoved her out of the way. She
saw it coming, and she threw herself in front of it to save our daughter.”
Derrick gazes in the distance, looking like he is reliving the experience right
before my eyes.
“That’s horrible,” I whisper. The worst part is that I don’t know what to
say to comfort Derrick. Hell, I have never been able to comfort myself, let
alone someone else. I feel terrible for Kat. I have no idea how her life has
been, but one thing I know for sure is how awful it is to live, knowing her
mother died for her.
“Not as terrible as knowing your daughter was capable of saving her,”
Derrick whispers as he looks at me over his shoulder again. “She was going
to, but I knew it would cost my daughter her life. So I took Shirley away
before she could. I had to make a choice. I had to let one go, and I would
have always chosen Kat. I don’t regret it. But I let one die to save the other
and the hardest thing I have had to do was turn my back on my daughter
while she begged me to let her save her mother,” he says as he scoops out
another pancake and puts it on the plate.
Since I don’t say a thing, Derrick takes it as his cue to keep on
explaining himself.
“I made the mistake of choosing my mates over Andrei, I wasn’t going
to do the same again. Kids should always come first, and you don’t have to
be their biological parent. However, sometimes the best parents aren't their
real ones. Anthony and Shirley showed me that, though Shirley’s character
would be considered questionable to some, she loved Kat enough to throw
her life away for her. Just like Anthony chose to forgive and raise my boy
and love him, knowing I was the reason his daughters were dead along with
his previous partner.”
Wait, why do I feel like Derrick is laying out the story of his life for a
specific reason? I lean against the counter, tilt my head and cross my arms
in front of my chest. “Is that why you were asking about Jonah?” I ask him.
He chuckles and nods. “Yes, I overheard you talking to Andrei earlier. I
didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” he apologizes as he flips another pancake in the
pan and reaches for the mug to take a sip of his coffee. “Andrei showed you
Jonah's father's card, I noticed you got upset about that,” Derrick adds. I
nod, wondering where exactly he is going with this conversation. “It’s not
selfish,” he stresses.
My eyebrows pinch and I look at Derrick as if he just grew another
head. The thing is that I never mentioned anything about why that ID card
upset me, so it can’t be that he knows.
“What?”
Derrick shrugs. “You said it was selfish, and it was nothing. I know you
meant you hoped he didn’t have a family because you were hoping he could
stay. It’s not selfish to be willing to love someone else's child. It's the most
selfless thing you can do. And you know what?” He gives me a grin.
“What?”
“I hope we don’t find any relatives either. You and Andrei will be good
parents to that little boy, and it isn’t selfish for wanting to be,” Derrick
stresses and smiles.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and shake my head. “I
think it may take some convincing for Andrei, though, if he doesn’t have
family and can stay,” I correct.
“Nah, Andrei wants him too, just too scared to admit it because the boy
drives him crazy. But I don’t think he will need much convincing. Anthony
raised him right, and he will be a good dad.” Derrick grins at me even wider
than Jonah did when he handed us the berries.
Something pulls at my heart as I think back to the overjoyed expression
on the boy’s face. Ever since I saw him following Andrei, I keep wondering
what his life was like before he came here. But after such a small period of
time Jonah has spent in this pack, he looks so happy. So damn happy it
pains me to think the happiness and excitement could fade from his bright,
hopeful eyes.
 I shake my head to rid myself of the thoughts, just to realize that
Derrick is looking at me. “You are a good man Derrick, I am glad you are in
Andrei’s life now." I mean every single word that I say. I can see why Kat is
such an amazing and selfless person, and I know she will make a great
Queen. She will do anything to put her needs and wants aside just to help
others with theirs.
“Nah, far from it. But I am trying to make up for it, even if it means
dying to make it up to my kids. I hurt both of them the most. The two
people I never should have let down,” he relays with a shrug.
“For Shirley?” I ask, confused as to how he has hurt Kat.
“No, I walked out on her too after Shirley died. Came back thanks to
Andrei, but I still left when I shouldn’t have. I know better now, I will
always choose my kids' happiness over mine no matter the cost, I won’t fail
them again.” Derrick explains, and once again, intense regret radiates off
him.
I part my lips to say something, but Derrick cuts me off and changes the
subject.
“Can you grab the ice cream? Dinner is ready,” he chimes, holding up a
huge pile of chocolate chip pancakes.
I chuckle at the shit-eating grin on his lips, shake my head and grab the
ice cream, while Derrick dishes dinner out onto plates.
“Speaking of my son, where the hell is he?” Derrick asks, looking
around the kitchen.
I was so lost in our conversation that I didn’t notice that Andrei never
came back from brushing his teeth. Just like Derrick, I peer around the
kitchen, fully expecting my mate will appear out of nowhere, like he always
does, but nothing.
I try to feel for him through the bond, but he blocks me out. My
eyebrows pinch together in confusion. Have I done something to upset
Andrei so much as to block me out for good? The berries and Jonah, it was
just a joke, a little teasing and payback for him, forcing me to eat them. He
wouldn’t go that far because of some fun, would he?
Derrick carefully hands me the plates, and I place them on the table. He
walks to the kitchen door and yells, “Andrei, dinner is done!”
I glance to the side, where Derrick stands at the door and raise an
eyebrow as I place the last plate down.
 “Andrei?” Derrick repeats his name, his voice trembling. Dread creeps
up on me as soon as I hear it. My eyes focus on him as Derrick looks like he
is scared of something, and then wanders out of sight.
I forget the dinner and walk over to the door. Slowly, I stick my head
out to see Derrick stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Son? Why didn’t you
say you were out here?” He asks in a whisper.
Cautiously, I step out of the kitchen and freeze. Andrei is sitting on the
bottom step with his head in his hands and well within hearing distance.
“I’m sorry, Andrei. I didn’t mean to upset you, have you been here the
entire time?” Derrick gulps, cupping the back of Andrei’s neck.
“I’m sorry. I had Shirley killed,” Andrei apologizes and Derrick doesn’t
bother, or he just can’t, hide how his face crumbles in pain. He swallows
and looks up at the ceiling for a second, then, back at Andrei.
“Not as sorry as I am for leaving you. You don’t need to apologize to
me, Andrei. We have all done some messed up shit, I don’t deserve your
apology. However, I hope you accept mine because I mean it, son. I will
never make that same mistake. I will never abandon you again,” Derrick
vows as he kneels in front of Andrei and grasps his face in both hands.
Derrick forces Andrei to lift his head from his hands. “I swear on my life
son, I will make it up to you,” he promises as tears well up in his eyes.
After a moment of tension-filled silence, Derrick releases his hold on
Andrei, wipes his eyes and jumps to his feet nearly with as much
enthusiasm as Jonah would. “Now come on, I made dinner, so let's hug it
out in a manly way. I know you don’t like hugs and need to keep up this
cold Alpha appearance.” Derrick jokes, making Andrei chuckle.
“I never said I don’t like hugs,” Andrei objects as he stands up and
embraces Derrick.
“Oh, so it's just my hugs you try to escape? Too old to hug dear old
dad,” Derrick laughs as he hugs Andrei and rubs his back. It’s such a
wonderful moment. Painful and tense, yes, but the outcome brings them
closer together so I am glad to stand here and watch the miracle happen.
“Something like that,” Andrei admits, as I slip back into the kitchen, out
of their sight.
I hurry back to the table and sit down, pretending that I wasn’t listening
to their heart to heart conversation.
Derrick's warm voice drifts through the air even at this distance. “Now,
that boy Jonah, he is really something, isn’t he?” Andrei huffs as he comes
into view, but doesn’t reply. Instead, he leans down to kiss my cheek and
sits beside me.
 Chapter

Seven

K atya
I wonder if I should start with the statement that I never asked to
become Queen of Alphas.
Sometimes, I feel like I need to remind people of the fact since
everyone seems overjoyed and at other times, act like I asked for this power
and title.
I didn’t, I never wanted all that power and extra responsibilities—the
same as I never asked for this crazy amount of goddamn stress. I think my
hair is graying, and my anxiety levels are through the roof.
I still feel like I’m putting it all too mildly. Just the thought of walking
into the meeting sends me into a frenzy of hyperventilation, shaking limbs
and to the absolute verge of madness.
If anyone ever bothered to ask me how I feel about this, they would
know that I feel I’m inadequate and unfit to be ruler. Who would have
thought that moving blindly into Ezra’s pack would alter my entire life?
Never in a million years, would I have thought I would ever become a
Queen. That is the sort of shit that happens in fairy tales.
I like reading them, but that doesn’t mean I want to become fucking
Cinderella. In fact, I don’t think there is any fairytale written that could
stand close to the bullshit my life has become.
Sometimes I think that my life would have been simpler if I had no
wolf. A year and a half ago, no one knew I existed, and now I am some
deity that everyone expects shit from.
I feel like a bloody imposter.
 “Will you stop pacing? You are making me dizzy.” Mateo grimaces,
making me stop and tense.
What the hell? Since when did he join me? Am I really that lost in my
own thoughts to overlook the presence of my mate? So darn trapped in
dread that I don’t notice any of them entering the room?
My eyes snap to Mateo, and then to the movement on my right. Ezra
steps out of the closet in his suit, looking as delicious as ever. I shake the
thought away and go back to my pacing, something is seriously wrong with
my libido. My thoughts always go to the gutter the moment they are around.
“Kat, seriously, what is wrong?” Mateo prods.
My eyes widen and a surprised gasp leaves my lips as I run a hand
through my hair. “Are you kidding? I am about to be fed to the wolves,
literally fed to god damn Alpha wolves as soon as I walk in there. I don’t
want to challenge anyone's title,” I tell him, possibly way louder than
needed to get my point across with him.
Mateo sighs and shakes his head. “Well, unfortunately, that isn’t up to
you. Powers are determined by ranking, and you outrank everyone. Did you
seriously think it would be like a regular Alpha meeting that no one would
notice and challenge your rank?”
I am listening. I really am. And yet, I can’t help but focus on the ‘duh’
tone of his voice. Mateo acts as if I was supposed to know the way things
would go just like he is describing the possibility. Of course, I never
fucking thought of that part! Why would I? I am a mother now, I need to
focus on my children, mates, and the pack. When do I have time to come up
with scenarios that might, or might not, come true?
I stop, turning to face Mateo and send him my best ‘don’t you fucking
dare’ glare at him. “Uh, yeah, I did! I am not Queen material. I don’t even
like leaving the house, let alone dealing with not just one pack but hundreds
now,” I object, and Ezra chuckles behind me. My head snaps in his
direction and I all but hiss at that sexy, arrogant piece of shitcake. “What's
so funny?”
“You are. You literally brought an entire pack back from the dead and
killed yourself to do it. And you don’t think you are worthy of ruling? You
have already proven you would give your life for the sake of others, not
many can say they died for their pack or a rival pack. Anyway, feel free to
entertain me, and please tell me how you are not worthy of being their
Queen,” Ezra encourages.
 My eyes widen at him. Irritation sizzles beneath my skin and it quickly
grows into a bubble of rage. My eyes meet his and the sheer determination
in them kills me in one blow. I give up, I throw my hands up and stomp my
foot. “Can’t you do it, just challenge the Alpha of Alpha’s so I don’t have
to?”
“If it makes you feel any better, I am sure all three of us will be
challenged there. Kat, we all outrank them. But you, more so.” Ezra replies
with a hint of something hidden behind his words. Is that a warning? Or is
that concern for my well-being?
Well, beats the shit out of me. Also, no. The fuck, it doesn’t make me
feel any better. If anything, it sends my mind into another frenzy of worry
about their well-being! And how hard can it be for Ezra to beat someone’s
ass while I sneak off and steal some cupcakes from their secret stash? I’m
sure they have some there.
I roll my eyes at Ezra and his stupid words. “That’s a load of crap, you
don’t bow to me, so what makes you think this Dominic will?” I snap.
“We are equals, and mates, that's how it works. You, becoming a
Goddess, just amped our auras up, making us your Kings. And you are
wrong, by the way. Your aura is stronger than mine, you just don’t know
how to use it properly.” Ezra remarks smugly.
I have a feeling that sly ass is happy about my inability to use
something that could push him to a disadvantage. But then again, I have
tried, haven’t I?
I furrow my brows, more than a little confused. “I have used it heaps on
you, and you never falter,” I point out.
“I promise I do feel it, Kat. Why do you think I get Maddox out? The
sick bastard actually likes the pain, and that’s the only reason I can resist it,
is because I let Maddox move forward with me. Oh, and also because he is
a stubborn prick and waits for you to exert too much energy.” Ezra winks at
me.
As much as this conversation irritates me, I’m not complaining. Ezra is
literally telling me his secrets, and one of these days I will use this
information against him and Maddox, and give him a dose of his own
medicine.
“Yeah, I need to ask Seline about that, I didn’t realize using it was so
exhausting, and you don’t seem to struggle like that with yours.” I mutter,
eager to find out even more.
 “Mateo and I have a theory about it, actually. Might have something to
do with you being a Gemini wolf. Similar to your healing ability, you heal
because we take it from you and we aren’t fighting against each other. We
share our healing ability to help you, and would never test out trying to
block it or you and neve will so don’t even think about suggesting it. Maybe
it works like that. I am not lending you my energy when I’m using mine
against you, so when I do, it stops your ability to draw off it and levels us
out. Seline always talks about balance. Mates are supposed to be equal, so it
would make sense in some ways we are, like with our auras.”
“Kind of makes sense,” I agree, and I focus back on pacing the room.
I still hate the idea of every time I get hurt, they absorb my injuries from
me. If I use my aura, my mates only have to wait for me to tire out and keep
their own up. I can't force theirs down unless they willingly submit and
Maddox would rather claw through glass than do that, the asshole. It
irritates me more than it should, and what good is being a healer if I can’t
heal myself?
“We will find out for sure at the Alpha meeting when you are not
challenging me and try to dominate someone else.”
Another wave of dread creeps up as I freeze. “What if it exhausts me?
Like Maddox, he could wait me out and won't that give Dominic the
advantage to kill me?” I ask, biting my lip.
“You really think we would just let you die? Seriously, Kat, we won’t
just sit there and watch our mate get hurt. If we see you distressed, we will
step in. Andrei will be there too, plenty of us to take them on, plus your
father,” Ezra adds and gives Mateo a look with a raised eyebrow.
My eyes follow his gaze. Mateo is trying to do up his tie. His fingers are
fumbling and making a huge fabric knot. In no time, the unsuccessful
attempt overwhelms my mate, and he gets cranky and tosses the tie on the
floor.
“You're done with your hissy fit?” Ezra asks him with a chuckle, a spark
of amusement is dancing in his eyes as he watches.
“You know I hate wearing ties, it's stupid. So who the hell decided a
flappy leash hanging from your neck was needed with a suit?” Mateo
whines, Ezra bends down and scoops it up. “That torture device was
probably invented by a man who was sick of going to meetings, so he had
something he could use to hang himself from in boredom.” Mateo keeps
fussing and whining as Ezra approaches him.
 “Oh, speaking of dad. He called me last night and told me that Sage has
finally let Andrei mark her.” For the first time today, a faint smile spreads
across my lips. I needed something good to happen, I needed it so darn bad
that it scared me.
“That’s good, one less thing to worry about. Congratulations, you no
longer have to kill your brother.” Mateo laughs as if he actually believes it
is funny.
In what universe is killing a sibling funny? I roll my eyes at his remark
but let it slip, for now. “Yeah, but that’s the thing worrying me. The bond
isn’t complete until he mates with her, and I don’t know how to approach
that subject with them because Sage has no ovaries. I couldn’t even smell
any sort of pheromones from her at all when she was here. I don’t think she
can go into heat.” I stress my bottom lip between my lips.
“I thought they just had to mark each other?” Mateo asks while Ezra
just looks at me, probably expecting a reaction of a sort.
“Well yeah, but a bond isn’t complete until they are mated,” I explain.
“Maybe just marking her during sex will be enough?” Mateo guesses as
he looks up at Ezra as if he has the answer we seek. Ezra just shrugs.
“Yeah well, that is what dad did with mom, and it worked. But he did
say their bond wasn’t as solid as it was with Katherine. It was weaker, but it
worked, solidifying it. Dad worries though, because of what happened to
her. He is worried that without the heat, she won’t want to mate,” I try to
get my point across with my mates.
“Does your brother know you discuss his sex life so openly?” Ezra
chuckles.
“Hey, I have no choice but to discuss it. I have to kill him if it doesn’t
work out, and I like having a brother!” I snap and cross my arms in front of
my chest.
“It will work out, now come here so I can zip up that dress,” Ezra orders
and waves his hand at me to get closer to him.
Shit, I completely forgot I was supposed to be getting ready to leave for
this damn Alpha meeting. I sigh, turn around and let him zip me up, and
button the top button.
Ezra rubs his hands down my arms. “We will be right beside you. You
will be fine,” he whispers in assurance as he wraps his arms around me and
buries his face in my neck. A soft growl leaves Ezra’s lips. I can feel it as a
vibration runs through me and consumes my senses, but the momentary
bliss pops like a soap bubble when Mateo clears his throat.
I look over at him to see him adjusting his pants. “Please disengage
from each other. My balls are aching enough without having you two tease
me with your arousal and sexual tension,” Mateo growls.
Ezra grins at him and instead of pulling away from me, he runs his nose
across the length of my neck and pauses at my mark. He lets his teeth graze
it and a violent shiver ripples down my spine and a soft moan leaves my
lips. My legs go weak and Ezra crushes me against him before I fall.
He uses one hand to support me by my breast, his fingers squeezing and
teasing through the fabric. His other hand glides to my hip and below until
he dips below my skirt. He bunches it up and lifts it high enough to slip his
hand through. His fingertips brush my thigh and I bite my lips to stop
myself from moaning even louder. I'm a trembling mess by the time his
fingers brush against the lace of my panties, following the thin strip around,
but not touching where I really want him to.
A strangled growl escapes Mateo, his eyes are locked on Ezra's fingers
between my thighs. His tongue darts out, moistening his lips. I spread my
legs, eager for Ezra to touch just a little higher. I'll die if he stops and Mateo
and his frustration looks exactly how I feel.
Ezra chuckles at the both of us, seemingly enjoying his slow cruel
torture. He sucks hard on my mark until I cry out and sink my fingers into
him to stop myself from melting into a puddle of pleasure.
"Who exactly are you teasing here?" I pant. "Me or him?" My voice is
so airy and weak I don't even recognize it. Ezra's finger slides under the
lace, pulling it to the side and practically cutting me in half, instead of
pulling them all the way. His desire to torment me is far too strong. He runs
his finger down my trembling pussy lips, gathering my juices. My thighs
are wet and the air is filled with the scent of my arousal. I wanted to throw
these men down and fuck them, I didn't care which at this point, I just
needed some release with Ezra winding me up like this. "Stop," I whimper.
I wish I could be stronger. "We're going to be late," I whisper, my voice
almost giving out. My body is throbbing hard, desperate for him to just tear
the panties off of me and touch me exactly where I need him to.
“I say make them wait. She is their Queen, and I am so horny, please,
Ezra, please, we can be quick,” Mateo begs. I chuckle at his desperation.
 “Kat’s right, we need to go.” Ezra chides, as if he isn’t the one who just
drove Mateo and me to the very edge. I might be the voice of reason
between us three, but a mere flick of a finger would be enough to break me.
I, too, am so turned on it hurts.
Mateo huffs with disappointment, but not as much as me. We barely do
anything anymore. And as much as I want to by the time we get a chance, I
am too tired and I tell them to fool around with each other instead. Not that
it stops them from trying. I have to show my canines for them to leave me
alone.
Besides the eternal exhaustion, the meds I'm forced to take make me
live in fog all the time. I will admit though, my mood swings have gotten a
bit much since I cut off the meds in the two days leading up to the Alpha
meeting. But beyond that small side effect I'm stronger and clearer headed
without them. Sure, sometimes I'm fine one minute and a screaming, crying
baby the next but it's a small price to pay.
Mathias said we need to watch for the side effects of abruptly stopping
them, but Maddox sat outside with me all night to recharge on the moon,
which I find is the best medicine. Unfortunately, I can't sleep outside every
night. And I know they would never let me sit out there on my own.
I would feel guilty if I asked them to give up their bed for the grass.
Plus, there are the kids to consider, outside is not an option for them,
especially now they are on the move.
“Ready when you are, Alphas!” Marge calls from downstairs.
Ezra checks his watch and sighs. “Come on, time to go,” he instructs,
walking into the nursery and grabbing Marabella and Eziah, who were both
napping. “Hopefully, they sleep on the way there,” he adds, passing Eziah
to Mateo.
For some reason, both twins hate the car. That’s exactly why I try to
avoid leaving the house unless necessary. I have heard of many babies who
sleep in the cars, and even some who won’t sleep unless their parents drive
them around, but that’s not the same case with our babies.
“Are you sure Marge will be alright with them in the children's area?” I
ask, already worried out of my skin.
“Yes, Andrei said he was bringing Jonah, so Sage has a reason to sit out
of dealing with the other Lunas at the meeting. She is still not comfortable
being around those she doesn’t know,” Mateo says, and I nod.
 “Okay, any news on the Blood Database yet?” I ask as we walk down
the steps. Maybe it’s for the best if I try to distract myself with something
other than the dread that is filling the pit of my stomach.
Marge is already waiting at the bottom with the baby bag and double
stroller. I grab the folded-up stroller from her, and we head out to the car.
“No, but Andrei said he found out who his father is and is looking into
it,” Mateo informs me.
I place the stroller in the trunk while Marge opens the doors to our
newly acquired soccer mom van. I never thought I would be excited about a
soccer mom van, but in those beasts' the room is so good.
Ezra is less than thrilled about driving it, but Mateo is just as excited as
I am. When we go anywhere, we are squished in his sedan, and seeing as
Marge has moved in with us now, there’s never enough room in the car for
everyone.
Though it is rare that all of us go somewhere together, not being able to
fit a stroller in Mateo’s trunk is a real bitch. Ezra climbs in the passenger
side while Mateo plucks the keys from his fingers then Marge and I climb
in the back with the kids.
The wiggles blare through the CD player as soon as he starts it. Ezra
quickly shuts it off, yet Mateo still hums the fruit salad song as he pulls out
of the driveway.
Marge chuckles to herself while Ezra looks for a radio station to shut
him up. Finding one he likes, Mateo pouts and mutters under his breath,
earning a smack in the chest from Ezra.
“It is bad enough I have to watch the wiggles on repeat, I don’t need
you humming it while they are asleep,” Ezra hisses at him.
“Driver controls the stereo,” Mateo growls back at Ezra.
“No way, I am pulling rank here. I am not listening to that crap,” he
huffs.
Marge and I laugh at their bickering, but halfway there, both kids start
screaming. Ezra looks on the verge of jumping from the moving car, while
Marge and I try to settle them.
“Don’t you dare!” Ezra growls, and I glance over at them to see Mateo
turn the CD on.
The wiggles start blasting from the stereo, and both kids slowly calm
down as Mateo sings along and does the actions while driving. Ezra
mumbles something I can’t quite hear and shakes his head. If I have to
guess, I will say it has to be something about killing someone and pity that
he can’t kill his own mate.
“Either you listen to the screaming or the wiggles,” Mateo taunts him,
and Ezra gives up.
We have to drive into the city for the Alpha meeting, it is the only place
with a big enough hall to fit all the Alphas from all over in it. The drive
takes us two hours and then another thirty minutes, stuck in the horrendous
bumper-to-bumper traffic before we pull up to a stadium, which I am not
expecting.
 Chapter

Eight

K atya
“I thought it was that museum place,” I mutter to no one in
particular as my eyes scan the monstrous thing before us.
“Dominic moved it,” Ezra supplies, a little too calmly for my liking.
I glance at Mateo. His eyes dart to mine and he quickly looks away, I
can feel his nerves a mile away. It’s clear he is worried because we are here.
It takes all but a moment until the realization hits me, and my eyes
widen in shock. “He is going to challenge me, isn’t he?” The question is
instinct.
“Yes, that’s why it is here.” Ezra nods.
“You said he may. If he had every intention of challenging me all along,
why didn’t you say something?” I try to keep my voice low and even in an
attempt to not startle the kids. In reality, all I want is to fucking strangle
Ezra for keeping this from me.
He led me to believe it was just a possibility, a maybe at best, but this is
a certainty.
Ezra rolls his eyes as if he is talking to an annoying child. “Because we
both knew you would panic, but you will be fine, Kat. We won’t put you in
a situation we feel is unsafe.”
“Unsafe? What part of being challenged is safe?” I raise my voice just a
little. It should be enough for both Ezra and Mateo to understand how far
they have crossed the line by not telling me this information.
Ever since all this bullshit came crashing down in flames, these two are
proving themselves to be unworthy of my trust. They are my mates, they
are supposed to stay on my side and be honest with me. But no, they act
like I am a nut case that will harm our kids and now they’re holding back
vital information I am entitled to, especially considering it all revolves
around me. I didn't even get a chance to prepare for this shit.
“Calm down, this is why we didn’t tell you,” Ezra grumbles.
I shoot him a warning glare. “I wouldn’t need to calm down if you had
told me. The pair of you hide shit from me day in and day out, and I’m sick
and tired of it. I thought we are supposed to be equal in this shit, but you
never tell me anything until the last minute.”
“We don’t want to worry you, that is why,” Mateo tries to appease me as
he turns in his seat. Without waiting for an answer, he hops out of the car to
help Marge get the kids out.
What part of this aren’t they understanding? They wouldn’t agree with
me hiding crap from them. “IT WORRIES ME THAT YOU FEEL THE
NEED TO KEEP THINGS FROM ME,” I scream at them as Ezra shoves
his door open. He leans back in, shooting me a glare.
“Not here, Kat, we can argue about it when we get home,” Ezra lectures
as he scans the other cars pulling up. Is he fucking for real now? “When we
get home, not here,” Ezra snaps when I go to argue with him.
“I am not a child,” I snap right back at him.
“Then stop acting like one. You are about to take on the Alpha of
Alphas, and you want to have a tantrum in the car over us not telling you
something? We told you that the title might be challenged. We didn’t lie to
you because the venue wasn’t changed until last night. That’s when we
knew Dominic was planning on fighting to keep his title,” Ezra snarls at
me.
Is it really that damn much to ask, to have your own mates be honest
with you, instead of hiding every little detail from you? Besides, while I
was freaking out in the bedroom, both of them had more than plenty of time
to tell me what was going on. Hell, we had a whole car ride and an entire
CD's worth of Wiggle songs for them to have told me.
And yet, they remained silent. They kept this away from me, being well
aware they were forcing me into danger. They were missing the entire point
of my argument which is that they hid this from me.
“But you still didn’t say anything. You could have fucking told me,” I
tell him.
“What difference would it have made, Kat? It wouldn’t change
anything, it would have just caused you unnecessary stress, and you
wouldn’t have slept,” Ezra snipes, shutting the door, and opening the back
door. I look away from him, unable to face the man who calls himself my
mate, yet disrespects me like I’m nothing but dirt under his feet.
“Now, Kat! Do not make a scene here,” Ezra growls when Marge leans
in on her side to grab the blanket off the floor.
“He is right, love. Come on, you three need to look united. It doesn’t
look good if you go in there arguing,” Marge gently fusses at me.
I sigh and get out of the car. I am furious at Ezra and Mateo, however,
Marge is right.
I am never informed of anything until the last minute. Even when I was
put on meds, I assumed the appointment was for the kids until I heard my
name called instead of theirs. I thought it was weird, though, that Ezra
insisted on me coming to that appointment and even canceled his meetings
for it.
I am so done with the secrecy between us. Done with them thinking I
can’t handle it. While they are both happy for me to challenge a title, I am
not allowed to know what the fuck is going on. It makes no sense to me.
Once both kids are settled in the stroller, we get ready to head in
through the entrance. Andrei pulls up beside us. Sage smiles as she gets out
and is also dressed in a blue-fitted dress, looking exactly how a Luna is
expected to look. I hug her when she opens the back door, and Jonah hops
out. He smiles instantly, grabbing her hand and looking around.
“You must be Jonah. I am Kat,” I introduce myself.
He shakes my hand with his tiny one, and I am suddenly sucked into a
vision. The air whooshes out of my lungs, making me gasp. Darkness steals
my vision momentarily before I am plunged into new surroundings. The
stadium is gone, and I find myself at Andrei’s pack. The surrounding sight
around me is nothing but a bloodbath.
People are dying on the ground everywhere, yet those attacking don’t
look like rogues. They are well-trained fighters, Andrei’s pack equally
efficient, but lacking the numbers.
I turn around, watching the carnage when I spot Mateo. He runs straight
through me, and I turn to see where he is going. Then Andrei screams for
Sage while chasing after Mateo. So much is going on. It is hard to keep
track of as I turn to see Andrei running straight toward me. The coldest
feeling creeps over me as he, too, rushes through me when there is an
enormous explosion. Heat engulfs me and I cover my ears, not expecting
the deafening sound, only to be tossed backward into the dirt.
My heart thumps against my chest as I sit up and see bodies scattered
everywhere. Andrei clutches Sage in his hands as everyone rushes toward
the burning destruction of the packhouse, digging through the debris, and
that’s when I notice Mateo, lying dead close to Andrei.
Ezra frantically tries to revive his charred and burned body. My stomach
twists as I look around, praying this isn’t some future I am envisioning, that
it is a figment of my imagination or a crazed nightmare from being a
Gemini wolf. Then I hear laughing behind me, and I turn to see a man.
His figure is imposing as he claps his hands, finding my brother and
mate’s devastation hilarious. He is backed up by an army of shifting wolves
behind him when I hear shifting and menacing growls, only to see Donnie
and Maddox have taken over.
The man doesn’t seem fazed by their killer wolves. Instead, he smiles
cruelly and raises his hand in the air. The wolves behind him growl and
snap their jaws, and he drops it.
I’m chilled to the bone by the menacing ruby eyes that promise pain and
destruction. Dark mist envelops his hands as he clasps them and rolls them
against each other, it spreads over the wolves behind him, transforming
them into rabid beasts with blood-red eyes.
“Kill them all,” he orders, and the wolves charge toward where I am
standing. I scream, as Donnie and Maddox run into the fray. I clench my
eyes shut, waiting for the rush of coldness as they run through me. But all I
can think about is where I am and who the hell are we at war with.
“Kat!”
“Kat, love. Open your eyes,” I hear his voice long before I gasp and
suck in much-needed air. As soon as I open my eyes, I come face to face
with Ezra.
He is clutching my face in his hands. I jerk my hand out of Jonah’s, only
now realizing that I was squeezing it. Thankfully, the little boy doesn’t look
hurt. He just stares at me with curiosity in his big eyes.
My hands tremble as the adrenaline of what I witnessed lingers like a
bad dream. “What is it?” Ezra prods, and my eyes go to his caramel ones.
I shake my head, stepping closer to him. “Not here, not around the
kids,” I whisper as I look at Jonah, and then at Marge, standing next to our
children.
 “You good?” He asks. I nod, and he helps me steady myself on my feet.
My entire body trembles with adrenaline coursing through me.
Ezra and Mateo glance over. They know I had a vision, but I can tell
they are too scared to press for information, especially while here. Let’s
face it, my visions are hardly sunshine and rainbows. No, they usually
ended in tragedy.
Reaching over, I grab Ezra’s hand, needing his comfort. He lifts my
hand to his lips, and presses a gentle kiss on my knuckles, and quickly tucks
me under his arm.
I inhale his scent, letting it calm me as we walk inside the entrance. It
isn’t what I had been expecting, though. I expected it to be like any other
stadium, it’s even been covered with a roof of white cloth, stretching the
length of the stadium and shielding it from the blistering heat of the sun.
One half of the stadium is tables and chairs, the other an open field still
shielded from the sun. A perfect setup for anyone wanting to challenge me.
A fenced-in area with play equipment is set up on the other side. Marge and
my father, who I didn’t even notice, came with Sage, and Andrei heads in
the direction of the other parents with her and Jonah.
“Ready?” Ezra asks as I stare out at the hundreds of eyes watching me
curiously.
All the Lunas are sitting together in the kids' section, while their mates
and Alphas sit in the main area. I understand what Ezra meant about them
not liking a woman over-ranking them by the glaring stares in my direction.
I pull my aura in, shielding its strength from them.
“What are you doing?” Ezra and Mateo mindlink me at the same time.
“Pull your auras in,” I order them, knowing the crowd of Alphas are a
little too far to feel them yet.
They do as I ask, which shocks me, but it must have been something in
my tone of voice. All eyes are narrowed at me like I am some intruder. It is
clear they know who Mateo and Ezra are, and to them I am probably an
overstepping Luna. The hatred is obvious as I make my way into a section
with only men, all alphas.
Looking over at my kids in the Luna area, my father is the only male
looking out of place, and it angers me that the women are separated. Some
nod and smile, and others glare. Some ignore me completely. Being here
shows me how differently Ezra and my brother run things. Mates are
supposed to be equal, but not with these Alphas. Women were below them
and they make that painfully obvious.
Andrei drops his hand on my shoulder from behind me. “Give ‘em hell,
sis,” he whispers, and I smile at his confidence in me. If only he would
share some of that confidence right now because, despite my calm
demeanor, I am a ball of nerves.
Ezra squeezes my fingers, and I look up at him and nod, letting him lead
me down the aisle in the middle of everyone. I can hear everyone’s
whispers and disapproving words, but I refuse to show how nervous I truly
am. Instead, I use my anger as a shield. Some even speak of how it is all
lies and that a small girl couldn’t have taken down Jackson’s pack. The
word girl burns my ears like acid with how the Alpha spits it out.
Everyone follows my every move as I walk toward the table that is
empty at the front, but it is clear it has been reserved for the Alpha of
Alphas, as it is the head table. Ezra pulls me off to the side, sitting at the
table we have been placed at.
As soon as I sit down, the other Alphas at the table gets up, moving
away from me like I have the plague. The rest move chairs and let the five
Alphas at our table move to theirs.
I glare at them, and Ezra growls in warning of their disrespect. Andrei
pulls his chair out, dropping in it folding his arms across his chest, also
pissed off.
“That’s fine, Kat, we don’t need low breeds or inbreds at the table
anyway,” he sneers loud enough that they hear.
Alphas jump up to defend themselves until Ezra, Mateo and Andrei
stand up. They all quickly sit down again and only then do I realize the
strength of the Alphas were arranged at the tables by status.
My eyes glow as I look around at the crowd, sensing their strength
through their auras.
Weaklings.
Now I understand why they sat back down. Their auras are nowhere
near as strong as my mates. Pfft, even I’d eat them alive.
However, I am shocked that Andrei is stronger than the other Alphas,
considering my father is a Beta. How is that possible? But his aura exudes
more power and strength, magnitudes more than the others sitting around
us. Another question for Seline, I need to write a goddamn list now.
 People talk amongst themselves for a while until a deathly silence takes
over the surroundings, and everyone suddenly stands. I get up when Ezra
and Mateo rise, along with Andrei. My eyes zero in on a man taking his seat
at the head table.
He helps his son, a boy around Jonah's age into his seat. Yet his Luna
isn’t with him, making me wonder if the Alpha of Alphas has the same
view as the rest of these Alphas. But the fact she isn’t by his side means he
must.
Once they are seated, everyone else sits down, but I can’t tear my eyes
from the man sitting at the head table. He looks familiar, and the moment he
looks up, I know why. His eyes focus on me, and I press my lips in a line as
his blood-red eyes stare in my direction. It is the man from my vision. He
smirks before moving his gaze to the crowd and addressing them.
“Seems some Alphas forgot their Luna’s place is at the back with the
rest, and not their superiors,” he jokes, making everyone laugh except us.
Ezra is ready to get up, but I grab his hand under the table, and he
remains in place. Dominic turns his glare on me like he is expecting for me
to get up and run to the Luna area. I hold his gaze, refusing to look away
first - an obvious challenge and a great disrespect for a man of his status.
He growls, and his aura rushes out, and everyone bares their necks to
him. Some of the Alphas even whimper. Andrei also bares his neck, unable
to fight the compulsion to submit to a higher rank. Mateo and Ezra,
however, merely stare at him, unaffected.
While everyone else submits to the asshole, I decide to poke the big bad
wolf and smile at him.
“Interesting pet you keep, Ezra,” Dominic scoffs to him.
“Call her a pet again, Dominic, and we’ll have issues,” Ezra promises
him.
“That’s Alpha to you,” Dominic snaps. All niceties are gone.
“An Alpha of Alphas is someone of a higher rank than me. The fact you
couldn’t get me or my mates to submit shows you are not my Alpha. Now,
sit down and show my mate the respect she is owed. You invited her here
wanting to challenge her. She came, but that doesn’t mean she will bow to
you, nor will I ask her to. You want her to submit?” Ezra asks, lifting my
hand to his lips. He kisses my fingers, painfully slowly as a show, and sits
back down. He motions to me with his hand, a smirk playing on his lips.
“Then make her,” he challenges.
 My heart skips a beat at his words and his complete faith in me to rise to
the challenge. Dominic lifts his chin and raises an eyebrow at me, but sits
down like nothing happened when the caterers come over.
“First we eat, then we will see who will win the battle of titles,” he
announces as servers come out, placing dishes on the tables.
 Chapter

Nine

K atya
The caterers in their crisp white uniforms bring the food out,
placing plates in front of everyone.
The Alpha of Alphas sits at his table and watches while everyone in the
entire stadium tucks into their meals except us.
It feels wrong, just the vibe and how the Alpha keeps watching our
table. Andrei pushes his plate aside, and I see him mind-link, who I assume
is Sage, as his pack is too far to mind-link with. Mateo also pushes his plate
aside, and I don’t even bother looking at my plate. I don’t trust a single
person here except my family, and it is clear they have the same vibe as me.
Not one of us eats or touches the drinks placed before us.
“Something wrong?” Dominic presses, his voice next to my ear as he
leans down beside me, and his hands grip my chair behind my back.
Ezra’s eyes are trained on the man standing behind me, and I know he is
getting ready to lurch out of his own chair if needed.
“We ate on the way here,” I reply, not even acknowledging his presence
behind me.
Well, that must have pissed the big bad wolf off, as the wood of my
chair cracks as Dominic grips it even tighter than before. “Eat!” He orders
and Andrei falters as he fights the command.
My brother’s knuckles turn white as he grabs the fork to his right. “No,
put it down, Andrei,” I command. Slowly, his hand uncurls from the fork
and he puts it back down, everyone gasps at me, overriding Dominic’s
command.
 His claws slash through the back of my seat, but I know that if he tries
to make one move to touch me, Ezra and Mateo will be all over him in a
heartbeat, ripping him apart.
Ezra rises from his seat, grabs my plate, and holds it up to the Alpha.
“Eat it,” Ezra suggests, and I know he isn’t even using his aura against
Dominic. He is just casually saying it.
Ezra’s aura is still pulled close, hidden from those who surround us and
wish us harm. Not even one person in this place, aside from our family,
knows how strong my mates truly are. To be fair, I’m pretty sure even
Dominic has no fucking clue who he is standing in front of.
“I don’t eat Salmon,” Dominic shrugs and casually stalks off to his
table. For everyone else, this might seem like quick banter, but I know there
is more to it than meets the eye.
It isn’t his pride that holds Dominic back from eating the fucking fish. I
bet my left foot and the sock on it that he put something in our food to gain
some sort of advantage over us. It is clear Dominic is an angry man who
doesn’t love to play by the rules. I had barely spoken more than a few
sentences with the man and I could tell he is a snake, so I wouldn’t be
surprised if poisoning food is a part of his grand scheme.
He invited me here to “show me my place” and he can’t do that without
playing dirty tricks on me.
All eyes are pointed at us, and I can feel Dominic’s eyes boring into my
back. Ezra sits down, his eyes trained on the man sitting at the table behind
me. I don’t bother looking back, and Andrei nods to me in thanks.
But again, that just proves our point, that something was done to our
food. Whether or not he likes Salmon, I am unsure, but to prove a point, he
would have accepted the plate, but he didn’t. Ezra waves the caterer over
and tells them to clear the table.
My eyes scan the crowd of nervous alphas. Then I look at my father,
who is standing guard over Marge and Sage, and the kids. The Lunas stare
at him nervously, and it is obvious they think it is odd he is in that section. I
also notice no other Beta is here. This meeting is strictly for Alphas and
their Lunas. My father, however, is unfazed by their unwanted attention.
For the most part, everyone remains quiet, and the atmosphere is tense.
It feels like it takes forever when everyone finishes and I get up to use the
bathroom. Andrei follows me and stands outside the bathroom doors.
 After I am finished, we make our way back to the table. The plates have
been cleared, and everyone is waiting patiently for Dominic to do whatever
the heck he is doing. Walking up the aisle, I am near my seat when Dominic
speaks up. His voice is loud as he tries to humiliate me.
“Here I was thinking you finally learned your place and went back to
Lunas area,” he laughs.
The crowd behind him erupts in laughter, like a pack of miserable
sheep, desperate to earn the good graces of the wolf and live another
miserable day of their lives. Andrei stops, almost running into my back
when I glare at the overbearing, arrogant man.
“My place?” Gosh, what is it with fucking Alphas thinking women are
beneath them? I laugh, walking toward his table. “Well, if you want me to
take my place, I believe you need to move because you are sitting in my
seat,” I tell him, placing my hands on the table.
His growl is more like a roar echoing around the stadium.
“I think your place is over at the first table,” I tell him as I point at the
table where my mates and Andrei are sitting, watching me.
He made a mistake by thinking I lay down and bare my neck for him
just because I am a woman. All that did was serve to piss me off. And now
he’ll get a dose of his own medicine when he is put in his place at my
fucking feet.
“So, if you would like to move, I will gladly take my place as the
highest-ranking Alpha here,” I tell him, and he jumps up, trying to
intimidate me with his large build. His son cowers beside him, and I look at
the small boy, his eyes as blood-red as his father’s. Yet it is clear his father
scares him, making me feel bad for the boy, an aura like storm clouds
surrounding the boy, not what I have seen of a typical child, but there is
something else about the boy, something I can’t quite pinpoint. Something
sinister it is unnerving.
However, Dominic’s furious voice pulls my attention back to him. “You
dare challenge me, girl?” He growls in my face, yet again using that stupid
word.
“I will do more than challenge you, Alpha. I will show you where your
place is, and show you exactly where you belong and it is right about here,”
I tell him, pointing my finger at my feet and swirling it to make a show out
of him.
 Dominic smirks, standing up and addressing the crowd. “It appears I
have been challenged,” he says, like he thinks it is the most hilarious thing
to ever happen to him. It is clear he thinks I am no threat.
“I never challenged you, Dominic,” I chuckle and shake my head. “You
challenged me from the moment I sat down. I am simply rising to the
challenge, but feel free to step down. I would hate for you to make a fool of
yourself by challenging me.”
He laughs, and I fold my arms across my chest as he steps down,
tucking his chair in.
“I have heard the rumors, Katya. Just because you can resist my aura
partially doesn’t make you stronger, nor will it make me submit to the likes
of you.” Dominic snarls, motioning behind him to the open field.
Wow, isn’t he a fucking ray of sunshine? A man so goddamn full of
himself clearly lacks the basic instincts. Such as survival.
“You have no idea the power a true Alpha of Alpha possesses. What I
did to your brother wasn’t even a smidge of my aura. We will see who will
bend a knee for the other,” he says.
“And you are not my Alpha, Dominic. You have no idea of the true
power of the Gemini Goddess standing before you.”
“Gemini, interesting. I don’t remember hearing that amongst the
rumors,” he hums, a line creases between his eyebrows.
Dominic stops to look me up and down. He is acting all high and
mighty, but I can see more than he believes he is showing. The look on his
face is a clear giveaway that he does not know what I am talking about or if
he does, he is now second-guessing.
“You are a Luna wolf, are you not?” Dominic asks, raising an eyebrow
at me, still trying to notice something unusual about me that might give him
a lead. Which if he knew that detail and still challenged me, it made him
one of two things: either he is stupid to challenge me, or he was confident
enough to take me down, which leaves another question. If he is willing
enough to take on a Lunar wolf, what was he hiding that makes him brave
enough to challenge me?
A corner of my lip twitches. “I was.”
“But not anymore then?” He asks as curiosity sparks in his eyes and
penetrates his words.
“No, I am so much more than that, Dominic,‘’ his eyes flicker at my
casual use of his name.
 It is a plain show of disrespect, and I notice his jaw clench every time I
say it.
“You seem so sure of yourself.” He shakes his head and glances at the
table with my mates. “Tell me, Ezra, is she like this at home? Does she put
you under her thumb and squash you down in front of your pack?” He
laughs, and so do the other Alphas.
“We are equals,” I tell him, answering for Ezra.
I know Ezra would say the same thing. I do have my doubts about the
statement, though. Something is telling me that Dominic doesn’t need to
know that.
“Interesting. It bothers me that you would let your bitch get so out of
hand to think she could challenge those far superior to her.” Dominic hums
and, once again, his sheep snicker.
Ezra laughs behind me, and I feel him get closer before the heat of him
seeps into my back. “Katya is many things but a bitch, no. A Queen, yes,
my Queen, and she will make you take a knee. Soon, you will regret ever
calling your Queen a bitch when she makes you hers.” Ezra announces with
nothing but pride radiating off him.
Whispers and murmurs break out behind us. Dominic peers behind us,
but he already dug himself a hole. I have a feeling that he might register
how much he fucked up soon enough. He looks weak if he backs out of
challenging me, and if he loses against me, his ego will take a massive hit.
Seemingly unperturbed, he glances down at me, his eyes flickering as a
smirk tugs at the corners of his lips. “Very well,” Dominic nods and walks
to the center.
Ezra turns me around to face him, his hands gripping either side of my
face as he looks at me. “He is beneath you, now go show him that.” I look
toward Dominic as my nerves slowly set in.
I know I am stronger, but I have never challenged someone with his title
before. Doubt creeps in, knowing Maddox could overthrow me even if it is
only because he is my mate.
“Kat, don’t think, don’t doubt. Seline made you a Goddess, now prove it
to him.” Ezra whispers as his eyes bore into mine. He is trying to convince
me I can do this. I know that is his goal. But can I really?
I gulp and open the mind-link between us so no one can listen in on our
conversation. “What if he wants to fight?” I ask him. The problem is that I
have no doubt that Dominic is trained better in fighting than I am. If he
challenges my aura, it’s one thing - the first fight, yeah… there is a reason
he has the title he has, aura and commands aside, I know that man fought
his way to the top and challenged every other alpha that got in his way for
this title.
Ezra frowns at my question and clearly at the thoughts that run through
my mind, too. “Have you forgotten who your mother was already, forgotten
who your mates are? You have been trained by the best, you are the best,
Kat.” He stresses.
I frown. “But-”
Ezra quickly cuts me off, giving me no chance to protest. “No, you will
beat him, then we will go home.”
And again, to my great displeasure, doubt creeps up on me and an odd
feeling sinks in my gut. “And if I can’t? You don’t understand, Ezra. He was
a part of the vision I saw.” I tell him.
His brows furrow and I see the first glimmer of worry. Yet, he is quick
to shove it aside. “If you can’t, we will fight for you. Nothing is stronger
than a Goddess, Kat. You have me and Mateo pull on our energy if you need
to. Take it all, just don’t let him win.” He says and releases his grip on me.
Despite how angry I was at Ezra in the parking lot, now without his
hands on me, I feel naked and exposed to everyone. There are no more
questions running through my mind about the importance of mates. Ezra
and Mateo give me strength no one could.
“I haven’t got all day, hurry up, and let’s get this over with,” Dominic
growls behind me, destroying the beautiful moment of clarity I just tried to
relish.
Pressing my lips in a line, I glare at him as I walk over to the King of
assholes himself. I stay around twenty meters away from him, a safe
distance to ensure the jackass won’t swing at me unless he has go-go gadget
arms.
I see everyone getting out of their seats to come to watch with eager
eyes. Most are hoping to see me fall as everyone circles us which just
makes the determination in me burn hotter.
 Chapter

Ten

K atya
Dominic smiles like he is excited about the challenge, and I drop
all my guards. The moment I do, so do Ezra and Mateo.
His smile falters. Dominic’s face twists in a weird grimace of shock. I
can’t help, but smile at the expression. My eyes burn brightly as I feel my
power rush over me. I shiver at the sensation, finally able to relish in the
feeling only this type of power could grant - raw, wild and free.
Quickly, I steal a moment to look at Mateo and Ezra. Everyone shifts
away from them, giving them more room. It is evident that they are too
scared to get close. Everyone except Andrei.
Andrei walks between them, drops his arms across their shoulders, and
flashes me the widest shit-eating grin I have ever seen. His eyes spark
deviously, a clear indicator that my brother is enjoying this way too much.
“Smell that, my brothers?” Andrei asks so loudly that everyone can hear
the question. In fact, as Mateo chuckles, his words echo around us. “Pretty
sure they all pissed in their overpriced shoes. No amount of cleaning will
get that stink out.”
Andrei chuckles as his eyes scan the faces of the Alphas who shift
further away from my mates. The same Alphas who were laughing at me
and my family just moments ago. Oh, how the fucking tables have turned,
haven’t they?
Andrei sniffs the air exaggeratedly. “Pretty sure Alpha Cedric shit in
his,” Andrei adds.
To add more salt to the wound, my brother makes a show of sniffing the
surrounding air. An older man, who stands closest to my brother, looks
away and Andrei takes an extra whiff of him. “Bet you’re feeling a little
uncomfortable now, little Alpha?” Andrei takes that as his cue to burst out
in throaty laughter.
Once I turn my attention back to the asshole of assholes, I notice
Dominic appears to be hesitant. I can see the glow of my aura spread
around me on the thick, lush lawn. It glows golden, becoming brighter with
each second passing, especially as I push it out further as I slowly test its
strength.
All this time, I thought my aura was invisible to everyone but me and
my mates. But as I notice how Dominic looks down wide-eyed and steps
back when it nearly touches his feet, I realize he can see it too. Not to
mention the fact that his eyes keep frantically scanning over it.
“I may have underestimated you,” he murmurs, his eyes lifting from my
aura to meet mine. “That won’t happen next time,” he says as pure hatred
drips from his words.
I pull my aura, taking it back in, and he looks at me, cocking his head to
the side. I watch him flex his fingers. “But I believe you underestimated me
too, little Gemini,” he chuckles as darkness envelopes his hands and his
eyes burn as bright as rubies. His canines slip from his gums. The darkness
wraps around him, and I mind-link Ezra and Mateo.
“Do you see it? Do you see the darkness around him?” I ask.
“What are you talking about?” My mates ask in unison.
Alright, so now I know they can’t see the dark, sickening aura that
surrounds this bastard. But also, there is something that nearly haunts me,
screams in my ear that this is no blessing from the Moon Goddess. This is
something much darker and more dangerous. Something forbidden. A curse
from the gods, something darker, sinister, something I have not encountered
before.
“Now, let’s see what you have got,” Dominic snarls at me.
There isn’t much that changes about him. Even with the dark aura, he
still is the same damn prick. I am blasted with the power of his aura before I
can react.
My feet tear up the grass as his power pushes me back. Both Mateo and
Ezra appear to be in shock, but I already know that I had to expect
something like this the moment I saw what my mates couldn’t. Dominic, no
matter what he truly is, doesn’t surprise me.
 He laughs sadistically. “Is this what you expected?” he keeps laughing
as if he is the clown of the century. In fact, he is.
The initial shock of his blast, which still tries to force me to my knees,
has faded. It disappears like a word, whispered in a raging storm. Dominic’s
power, although very potent, is nothing near as strong as the pure power I
feel boiling in my veins and rising to the challenge.
I chuckle and force my feet forward, stepping into the darkness and
letting it cover me. I can see in his eyes that he expects fear and submission,
and yet, I find some sick comfort in the very darkness Dominic controls.
The darkness won't hurt me since I am a Gemini. I am not only the light,
but also the dark. I am two halves of a whole, merged into one. “Do you
know what a Gemini Wolf is, Dominic?”
Although I know he most likely does not know what I am talking about,
I still ask, mainly to get on his nerves and make him crash harder than he
imagines it might be.
The thing about Dominic is that it’s so clear he thinks he is the very
embodiment of power. He refuses to believe and accept that there could be
anything stronger than him. Hence why he doesn’t answer the simple
question. “A Gemini is gifted with the kiss of life and the bite of death.
Light and dark coexisting, merging, and residing in me.” I tell him as I step
through his aura.
The very power he is trying to use against me splits in half. As if it’s but
a piece of butter, cut through with a blazing knife. The shadows don’t
touch, they just split around me and gently caress my power.
Dominic grits his teeth, forcing more out and blasting me with another
wave of his power. His aura makes some people in the crowd cry out and
whimper, some even beg for him to drop it.
“Hmm, is that all you got?” I ask, feeling the darkness slip over me. It
felt cold to touch, and I could feel it entwining with my power, feel the
darkness creeping in and making the darkness in me rise, morphing and
twisting with his. It tickled my insides.
“Because if it is, you are in a world of trouble, Alpha,” I spit the title at
him and smile, feeling my darkness rippling through my veins before I let it
out. I let it burst out of me with a force so strong even I am shocked by the
pure weight behind it as it smashes into Dominic, throwing him across the
field. His body bounced and rolled across the ground.
 He gets to his hands and knees, and I clutch my knees, catching my
breath, not realizing the energy it took to do that. Dominic gets up, dusting
himself off, and stalks towards me in a blaze of anger. Standing upright, I
let him get close and could feel Ezra watching me nervously, getting ready
to step in.
“Kneel to your Queen,” I demand, my voice strong despite feeling on
the verge of breaking and giving into the darkness. Dominic grits his teeth,
trying to fight my command, and I pull on the bond feeling for their auras,
and Ezra and Mateo don’t fight me when I take some of theirs, borrowing it
to strengthen mine and bringing the Alpha to his knees in front of me.
He growls menacingly, and his neck cracks as he fights the urge to bear
it to me. No matter the fight he put up, my command was too strong, and he
is forced to submit. Shocked, silence falls, and I feel for what energy I have
left, feeling the darkness tainting the edges of my power and snuffing out its
light. I know I’ll pay for it when I leave. Ezra and Mateo will have to deal
with me because the darkness that swallows me scares me.
Turning, I use my aura, shoving out as far as it would go, and one by
one, they fall, every person taking a knee and baring their necks to me as I
fight to keep my sanity. I fought to stay calm when all I wanted to do was
run from the darkness, eating away at me. I drop the command and let out a
breath.
“You may rise,” I tell them.
“Yes, my Queen,” all but one voice echoed back at me. Dominic growls,
but he realizes he is beneath me now, yet didn’t speak the words he should
have. I haven’t got time to force it out of him, I needed to get out of here
before everyone here becomes a casualty of a war with my mind they didn’t
sign up for.
“This meeting is dismissed,” I tell everyone, and they get to their feet,
rushing off quickly. I stare at Dominic before turning my back on him when
Ezra moves in a blur past me as a growl of fury roars from behind me. I
turn to see Ezra grip Dominic’s neck as he lunges at me with his claws out.
Ezra’s hand is wrapped around his neck before he slams him to the
ground. I hear Dominic’s breath wheeze out of him at the force, and I hear
the bones in his neck cracking. Walking over to them, I place my shaking
hand on Ezra’s shoulder.
“Apologize to your Luna Queen now,” Ezra commands him. Dominic
rushes out an apology, one I know he doesn’t mean when Ezra leans in next
to his ear.
“You ever try to attack my mate again? The only place left for you will
be 6 feet under, your corpse rotting away in a wooden box. Are we
understood?” Ezra growls. Dominic nods, and Ezra growls before shoving
off him. Dominic clutches his throat, coughing, and Ezra drapes his arm
over my shoulders and escorts us to where Marge and our kids are waiting.
“We need to get you home,” Ezra whispers, feeling the darkness
overwhelming me and trying to suck me under. Mateo and Ezra both force
their auras over me, and I keep drawing on them. Knowing it is the only
thing stopping the Gemini craze from taking over. Something we couldn’t
afford with me locked in the car with the kids.
Approaching everyone, I knew they could feel the energy oozing off
me. I was a ticking time bomb, we all knew it, and for once, I recognized
the crazed parts of me trying to take control.
I stop next to the car and watch Marge and Mateo place the kids in their
seats. My fear spiking at the thought of being trapped in there with them.
“Sage, Jonah, do you mind hopping in with Mateo, Marge, and the kids?
Andrei, I need you to take Kat and me home,” Ezra tells him, feeling the
darkness building within me, my anxiousness only fueling it more. Mateo
walks over and grabs my face, kissing my lips.
“Fight it, Kat,” he whispers, and I nod my head, trying my best not to let
it in, but it was calling to me, promising to fix everything if I gave myself
over to it.
Sage and Jonah climb into our car, and Ezra opens the back door,
climbing into Andrei’s car and pulling me in with him. Andrei glances at
me in the mirror as he starts the car.
“Tell me if you need me to pull over,” he says, and Ezra nods before I
feel the shift in the bond as he hands over control. Looking up, I see
Maddox peering back at me.
“I got you, Kitty,” he purrs, holding me tighter. He sweeps my hair over
my neck, kissing my mark and warning me not to lose it. I turn my neck,
giving him better access if he needs to sink his teeth into me. I didn’t want
to hurt anyone, especially those I love, and I trusted Maddox to take me
down if needed.
 Chapter

Eleven

K atya
The drive feels like it is taking forever. Each second is agonizing
as I feel the icy dread of darkness creeping in, twisting and warping
my rational thought. How have I never noticed this before? How have I
never felt this writhing within me?
Of course, I have always been aware of the darkness, but mostly, I only
see the aftermath and don’t have to witness what I actually do. I feel like a
bystander in my body, yet for the first time, I am fully aware of what it does
to me, its coldness, and the way it controls me and my thought patterns.
No wonder I never remember much and would have to go off the word
of what my mates said about what has happened.
It makes me feel like a blackout drunk, only this time I am startling
sober to watch what becomes of me. My limbs are no longer mine like I
become the alter ego of the darkness as it wraps me in its embrace, calling
me to the deepest parts of my mind. It whispers that if I just give in to it, it
will erase everything that hurts me.
With startling clarity, I realize the darkness I saw the last time was there
because I was not fighting, but succumbing to the bliss it offered. If I just
shut it off, if I let it have me. I let it have control because I could never
identify it before. I couldn’t hear the whispers until it was too late.
This time I feel the rush of its smooth caress, the coldness seeping in
and tainting my mind, clouding it and weighing it down like extreme
exhaustion. Just give in and sleep, and tomorrow will be a new day. But if I
do, what would the storm’s aftermath look like? I listen to the madness of
its calling and fully identify myself within it.
 The only thing grounding me is the purring from Maddox, the rumble of
his chest against my back. His warm embrace holds me here, as I focus
solely on him. He is keeping me fighting it, helping me to stay forward and
not give in to it. I always confused it with anger, but it is so much more than
that.
Like a puppet on strings, I can feel my body twitching, my hands claw
at my skin like it is alive and crawling, yet I have no control over my
actions. I can only try to fight to remain at the front, not giving in to it
completely and giving it the control it craves.
The darkness is like its own organism that resides in me. I am a vessel,
and it is just looking for an opportunity to sneak through my defenses and
run amok.
This is my destruction - me, my will to fight. No wonder they don’t trust
me, no wonder they hover. If our roles were reversed, I would be the same.
I am a ticking time bomb, and they know it, and now, I do too.
The more I resist, the stronger it calls, and I am helpless in its clutches
as I watch myself slip further into the depths of my mind, a passenger
within myself.
“Stop, Kitty”, Maddox whispers, the purring in his chest becomes
louder, and I try to focus on the sound instead of the feeling slipping over
me.
My claws draw blood as they rake over my bare legs. Maddox hisses as
he takes my pain. Everything I do to myself, I am doing to him as he takes
it from me. I try to focus on my surroundings, anchoring myself. Yet even I
know no weight will hold the ghosts of that whisper in the darkness, like
trying to weigh down air. I am losing myself in its grasp.
Andrei is driving, his lips move, and I try to focus on his words while
Maddox tries to restrain my hands, holding them in one of his. My legs dig
into the leather seat as my feet move. Focus, focus! I tell myself. My mind
is growing heavier as I fight to remain in the present world. My back arches
as he fights me to stay still, my entire body thrashes like a fish out of water.
“Do you need me to pull over?” I hear vaguely, as the darkness sucks
me in further.
Andrei’s voice sounds muffled, and I realize why. It is the noises I am
making, growling and screaming like a madwoman. Maddox’s arm goes
over my forehead as I try to bite him, the other around my chest when he
moves, wrapping his legs around mine, but my strength at the moment is
hard for him to contain.
The car jerks off the road, and I am thrown into the footwell. Maddox
lands on top of me when the car stops. My body is no longer mine. It
doesn’t belong to me, and I can only watch as the door opens and I lurch
out of it, tackling Andrei to the ground.
His arms wrap around my torso as the darkness forces the shift, but my
rabid wolf's form takes over. My brother refuses to let go, risking my deadly
bite as he tries to restrain me.
“Fight it, Kat. I know you’re still in there,” Andrei growls.
My teeth narrowly miss him as he lets go, while I turn in his grip. The
moment his grip slips, I lurch forward, trying to escape into the trees. All
while I scream at myself, trying to tell my body to stop. There are too many
human communities in this part, and we are still an hour out from home, yet
nothing I do could pull me forward to retake control.
I am aware, but I can’t grasp the controls and pull on them. Nothing is
holding me here. Paws sound on the ground behind me, gaining on me, and
I try to push through the veil of darkness. I don’t stop trying to control it.
My attention is focused on nothing but that, so they can catch me.
When my paws hit the air, my body careens toward the rocky valley
beneath. Teeth sink into my tail, jerking me back quickly, and tossing me
back onto solid ground though Maddox’s paws skid on loose gravel. I
scream in my head as I watch him go over. The darkness watches, unfazed
by my mate, falling to his death.
A vicious growl roars a second later as Donnie’s teeth grip the side of
his face at the last second, pulling him back. But my body in wolf form
doesn’t wait to see if he gets back to safety. Instead, it takes off and looks
for a way out. No matter how much I scream for myself to stop, I run
around the ravine and up higher to the road that winds along the
mountainside.
I have no idea where the darkness is taking me, but I appear to be
heading home. What did the darkness want with me? It feels like it is
searching for something, seeking something out. Hearing a howl behind me,
I move faster, zipping and jumping over rocks and around trees before
darting across roads, continuing the incline to the top. Once there, I turn off
onto the secluded road. When I hear the mind link open, it shocks me as
Maddox’s voice forces its way into my head.
 “Mateo, get the kids inside and lock it down!” Maddox yells. I try to
figure out why he talks about the kids and what he means by those words.
Seeing our minivan up ahead, I seem to gain more speed when the
darkness takes over with newfound energy. Then I notice its glimmers. I try
to jam on the breaks in my own body. Try yanking back on the darkness
with horror. Stomach-sinking fear envelops me.
It is chasing them. It wants their power. How have I never noticed the
auras that sat around my kids like a glowing beacon calling to the darkness?
The darkness wants it and carves their power. My jaws snap at the wheels
like a damn dog trying to bite the tires.
Mateo speeds up, flooring it when I hear a loud engine coming up
behind me, and I step to the side to see Andrei’s car chasing after ours. As I
watch it happen from the sidelines, distracted, I am hit from the side.
Maddox’s teeth slice into me and fling me across the now deserted road.
“Stand down. I won’t let you have them, Kitty,” he growls in my head.
I try telling him it isn’t me, that this isn’t me but the darkness, that no
part of this I have control over. I dart right, Maddox jumps into my path as
he tries to get an advantage, and for once, I curse the training they put me
through. He needs to hurt me. He needs to kill me if he has to because I
could never live with myself if I hurt one of my babies.
Maddox lunges at me, but I drop, his body sails over the top of mine,
and I take off again. My paws dig into the earth as I tear up the road when I
realize something. The darkness doesn’t know how to use my aura; it is all
primal instinct, seeking power. It can fight, but it can’t command because if
it could, why didn’t it use it on Maddox and Andrei?
As I look ahead, I see Marge. She is clutching the kids and running for
the front door as I skid across the ground, turning into the driveway. Jonah
is not far behind her with Sage. Mateo shifts and runs at me, but I dodge
him, my brother jumps from his car and lunges forward into his wolf again.
Yet, I don’t stop running straight for Marge, when suddenly Sage shifts
and pivots, attacking me. Her teeth sink into my flank, and I scream,
watching myself snap my jaws at her, only for Andrei to bite into my neck.
He rolls on his back and flings me over the top of him and into the side of
his car.
Metal groans, and I am screaming at myself to stop. Screaming at them
to kill me, knowing what the darkness wants. Now, nothing scares me more
than myself and what the darkness is capable of. It wants to feed on power,
and my kids glow like a million candles with the power running through
their veins.
I am surrounded when my father’s car pulls into the driveway,
screeching to a stop. His door flies open while I am looking for an escape.
Maddox tackles me, his teeth sink into my mark but only grazing it as he
tries to take me down.
Yet, the moment his teeth graze my skin, I feel it ripple up my spine like
a lightning bolt. The sparks from the bond, the bond, our mate bond, I can
still feel that. My limbs, no, but the bond I feel completely. Sage rushes
toward the house, and so does my father. I see him tell Andrei to get in the
house, but my attention is diverted. I can vaguely hear the roller shutters
locking into place. But my sight is trained on my mates, the ones
responsible for keeping our kids safe from their own mother.
“Kat, come on. You need to fight it,” Mateo says, the link sounds
hollow as I try to pull on the bond, feeling for their wolves to pull strength
from. When suddenly I spin, Mateo tries to gain the advantage, realizing it
is a distraction as Maddox goes for my neck again. The darkness recognizes
the moves and attacks, colliding with him.
Maddox just slips out of range of my gnashing teeth as I stalk him. The
darkness becomes enraged when I feel myself tugging on the restraints of
my mind, pulling on the bond and Maddox and Mateo’s essence, using it to
ground me and push me forward, letting their feelings come through.
I snarl, the darkness not wanting to give up control, and I lunge at
Maddox’s throat. Ares lets out a strangled whimper, and I scream as my
canines wrap around the back of his neck. My eyes squeeze shut, unable to
watch me kill him. My scream resonates, and I shove myself forward,
plunging into the bond and focusing on its energy, humming with love,
acceptance, loyalty, and every good thing that comes with a mate bond.
Only nothing happens. I expect the agony of the mate bond to sever
painfully. However, when I open my eyes, I realize I am actually opening
my eyes. Maddox is lying beneath me. My jaw is wrapped around his neck,
only my teeth hover off his skin. Relief makes me drop on him while
shifting back, his fur warm against my skin.
Maddox licks my face, and I break down. I was so close to losing
everything and myself, and it would have been my fault.
Now, I understand why they didn’t leave me alone with the kids and
didn’t leave me alone at all.
 Now, I know why with the frightened look in Marge’s eyes that day and
how she was willing to go against her Queen. Ares comes over, sniffing and
nudging my face. Maddox shifts underneath me, and Ezra pulls me into his
lap.
“I didn’t know, I didn’t realize,” I sob. And I really didn’t. Never would
I have believed this if I hadn’t seen it for myself.
All those times, I didn’t see this version of myself. Hadn’t seen what
they dealt with, nor did I see I was the rift between us all. I knew it was
bad; I knew that, but I didn’t think it was this bad. I didn’t think I am a
danger to my kids. Or believe I am capable of hurting them.
Guilt smashes me for what I have put my mates through, knowing they
deal with it constantly and live with this fear, yet they do it because they
love me. I thought everything wrong was because of them hiding things, but
now I see it’s me.
“Shh, it’s okay, you’re back now,” Ezra says, and Ares sniffs both of our
faces. Ezra strokes his face and pulls his head closer to rest on ours.
“I will take the meds. I will do what you ask,” I tell them, surrendering
control of everything.
I am not safe, and I am too stubborn, not wanting to see a fault in my
actions when they are trying to protect me from myself. Ezra rocks back
and forth, his purr soothing, his nose pressed into my hair while I press
mine into his neck. Ares shifts back. Mateo’s hands caress my hips and
lower back before pressing his lips to my shoulder.
“We knew you could do it. You just needed to hang on. We will always
be here, just pull on the bond. Take it from us, take everything if you need
to, just don’t stop fighting it. Don’t let it have you. Don’t let it take you
from us.” Mateo whispers, nuzzling my neck. I turn my face to see him and
run my fingers through his hair.
Ezra kisses my cheek before brushing his nose across it, and I turn into
him, seeking his lips. My lips press to his desperately, almost bruising, as I
delve my tongue between his lips. His taste takes over my senses, and I bite
his lip softly, his hand twists in my hair and pulls me closer. He groans into
my mouth, kissing me harder and taking control.
Hands trail up my sides before cupping my breasts as Mateo presses his
lips to my shoulder and up my neck. I moan as his hot tongue comes in
contact with their mark. A ripple of lust washes over me, and I turn to pull
away from Ezra to kiss Mateo. His tongue plunges into my mouth, playing
with mine as he hungrily tastes every inch of my mouth.
Ezra grips my hips, turning me on his lap, so I am straddling him. His
hot mouth wraps around my nipple as he flicks it with his tongue. Mateo
kisses the side of my mouth, his lips move down my jaw and neck. Then I
feel Ezra’s erection beneath me and I roll my hips against him. He growls,
my core pulsates with anticipation as his cock presses against my slick
folds, coating him in my arousal.
Mateo’s hand snakes between our bodies, and he cups my throbbing
pussy, his thumb presses against my clit, while his other hand squeezes my
breast. Ezra seizes my lips urgently as Mateo pumps two fingers in and out
of me, my hips rocking against Ezra, riding Mateo’s fingers when he
presses his chest against my back. His fingers are slick with my arousal, and
I lift my hips, sinking down on Ezra’s hard length as he adjusts himself. My
walls clench him instantly, and I shudder at the full feeling and the
stretching sensation as I take him in one motion.
He groans, his hands move to my hips, slamming me down on him.
Mateo’s fingers move between my cheeks as he coats me with my juices,
sliding his finger into the tight muscles of my ass. I tilt my head back,
seeking his lips, and he leans down, his other hand grips my throat as he
crashes his lips down on mine.
His fingers slip in and out of me. Ezra nips and sucks at my breasts as
my hips rock against him. Mateo pulls his fingers from me, running his
fingers between Ezra and me, stealing more of my juices that spill onto my
thighs.
“Fuck!” Ezra groans, his hand moves back to my hips, slamming me
down harder on him when Mateo’s arm wraps around my chest, pulling me
back against his chest. His cock presses to my ass before he thrusts in. I
moan loudly, rocking my hips between them, slowly getting used to the
feel. Mateo kisses my temple right when his arm releases me.
“Good girl,” he growls. His lips trail across my shoulder as he pulls my
hair over it. His hand squeezes my breast, and he rolls my nipple between
his fingers while Ezra’s teeth graze the other. I writhe between them, my
orgasm starts building when Mateo pulls out, slamming back into me and
forcing me to grip Ezra’s shoulders as he is shoved back into the dirt.
Mateo slams into me and makes me cry out, my walls pulsate and flutter
when they work in perfect tandem, pounding themselves into me. I give in
to the feeling, letting them own my body and take what they want because I
want it too. I need it after so long. I have allowed myself to pull away from
them. It’s my fault that I am so starved of touch, and starved of the bond. I
didn’t realize we were all drowning in the loss of contact, losing each other,
lost in the bubble of parenting, working, and surviving.
We lost ourselves in everything else. Something I swear I won’t let
happen again. We need each other, need our bond, because a mate bond is
always worth saving.
 Chapter

Twelve

S age
We lock ourselves in the house, the roller shutters go down and
lock into place. Kat becomes a monster when the darkness takes over
her. Mateo tries his best to explain to me what the heck is going on, but one
thing is clear, they all fear her when she is like this.
I didn’t realize the extent until I saw her in wolf form biting at the tires.
Fear gripped me that she would be crushed under the rear tires. But nothing
scared me more than the realization that she was trying to attack her kids.
Mateo explained when she is like that, it is all basic instinct, that
nothing is left of Kat when she gets that way. Jonah is frightened as the
house is locked down.
Whimpering, and I feel bad that I can’t shift back to comfort him. His
body is pressed between my front legs, his tiny hands that clutch my fur are
shaking violently. I lick his face, the only offer of comfort I can give him. If
I shift back, I will have to walk around naked. My clothes were shredded to
pieces when I shifted.
Dipping my head, I sniff Jonah’s face and tug on his shirt to move into
the living room and on the couch. He quickly obliges, climbing up next to
Marge, who brushes his cheek softly as she places both babies on the floor
to crawl around.
Donnie nips at our face, his voice echoes in my head loud and clear. He
is mad.
“You could have got bitten,” he growls, not happy that we tossed
ourselves at Kat, directly in the path of her snapping jaws.
 Kat is my friend, and I know she would never forgive herself if she hurt
her kids, Marge or Jonah. Jonah, the thought of something happening to
him twists my stomach painfully, oh, how I love that little boy. He has
nestled his way into everyone's heart, and I will protect him with my life
even if Donnie hates me for it. But the thing is that I know his instincts burn
the same.
Sierra nips him back when Donnie suddenly walks up the steps and
disappears. When he comes back, it's Andrei, dressed in shorts.
“Sierra,” Andrei calls, nodding for us to follow after him. I follow him
to a large bathroom with multiple shower cubicles and toilets lining the
walls. He hands me some clothes that I know belong to Kat. Quickly
shifting, I put on the tights and one of her shirts.
“Come here,” Andrei growls. He tugs me to him, his arms wrap around
my shoulders as he buries his face in my neck.
“Are you ok?” He asks, and I nod.
I am only worried about Kat. She comes off so strong-willed,
independent and connected with herself, and it hurts to see this side of her, a
piece of her breaking. Sometimes as I look at her, I forget she is only
nineteen. She seems far older than me and appears to know herself better
than I know myself. I can’t imagine the weight and pressure on her
shoulders, the expectations people have of her, all while navigating through
motherhood and a bond with not one man but two.
Andrei leads me out to the living room. Derrick makes coffee and
brings it out when Marge suddenly shrieks. When I hear a baby giggle, my
heart thumps erratically, looking for danger. Fear is evident on Marge's face
before I realize why. Jonah is holding both of Marabella’s hands, the
mittens have fallen off, and she cackles loudly as he waves her arms about.
Marge quickly grabs the mittens. Derrick pulls Jonah away from her,
but she smiles a huge gummy grin at him, kicking her legs and arms before
pouting and her bottom lip trembles as her hands are covered again.
“I know, sweet girl, I know,” Marge tells her. Andrei observes Jonah
and Marabella carefully before scooping Marabella off the floor.
“She didn’t hurt him, it’s ok, Jonah, you’re not in trouble, buddy,”
Andrei tells him while bouncing Marabella on his knee. Derrick leans over,
handing me a coffee, and Jonah crawls into my lap. Marge brushes his hair
from his eyes.
 “We just need to look out for her hands, I know you wanted to play. But
she has powers like her momma,” Marge explains. Jonah nods.
“Like spiderman?” Jonah asks, and I chuckle.
“Yes, like spiderman,” Marge tells him.
“That’s cool, I want to be spiderman,” Jonah says excitedly before
crawling off to play with Eziah.
“Does he have superpowers too?” Jonah asks.
“Yes, but you can touch his hands,” Marge tells him. I can see the
confusion on his face as his brows furrow, looking between Marabella and
Eziah. I can see he is wondering why Eziah’s hands are safe to touch, but
not Marabella’s.
Silence suddenly falls outside, no more snarling or fighting, after ten
minutes, Andrei says we should get ready to leave. I wait for them to come
in, wondering if anyone got hurt. Getting up, I walk to the door, pull on the
peephole, and nearly spit my coffee across the door, choking as some sprays
out my nose. I slam the peephole shut, turning my back to the door, my
cheeks blaze at what I just witnessed. Andrei and Derrick walk out as soon
as they hear me choking and spluttering.
“What’s wrong?” Andrei says, reaching for the peephole. I snatch his
wrist away, and he looks at me curiously. My cheeks burn hotter, I just saw
parts of Kat and her mates I never wanted to see again.
“We should stay in here, it's not safe out there yet,” I tell them. Derrick
looks worried.
“They still haven't contained her,'' he asks, reaching for the peephole,
but I slap his hand away.
“She’s contained,” I squeak, quickly shutting the main door, so they
don’t look out the shutters peephole.
“Are you alright? Why are you embarrassed?” Andrei asks, and I try
telling him with my eyes, not wanting to blurt out, that they are fucking in
the driveway in front of her father. Just the thought of saying that makes my
cheeks burn hotter. I don’t have to say anything when lewd noises reach our
ears. Derrick freezes, and Andrei scrunches up his face.
“Coffee, who wants more coffee in the kitchen with the blender going?”
Derrick says, marching off, Andrei on his heels. Marge looks over the back
of the couch at me and snorts with her laughter.
“About damn time, the tension in this house between those three was
driving me insane. Mates need each other, as disturbing as that is for Andrei
and Derrick. I am glad,” she says, scooping up Marabella and holding her
hand out to Jonah.
“Come on, let's go make something to eat,” she tells him, and he takes
her hand.
“Can you grab Eziah for me and the blanket?” She asks, and I nod. I
scoop the blanket up, and Eziah and I follow them to the kitchen, far away
from the noises coming from outside. Andrei lays the blanket down, and
Marge places Marabella down with some toys. I sit Eziah next to her
watching them play.
“Well, that was a change of-”
“Don’t say it, Marge, I don’t need that mental image in my head,”
Derrick says, the blender on low, drowning out any noise. Kat is going to be
mortified, I know I would be. Like doing the walk of shame, I don’t think I
will be able to look her in the eye again without blushing.
Marge makes sandwiches, and the kids play on the mat while we chat
and drink coffee. Eziah crawls, trying to get underneath my chair, and I pull
him out. His hand grabs my leg as he pulls himself up to a standing
position.
“He can stand now,” I smile.
“Yes, Marabella tries, but the mittens prevent her from getting a grip on
anything,” Marge says, and I can hear the sadness in her voice. Eziah smiles
cheekily, proud of himself that he pulled himself up like a big boy. Derrick's
phone starts ringing, he pulls it from his pocket, looks at the screen and
answers it.
“Hello?” He asks, switching the blender off. “Ah yeah, he is right here,
I will put him on,” Derrick says, handing the phone to Andrei.
“Who is it?”
“The man who was looking into,” he points to Jonah, and Andrei
quickly answers it, walking into the hall away from Jonah.
I can feel his nervousness, and I watch him keep glancing in the
doorway toward him before his eyes fall on me. His shoulders sag before he
walks off, and I hear a door shut.
Looking at Derrick, he also seems concerned. “I will be back,” he says
and walks out.
Eziah’s hands start slapping my legs, and he blows spit bubbles
excitedly, and I smile at him. Jonah leans over Marabella making funny
faces at her, making her giggle, and Marge hands me some tissues to wipe
off Eziah's drool-covered chin. I clean his face just as Andrei walks back in.
He says nothing, and I can tell something upsets him.
“I want his background checked first, email everything over to me,” he
says before hanging up. Derrick leans on the counter, his eyes on Jonah, and
I know I won’t like whatever it is. We sit in intense silence, and Andrei’s
eyes are stuck on the wall behind Derrick, he won’t look at me even when I
reach over and squeeze his hand.
Hearing the roller shutters start opening, we hear footsteps on the stairs.
We wait, and the kids play with Jonah munching on the sandwich Marge
made him. After about twenty minutes, Kat walks in fully dressed and stops
in the doorway. Andrei laughs at her blushing cheeks, and I can tell she will
pretend like nothing has happened.
“There’s the little fornicator,” Andrei blurts, and Derrick throws a tea
towel at him, hitting him in the face. Mateo walks in, not a care in the
world, flicking the kettle on. Ezra, too, doesn’t seem to care, more focused
on following Kat everywhere she moves, his hand or body touching her
somehow.
Eziah cackles loudly, and I look over at Marabella, who has fallen
asleep. Marge also notices, walks over, scoops her up before wrapping an
arm around Eziah’s waist.
“Did you want to help put them to bed?” Marge asks Kat, she looks at
her kids in Marge's arms before smiling sadly and shaking her head.
“You can do it if you want,” Kat says, and I can see her eyes train on
them, worry etched into her face. Marge nods. Jonah jumps up and rushes
off after her and stops next to Marge. “You can help if you want,” Marge
tells him, and he follows after her. The silence becomes awkward, and
Andrei, I can feel, is egging to taunt his sister, feeling it bubbling in him to
poke fun at her.
“What a day,” Andrei sighs heavily. Ezra smirks at him, and Derrick
groans, running his fingers through his hair and glaring at Andrei in
warning.
“Yep, so Kat.”
“Andrei!” Kat grits out through clenched teeth glaring at him. “Zip it,
we don’t need to mention it!” She snaps at him. Derrick rubs his temples,
and I see his cheeks puff out.
“What! No need to be ashamed, everyone does it”, Andrei taunts.
“Geez, they bicker like teenagers,” Derrick mutters.
 “Never knew you were into public displays, never took you for the
type,” Andrei chuckles, and Kat glares at him, as her face slowly starts to
resemble a tomato.
“Yep, and I am out,” Derrick says, stalking off, and Andrei laughs.
“Andrei! Dad was right there, why would you say that?” She snaps at
him.
“Ha, exactly, how did you explain the kids to him, immaculate
conception?” Andrei chuckles, and her face turns even more red.
“Leave her alone,” I tell him, slapping his arm, and he chuckles.
“I don’t get it, it's fine to talk about your non-existent sex life, but when
it is about me, you make it out to be wrong," Kat spits at him.
“That's because no father wants to hear about the pounding his daughter
just took.”
“Right, that’s it, you’re disgusting,” Kat shrieks, shoving past Ezra.
Andrei takes off as Kat chases after him, and I hear their laughter as she
tries to get a hold of him.
“Oi, no running in the halls… Andrei put her down, she isn’t a teabag,”
Derrick scolds. I chuckle, listening to Kat screech at her brother before he
grunts.
“Low blow Kat!” Andrei croaks.
“Serve you right, you could have dropped her on her head!”
I hear a soft thud. “That hurt you bastard,” Kat groans. Mateo and Ezra
chuckle, also finding their sibling spat entertaining.
“I will get the spatula, neither of you is too big for me to spank,”
Derrick warns, and I laugh.
“Whatever, old man,” Andrei taunts before Kat walks in, rubbing her
arm.
“Where the heck were you? Shouldn’t you be defending my honor?”
She spits at Ezra and Mateo.
“He gave me a dead arm,” she whines before she glares at her mates.
Andrei comes back in, smirking and leaning on the doorframe when
Jonah bursts in the door. “Look what Marge gave me,” he says, rushing in
with a paper pirate hat on his head.
Andrei’s eyes flicker as he looks down at Jonah, his face hardens, and
he swallows, sadness creeps into him and me through the bond. Kat also
notices the change in him.
“Everything ok?” She asks him. Andrei clears his throat.
 “Yep, but we should get going. Dad, are you coming back with us or
staying at Kat’s?” Andrei calls out. We all stare shocked, Kat stunned, and I
don’t think Andrei has realized what he said. None of us says anything, but
I see Kat’s lips tug up at Andrei, calling him dad.
“Dad?” Jonah says, confused, looking up at him. Andrei looks down at
him, realizing what he called out, his brows furrow, but he doesn’t seem
bothered.
“Derrick is my dad,” he tells Jonah.
“Then why do you call him Derrick?” Jonah asks just as Derrick walks
in, scooping up Jonah.
“Because he has two dads, it's easier to tell us apart,” Derrick tells him.
Andrei nods at the acknowledgment but adds nothing else.
“Come on, you can sit in my car, we can get milkshakes on the way
home,” Derricks tells him.
“Give you two a chance to talk,” Derrick says, nodding to me. Andrei
nods, and we all say our goodbyes. Andrei’s mood plummets further as we
get in the car.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him after silence for twenty minutes of our
drive.
“They found a relative who wants to take Jonah in,” he says, tightening
his grip on the steering wheel.
“Who?” I ask, looking away from him, unable to watch the hurt I see on
his face.
“An uncle, his name is Clive,” Andrei sighs before brushing his fingers
through his hair.
“When?” I ask, looking out the window. My chest constricts like I am
being suffocated. I don’t want him to leave, I want him with us, where we
know he will be safe. I wish he was ours. Ours to keep, and the very
thought of Jonah leaving us crushes me.
“Clive wants to pick him up tomorrow,” Andrei says. I nod, not
knowing what else to say.
 Chapter

Thirteen

S age
When we get home, it is nearly dinner time. Derrick and Jonah
picked dinner up on the way home, but Andrei doesn’t even
acknowledge them, instead, he races to his office and shuts the door.
Jonah is trying to show him something, but Andrei is too distracted to
notice. Luckily, Jonah quickly forgets as Derrick distracts him, pulls him
into the living room, and puts a kid movie on. I watch for a bit while eating
dinner, but curiosity gets to me after an hour.
I can hear crashing coming from the office. I hear him on the phone
multiple times and hear him talking to Kat and Ezra. Some man from the
city, the one who gave us the news, the one who said we can't keep Jonah
safe here with us. Andrei is raging, but what he feels is fear, the same as
me. Fear for what might happen to our Jonah.
It is killing me - wondering what might happen to him. He is such a
bubbly boy, despite all he lived through, despite what he lost. Now, I
wonder if his new home will be warm, will it be safe, will he have enough
to eat, will he be happy, will he thrive, but most of all, will he be loved
because I love him. The entire pack loves him. Andrei loves him. Jonah has
no idea the handprints he has left on everyone's hearts here.
After so much darkness, he is the light. This pack suffered through such
a disaster, but Jonah kept them on their toes and made them laugh. Jonah
fills us with hope. He is the hope I have that we could be a family. He is the
hope that makes us all want to keep fighting. It is because of him, the pack
came alive again.
 “Is Mr. Andrei ok?” Jonah whispers from where he is sitting on my lap.
He yawns tiredly, and I nod. Malik tries to calm Andrei down, his father
tries, but they are just as devastated. Malik ran away from the place with
tears trailing down his face.
Getting up, I tuck the blanket around Jonah. He watches me leave, and
Derrick moves, sitting by his feet while I wander down the hall to the
office. I push the door open, and Andrei is arguing with someone on the
phone over temporary custody, or asking to at least be able to check the
living conditions. His words make me more nervous. What has set him off
so completely?
He has been on the phone since we got home, has not left the office, and
for the most part, I am too afraid to know. I wait for him to get off the
phone, and he tosses it on the desk, falling into his chair heavily.
“I don’t know what to do, we should never have told anyone we found
him,” he says, staring off.
He swallows, his eyes red and puffy like he has been crying, and I move
closer.I don’t know whether I should touch him or not, but when I step
closer, he pulls me on his lap, pressing his face into my shoulder blades. I
stare at the printed pieces of paper on his desk.
My heart sinks when I see a photo of a man. But not just any photo, it is
a mugshot. His crimes range from petty theft to assault. Domestic violence,
and he even has one for fraud. Clive Steed.
There is also some information on his family. Sister Melissa Marie
Steed. Going through the documents, I find the domestic violence report,
car theft, the list is never-ending, and most are against his mother and his
younger sister. I am shocked to see he has spent time in a human prison too.
It is the first time I heard of a werewolf spending time in a human
correctional facility, but the papers say he has done three years for
kidnapping, shooting his sister in the leg and breaking her arm.
“He can’t go with this man,” I whisper, picking up the picture with his
mugshot again. He has greasy dark hair and resembles a thug, with his
beard and tattoos on his face. What I find most disturbing is how he smiles
in his mugshot like it is some joke, that he is better than pack laws and
human ones.
“The mother’s brother?” I ask, and Andrei nods against my shoulder.
“He has no money, he owes nearly a hundred thousand to some pretty
fucked up people. But despite all that, he is blood I am not. So we can’t do
anything. Kat and Ezra have spent nearly all night trying to find a way for
us to keep him.” Andrei mutters.
“Can’t Kat overrule him?” I ask. She is Queen, after all, she should have
some say in this.
“Kat is livid. Even she said what use is being Queen if she couldn’t
overrule. But she would have to change pack law, and that takes time. After
everything with Dominic, no one will vote in her corner until she proves
herself, laws are written in damn treaties and expected to be upheld until
changed or revised. She goes against it, we could start wars with every pack
for abusing her authority.” Andrei explains.
“But she can command them,” I tell him.
“It’s more than that, Sage. It’s pack politics, you can’t just do what you
want without reason because you are stronger, not without severe
repercussions.” He presses the issue.
I understand where he is coming from, but that doesn’t mean my
worries fade. I furrow my brows and stress what Andrei already knows.
“But he is a bad person.”
“Some would say I am too, Sage. It doesn’t matter what he did, by law,
he has paid for those crimes, and he’s free now. He is blood to Jonah and
the only living relative and hasn’t broken any of his orders since being
released two years ago. Besides his debt, they have nothing on him.” I can
hear the pain in his voice. It’s not only the thought of losing Jonah, but that
he hasn’t been able to find more dirt on that man to prove how unfit he is
for taking in a child.
“So we just let him go? Let this man take him, the same man that beat
his mother and sister. What’s saying he won’t do those things to Jonah?” I
ask, appalled. I feel sick, this can’t be happening. “No, he can’t go with
him,” I tell him, getting up.
We can run with him, hide him, anything has to be better than letting
him go with this horrid man.
“We have no choice, Sage. He isn’t ours.” Andrei whispers, defeated.
“He is. You found him. His uncle didn’t even know he was missing,
please. We can run with him.” Andrei shakes his head.
“We have a pack, Sage, it's not that simple,” Andrei says, placing his
head in his hands.
“We will get him back, we just have to wait. It will just take time.” He
breathes, rubbing his temples.
 “How much time?” I ask as tears slowly fill my eyes. This is no time to
break down, but I feel so close to that very verge, that I might.
“I don’t know,” he says, running his fingers through his hair. I am
shaking in anger, and in fear for him. Andrei gets up, walking out of the
room. I follow him, and he stops before walking into the living room.
Despite how tired Jonah is, he instantly sits up, a big smile on his face when
Andrei sits beside him.
“Jonah, do you know how to use a phone?” Andrei asks him. I lean on
the doorframe, watching them with curiosity. Derrick jumps off the couch,
walking away. He returns with his phone, it is an older button model which
would be simple for a kid to use, with no passwords.
“No,” Jonah tells him.
“Give him mine,” Derrick says, going through it and erasing everything
on it.
“He still needs to know the number in case he loses this,” Derrick tells
Andrei, who nods.
“Jonah, I need you to listen, okay? We will show you how to use the
phone so that you can call us.”
“Why do I need to call you? You are next to me.” Jonah laughs, and I
look at the ceiling trying to swallow my emotion.
“Because tomorrow you are going to a new home, so you need to know
how to use a phone, ok?” Andrei’s voice sounds strained, and I can feel a
lump form in my throat too.
“A new home? But I want to stay here,” Jonah says, looking over the
couch at me, and I can’t handle his tear-filled eyes, so I look away.
“It’s only for a short time, then you come back here, but you use the
phone. Get me a pen and paper,” Andrei says, looking behind him, and
Derrick rushes off before returning.
Andrei writes his mobile number on it. I have doubts about how a child
of his age will remember a ten-digit number, when some adults can't even.
“I don't want to call you, I want to stay. I want to stay here,” Jonah says,
crying and tossing the phone. Andrei grips his face.
“Stop, I need you to do this. I can’t be with you when you go.” Andrei
whispers the words through gritted teeth. It’s clear the pain is taking over
any ability he has to think clearly.
“Go where?” Jonah asks.
 “With your Uncle Clive.” Andrei announces. Everyone in this room can
hear how much he hates that name, and quite frankly, though we don’t
know him, everyone feels the same as my mate. I hate that man with
passion. He is taking away our boy. Our Jonah.
“Clive, Clive,” he whispers, his eyes going wide like he suddenly
remembers the face that goes with the name. Jonah shakes his head, crying
harder, and Andrei tries to calm him down.
“He made mom cry, he took our house. I want to stay here, please let
me stay, I will be good,” Jonah says.
“He is coming to get you tomorrow.” Jonah starts shaking his head,
smacking Andrei’s hands. “Listen, Jonah, stop and listen to me, I will get
you back, I promise. But I need you to show me you can use this phone.
That you can call us if you need us.” Andrei finally explains the importance
of the phone Jonah just tossed away.
“You promise I can come back home?” Jonah says, as his tears spill on
Andrei's hands. He holds his shaking pinkie up, and Andrei looks at his tiny
pinkie in the air before wrapping his around Jonah’s.
“I swear to you, I will bring you home. I won’t let him keep you, you
are ours, but you need to go and behave until I can get you back. I will get
you back,” Andrei tells him, and Jonah’s sobs turn hiccups, but he nods.
Jonah sniffles, tears staining his face as Andrei tries to show him how to
use the phone before telling Jonah to do it. Once he has successfully used
the phone by himself and called Andrei’s number ten times, Andrei tries to
get him to memorize the number. It is impossible, Andrei tried for hours,
until nearly midnight. Jonah yawns, and his eyes are fluttering, but Andrei
keeps waking him up.
“Andrei, no more,” I tell him.
“He needs to remember the number,” Andrei snaps at me, frustrated. I
know it is out of fear, but Jonah is falling asleep.
“Sage is right, he is exhausted, let him sleep. Try in the morning,”
Derrick tells him.
Andrei nods, letting Jonah lay back down. He tucks the blanket back
around him but remains by his side. Derrick pats my shoulder, pulling out
the sofa bed, when I hear a soft knock on the door. My eyes are raw from so
much crying, and I suck in a breath, walking over to the door and opening
it.
 Malik, Casen, Vince, Nora, Zane, and about twenty people are at the
door with pillows and blankets. My heart clenches at the sight of their
broken faces. I push the door open wider, letting them in, and they all file
into the living room surrounding the couch, making themselves comfortable
on the floor.
Derrick puts more logs on the fire, and as I go to close the door, my
throat restricts when I see the entire pack lying on the ground out front.
They know they can’t fit in the packhouse, but they want to guard their boy,
Jonah. The little boy they all spent hours hunting for, chasing after, the little
boy that took a broken pack and put them back together, reminding them
how to smile and laugh.
I leave the door open before going back to the couch. Andrei moves
over, and I climb in behind Jonah, tucking his body against mine. “We will
bring you home, we won’t give up, you have a huge family here fighting for
you, Jonah, you are pack, you are ours,” I whisper to him before pressing
my lips to his forehead and closing my eyes.
 Chapter

Fourteen

S age
Last night we could have filled a lake with the pack’s tears. This
morning it isn’t about our heartbreak, but about preparing the boy we
all love to remain calm about the change in his situation.
Andrei pulls every pack member from duty so they can spend it with
Jonah, knowing not one person wants to leave his side. So instead, we play,
and eat like every other day. Our attempts to make everything remain
normal are heart-breaking for us, knowing tomorrow we wake up and that
piece of him that has become routine will be gone until we can bring him
home again.
Clive was due to pick him up an hour ago and is running late. I hope he
never shows up and drops off the face of the earth so we can keep Jonah.
He doesn’t deserve him; he doesn’t know him. We only have had him for a
short time, and no amount of time would be long enough in my eyes. But in
that short time, we already got to know him. We know what his favorite
cereal is, and his favorite bedtime story. He enjoys climbing trees and
painting rocks.
Jonah is more excited about a cardboard box and what he could do with
it than any toy the pack tries to give him. He is adventurous and cheeky and
knows how to push everyone’s buttons, push them to the edge of their
sanity, and bring them back with one giggle and a smile. He loves
campfires, and his eyes will light up just from having your undivided
attention.
This makes me realize that even when he had a family, he got little
attention because they were always on the move. But, we are all familiar
with it because we were all rogues - turned family - turned pack.
Everyone is on edge and alert, waiting to see the man we are being
forced to trust with him. How anyone could put a child with a man like him
is beyond us.
Andrei’s lawyers tried everything, and they couldn’t make sense of it.
Andrei’s lawyer even knocked on a judge’s door in the middle of the night
to beg him to reconsider. But unfortunately, the judge was unwilling to help,
making us think someone is pulling strings because, who in their right
mind, would agree for an abusive piece of shit like Clive to have rights to a
six-year-old boy. And now we only had one other option to try before Kat
petitions to have the laws changed.
I stand up, looking down at Jonah drawing with a stick in the dirt before
he will rub the picture out and will draw another. He smiles at me, though it
isn’t as big and bright as usual, his eyes convey a different message. He is
scared and doesn't want to go, yet he smiles anyway because that is what
Jonah does.
“I will be back in a minute,” I tell him, and he nods, going back to
drawing in the dirt. I walk over to Andrei. He has two duffle bags, and he
drops them next to the log around the campfire, looking over the documents
in his hands.
As I stop beside him I instantly notice that he looks over at me with a
troubled expression. He is nervous and scared like everyone else is.
“That’s everything from the safes. I can get more, but we would have to
go into the city.” He mutters.
“Alpha!” Zane calls out while jogging over with another bag in his
hand.
“Here, take it. It’s all I could find around the house, but there are around
ten thousand in there,” Zane says, dropping his brown paper bag into a
duffle bag when I look over to see the entire pack heading toward us.
Everyone empties their pockets and their savings to drop them into the
bags. Zane counts, takes notes of everything and calculates. Andrei tries to
tell them no, but they refuse to listen, dropping everything they have, and
with what Andrei pulled from the safe, there is nearly four hundred
thousand there.
“Also, Alpha, I need to speak to you later on,” Zane tells him, and
Andrei nods his head.
“Already?” Andrei asks.
 “Yes, I can smell it on her. It won’t be much longer,” Zane tells him.
“I will handle it when we are done here,” Andrei tells him, and Zane
nods, looking thankful for something as he glances around at the pack
nervously.
Casen brings Jonah over on his shoulders while Malik and Zane zip up
the bags from his view. Andrei reaches over to pluck Jonah from Casen and
kisses his cheek when a car suddenly pulls up, screeching to a stop and
throwing dirt and dust everywhere.
The speakers in the car are blaring, and the bass is way too high. Andrei
is instantly pissed off just at his disrespect for how he turned up flicking dirt
and rocks on everyone. One of his car’s rear windows is smashed, and the
man inside smirks at us. Andrei places Jonah on the ground, and I pull him
behind me. Derrick walks over to speak to the man.
“Grab the other one,” Andrei says to me, and I lean down, grabbing the
duffle. Malik instantly takes Jonah and walks away over to the willow tree
with him while I follow Andrei. The man still hadn’t gotten out of the car.
Instead, he is speaking on the phone to someone.
“Give me five minutes first. I think they want to talk. Just follow the
road that leads straight to this shit hole,” I hear him say and look over at
Andrei, who looks on the verge of exploding until his father squeezes his
arm. Who is he speaking to, and why are they coming here?
The man gets out of the little Daihatsu charade, trash spilling out the
door onto the ground. The man isn’t huge for a werewolf, and he smells
heavily of cigarette smoke and body odor. He is wearing a flannel shirt that
is left open, with a filthy tank top underneath. His entire body appears to be
covered in tattoos from the neck down. He also has a pair of black cargo
pants on and muddy boots. His greasy hair lays flat against his head. He
gives me the creeps.
“Who did you just invite to my pack lands?” Andrei asks, and I know he
is trying hard to keep his voice controlled, even though I can tell he wants
to kill the man.
“Just my assurance,” he retorts.
A growl escapes Andrei, and he takes a step forward. “Assurance of
what?” Andrei asks.
“That I leave here alive. I was warned you had grown rather attached to
my nephew Jonny.”
“Jonah,” Andrei growls.
 “Yeah, that’s it now. Where is the brat? Hand him over,” Clive says,
looking around us, but I step in his path, blocking the view of Jonah.
He smirks, and his eyes look me over. “The rogue Luna I heard about, I
heard rumors of you too, heard you lay on your back for anyone. It must
suck terribly, Alpha, having a used up whore for a Luna,” Clive says, and
Andrei launches at him. I grip his arm, and Derrick steps in front of Andrei,
blocking him.
“Leave it, it’s not worth it,” I grit out, looking back at Jonah. The entire
pack is glaring at Clive. A few even shift, unable to contain their anger.
Andrei is on the verge of shifting himself, but I am curious where this man
got information like that from and who is speaking lies about me, yet his
dig at me still hurts.
Derrick shoves Andrei, trying to tell him to keep his wits, the man is
trying to bait us, but I can’t understand why he would. I can tell he was a
rogue, pissing off an Alpha is not the smartest thing to do. Clive laughs.
“Yes, backup Alpha,” Clive emphasizes the word Alpha, almost spitting
it at him, bending down and grabbing the papers. I hand them to Clive, who
snatches them.
“We will pay. Just sign your rights over. There is nearly four hundred
thousand in those bags. You can have it. Just sign the papers. Do it for
Jonah, we will look after him, and you can go back to whatever you were
doing,” I tell him.
“Four hundred thousand? Is that all he is worth to you?” The man
chuckles.
“I can get more, but I have to head into the city. Just tell me how much,
and I will have it in two days,” Andrei tells him.
Clive shakes his head. “Not interested. I received an offer I couldn’t
refuse already. Now, hand him over,” Clive says as a sleek black Mercedes
pulls up. Its windows are blacked out, and I can’t even see the driver. It
parks next to Clive’s car, but no one gets out. Andrei looks at the car and
Derrick turns his full attention to it.
“What offer? How much? I will get it for you,” Andrei continues,
ignoring the new car’s presence and focusing back on Clive.
“As I said, I was offered a place in a pack if I took the brat, and all my
debts cleared and more than a pissy four hundred thousand for the boy.”
“Name your price. Our pack may be small and live out here, but we
have money. I will even let you join our pack just to keep him close.”
Andrei offers. I know he is going beyond his means if he is offering this
piece of shit a place here.
Clive laughs and shakes his head. “No, the man I am now working for
has invested a lot to ensure I take Jonah, so if you would just go bring him
to me, I will be on my way.” He says.
“No, just take the money and leave. I am not letting you take him. You
couldn’t even remember his name, and I know what sort of person you are.
You don’t even want him, or you would have known he was missing for
months and that your sister was dead!” Andrei says venomously. He picks
up the duffel and chucks it at the man’s feet. Clive chuckles, nodding
toward the black car and opening the rear door.
“As I said, I have had an offer I couldn’t refuse, Alpha. You’re not the
only one with friends in high places, so I will need that boy now.” Clive
chuckles, shoving past Andrei toward Malik, who has Jonah.
Andrei grips the back of his shirt and pulls him back. The man stumbles
over the duffle bag when Andrei wraps his hands around his throat. “You’re
not taking him,” Andrei growls.
“That is where you are wrong,” comes a deep baritone voice. Turning, I
see the man from the Alpha meeting get out of the car. My breath lodges in
my throat. Alpha Dominic walks over, a cruel smile on his lips.
 Chapter

Fifteen

S age
Derrick pats Andrei on the shoulder, and Andrei growls, but lets
Clive step away from him. His canines protrude, and I take a step
toward Andrei before Derrick yanks me behind him.
“At least one of you is smart,” Dominic says, nodding to Derrick before
looking at me over Derrick’s shoulder.
He smirks, and his eyes flick to Andrei. There is something off about
this man. The vibe he gives off makes my skin crawl, and it is more than his
Alpha aura. It is him in general. Something dangerous that gives me this
cold, spine tingling shiver.
“Tell your man to bring the boy over,” Dominic tells Andrei.
“No, have you seen his record? He doesn’t want him, he just wants what
he gains by taking him?” Andrei replies.
“Clive has every right to file for the boy. He is family and a
rehabilitated man. Now hand the boy over.” This time the demand is louder
and holds more power. I know, for a fact, all of them are up to no good, no
matter what that criminal and the Alpha has planned.
“Is this because of the Alpha meeting? I knew something was going on
because there is no way a judge would award custody to a piece of shit like
Clive Steed. What do you want, Alpha Dominic? I will take this to the
courts. You can’t award this man custody.” Andrei keeps arguing.
“It’s amazing what power and money can buy, just like you trying to
buy the boy back. I’m about to get what I want the moment you hand that
boy over. See, Clive here owed my casino a massive debt, but then little
Jonah needed a home, so when I found out Clive was his uncle, I made him
an offer. I would clear his debt and find him a pack to join for him taking on
the boy.” Dominic grins.
“You fucking bastard,” Derrick sneers at him and Dominic’s eyes flicker
and he cocks his head to the side, observing Derrick. “Let’s not pretend
you’re a saint now, Derrick. I am helping reunite a family. The only thing
you have ever proven to do was ruin yours,” Dominic chuckles.
Derrick growls and steps toward the Alpha, unafraid or suicidal I am not
sure because everything that has been told to me is that we should run from
this man, not challenge him. “We all know what you did to your family,”
Derrick sneers back.
Dominic grabs the front of Derrick’s shirt and slams him against the car.
“Let’s get one thing clear Derrick, you do not know me. But I know you.
You’re a man who would abandon one family to start another, then have
your mate reject hers while you took another. Everyone has ghosts that
shadow them, but yours haunt you, I can see it.” Dominic leans closer, his
canines slipping and I grab Andrei’s arm as he goes to defend his father. My
nails sink into his arm.
“Mine don’t haunt me. Everything I do, I do for my family.” He shoves
off Derrick and Andrei grabs him, jerking his father behind him and glaring
at him to shut his damn mouth. Alpha Dominic straightens out his suit as if
nothing happened and wipes some dust off, fixing his twisted cufflink as he
speaks.
“Your sister made an enemy of the wrong man, Andrei,” Dominic tells
him, and I suck in a breath.
“I couldn’t have that, so when I received an email the other day looking
for blood relatives of Jonah and that you were seeking to adopt him, I
couldn’t help myself. Originally, I was planning on signing those
documents for you until Katya humiliated me, so I made a few calls. Can’t
waste an opportunity to get revenge, and since I can’t get to Katya right
now, I went after the next best thing - her family.” The pride that drips from
Dominic’s words for his evil plan sickens me. How far could a power-
hungry man go to get revenge for something he deserved?
It wasn’t Kat’s fault, what happened at the Alpha meet. We all know
Dominic invited her to challenge her power and he got just what he wanted.
Maybe not the outcome he expected, but he did want it. It’s no one’s but his
fault.
 “You would really give an innocent child over to this man. You are a
fucking father. Would you trust your kid in his possession?” Andrei asks
him.
“Not my kid, not my problem. I couldn’t care less what becomes of the
boy. All I care about is showing Kat who has the actual power and
influence. She may be the Queen now, but she can never rally the packs
behind her. She will never have control, and this is just one way I am
showing her that.” Dominic shrugs.
“You fucking asshole! He is a boy,” Derrick spits at him.
“And what about you, Derrick? You are hardly winning father of the
year. Didn’t you toss Andrei here aside? That alone shows me what kind of
man you are. You are not one to judge, Clive. I have the documentation
here,” he says, clicking his fingers.
“Fight all you want in the courts for the boy.” A man gets out of the car,
passing him a folder, and Dominic hands the folder to Andrei.
“You will never get him back, not unless you tell Katya to rechallenge
me and stand down from her title. That folder contains Clive’s references
saying he is a reformed man, the parenting courses he has completed, or it
says he completed anyway, times and dates can be changed with a little
influence, records can become lost. Clive looks like a very respectable man
and a suitable candidate for little Jonah on paper. I’ve even written my
recommendation on what I believe is in the boy’s best interests, which is
Clive. You have money, Andrei, but you don’t have the power I have to
change what I have done.” Andrei looks over the documents.
“Now you want the boy. Tell Katya to admit defeat and announce that
she is stepping down. Then and only then will I have the ruling overturned.
Until then,” He looks over at Malik, his Alpha aura rushing out. “Bring the
boy,” Dominic demands. Andrei steps toward Dominic as his hands clench
into fists.
“I wouldn’t recommend doing whatever you are thinking of doing,
Andrei. Or would you like me to show you what having true power is? I
could command your entire pack to kill themselves, and they would have no
choice but to obey, or I could order you to give me your lovely mate, and
you would be forced to watch me take her.”
Andrei pushes me behind him as my blood runs cold at his words.
Dominic smiles at me, his eyes darting back to Andrei. “Don’t tempt me
because I could destroy you in ways you never thought possible. The boy
isn’t even yours. Don’t make me take everything from you just to prove a
point. Do as I ask, and I will have the boy returned to you. Until then, he
belongs to Clive.” Malik is drenched in sweat when he walks a short
distance toward us. His movements are painful and robotic as he tries to
fight the command unsuccessfully.
Jonah reaches for me, and I take him from Malik. Malik lets out a
breath, and Dominic’s aura slips off him. “I don’t want to go,” Jonah
whispers, and I clutch him to me.
“I know. It’s only for a little while,” I tell him while glaring at Clive.
Jonah hugs me tighter, and I bite my lip to stop it from trembling and
squeeze my eyes shut to stop the tears from spilling. If we break, it will
scare him more than he already is.
I rub his back, and after a few minutes, Andrei takes him. He looks so
small in Andrei’s arms, but right now, we put the entire pack at risk if we
disobey. But now we know who we are up against, we can figure out a way
to get him back.
Casen brings his bag over, and I hand it to Clive. “There are clothes and
some toys, his vitamins the pack doctor recommended he take,” I tell him.
Clive snatches the bag from my grip and walks over, tossing it in the car
window.
“Hurry up, I haven’t got all day,” Clive tells Andrei, who growls at him.
Andrei places Jonah on the ground and pulls the phone from his pocket.
“I will call you every day. Make sure you charge it as I showed you,”
Andrei tells him. Jonah nods, taking the phone. Andrei also slips a small
piece of paper folded up with his number in Jonah’s pocket. When Clive
grabs Jonah’s arm and pulls him toward the car, Andrei reacts quickly at the
man’s harsh treatment, punching Clive in the face before his father jerks
him off a stunned Clive.
“He has to leave with him. Don’t make it worse for him,” Derrick
growls in Andrei’s ear.
“Are you just going to let him do that?” Clive spits at Dominic while
opening the door and pushing Jonah toward it. Jonah gets in the car, and
Clive slams the door. I step past Clive to calm down Jonah, who is crying
hysterically, and open the door, plugging his seatbelt in and wiping his
tears.
“Shh, you will be okay. It’s not for long. We will get you back,” I
whisper to Jonah. He nods, and I pass him his little tote bag, and he hugs it
to his tummy like it is a safety blanket.
“Don’t forget to call us if you need us,” I tell him.
Yet, his following words nearly break me. “I need you now,” he
whispers, glancing out the windshield at his uncle.
“I know, I know, buddy, but for now, we can use the phone okay? We
will see Kat and make this all better. But for now, I need you to be on your
best behavior and stop the tears because it’s only for a little while,” I tell
him.
How exactly do you explain to a child not to provoke the person who
has now been given custody of him? Those words should never be spoken
to a child. They should not have to fear the person caring for them. We are
supposed to be their safe place, the first person they run to. Not the person
they hide from and cower from. Yet, I know he won’t be getting cuddles
and his tears wiped by this man.
“That’s enough. Get away from him,” Clive calls out.
I press my lips together to stop saying what I truly thought of him. I
don’t want to make things worse for Jonah, but Andrei grips Clive’s shirt,
ripping him back. “If you lay one finger on that boy, I will hunt you down,
and you will meet the man I used to be,” Andrei growls the warning at him
before letting him go.
“Get your hands off me, what? Still nothing? What use are you if you
are going to let him toss me around like that?” Clive spits at Dominic.
Dominic’s aura rushes out at the disrespect he is showing. Clive drops
to the ground, clutching his head. “Don’t forget who you are speaking to,
mutt, but most of all, don’t forget I am also a father, and I don’t like child
abusers, so heed his warning, Clive. I let you have the boy. I never said you
can hurt him,” Dominic sneers at him.
Then he looks at Andrei. “Speak with Kat, then you get him back. You
and I both know the boy stands no chance at a future with him,” Dominic
says as Clive gets up and walks over to the car, and climbs in.
“And that’s exactly why my daughter is better off as Queen. She would
never sacrifice a child for her gain,” Derrick tells him.
“Your daughter is a small girl that entered the game of politics with men
she can never compare to or control. There are other ways to dethrone a
Queen. I am offering her the easy way out. Tell her to do what I said, then
you get the boy back,” Dominic says, turning on his heel and getting in his
car.
 Clive smirks, starting the car and reversing out before taking off in a
cloud of dirt and dust and taking our hearts with him as we watch
helplessly.
 Chapter

Sixteen

K atya
Andrei called me and told me the news about Jonah last night.
But, I wasn’t expecting a call from him at lunchtime to say
Dominic had interfered, and he stands behind all of it. How the heck did he
manage that within a few hours of the Alpha meeting?
Andrei told me of his demands, and I am half tempted to go through
with it.
Especially after what I heard about this Clive from Andrei, it makes my
blood boil. Andrei said to look for any dirt I can find on him, and I have
already petitioned for the laws to be changed.
Not even an hour later was it rejected, saying I needed support from
other Alphas. Sitting at Ezra’s desk, I comb through the pack laws, looking
for anything that can help us.
It doesn't matter what I find. I know Dominic will find another way
around it. He is dirty, and he doesn’t like that he is supposed to answer to
me now. I never said he has to step down.
Either way, he will have some role in the control of the packs. He is the
Alpha of Alphas. I never wanted his title to begin with, but the rumors
started, and he felt threatened when word got out about Jackson’s pack.
He can keep his title. None of us want it, anyway. We are well and truly
above the title of Alpha of Alphas. We aren’t taking anything from him; we
are just adding a new title to the mix, one higher than his. If he didn’t
challenge me in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
“Still no word from Seline?” Ezra asks as he walks into the office. I hop
out of his chair, and he sits down before I flop back down on his lap. Seline,
I have been trying to reach, but it seems as if she is avoiding me for some
reason.
“No, she will come when she isn’t busy. I feel like she is hiding
something from me, though.” I mutter the last part under my breath as my
eyes scan the papers again.
“Like what?” He asks, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“I don’t know. She has become more distant, and her answers have been
shorter and more cryptic,” I tell him.
“Since when is that anything new? You know she likes to speak in
riddles.” Ezra chuckles. He is right, but it seems to be something else. I just
can’t figure out what.
“I know, but it’s different. I don’t know. She looked tired the last time I
saw her.” I tell him, which is strange. Seline always has this certain air
around her. She is always glowing and looking perfect, but lately, it is like
something is haunting her.
“Who knows, maybe confront her. You are technically a Goddess now
and her prodigy, so why not demand answers?” He says, and I sigh. He taps
the book in front of me.
“So, what exactly are you looking for?” I shrug, unsure.
A way out of the mess Dominic created for my brother, yet Dominic is
proving his control over the packs runs deeper than any legalities. The
packs seem terrified of him, which isn’t at all surprising. There is something
about that man. Something not quite right, otherworldly is the vibe I get,
which I know is impossible.
“Something that will help, I guess. Have you actually read this? I don’t
think any laws have been updated since the 1800s,” I tell him, looking at
some of the ridiculous laws.
“Nope, I just know the ones we actually use now.” Ezra admits.
“Well, did you know it is illegal to ride a horse backward up the main
street?” I chuckle.
“What? That can’t be real?” He says, turning the book and looking at it.
“Yep, real, and it’s right there,” I tell him, pointing to it.
“Oh, here is another stupid one. It is illegal to possess fifty kilograms of
potatoes,” Ezra laughs.
“Who would want fifty kilograms of potatoes?” I ask him, shaking my
head.
 “Probably someone with a taste for homemade vodka. From the
prohibition days maybe,” Ezra chuckles.
“And here is another. Bars are required to stable, water, and feed the
horses of their patrons. I think you’re right, these laws are severely
outdated, and some are utterly ridiculous.” He shakes his head.
“Yes, I think someone needs to go over and amend some of these. For
instance, if a man finds their mate and the mate is underage, you have a
right to take them, apparently to preserve their maidenhood to ensure
purity,” I tell Ezra, and he scrunches up his face.
“Maybe flick through the newer laws. Where did you even find this?”
He asks.
“On your bookshelf,” I tell him, flicking through the dates to find this
century. “Laws have been added over the years but none removed,” I inform
him.
“When was the last time laws were changed?” I ask him curiously.
“Not while I have been Alpha, that is for sure,” Ezra tells me.
We search every law, but nothing helps. But I found something, and I
am waiting for Ezra to come back to ask him what he thinks of it because
he went to make more coffee.
When he returns, I look up smiling, praying I am right. “Why are you
smiling?” He asks, placing the mug down in front of me.
“I wanted to ask a question, actually. Pack courts, it says, are decided by
a panel of judges, all of which are Alpha’s, and the law can’t be passed
unless at least half the states Alpha’s agree on the change,” I tell him.
“Yes, that is correct, but I don’t see how that helps Andrei, though.“ He
says.
“Well, not one Alpha would sign the petition or appear in court for me,”
I tell him.
“Obviously,” he tells me, setting my mug beside me.
“What about the Lunas? They are technically Alpha females. Why does
it have to be the Packs Alpha? There is nothing stating that Lunas can’t sign
off on it.”
“You expect them to go against their mates and Alpha?” Ezra asks.
“No, but most of them are mothers. The Alphas won’t help because of
Dominic and their loyalty to him, but the women might. It was clear at the
meeting they didn’t like being pushed off to the sides. They are just as
important as the Alpha. Their role within the packs is just as important.”
 “Kat, I’m sorry, but I am telling you, not one Luna will go against their
mate and Alpha.” Ezra shakes his head.
“You’re wrong, I am not asking them as Luna. I will ask them as
mothers. If I explain the situation, surely one would sign. I reckon the rest
will follow if I can get one to step up beside me. They want change, Ezra.
They want a say and this law is ancient and ridiculous. No child should be
forced to go live with someone because they are a blood relative, especially
if that person isn’t a safe option. Human laws are about the child, yet pack
laws are outdated, and it is about the bloodlines. Tell me, one werewolf that
still has Lycan DNA? If that were the case, we would shift into Lycans, not
werewolves. We are part human. There is no such thing as purebloods
anymore.” I press the matter. Surely, Ezra has to see where I’m coming
from here.
“None. Everyone knows that, and I am pretty sure when that law was
made, it was from when we still had royals, and it was more about keeping
the royal bloodlines pure, you know, cousin fucking.” Ezra says before
cringing. I shudder, not that I have anything to worry about because I have
no cousins and today is a modern century, but that just shows how badly
some of these laws need to change because some are barbaric.
“Then why are you still going by Lycan law?” I ask him. Ezra sighs and
rubs a hand down his face.
“Exactly how do you plan on speaking to the other Lunas.” He finally
caves in.
“Well, in today’s day and age, we have a thing called social media, and
we have electricity to charge the phone sitting on your desk,” I tell him, and
he rolls his eyes.
“So you are going to Facebook every Luna, or call them?” I fold my
arms across my chest, sitting back in my chair.
“If that’s what it takes,” I tell him. He huffs before digging through his
filing cabinet.
“What are you looking for?”
“Pack lists, so you can search up Luna’s names and the packhouse
numbers. What will you do if the Alpha answers, though? You know you
can’t command over the phone. It doesn’t work that way.” Ezra mumbles.
“Play dumb, ask if I can speak to their Luna because I am so hopeless
and need to get parenting advice. I have a colicky baby apparently and
looking for help,” I tell him, and he chuckles.
 “Here, I will leave you with this while you Luna talk. Yell out if you
need me,” he says, kissing my forehead.
I start writing the most recent Luna’s names and their contact details.
While trying to figure out what has gotten into the Moon Goddess, I am
beginning to worry and know she is keeping something from me. For the
last few days, I have been trying to contact her. Ever since the Alpha
meeting. I need to speak with her about the strange vision Jonah gave me.
Even so, I have had no word from her. I also need to ask about the twins
and Dominic and this darkness that won’t leave completely like it used to.
 Chapter

Seventeen

S age
We are all lost without Jonah. Andrei has been on the phone with
Kat, and everybody he can think of that may be able to help. Yet the
day is slipping by, and I am already missing his voice.
This deep-rooted need to ensure he is okay has settled over me. My
entire routine has been solely based around Jonah, and without him, I am
lost. We try to call him a few times but get no answer each time. Sitting
outside, I try the phone number again. The phone rings out, and it is nearly
4:30 PM.
Jonah should be getting ready for his dinner and a bath right about now.
Why isn’t he answering? I sit on the log next to the fire pit when I see
Andrei come out of the house and head towards me. He looks exhausted
and stressed, just like the rest of us.
Andrei walks over to me and stops in front of me. As I look up at him,
he sighs. “Still no answer?” He asks, and I shake my head, feeling sick at
not being able to see him or speak to him.
“We can try again later. If he’s headed to the city, he could still be on the
road,” Andrei says, running his fingers through his shoulder-length hair. He
sits on the log beside me, grabs my hand, and brings it to his lips, kissing
each knuckle.
“Come on, we should head inside and have a shower. You have been in
Kat’s clothes since the Alpha meeting,” he reminds me, and I look down at
the outfit, completely forgetting I had been in it for two days now.
I sniff myself, but I smell fine, besides the scent of tears and the
lingering smell of Jonah. I look at Andrei, and he is out of his clothes.
When did he remember to shower? With everything on my mind, showering
is the last thing I could think about.
Andrei tugs me to my feet just as Zane calls out to him. “Alpha, Nora.”
Andrei freezes and turns to speak to Zane. “Argh, fuck, I forgot.”
“Sorry, I didn’t want to bother you with everything going on, but she is
getting worse. I think she will go into heat tonight.” Zane blurts out.
“Yep, I will do it now. Casen, come here,” Andrei calls out and waves
him over. Casen jogs over to Malik and us too.
“What’s up, Alpha?” Casen asks before looking at Zane.
He tosses his head back and groans. “Already, fuck, what timing!” He
whines, and Malik scrubs a hand down his face before rubbing his temples
as he nods.
“I will come too. Let’s head out now,” Malik says, and Andrei nods to
them before nodding to Zane.
“Sorry guys,” Zane tells them.
“It’s fine. We’re just not used to having girls here for so long. I forgot
about the heats when no one here obviously has them,” Casen says before
looking at me.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“It’s fine, Casen. I am not offended. Not your fault I am useless in that
department,” I tell him with a slight twinge of guilt.
I am useless. I can’t even provide an heir for Andrei, can’t give us a
family. And now, the only hope we had of having a child was just taken
away from us, too. I watch them go, heading for the forest edge. They slip
amongst the trees, disappearing and I turn, and glance at Andrei.
“Night lock berries?” I ask Andrei, and he nods his head.
“Dad!” Andrei calls out.
I like that he is now calling Derrick dad. I can also tell Derrick enjoys
hearing it because his eyes light up every time his son says it. Derrick
rushes over to us from where he was sitting on a chair under the willow,
reading some mail.
Derrick jogs over, slowing as he approaches us. “Do you remember how
to make the night lock jam?” He asks.
“Bit rusty, is Nora going into heat already?” He asks, and Zane nods.
“Probably be in full-blown heat tonight sometime. I can smell her scent
changing,” Zane admits.
 Derrick looks around and points to the fire pit. “Okay, let’s get this fire
started, and I need a spoon and pot,” Derrick says.
“Call out if you need me to make it. I just want to take Sage to shower
and then try to ring Jonah again. Malik and Casen already left to collect the
berries,” Andrei tells him. Derrick nods and follows Zane to help collect
kindling to get the fire pit going.
“Can’t believe I forgot about her heat,” I tell Andrei as he leads me
inside and up the stairs.
“Yes, but don’t feel bad. It slipped my mind too. The boys will be extra
grumpy tonight, not sure if you have seen rogues on night lock before?”
“Yeah, once, in the camp we spotted a female omega in heat when I was
a kid. They also used night lock to suppress the unmated wolves, but they
made it into a soup, not a jam.” I recall some of the memories.
“Yeah, we always made jam or paste from it, more concentrated that
way and not so watery,” Andrei says, and it makes sense.
However, when some go rogue, there aren’t many options in the camps.
You couldn’t lock the woman down like those in packs and warn people
away when there was nowhere to go. You also didn’t have shutters or
descanters for the women to keep the unmated wolves at bay, so good old
poison was used to knock out their wolves. I have heard it makes them
incredibly itchy and uncomfortable in their own skin.
We head into the shower, but just before I strip down and hop in, the
phone rings and Andrei grabs it.
“It’s Jonah,” he says, and my heart pounds in my chest. He quickly
answers, putting the phone on the loudspeaker.
“Jonah?” Andrei says.
“I didn’t hear the phone,” Jonah says, and relief floods me the moment I
hear his angelic little voice. Andrei sits on the end of the bed, pulling me on
his lap.
“But you’re okay. Are you okay, Jonah? Where are you?” Andrei asks.
“Yes, I am okay, but I want to come home. When can I come home? I
want to be with you and Sage.” Jonah pleads. He sounds as close to crying
and breaking down as I am.
“Who are you on the phone with?” I suddenly hear Clive’s voice
snapping at Jonah, and Andrei growls.
“Leave the boy alone,” Dominic’s voice snaps back at Clive in the
background.
 My brows furrow at hearing Dominic. “Dominic is still with you?” I ask
Jonah.
“Yes, he put us in this room,” Jonah says.
“Hand the phone over for a second, Jonah. You can speak to your father
in a minute,” Dominic says.
Andrei’s heart skips a beat at his words. Mine does too. Even a monster
like Dominic is calling Andrei the little boy’s father. Proves how right we
were when we both fell in love with the little boy and treated him as our
own.
Then I hear the phone being fiddled with before Dominic’s voice comes
through clearer. “The boy is fine. I am not a complete monster. They are at
my hotel in the Safari Casino room 410, and I will make sure he has been
fed before I leave. This neanderthal would probably feed him beer and
chips for dinner otherwise.” Dominic snarls with disgust lacing his tone,
which shocks me, he clearly didn’t like Clive yet took Jonah from us and
gave him to the man.
“Have you spoken to Katya for me?” Dominic asks.
“Yes, she is aware of what’s going on?” Andrei tells him.
“Good, she has a week. I know these things take time, and she will have
to convince her mates, but we will not have issues any longer. I can only
tolerate this fool for so long,” Dominic says, making me wonder what he
meant by that.
“You are staying with Jonah?” Andrei asks, confused.
“No, I just brought them here until I found a pack that would accept this
idiot and the boy. I will be leaving soon. Tell Katya to hurry and make a
choice. I will put Jonah back on for you.”
“Wait!” I blurt out. Dominic sighs but answers. “What?”
“What happens if Kat doesn’t do what you want?” Andrei growls at me.
“Well, that is yet to be seen, but I wouldn’t recommend it, Sage. There
are multiple scenarios that can play out, and I don’t like any of them.”
“But what of Jonah?” I demand.
“That depends on a great number of things, but the boy will be fine. As
I said, I am not a monster. But if you want your son back, you’ll have to
convince her.” His words confuse me. One minute he is threatening us, the
next he is trying to assure Jonah’s safety, so which is it? “Your son is
practically bouncing in his seat to speak with you, so I’ll put him back on.”
 “Jonah, come and talk to your parents. After dinner, you must have a
shower, but I need to leave now,” Dominic tells him.
I am shocked at how he speaks softly to Jonah. “But uncle Clive—”
“I’ll handle your uncle. You just do as I said. Make sure you eat and
then shower for me, please. I set your pajamas in the bathroom already with
a towel.” Dominic tells him.
“Yes, sir,” Jonah says before I hear the phone passing hands again.
“Are you okay, Jonah?” I ask.
“Yes, Dominic said you are my parents. Does that mean I can go home
and have two dads like Mr. Andrei?” Jonah asks.
“If you would like to have two dads, but you don’t have to call him that
if you don’t want to,” I tell him.
“Can I have two moms too?” He asks, and I refuse to get excited at his
words. I don’t want to pressure him, but my heart soars at that. Nothing has
ever made my heart flutter more than the moment Jonah asks that question.
“Whatever you are comfortable with, Jonah, you can call us what you
like. We just want you home with us,” Andrei tells him.
“I would like that. I miss the pack and Malik and Casen, too. Do they
miss me?” Jonah asks.
“Yes, everyone misses you and can’t wait for you to come home,”
Andrei tells them, and I hear Dominic and Clive arguing in the background.
“I don’t think that man likes my uncle Clive very much,” Jonah
whispers.
“It will be ok, buddy, we will get you out of there soon,” Andrei assures
him.
“Please hurry. I don’t want to be here with him by myself. I want to
come home,” Jonah sobs.
“Ah, shut it, boy,” Clive bellows, and Jonah whimpers.
“Knock it off, he is a child!” Dominic snarls in the background.
Andrei’s jaw clenches. And I actually feel sick knowing Dominic is
about to leave Jonah with him alone. Although, I would prefer Jonah to stay
in that monster Dominic’s hands than Clive’s.
At least he is nice to Jonah. Despite what he has done, he has parental
instincts and knows how to raise a child.
“Come on, buddy, stop crying, breathe, Jonah. It won’t be long. We are
doing everything we can.” Andrei tries to calm our boy.
 “I want to come home,” Jonah cries, his voice breaking along with my
heart at hearing him so upset.
“I know, I know, soon, very soon” I hear a knock on the door in the
background, and Jonah falls quiet before I hear Dominic’s voice again.
“Jonah, dinner, come eat. Say goodbye, then have a shower when you
finish eating. Clive, I want you to stay out of my casino and the bars, you
are to watch the boy, not leave him on his own. Also don’t fucking lay a
finger on him or I will remove the offending digit am I clear?” Dominic
says, and we hear Clive mutter something but can’t hear what he says as he
is too far away from the phone.
“I have to go,” Jonah says sadly.
“Ok, we will try to call you later, but you can call at any time, and we
will answer,” I promise him.
“Okay, bye,” Jonah says before the phone hangs up.
“I feel sick,” I tell Andrei, and he nods before hugging me closer.
“We will get him back,” Andrei tells me.
“Go shower. I will be in soon,” Andrei says, tapping my leg.
Reluctantly, I climb off his lap, and Andrei fiddles with his phone while
I walk into the bathroom. I turn on the shower, adjust the taps, pull my hair
out of the bun I put it in this morning, and massage my sore scalp from the
strain of my heavy hair.
Reaching down, I pull the leggings off, trying to figure out how I
managed to sleep in them last night. It wasn’t exactly comfy, and they were
rather tight. Hands suddenly replace mine, tugging them down, and I pull
my legs out before Andrei turns me around and helps me tug the leggings
off my feet.
I yawn. My eyes feel like sandpaper from barely sleeping, and my eyes
are puffy from crying. Andrei’s hand moves up my thighs and I can feel the
question he wants to ask before he says it.
“Can I ask what happened to your thighs? Like what they actually did
for them to be scarred this way?” He asks, and I pull away from him.
He never mentions my scars, but hearing his words makes me step away
from him, embarrassed. I told him already, but he never asked how they did
it, and that wasn’t something I wanted to relive.
When I step away, he grips my hips, tugging me back to him. “Don’t do
that. Don’t try to hide from me.” Andrei murmurs.
“Andrei?” I whisper his name in an unsure question.
 My cheeks flame with heat, and I suck in a breath. He is scrutinizing me
and I hate that. I rarely look down at my mutilated body. But his intense
gaze makes me squirm uncomfortably and want to cover up to stop him
from seeing it. Shame overwhelms me and I know it looks gross, but I
didn’t expect him to point it out. Reaching for a towel, I try to wrap the
towel around myself.
“What are you doing?” He asks, gripping the towel and yanking it.
“Stop, Andrei, please. I know it’s gross, but stop touching them,” I tell
him, slapping his hands off my legs while fighting back the tears.
“What are you talking about?” He snaps at me, gripping my hips and
tugging me back in front of him.
“There is nothing gross about you, Sage. You are beautiful,” he says,
running his hands over the mutilated flesh, leaning closer. I try to step out
of his clutches but he doesn’t allow that, holding me in place as he leans
forward pressing his lips to my thigh and looking up at me.
His grip tightens on me. “Look,” he urges, and I shake my head.
“No, Sage, look. They look like,” he shakes his head. “It looks like tiny
handprints. They are on both sides,” he murmurs, brushing his thumbs over
my skin.
His words confuse me. “What?” I ask, looking down and sucking in a
breath, and forcing myself to look at my destroyed skin.
“Here,” He points to my thighs, pressing a finger to each one. I sigh,
angling my head to the side and looking down at where he is pointing. My
skin is burned, and the skin ripples scarred when I see what he is talking
about.
However, the two spots are no longer scarred and mutilated. Shocked, I
bend down more and accidentally headbutt Andrei. “Ow,” I hiss, and he
chuckles, rubbing the spot on my head that I smacked.
He stands, gripping my hips and placing me on the sink basin, and I
look at my thighs. Bile rises in my throat, but I finally get a good look at
what he is talking about. From my angle, it looks like two small handprints
on my upper thighs.
“That is so strange, I swear I never noticed that before,” he whispers,
his brows furrowing.
“Yeah, that wasn’t there before. It was as mutilated as the rest of me,” I
tell him, rubbing the smooth spot to make sure it isn’t something coating
my skin, making it appear like fresh skin there. Andrei growls. The sound is
menacing and sends a cold shiver up my spine.
“Don’t speak like that about yourself. I won’t put up with it,” he snarls,
and I roll my eyes. It’s not like it isn’t true. Anyone seeing them would turn
away at sight, and they do.
Andrei grips my face and growls. “Don’t. Is this because of what Clive
said? Don’t, for one second, think I will tolerate you thinking like that. If I
catch you speaking like that again, I will drag you out there and strip you in
front of the entire pack to prove there is nothing wrong with any part of
you. There is not one man here who would cringe away from the sight of
you,” he snarls, his lip pulling over his upper lip as his canines protrude.
I am horrified at his words and the thought of being stripped naked in
front of his pack. I try to say something, but his grip on my face tightens.
“Don’t test me, Sage. I mean it, not one word. You are mine, and I love
every inch of you. Don’t speak like that just because you don’t see yourself
the way we all do.” Andrei sighs and curses under his breath, but his grip on
my face loosens. “Now we need to figure out how you have tiny handprints
on you,” he mutters, leaning in and kissing my lips before glancing down
and letting go of my face.
“Maybe you’re reacting to something? I can call Mathias to come to
check you over, but they look like - ” He pauses, counting the little lines
that resemble tiny fingers.
“Too small to be handprints unless they are baby handprints.” We both
pause, and I touch the unblemished skin. It feels soft under my fingertips,
and the skin around the marks is rougher and raised slightly, thick with scar
tissue. It takes me a moment to think of where I have been before
recognition smacks me in the face just as Andrei reaches the same
conclusion.
“You were holding Eziah yesterday,” he points out, looking down at my
legs.
“Yes, he was sitting in my lap, slapping my legs,” I tell him.
Andrei nods his head and purses his lips when they suddenly part on a
gasp. “I think he healed a piece of you.”
 Chapter

Eighteen

K atya
Shaking my head in frustration, I am about to give up. I have
experienced how it feels to be hung up on five times in a row now.
As soon as I mention who I am. They don’t even give me a chance to
explain what I am ringing for, and the disrespect is really starting to get to
me. Five Alphas answered, and I haven’t even had a chance to speak to any
Luna yet.
When I dial the next number, I am relieved to hear a woman answer.
Just as Ezra and Mateo walk in, they sit on the couch across from the desk.
Her voice is like music to my ears compared to gruff voices from previous
phone calls.
“Hello?” the woman answers.
“Hello, yes, hi, I was wondering if I could speak to Luna Terra.” I
quickly blurt out in a rush.
“You are speaking to her. May I ask who is calling?”
“Queen Katya and I swear, if you hang up on me, I will come over there
and shove that phone up your bony ass.” I threaten, expecting her to hang
up on me like the Alphas. She laughs softly.
“That won’t be necessary, but if you insist, please be gentle with me.”
She laughs, and I let out a breath.
“You could try, but I prefer it if you don't. This is an old brick-corded
phone. Hubby is a little old school and loves everything retro. Though it
makes me worry because I don’t think the receiver would fit. But if you
must, can you do it gently?” She asks with a laugh.
 Her words make me giggle. “Sorry, every person I have called has hung
up the moment I said who I am,” I tell her. She sighs heavily.
“And let me guess all of those people were Alphas?” She asks.
“That would be correct,” I tell her, and she clicks her tongue.
“Yes, well, you made quite a show at the Alpha meeting and upset a few
people, but that can’t be helped. So what can I do for you?” She asks.
“I am trying to see if I can get some help with changing a few laws, but
I need Lunas to sign off on it.” I get straight to the business, seeing how this
woman is willing to listen. That’s more than nothing, right?
“How many do you need to sign, and are you sure we can sign off on
it?” She asks, taking me by surprise.
“All of you. And the law says Alphas, and Luna’s are also alphas, Alpha
females.” I tell her, knowing that a lot of the Alphas are still unmated and I
need every single Luna to sign off on it for it to be accepted and looked at.
“Is this about that boy? I saw an email about him. He is your brother’s
child, or he was looking to adopt him, right?” Terra asks.
“Yes, but I have gone over a few laws, and a couple need to be
changed,” I tell her.
“It is probably best if you stop ringing around. The Alphas don’t like
change, but I am glad to see a woman in the top seat for once. Don’t be
discouraged, I may be able to help, though. Can you get to Marrickville
tomorrow at all? I know it is a few hours away and brief notice, but we have
the annual Luna get-together twice a year. You are new and may not know
of it yet. It is at 11 AM tomorrow. If you can get there, we will all be in one
place, and best of all - no Alphas. They all wait around out front usually or
go do their own thing. They don’t enjoy attending the Luna functions, even
though we are forced to attend all of theirs,” she tells me.
“Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem.” I agree in a heartbeat. Not to get
ahead of myself, but this offer is the most promising news I’ve gotten in a
while.
“Great, I will message you all the details, but I must go before my mate
realizes who I am on the phone with. The last thing we need is to have the
two days a year we get of peace canceled. I will text the information to
Alpha Ezra. I am pretty sure I have his contact details on my contact list on
my mobile,” she tells me.
“That would be great, thank you, Terra.” I tell her.
 “You are welcome, Katya. Just know you have me in your corner. Not
everyone is afraid of change, and it’s about time things got shaken up
around here. I look forward to speaking with you more tomorrow, but I
must go. I will see you tomorrow,” she says.
“Thanks again,” I tell her before hanging up and running my fingers
through my hair.
“She didn’t seem completely opposed to you shoving a phone up her
ass,” Mateo chuckles, shaking his head.
“I know I shouldn’t have said it, but every damn Alpha kept hanging up
on me,” I tell him.
“You can say what you want, Kat, you are their Queen, but be prepared
to argue tomorrow. Some of those Lunas can be quite catty,” Mateo warns
me.
“That’s fine. I will just have to sharpen the claws then,” I tell him.
“Some of the Alphas may show up tomorrow. Usually, a few wait
outside for their mates,” Ezra adds, and I huff, but there is not much I can
do about that.
I suck in a breath, Terra said as much already, so it’s not like I am being
left in the dark. “I can handle it,” I tell him.
“I know, I just want to prepare you, I will come with you tomorrow in
case any issues arise,” Ezra tells me, and I nod. I also have to see if Sage
wants to go too, we could pick her up on the way.
Grabbing the phone, I dial Andrei’s number when the door opens.
Marge sticks her head inside the office. “We are out of diapers. I don’t
suppose someone can run into town to the shop?” she asks, and Mateo hops
off the couch. “I will go. Do we need anything else?”
“Some more milk,” Marge tells him, and he nods, following her out and
shutting the door behind him.
“Who are you calling?” Ezra asks while climbing off the couch and
coming over to me.
“I was going to call Sage to see if she wants to come tomorrow,” Ezra
hums in agreement, and I am about to hit the call button when he hangs the
phone up.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Call her in a minute. I want to speak to you
first,” he says, and I swivel in my seat to face him.
“What’s up?” Ezra leans forward, bracing his arms on the chair and he
presses his forehead against mine.
 “You haven’t shifted in two days. You need to shift tonight.” He
whispers.
“It’s only a Crescent Moon tonight,” I tell him, and he crouches in front
of me.
His hands grip my knees as Ezra looks up at me. “Still better than
nothing. You promised you would shift every night, and it has been two
days,” he points out, squeezing my knees.
I sigh.
“Why do you hate it so much?” Ezra questions, “You always try to
avoid shifting.”
“It makes me miss Kora,” I admit. I love shifting, but I also hate it. I
miss having her, and no matter how long I have gone without her now, it
still feels weird being in that form and not having her voice in my head. It
feels lonely.
Ezra exhales and nods. “Will you please shift tonight?” He pleads, and I
chew the inside of my lip.
“Only if Maddox and Ares come for a run with me,” I tell him, and his
lips tug at the corners.
“I am sure that can be arranged. Mateo will love to be able to go with
you for once. I will ask Marge if she minds watching the kids for us,” he
says, rising to his feet, leaning down, and brushing his lips against mine.
“Call Sage, tell her we will pick her up at 7 AM,” he says, passing the
phone back to me. I watch him walk out and am about to dial Andrei’s
number when my skin ripples and goosebumps rise on my arms.
I hang the phone back up.
“About time. Where have you been?” I ask Seline as she appears in the
room. She looks tired again as she moves over to the couch and sits down. I
lean forward, furrowing my brows. Concern takes over my senses - she
looks like she is on the verge of passing out.
“I’m fine.” She waves me off. “How have you been?” She asks, and I
get out of my seat to move to her side. Her eyes follow me as I sit next to
her.
“You look tired,” I tell her.
“It is difficult for me to portal between realms at the moment,” she tells
me, running a hand through her golden locks.
And that’s when I notice them - the blue veins streaking across her arm
and hand.
 “Seline?” I ask, grabbing her hand and turning it over. It looks like
spider webs crossing her skin.
“Katya, I’m fine. Now, tell me what is going on with you. Why do you
need to speak to me so urgently?” She asks, but I shake my head.
“No, you are hiding something, and I need to know what is going on,”
Seline sighs, and I see her aura falter. It flickers as if an electrical current is
going through it.
Her lips part and I know she is going to try to convince me that she is
fine again. “Don’t tell me it is nothing, Seline. I am done with the riddles
and the lies. Tell me what is going on with you now,” I demand, and she
raises an eyebrow at my tone.
She chews her lip nervously, something I've never seen her do before. “I
did something, something I should have warned you about,” she pauses to
suck in a deep breath. “I am dying, Katya,” she tells me, and my heart jolts
at those words.
“What, how? I don’t understand. You are a Goddess, how can you die?”
I ask.
“I wasn’t always a Goddess, Katya, there are consequences for
everything, and I accept mine, it is a price I must pay,” she says, reaching
forward and cupping my cheek. Her hands are chilly, and I place my hand
over hers, leaning into her touch.
“How? When did you find out?” I am struggling to make sense of what
she is saying.
“I knew what I was doing. I knew the price I would pay, but I officially
understood it when I could no longer see your future or that of your mates
and your children. Slowly, I have been losing some of my gifts. It has
started already. And you may have noticed yours becoming stronger, maybe
new gifts?” She asks.
I don’t know what to say, but Seline continues and explains after a brief
pause. “I need you to know this was my choice, Katya. I knew what I was
doing the moment I brought you back. When I brought you back, I gave
you a piece of myself, just like Celeste gave to me.” She tells me as she
squeezes my fingers.
Shaking my head, I try to make sense of this, but that name does not
ring a bell for me. “Wait, who is Celeste?” I ask her.
Seline exhales and nods her head. “Celeste was the first Moon Goddess.
She was my creator, the creator of Lycans. She gave her life for me and
made me who I am. Celeste is how we all came to be, and she was
powerful, a veritable Goddess. A creator of the Lycans and also their
destruction.”
“I am not sure what you are telling me, Seline, layman’s terms, please,”
I tell her, rubbing a hand down my face. What she is saying sounds insane.
Why have we not heard of this Goddess? I really need to get a good night’s
sleep. My brain feels like mush.
She inhales before letting out a breath. “Celeste created Lycans. Like
you, I was a Queen of Alphas, the last Queen of Alphas, but I was also
human, not Lycan. I gave my life for my kingdom, and also, like you, I was
blessed with the gift of life. I exchanged my life for my kingdoms, I died
for them, and Celeste saw this and was in awe of what I did, so she granted
me my life back, giving me a piece of her soul. Just as I did with you.” I tilt
my head to the side, taking in what she just told me.
“Only a Goddess can create another Goddess or a God. When I died,
Celeste brought me back. My powers grew and strengthened while hers got
weaker. Eventually, she told me what she did, and told me that when my
time came. I was told that I would become the next Moon Goddess when I
die. She trusted me to make the right decisions, guide her Lycans, and
choose their mates while trying to break their curse. She tempted fate to
bring me back, and I did the same with you.” She whispers.
“So I am going to die?” I tell her, horrified. What about my mates, my
kids?
“No, not now. Hopefully, not for a long time. You have a normal
lifespan ahead of you, Kat. But when you do, you will take my place, and
the fates will be yours to guide, yours to alter. You are a living deity, and
when you die, you will become the Moon Goddess your people pray to.
You’ll take my place. Being a Gemini wolf means when your mate’s time is
up, they’ll also join you in the Moon Goddess realm, so you won’t be alone
as I was. As Celeste was.”
“Why?” I can feel the tears sting my eyes.
“Over the centuries, I became lonely. The repetitiveness and loneliness
of being the Moon Goddess became tiring. Then you were born, and I
watched you grow, I watched you fight for what was right, watched you get
everything I dreamed for you and more, and you gave it away for everyone
else, just like I did for my people. I saw the Goddess you could be. The
Goddess I knew you would become, so I made you one, but you are also a
Gemini wolf, and I wasn’t expecting it would take a toll on me the way it
did,” she says, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “It is happening faster.
Celeste had time to train me and help me. I’m afraid we won’t have that sort
of time to prepare you, Kat.”
“Celeste stayed a Goddess until my death, but the piece I gave to you to
bring you back was bigger than I expected because I brought your children
back with it. I tempted fate, and I thought I would be the same, but I am
deteriorating faster than expected. I knew it would happen. I just thought I
had more time, but don’t worry, Katya, I still have a little time left, so what
do you need help with?” She asks.
I am shocked by her words and also horrified. I don’t want to be a Moon
Goddess, but I don’t want to be Queen either. If this is what Seline gives
me, I will make her proud. I owe her that much.
“You will not let me question you more about this right now, will you?”
Seline chuckles and shakes her head. “No, I am not sure how long
before I am pulled back to my realm, so tell me what you need right now.”
Shaking my head, I exhale. Another thing to add to my list of stressors
is a dying Goddess and Goddess handover. “Fine, first, my children have
been acting strange,” I tell her.
“Yes, I have been watching. Unfortunately, with my dwindling power, I
can’t see their fates or even choose their future mates anymore. I can
control the fates of everyone else but not my own, and since I gave you a
piece of myself that now extends to you and your children. I can’t help with
any future knowledge with them, only what I saw when I brought you back,
but I have been observing, and I have enough knowledge now that I can
give you some insight.”
“Like what, because honestly, I am at a loss, especially with Marabella,”
I admit to her.
“Yes, when I brought you back, I thought both children would be
Gemini wolves. Instead, it split the Gemini between them, one light, one
dark. Marabella will have to learn to control it, but I fear her mate will be
darker than her when she becomes older. Power like hers will seek
darkness. You would have noticed with Dominic how his power couldn’t
touch yours because you are also tainted with dark magic. Instead, it feeds
your power. It’s also why when the madness that comes with being a
Gemini affects you, you seek your children. Their power acts like a radar
calling to your power. I also noticed Marabella and Eziah have been mind-
linking each other, showing me how strong they will be one day,” she tells
me with a laugh.
“So she was mind-linking?” I thought that looked suspicious, but even
while I watched my daughter's eyes, I still didn't think it was possible.
“Yes, they are twins. They communicate even if it is only through
pictures for now. I doubt any distance could ever stop their minds from
linking. Their souls are entwined, linking them together,” she explains, and
it finally makes sense. Not only the Gemini is split between them, but they
also are twins and share power.
“Although I fear with Marabella, the darkness will taint her like
Dominic if she doesn’t have a buffer to help keep her grounded.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Both of your children are like you. Neither has a wolf, but I am willing
to force fate one last time for both of them. I wasn’t expecting their powers
to split. I simply thought they would contain both, but when I realized they
didn’t, I looked into ways to help them. And I can help them, but it may
speed the process of my death up.”
“Then you can’t. I won’t let you.” I shake my head. I dread the moment
I might lose her.
“I am already dying, Kat, Marabella’s fate I can’t tamper with without
huge consequences, but I can add to her future. I can’t change it, but I can
add to it. Maybe then she will find happiness in the end.” Her fingers wrap
around my hand and grip it, as if she holds onto her lifeline.
“What do you mean?” I ask, worried about my daughter.
“When Marabella was born, I got glimpses, and her future was dark,
darker than I expected. She will suffer, Kat. And I want to help. Skeletons
in the closet, Kat, hers is not one I can die with on my conscience, so you
will let me do this for the twins. You will let me bless them, at least try to
make up for cursing them.”
“What did you see?” I ask her.
“I saw her kill herself. And I refuse for that to be her future.
Unfortunately, I can only do so much with my dwindling power. Like
Celeste created the Lycans, I created werewolves to stop the eradication
completely by allowing human mates, and that is how werewolves exist
now. It also made you all more humane. Lycans were savage beasts.
Unfortunately, my power is too weak to create new vessels, so I have had to
recycle some old souls, but luckily you also had some volunteers.”
 “Some volunteers?” I ask.
“Yes, give me your hands, Kat, I will take you to meet them.” Seline
says, and I place mine in hers.
 Chapter

Nineteen

K atya
The room dissolves and ripples before I find myself in Seline’s
Moon Goddess realm. Her castle stands in front of us, and I am
standing in the flower fields that surround it.
“I couldn’t create new wolves for them, but as I said, I had some
volunteers that agreed to go back. They will have no recollection of their
past lives. Instead, taking on new ones and being reborn as they usually
are.” Seline says before whistling loudly. The sound echoes and weaves
through the trees before I see wolves rushing toward me. All in different
colors and sizes. Thousands of wolves surround us.
“So this is where the wolves go. They come here to live with you?” I
ask out of pure curiosity.
“Yes, some choose to go back, but those that don’t remain here with me,
some that refused the change from their Lycan form, are still around. These
are vessel wolves, taking on this form permanently, reincarnations.” She
tells me. Her words confuse me, but I don’t have time to question what she
means by vessel wolves or reincarnations.
“And how will you give a wolf to Eziah and Marabella?” I raise an
eyebrow at her.
“By connecting their souls as one, most wolves shift at thirteen for the
first time because I am forcing their souls to connect. They will bloom later
and, like you, shift at eighteen. Most wolves are picked in utero, and watch
their counterpart from this realm until the human counterpart comes of age.
But it changes things because I am doing this after the child is born, but it is
the best I can do since I can’t change their futures. But maybe having
wolves, their wolves can.”
“So, how do you pick?” I ask her. I can feel all their auras, and see their
different colors. It is almost like I can sense their personalities by seeing the
color alone.
Suddenly, the wolves part, and I see a black wolf come toward me. He
is bigger than Maddox and has a huge scar across his eye. He sits on his
hind legs and stares at me. Is it me, or is this wolf judging me?
“This Malachi, he was Micha’s wolf. Marabella’s mate’s wolf, he
offered to be Eziah’s,” Seline says, and I look at her.
“Micha’s?” I repeat the name since it rings no bells.
“Yes, his heart is true, and he loves fiercely just as much as Maddox and
Ares, he is a good match for Eziah.” Seline tells me, and I pat him, he
brushes himself all over me, wrapping his body around my legs before
sitting beside Seline. Scratch my previous idea, there is no judgment. She is
right, the wolf’s heart must be true.
“And for Marabella, I think you will approve,” Seline says, and I turn to
see all the wolves part again.
“Hello, Kat,” Kora says, stepping forward.
My heart squeezes when I see her step forward. I chew my lip to stop it
from trembling at the sight of her. Gosh, how I missed her.
“I thought you wanted to be free of the curses of my family?” I ask her
as I drop to my knees in front of her. She presses her head to mine.
“I did, but now there’s a new curse, and I won’t let it take your little girl
from you. You gave me my freedom, I will make sure Marabella gets hers, I
won’t let this curse take her from us.” Kora tells me. She sounds as fierce as
ever, but something from her words raises alarm bells in my head.
“New curse?” I ask Seline and glance up at her.
“When I saw that glimpse of her future, her mate is a curse to himself.
He is her undoing and what causes her to kill herself.” Seline whispers. She
sounds like she is struggling to speak.
“But how can Kora save her if she won’t remember when she goes
back?” I ask. Although Selene is trying to find the puzzle pieces, in my
mind, it doesn’t matter how I twist and turn them - none fits.
“By giving her a friend, by taking the loneliness from her.”
“But if it is her mate, I will make her reject him.” I tell them.
 Seline shakes her head. “That is not for you to choose, Kat. She is
destined to be his and he hers. They will either be each other’s destruction
or redemption. When I brought you back, I didn’t realize their fates were set
to collide. I wasn’t given a choice, darkness seeks darkness, and it tied them
together without my influence at all, and it killed her, but if Kora is with
her, maybe we can alter destiny, and they can save each other,” Seline
explains.
“So I have to let you go again.” I tell Kora.
“You will always be the one that set me free, Kat. Now, let me return
the favor and set her free, too,” Kora says.
“I love you, Kora.” I whisper as tears sting my eyes and I try to toss my
arms around her. I need it so badly, even if for a moment, I need to convince
myself she is as real as she looks.
“And I love you, Katya, now get back to your mates where you belong,”
Kora tells me, just as my surroundings ripple and I am back in the office.
“So that’s where you have been?” Ezra asks, looking between Seline
and me.
“Yes, Ezra, we had business to attend to. Now, I know you had one
more question, but after that, I must go, Kat, so I can put things in motion,”
Seline tells me, gripping my arms and I can hear the urgency in her voice.
“You need to leave already?” I blink like an idiot, afraid to let her go.
What if this is the last time I see her? What if this is the last we ever speak?
“Yes, I am afraid time is running out, and I must get to work before I
lose my power completely,” she explains.
“Ah, what is going on?” Ezra asks, standing up and leaning over the
desk to look at us.
“I will explain later,” I tell him, turning back to Seline. “Dominic is
blessed. I just wanted to understand what I am up against,” I ask her.
“Dominic is not blessed, nor did I curse him. Remember when I said I
created werewolves, and they were a mix of humans and Lycan? I did that
to stop the extinction of Lycans completely. There are no Lycans left
anymore, only werewolves. I’ve never controlled the Octavians. Something
else does.” I am about to question how that is possible for her not to know,
but she sees my question before I ask.
“It’s not much help I know, I can see them in the fountains, can control
mate bonds to certain extents, except every 12th generation, something else
chooses for them. All I know is that Dominic's ancestor’s bloodline started
before my existence. And all I know is what Celeste told me, and that is one
of his ancestors was fated to a dark witch. His bloodline comes from Salem,
and the darkness that taints him has been passed down through the
generations since. I have searched his bloodline’s past, but Celeste erased
most of it for some reason. So Kat, I never blessed him. His own bloodline
cursed him, and no woman has survived the Octavian bloodline. Each one
dies when a child is born. The power in their bloodline has killed every
mate of an Octavian man. That is their curse to be forever alone and to have
no one to survive them.”
“Wait, Alpha Dominic’s Luna is dead?” I ask, looking between Seline
and Ezra.
“Yes, she died during childbirth. She was no match for the darkness that
taints her son, is a 12th generation cycle,” Seline tells me.
“So, how do I defeat him?” I ask Seline.
“That I cannot tell you, I have been trying to break his family curse for
centuries, like I told you before, I am missing heaps. There are things that
are slipping past me, and I can’t answer everything anymore, only you can
find a way, Kat. But for now, I have to go and sort out those other issues
which I suggest you keep to yourself,” she says, looking at Ezra.
“We don’t need to tempt fate more than we already have, and I also
have to ensure these second-chance mates. After seeing how well Andrei
has reacted to a second chance, I have decided to grant everyone a second
chance. Well, those whose futures I can still change and see that is,” she
tells me, and I nod.
“But what of Andrei then?” I ask.
“His future is in Sage’s hands, but I think she may surprise you, she has
come a long way, and he has proven to her she is safe with him, he has
proven he is willing to change for her and himself.”
“I must go now, Kat. Ezra, take care of our Queen,” she says before she
suddenly vanishes.
“Well, that was interesting. Care to tell me what the hell is going on?”
Ezra perks up.
“I told you I had a vision, but I may have left a few things out,” I admit.
“You have three seconds to spill, or I will put you over this desk and
force it out of you.” Ezra threatens.
“That sounds rather tempting, the over-the-desk part, I mean.” I wiggle
my eyebrows at my mate.
 “Katya!” He is definitely mad. I hate when he uses my full name, and
he only does it when I am in serious trouble. “You promised no more
secrets, that you would confide in us.”
“And I did. I just didn’t tell you every detail,” I tell him, and he scoffs
before growling in annoyance.
“Come here, please.” I roll my eyes, walking over to him and standing
between his legs.
“You are hiding things. Trying to take on the world by yourself makes
things harder for you. No matter what you see, and no matter how bad it is,
you need to tell us. Don’t carry it on your own, not when you have us to
share the burden with.” Ezra whispers as he tries to poke for the
information.
“But some things that I see, Ezra, scare me. I know there are things I
can’t change.” I shake my head. What good in telling my mate the things I
saw? I get he is trying to help me, to stand by my side and take some of that
weight off my shoulders, but this isn’t something I want to share.
However, as his facial expression hardens and he asks, “so, what is so
bad about this one?” I understand that he won’t back down.
I close my eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Mateo dies, and I wasn’t
there to bring him back. I couldn’t bring any of them back.”
“What is it with him and near-death experiences? Is that man trying to
give me a damn heart attack?” Ezra hisses.
“It wasn’t near death. He actually dies, Ezra.” I emphasize the
importance of the dreadful message.
Ezra shakes his head. “We won’t let that happen, you said so yourself,
that he died because you weren’t there, simple. Wherever Mateo goes, you
go with him.” Ezra shrugs as if it is that easy.
“And Sage?” I ask.
“Sage too?” He asks, and I nod.
“I will always choose the mate bond. I know that now. But I can’t save
everyone, but I also can’t let her die.” I voice my fears. Ezra has to
understand this isn’t about what I’m willing to share with him or not, this is
about the crossroads that vision is forcing me in.
“We will figure it out. Maybe there is a way to stop it from happening.”
Ezra suggests.
“Yeah, unless we can find a good side to Dominic, I don’t see that
happening,” I tell Ezra as he pulls me into his lap.
“We will figure it out,” he says, pressing his lips to my head.
 Chapter

Twenty

S age
I am waiting for Kat and Ezra to pick me up from out front of the
packhouse. Kat called me last night about some Luna meeting to get
enough people to sign a petition to change the laws.
We are going to this meeting to convince these Lunas to go against their
mates, and I am nervous. Jonah’s future is riding on getting the signatures
we need. Even I know Kat can’t step down, and even if she does, it will put
a target on her and her children’s backs because it doesn’t matter if she
stands down, she will always be stronger than them.
“Here they are,” Andrei says, tapping my leg. I hop off his lap and stand
up to see their car pull in. I am expecting Ezra, so I am shocked to see
Mateo and no sign of the kids.
“The babies?” I ask.
“With Ezra,” Mateo says as I climb into the back of the car.
“You sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Andrei asks.
“I will be fine,” I tell him, and he turns to look at Mateo.
“I will be with her and Kat. She is safe with us, Andrei,” Mateo says
before Andrei can say anything. Andrei nods his head once, and then leans
in to quickly kiss me.
As I shut the door, I turn around to watch him walk into the packhouse.
“What is my brother doing today?” Kat asks.
“Initiating Nora’s siblings into the pack. She went into heat last night
and is now an official pack member. Also, I wanted to ask you
something…” I tell her, and she looks between the front seats at me.
“Yeah, what’s up?” She asks.
 “Did you know Eziah could heal already?” I chew my bottom lip, for
some reason, feeling a little nervous in her presence, as if this is the first
time we meet.
“Yeah, he healed me when I was pregnant with him but hasn’t done it
since. Why?” She asks.
“He may have healed some of my scars,” I tell her.
“What? Let me see,” she says, and I glance at the rearview mirror.
“I can’t show you. They are under my skirt,” I tell her.
“Mateo won’t peek, will you?” She says, slapping his chest.
“You can show her, I have mates Sage, and I am not a creep. If I wanted
to look under someone’s skirt, I would ask Kat to take hers off, you are safe
here if you want to show her,” Mateo says.
“See, he won’t look,” Kat states, and I nod as I pull my skirt up my
thighs to show her the tiny handprints.
“If he could heal you, I wonder if I can heal old injuries too.” Kat
muses.
“And can we not do that in the car? I am driving Kat, and you healing
someone even if they are old injuries could affect Ezra or me.” Mateo says.
“I will try when we get back,” Kat says.
“How does it affect you?” I ask curiously as Kat sits back.
“When she heals, she takes the person’s injury and pain. Kat can’t heal,
but because we are her mates and tied to her, we can so when she heals
someone, it hurts her. When Kat gets hurt, it hurts us, pulls on the bond, and
we take it from her so she can heal, but it has no lasting effects on Ezra and
me.” Mateo explains as if it’s the most everyday thing that could happen to
anyone.
My eyes widen. “And that happens every time?” I ask.
“No, not every time. I have found I can block it, but I heal the human
way when I do that.” Kat explains more of her unusual ability.
Mateo turns his head and glares at her. “You better not fucking block us
from healing you, Kat,” Mateo growls at her, quickly turning his head back
to watch the road.
All of a sudden, another question pops into my mind, and I blurt it out
before I can decide if it’s appropriate to poke like that. “What about
bringing back the dead? How did you save all those people and not kill your
mates?”
 “She rejected us. Gemini Wolves can reject their mates after marking
them. So she sacrificed herself, and Seline brought her back.” Mateo inserts
the missing piece of the puzzle I seek. Thankfully, he doesn’t look mad or
annoyed by the questions I ask.
“So if she brought someone back from the dead now, would it kill one
of you?” I ask him.
“We aren’t sure, but it is also not a risk we are willing to take.” Mateo
shrugs.
“I think so, but there’s a loophole, too. If I healed Mateo or Ezra and
brought them back from the dead, I feel like it wouldn’t kill the other or me
because of how our souls are linked now. But we would experience their
death. The other loophole is for me to give life. I have to take it. I haven’t
tested that theory yet, and I also don’t plan to. Because for that to work, I
have to be the one actually to kill someone to bring another back,” Kat
explains.
“So, Seline told you this?” I ask her.
“About bringing Ezra and Mateo back, no. It’s just a feeling I get. It’s
hard to explain. Sometimes, my intuition tells me things that are sometimes
wrong. As for killing someone to bring someone back, yes. Seline told me
that it is part of the Gemini wolf and part of my original curse.”
“That is so confusing, but pretty cool too,” I tell her.
It takes three and a half hours to get to Marrickville. It is a small,
country-looking town. We drive past multiple farms on the way here and a
few farmgate stalls.
The town is so small that it has its town hall that is also used for every
other town or community function. Which is where we are meeting with the
other Lunas. A grocer, pharmacy, and post office. That is the entire main
street. Small is an understatement. As we pull up at the Town hall, I notice
that multiple cars are sitting out front on the grass beside the building.
“Is this a werewolf town?” I ask because this many people would
undoubtedly draw attention to a town as small as this.
“Yes, it is part of Terra’s Pack, the lady I was telling you about. It’s part
of her territory,” Kat tells me, and I let out a breath as Mateo parks the car.
A few people loiter in the parking lot, and they are all Alphas, which makes
my anxiety rise.
“Shit, I wasn’t expecting this many to wait around for their Lunas,” Kat
mutters.
 “Is that going to be an issue?” I ask, growing concerned.
“Only if they make it one. I knew some waited but didn’t think this
many did,” Kat tells me.
“I will handle it,” Mateo tells her, and she nods as she takes a moment
to take a deep breath.
“Let’s get this over with,” she says and opens the door on her side.
I climb out after her. Everyone’s attention is on us when one of the
Alphas walks over. A growl escapes him as he stalks toward Kat.
“You think you can turn our mates against us?” He snaps, stalking
toward Kat.
Mateo quickly jumps out of the car, spotting the Alpha heading towards
us. As soon as he slams the car door, the Alpha’s attention snaps to him,
who he clearly didn’t see. He backs up a few steps while Kat just raises an
eyebrow at the Alpha, clearly not caring for his outburst.
“Issue?” Mateo asks.
“No, Beta King,” the man raises his hands and answers quickly.
“Are you sure? It looked like you were yelling at your Queen. Or have
you just lost your confidence in front of one of your Kings?” Mateo asks.
“No, I wasn’t-” the man sputters for an excuse for his behavior.
“Wasn’t what? Yelling at my mate, yelling at your superior? Know your
place, Alpha. If you are stuck figuring out where that is, I will tell you,”
Mateo says.
He steps close enough to the Alpha that their chests are touching. “It’s
at her feet because you are and always will be beneath her. Now apologize,
or I will show you exactly how far beneath her you are when I bury you,”
Mateo tells him.
The Alpha looks over Mateo’s shoulder at Kat. “Sorry, my Queen, I
meant no offense,” the Alpha says, dipping his head.
“Is that it?” Mateo asks, turning his face to look at the Alpha, who is
now sweating, his fear filling the surrounding air.
“I said sorry.” The Alpha murmurs to him. His face pales, and a few of
the other Alphas watch this man’s embarrassment, while a few others
pretend not to see.
“I just didn’t feel it was sincere enough,” Mateo tells him, clamping his
hand on the man’s shoulder and turning him to Kat. He shoves the Alpha to
his knees in front of her. “Ah, now that is much better, right where you
belong - on your knees begging her to spare your life…...” The man’s face
turns red, and he glances around at the other Alphas, watching his
humiliation.
“This is the part where you beg,” Mateo whispers, shoving him forward
with his foot. The Alpha lands on his hands and knees. His entire body is
shaking as Mateo stands so close, his aura is suffocating the man, and he
starts to beg.
“Forgive me, your highness, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to disrespect
you,” The Alpha says, and I press my lips in a line to stop myself from
laughing.
Jerk deserves it, and it is about time some of these Alphas realize the
world isn’t theirs.
“What do you think, Kat? Did he sound apologetic that time?” Mateo
asks when a woman rushes out.
Her hands instantly cover her mouth as she looks on in horror, and by
the look on her face, I can tell she is this Alpha’s mate. “This fool belongs
to you?” Mateo asks her, and the man looks over his shoulder at his mate.
She quickly nods her head. Her curly brown hair falls over her
shoulders as her hazel eyes watch her mate, horrified. “Please don’t hurt
him,” the woman stammers out.
“Keep your dog on a leash next time,” Mateo tells her, and she nods.
“Sorry Beta King, sorry my Queen,” she bows.
Kat nods to her, stepping away from the man. “Come on, Sage,” Kat
says, looping her arm through mine and tugging me along with her.
“I will see you inside after you see your to mate,” Kat tells the woman,
who nods and rushes over to him.
He growls at his mate and shakes her off when she tries to help him up.
“Get off me,” he barks at her, and she stands, turning her back on her mate.
As we step into the hall, I see an assortment of cakes and cookies, little
sandwiches, coffee, and tea set off to one side. Pews line the room, and a
small podium is at the front. The moment Kat steps in, I feel her grip
tighten on my arm. I place my hand over hers on my arm and squeeze
gently.
She smiles at me, and I nod to her. I can see she is nervous. She may be
Queen, but she is only nineteen, and these women are older and used to
these gatherings. Walking in is a little intimidating. All these women are
familiar with each other, they are friends, and we are two outsiders, and Kat
is their Queen. So, I understand her nervousness.
 They all stand up when she enters. A woman with emerald eyes comes
rushing over, a huge grin on her face, her coppery hair is pulled into a
ponytail, and she wears a white sundress with daisies on it. Her heels click
on the floorboards as she rushes over and grips Kat’s hand.
“My Queen, it’s Terra. We spoke on the phone,” she says, shaking Kat’s
hand.
“This way, this way. Come up to the front,” the woman gushes
excitedly. Kat smiles and follows her, tugging me along. A few women
have scowls on their faces as we pass, but most seem curious or genuinely
happy to see Kat.
“Everyone, this is Kat,” Terra tells the crowd of women like it isn’t
obvious who Kat is.
“What’s your name, Lovely?” Terra asks, gripping my hand and
squeezing it.
“Sage.” I whisper, visibly a little more uncomfortable than Kat.
“My name is Terra. I am so happy to have some fresh faces. Some of
theirs get a bit sour to look at after a while, but we are a good bunch,” she
says, and I nod.
“This is Sage, Kat’s...”
“Sister-in-law,” Kat interrupts.
“Sister-in-law, now I know this was supposed to be one of our annual
gatherings, but I spoke to Kat the other night, and she needs our help,”
Terra explains.
“Well, she is barking up the wrong tree. We aren’t allowed to help. I
saw what happened outside. If you are looking for help, my Queen, you are
asking the wrong people. Do you have any idea what the consequences of
going up against our mates will have on us? You don’t have to go home
with them, we do,” says a woman from the front.
Her hair is pencil-straight and cut off at her chin. She has sharp features
and is stern-looking, yet in her words, she spoke softly, almost timidly
despite the fact she has just voiced her concern. A few of the other women
nod in agreement.
“Amy, let’s just hear her out. We have these meetings a few times a
year, and one thing we all agree on is the fact that we never get a say. This
could be our chance,” Terra tells them.
“Do you mind?” Kat asks Terra, pointing to the crowd when Mateo
walks in at the back.
 Her eyes instantly go to him, and he nods, standing at the back in some
secret conversation. The women turn, also feeling his aura behind them, and
I see a few hunch women forward nervously. Kat also notices this when a
few other Alphas walk in. The tension rises, and I can see the women
falling into the normal hierarchy while in their Alpha’s presence.
Stepping closer to Kat, I nudge her. “We will not get anywhere with
this, if they are present. They are scared,” I tell her, and she nods, looking at
the Alphas taking up the far wall.
One of them walks over to his mate, kissing her cheek and staring at her
adoringly. The woman we saw outside ducks her head, darting into a seat as
her mate walks in behind her and drops a hand on her shoulder. Kat’s eyes
instantly narrow in on his hand. I see her eyes glaze over for a second as she
opens a mind-link. No doubt Mateo, because he nods to her and his eyes
dart to the man that tried to abuse Kat outside.
I can tell that most of the women here are submissive to their Alphas,
and I understand it, I, too, am, but Andrei never hurts me. It is clear with
some of them, their Mates aren’t the same as Andrei, Mateo, or Ezra, which
makes me nervous. I know that fear.
I lived it for years, walking on eggshells, hoping to go unnoticed.
I notice how they drop in their gazes, the sag of defeat in their
shoulders, and most of all, I notice their fear. What if they say the wrong
thing? What if they anger them? The nervous glances and the way they
fiddle with their fingers, and the way they buckle in on themselves to make
a smaller target when the fists go flying.
Time seems to slow down, and I know Kat is surveying the crowd and
their body language. Most of them clearly have great mates, but the ones I
notice that don’t, I know, will be hard to get to agree to sign.
However, I know women like them are just as strong as those with
confidence because they know how to survive, endure, and rebuild. I know
those women. They can fight back if they only have support and the
knowledge that they aren’t alone.
I know this because I used to be one of them. It is amazing how
empowering it is when you realize someone stands in your corner and is
willing to back you, and that’s all they need to find their voices again, to
know they aren’t alone in this.
“Out!” Kat’s voice rings loud and clear throughout the room. She is
testing them. Her words aren’t a command, she is trying to figure out who
will fight against her and which women she will struggle with because they
are scared.
 Chapter

Twenty-One

S age
Almost instantly, Alphas grumble and walk toward the aisle, only
for Mateo to block it. Yet my eyes dart to the women. The few men
that get up to grab their mates are stopped.
About twenty other Alphas nod to Kat. A couple even motion to their
mates in a friendly gesture that they will wait outside for them. Four
Alphas, however, try to remove their mates when Kat’s command rushes
over them.
“All Alphas leave. Mateo will deal with you.” She says. Mateo’s lips
tug up, clearly liking that idea as he grabs one by the back of his shirt while
the Alpha is trying to fight against the command.
He hauls him out the door and silently closes it behind him. Everyone
lets out a breath.
“I understand some of you are afraid, so I won’t force any of you. Just
hear what I am asking, that is all. You are free to leave if you want,” Kat
tells them.
They talk amongst themselves, and one woman gets up. She clearly is
petrified and wants to leave, but the woman beside her jerks her back into
her seat. “Grow a backbone!” The woman spits at her. The woman sits
down, head hung down.
“If she wants to leave, she can, but I assure you that everything said
here stays here. I will force no one to sign. It will be completely up to you if
you want your names on my petitions. But I want to change a few laws
and-”
 “No, you want to help your brother? Don’t pretend this is about the
laws,” a woman calls from the back somewhere.
“Yes, that was initially my intention until I came across a few laws in
favor of no one. They are outdated and wrong. I won’t lie, I only looked
into these laws to find help for my brother, but once I started digging
through them, I found more that desperately needed changing. You can sign
whichever ones you agree on.” Kat explains.
“Yeah, right, you can just command us to sign,” another woman chimes
in.
Kat takes a breath and starts rummaging through the documents she
brought along. Then she holds them up and shows them to everyone. She
then dumps them on the table with a heap of pens.
“I am not your mates. I am not Dominic Octavian. I don’t come here as
your Queen. I am not here to dictate or force your will. I am here as a
woman, as a mother. Like you, we are just women wanting a voice, change,
and the certainty our children will be safe. That is why I am here. I just
want to fix things. I want to give you a voice, too. Everyone here is free to
voice their concerns, and as one, we can work on changing them, helping
each other.” Silence falls, and a few murmurs reach my ears.
“We sign you will back us when we want something changed? You will
hear us out?” Another woman asks.
“Yes, of course. You all think you are powerless because you aren’t the
Alpha. Well, the law says you are just as equal as them, you have every
right to be heard. You have every right to stand beside your Alpha as an
equal, you are Alpha females! And I am just asking you to step into the
role. Saying that I know you fear repercussions, and those that do fear that.
You can have sanctuary within my pack. I have my pack, but as your
Queen, you are all now my pack, every pack is a pack to me. We are all one
pack. I am not fighting for my rights but for all our children, so just hear me
out,” Kat says.
No one says anything, and after a few minutes, Kat picks up the top
petition that is stapled together.
“So how many of you have heard of this law? If a man of title finds
their mate and the mate is underage, he may take them to preserve their
maidenhood, ensure purity and ensure their bond will be completed or for
other circumstances, and the man or persons of title needs an heir for pack
transfer? This is the stuff I want to change. How many of you would be
revolted if your underage child was taken before they could tell if the
person taking them is his or her mate?” Kat asks.
“I will sign that one,” says a meek voice I instantly recognize as the
woman from outside. The women turn in their chairs and look at her. Some
smile sadly at her.
“What’s your name?” Kat asks her.
“Blaire, my Queen, I will sign. Garret found me and took me when I
was fifteen and a half because he knew that law. He killed my father when
he tried to stop him, my father was an Omega like me,” she says as she gets
out of her seat and strolls forward.
She hesitates, slightly bows, and then takes the paper from Kat to walk
over to the table. I see her look at the other woman. “I know at least four
here who were dealt the same hand as me. So get up!” She says, yet none
do.
“I have to go home with mine, and I am willing to sign this, so get up! If
not for yourselves, do it for us who had no choice,” Blaire says. Three more
get up, and so does Terra, and they walk over. Blaire turns and signs the
document before handing the pen to the next.
“You call me spineless, yet you fear a piece of paper,” Blaire says
before walking back to her seat.
The other woman I noticed follows her instead of sitting back in their
original seats. Kat stares at the crowd, but no one else gets up, and she
sighs.
“Why?” I step forward and ask.
“Why what?” Amy asks.
“Why do you all demand change, but you sit on your hands and do
nothing when offered a chance to change it?” I explain my question.
“It’s not that simple. They are our mates, we live with them, and they
would see this as a betrayal,” she explains.
“And why is that? Is it because they feel threatened, de-manned in a
way? Or is it because they realize they broke the very laws we are asking to
change? How many of you here have kids?” Most of them raise their hands.
“Okay, say someone comes to claim your son or daughter. How many
Alphas would challenge that for their kids, or are they as heartless to their
children as they are to their mates?” I ask.
“Come on, raise your hand if your mate would fight for their kid,” I tell
them. All of them raise their hands.
 “If they would fight to protect their kid, why aren’t you signing?
Because signing that is fighting for the next generation’s right to remain
children until they can recognize their mates for themselves? If your Alphas
would fight for them, why aren’t you? Over ego is why. Kat hurts their egos
because she is a woman, not because what she is fighting for is wrong, but
because she is a woman, and all those Alphas wouldn’t even hear her out
because they feel less with her in charge. You will regret not signing that if
it is your child that gets taken next?” I tell them and walk over to sign the
paper.
If not theirs, Kat has my voice. And unlike their mates, I know Andrei
will be proud of me for standing my ground. For staying in his sister’s
corner while she stood in ours so many times. And most importantly - for
fighting what is right.
“Amy, sign it. Weren’t you a year out from finding your mate when he
took you?” Terra asks her.
“But he is my mate, and he is good to me.” Amy argues.
“Will your son or daughter’s mate be good to them because this protects
them? Any Alpha could come to challenge your mate and take them, and
you will have no proof of whether what they claim is true. This assures us
because they have to recognize their mate before taking them,” Terra tells
her when I realize something.
The soft-spoken woman is the influence, Terra doesn’t address her just
because of what she said, but because the rest of the women will follow her,
so whoever her mate is - he has influence clearly because, despite her quiet
demeanor, the other women flock around her.
It makes me wonder if he is one of the top Alphas that left the table at
the Alpha meeting where Andrei was sitting. It is clear the table was
reserved for the higher-up Alphas, and Andrei said six seats were vacated
because Kat sat down.
“You said he was good to you. Then, if he is, he would protect you,
right?” I ask, watching the woman.
“Well, of course, but,” she starts to speak, but I know I need to cut her
off.
“But what? Do you agree this law should be changed?” I ask her.
“Of course, I do.”
“Then sign it. Stop thinking of this as something personal. Think of
what is best for your packs and your children. Forget the Alphas and your
mates, forget status. Think of what’s right, and the repercussions we can
deal with, Kat offers everyone a place if needed. But if they love you like
they claim they do, they will stick by your decision. Or were you lying
when you said he was a good mate?” I ask, turning back to Amy. She
growls and rubs her temples before looking up.
“Give me the paper,” she says, clicking her fingers. “If this causes
drama. I expect you to calm the Alphas,” she says to Kat.
“Of course, but they can’t have an issue with enough signatures if we
stand united,” Kat tells them.
Amy signs, and once she does, so do the others. However, we are still
short signatures making me count the women. “We are seven short,” I tell
Kat.
“How many short?” A woman says.
“Four, my mates will sign, and so will Andrei, but we are four short,”
Kat confirms, counting heads.
“Not everyone showed up?” Kat asks.
Terra looks around. “Not everyone is here.”
“The Alpha book must be outdated,” she mutters.
“Four, right?” Kat nods, and the woman walks off and opens the doors
leading outside.
“Hun, can you come here?” The woman calls out. A man approaches
her, all goofy-faced and doe-eyed, as he regards his mate like she is made of
gold. They speak in hushed whispers before he looks over his mate’s
shoulder at Kat.
“May I come in, my Luna Queen? I am Alpha Jason, Luna Larni’s
Mate?” He asks, and Kat nods.
“You can enter,” she tells him.
“If I sign this. You know I can’t go against it on the bench,” Jason says
to Larni, and she nods.
Luna juts out her bottom lip like a child, but the Alpha just sighs and
walks over to the table and grabs the pen.
“You’re one of the panel judges?” Kat asks, and he nods.
“I am sorry, it is nothing personal, but I will sign,” he tells her, leaning
down and signing it. “All these signatures are here of their own free will?”
He asks, looking over at the woman. They all nod, but I can feel the tension
in the room. He sighs and nods.
“May I stay?” He asks.
 “It’s up to them,” Kat states, and the Alpha looks at the women, but his
gaze isn’t like the others. He seems willing to leave if they ask.
“Come on, he signed, didn’t he?” Larnie says. They nod, and he follows
Larnie to her where she is sitting.
“If I may, Luna Queen?” He asks, and Kat nods.
I tense, wondering what he has to say. “Abigail’s mate, Alpha Clenton is
also a panel judge. He is outside. And you need three more,” he says, and
everyone turns to face a woman, who clearly doesn’t like being called out in
front of everyone.
“This is ridiculous. Seriously, over three signatures?” Terra snaps as she
gets up from her seat and stomps toward the door in a blazing fury. She
stops at the door and tosses it open. The blonde girl Abigail sighs, her flip-
flops clap on the ground as she races over to Terra.
“If you want to come in, then you sign this document and keep your
mouths shut!” Terra calls out to the Alphas waiting outside in the sun.
A man walks over to her and stares down at Terra. I watch her fingers
twitch, and I see Kat step down off the podium. His aura is annoying as he
peers down at Terra, but she doesn't falter except for the tremble of her
fingers that she clenches into fists.
“Mate?” He questions, and I realize that is Terra’s husband. She steps
aside.
“You come in, you sign,” she orders him, and he raises an eyebrow.
“Is that so?” He asks her with a smile tugging at his lips, as if he finds
her demanding him amusing.
Kat is about to walk over, but Terra holds her hand out for her to stop,
and she does.
“You sign, if you come in. And I will go to that stupid couple’s therapy,
but only if you sign it and back it in court.”
He scoffs and folds his arms across his chest. “You’re blackmailing
me.”
“Take it or leave it,” she says, mimicking her mate as they stare off.
“Fine, but you go to every one of them.” He growls, pointing at her.
She slaps his hand away. “Five of them.”
“Eight, it’s twelve weeks of sessions,” he replies.
“Two,” she snaps, and he growls.
“Fine, five then,” he grumbles, stepping past the threshold but unable to.
“Luna?” He asks Kat.
 “You can all come in, but don’t cause issues,” Kat announces. Terra’s
mate walks over, signs the petition, and the other Alphas file in. Some head
straight to their mates, but we only need two more signatures.
“Please, Abigail,” asks her mate, and he sighs and follows Terra’s mate
to the table and signs. Kat’s lips tug up triumphantly, and so do the other
women’s.
Mateo heads straight to Kat, kissing her cheek softly. “Thank God, I
was sweating my ass off out there,” he says, sitting on the podium’s edge.
However, when Blaire’s husband walks in though, everyone watches
him. Blaire drops her gaze as he heads over to see what everyone is signing.
A few of the other Alphas also get up to see for themselves after Abigail
and Terra’s mate signed the document. I watch as Blaire’s husband looks
over at her.
“You signed first?” He asks her, though his voice sounds more shocked
than anything else, and I hold my breath.
Blaire surprisingly lifts her head, looking straight ahead. “Correct. That
law needs to be changed,” she says, and I look at her mate, who is
significantly older than her. He turns back to the document, stares at it, and
he grits his teeth when Blaire speaks up.
“Do it for Grace, or would you accept the same fate I was given for her,
too?” The man glances over his shoulder at her.
His eyes flicker black and he turns back to it. His shoulders tense before
he looks at her. “Grace,” he whispers.
“I was only her age,” Blaire says softly, and he looks back at the
document before picking up the pen and signing it. Once he’s done, he
walks over to her. He falls in the chair beside Baire, drops his arm across
her shoulders and tugs her to him.
He kisses her temple and turns his attention to the front to realize we are
all staring. We quickly avert our gazes. Once the last Alpha signs the
petition, he hands Kat the paper.
“I believe you just got a date in court,” he says, nodding to her before
sitting next to his mate.
Kat walks over a few other laws, which everyone signs off on without
questions. And then, finally, we reach the one I have been waiting for the
most.
“Now this one is the last one, the blood purity law about the placement
of children.” Kat announces.
 “Dominic had specifically asked us not to sign off on that when it
appeared in court,” one Alpha admits, and the others agree with him.
“Dominic isn’t here,” Kat tells them.
“Fuck it, we have signed everything else,” Alpha Jason says, getting up
and taking it from Kat to sign and Larni also gets up to sign it. The others
are more hesitant, even as Jason looks around to see if any other Alpha
would get up.
“My mate and I are begging you, please sign this. Alpha Dominic took
our son because he is not blood and handed him to a man with an extensive
criminal record, who is abusive and a drunk. The same man who beat his
mother and sister, Jonah’s mother. All because he could, because of this
law. He is Six. No child should live in fear,” I tell them.
“We are sorry, but-” Amy stops looking around.
Alpha Dominic clearly has his claws in everyone. I walk over to Kat,
shuffling through the paperwork for Clive’s criminal history and his photo
that she enlarged to hold it up.
“This man has my Jonah,” I tell them, holding up his smiling mugshot. I
hand it to Amy to hold as I get to reading out his criminal report. It takes a
good twenty minutes to read out every charge and report before I get to the
human court reports. I read everything to them, and then, read out that the
law allows it.
“So, who is handing their kid over?” I ask. No one says anything, they
all just stare at me.
“You are willing to let a six-year-old boy live with this man, who has a
violent history and didn’t want him, so who is handing their kid over? If
this man is good enough for my Jonah, he must be good enough for you to
trust your kid with, right?” I ask them. Still no one.
“He is a child. Children shouldn’t be put at risk, we are adults, we make
our own choices, and children don’t get that say. We dictate what happens
to them because they are minors. So, what does it say about us if we allow
them to go to a household that puts them at risk? We are their protectors. It
should be what is best for the child, not about the purity of bloodlines,
especially when there are no pure bloodlines anymore,” I tell them. My
voice grows louder as I feel the anger surge through me. I hate that these
people were so quick to sign everything else, but this.
“Well, I wouldn’t want my kids going to my mother,” Abigail says as a
deep frown crosses her features. She gets up from her seat, and her mate
nods as he also gets up and follows her.
One after another, eventually, they all get up. But it shows the power of
one person, willing to step up, giving way to change, showing how others
feel confident enough with someone standing beside them.
“You have the signatures. Now, you just need the panel to agree,” Alpha
Jason says, coming to Kat with the last document. She adds her signature
and places the paper on top of the rest.
“Thank you,” she tells him with a slight smile across her lips.
“Send it straight through tonight to this email. It is mine. I will have
some dates moved around to squeeze you in on Wednesday. Be ready
because Dominic is on the Panel, and he will kick up a fuss, but you have
what you need, and I will stick by my word and back it.” He says, handing
her his card. She nods, accepting it.
“I will too, Luna Queen,” Abigail’s mate says, bowing to her. Then
everyone leaves, and Kat stays back to thank Terra for telling her about the
Luna meeting. Terra also tells us she will add us to the Luna group chat,
which is how they keep in touch.
“Thanks again, Terra,” Kat tells her.
“It was the right thing to do, even if I now have to attend stupid
couples’ therapy with my mate,” she says, making a face.
“It will be good for you,” Kat laughs.
“Yeah, if the woman running it wasn’t his mother. I can’t deal with the
old bat for five weeks.”
“Isn’t that biased, though?” I ask.
“Apparently not, but she isn’t so bad. I love the old wolf. Damn
momma’s boy, he is,” Terra chuckles. “It’s a win for all of us,” she says and
walks over to her mate.
We pile into the car, and I can’t wait to get home to tell Andrei that we
might get Jonah home soon.
 Chapter

Twenty-Two

S age
We stop off at Kat’s on the way home so she can email the
documents through to Alpha Jason, and not even halfway home, she
gets a confirmation email to say that she has a court date scheduled for
Wednesday at 1:15 PM.
Before we head back home, we stay for a cup of coffee so Kat and
Mateo can check on the kids.
Mateo wants Ezra to run me back, but Ezra insists he is to stay with Kat
at all times. Mateo doesn’t seem to pick up the edge in his voice or the way
he looks at Kat when he says it, but it is like they are hiding something from
Mateo.
And yet, I am excited to head home. The day has been a long one, and
Kat gave me a copy of the petition to show Andrei when I get home. That
does nothing, but excites me even more.
“So what happens next? Does anyone know?” I ask them.
“We attend the court date. As Jason said, there’s no reason for anyone to
dispute it. There are enough signatures,” Mateo answers.
“Then another court date and we will be set to apply to get Jonah back.
Hopefully, though Dominic will see it as inevitable and just hand him
back.” Kat states, and I pray that happens.
Five more days and I could have Jonah back home where he belongs.
We continue to drive for another twenty minutes until we finally pull up
in front of Andrei’s house.
Everyone is already celebrating the initiation that happened today for
Nora’s siblings, and I feel guilty that I missed it, but I know they will
understand. They are just as eager to get Jonah back as Andrei and I.
As soon as the car stops, Andrei rips the door open, fumbles with my
seatbelt, and pulls me out of the car with a growl. “Yes, yes, I missed you
too,” I tell him as he crushes me against his chest, and I try to push him
away.
He growls, so I give up, burying my face in his chest, his growl
changing to a purr. I shake my head and roll my eyes at his affection. “How
did it go?” He asks. I mumble against his bare chest, where I am being
smothered.
“Huh?” He asks, pulling away.
“I said I would tell you, if I wasn’t being smothered,” he gags slightly,
letting me go.
“Sorry you stink of Mateo,” he says.
“I don’t stink?” Mateo says, sniffing himself.
“To me, you do. You smell like my sister, not a scent I find attractive,”
Andrei says.
“I don’t mind smelling like your sister. I plan on rubbing my essence all
over her when I get home,” Mateo says, wiggling his eyebrows at Kat.
Kat slaps his chest and Mateo grunts at the impact. “Don’t be rude,” she
snaps at him.
“What? I was being honest.” He chuckles, “Going to hit that-” Her
hands clamp over his mouth.
“I will get him home. I will see you Wednesday,” Kat says with a smile
on her lips as she winds up the window. As they leave, I hear her scolding
Mateo as they drive off, for his foul language in front of her brother.
“Are you leaving again?” Andrei asks, looking down at me as he pulls
me inside the house.
I reach into my back pocket, pull out the folded petition, and hand it to
him. He unfolds it, his hands shaking.
“It got signed,” he announces in shock, his voice shakes as he tries to
open the paper without tearing it.
I take it from him and open it to hold it open to show him. Andrei
glances at the paper, a gasp leaves his lips, and he snatches it from my grip.
“We need a minimum of sixty-four signatures. We got ninety-seven,” I
whisper to him when he crashes to the ground and lands on his bottom.
“Andrei!” I shriek as I clutch his arm to pull up.
 I wonder if he fainted as I try to pull him up, but instead, Andrei pulls
me into his lap and buries his face in my shoulder.
“We can get him back.” His words hitch and shake as he chokes with
emotion.
“We can get him back. Wednesday, we have the laws changed, and we
file for custody. Then hopefully, Jason will push the hearing through for us
the next day.” I tell him.
“Jason, you are on a first-name basis with him now?” Andrei chuckles,
and I shrug.
“His wife Larni is lovely, they all are, especially Terra,” I tell him.
“Yes, she is nice. My mother used to be best friends with Terra’s mother
before she passed away,” Andrei says, pulling back.
He looks at the piece of paper again. “We’re getting our boy back,” he
says, resting his head back against the wall.
“Soon,” I tell him as a smile spreads across my lips, and I lean down to
peck his lips.
As I pull away, I try to push off his shoulders and hop off him, but he
pulls me down on him. His lips crash against mine hungrily. His tongue
invades my mouth as he devours my lips. I moan into his mouth, and a deep
purr vibrates out of his chest as his fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me
closer.
My fingers dig into his shoulders, and he nibbles on my lip as his mouth
moves to the side, letting me suck in much-needed air as he nips and sucks
at my skin. His hot mouth devours my flesh when I hear fabric tearing.
The front of my shirt is reduced to scraps of cloth hanging off me as his
mouth moves to my breasts. I suck in a breath when I feel his claws break
my skin as he tears the front of my bra open. His mouth is licking where he
nicked me. Arousal floods over me, and I don’t think I will ever get used to
the foreign feeling only Andrei can induce.
My breathing becomes harsher, his grip tighter, when he suddenly
pushes me off the ground with his hand. A panicked noise escapes me as I
fall backward, grabbing his shoulders. I wrap my legs around his waist to
stop myself from falling backward and smacking the hard ground.
Andrei chuckles. “I won’t drop you,” he mumbles against my lips,
turning toward the stairs when I hear the door open. Andrei curses under his
breath.
 “Just a sec, dad,” Andrei calls out, and I drop my face on his shoulder to
shield my face and my embarrassment when Derrick walks in.
“Oh crap, sorry. I will stay at Malik’s, carry on,” he blurts out as he
turns around and hurries out of the house.
“No, we aren’t.” The door clicks shut before Andrei can finish.
“I can never look your father in the eye again,” I mutter with a laugh.
“Fuck! I forgot he was here,” Andrei curses while stomping up the
steps. He places me on the top one, letting me slide down. I clutch what’s
left of my shirt and then give up with a sigh, far too aware that it is covering
nothing, anyway.
“I liked that one,” I tell him.
“I will get you another one, go shower, and I will go find my father.” He
laughs, shaking his head, and he turns to leave when my hand grabs his.
“Maybe he could stay at Malik’s,” I whisper as he stops and he turns,
looking at me.
I let go of his hand, and Andrei steps back on the stairs, his hand
clutches the banister as he looks back at me.
Shame washes over me. Shit, why did I say that? I am always careful
with my words and make sure not to get his hopes up because we both
know it never goes there.
Sierra growls at my backtracking on my words.
“It’s fine, never mind,” I tell him and quickly dart off toward the
bathroom.
“Why are you running from him?” Sierra growls at me, clearly
annoyed.
“Because I just made a fool of myself,” I tell her as I turn the shower on
when I hear the front door open and close and I let out a breath.
“For wanting your mate, hardly,” she snaps.
We hardly speak anymore, and I know it’s because she wants to
complete the bond. The bond is complete, but she insists it will be stronger
if we mate, yet I never can go through with it, and Andrei never pushes me
for more. I am more comfortable touching him now, so I suppose that’s
good.
“Please don’t start.” I plead with her.
“We are supposed to mate, Sage. Donnie and I aren’t bonded until you
do. You and Andrei are connected, we aren’t. Never in all of my lives has
being mated been this hard,” she says.
 “Huh? Lives? Sorry, I don’t know what life you’re living, but last I
checked, I only had one. We are not cats,” I tell her.
“Yeah, you have one. Forget it,” she says, stalking off into the depths of
my mind and blocking me out like she usually does.
I have to wash my hair twice to get the hairspray out that helps hold my
braid together. Grabbing the conditioner, I reach for the shower screen and
go over to the sink basin for my hairbrush when Andrei passes it to me.
“Thanks,” I tell him, running the brush through the lengths to get the
tangles out. Andrei undresses and steps in behind me.
My cheeks are flaming, but he says nothing about what I said earlier.
So, I rinse my hair out like I usually do, but then, I feel his hand run
over my stomach, making my eyes snap open. His other hand cups my
breast and squeezes it. His lips move up my neck before he pushes me out
of the water spray, and his chest presses flush against my back.
He kisses behind my ear, and the hand on my breast moves, flipping my
hair over my shoulder, allowing him better access to my mark. His hand
goes to my chin, turning my face up to his. He dips his head over my
shoulder, his hand on my stomach, pulling me closer as his lips capture
mine.
My breath hitches when his hand moves between my thighs, cupping
my pussy and making me moan into his mouth.
My earlier embarrassment is now gone, and it is only Andrei, my mate.
He is mine.
Andrei presses his erection against me, my body instantly reacts to him,
and I push back against him. He pulls away, letting out a breath and kissing
my shoulder. His fingers brush over my slit, his finger part my lips and prod
at my entrance. I suck in a breath, and Andrei stops.
His breathing is heavy next to my ear, and I know he is waiting for
permission. He always does.
I press back against him. His lips go to my neck, and he sucks on my
mark, tingles spread everywhere as his tongue runs over it, and then he
shoves his finger inside me.
I groan at the feeling of him pushing against my inner walls as he
slowly slides it out and adds another. A breathy moan escapes me as he
works his fingers into me. My walls clamp around them as he builds up
friction, and I lean against him, my legs going weak, but I want more, even
though the thought petrifies me.
 My own body betrays me as desire courses through me. It feels wrong
to want something when I know that the very thing I crave so much is the
thing that destroyed me.
“We can stop,” Andrei purrs, despite his erection pressing against me. I
don’t want him to stop, but I do. Fear, pain, and shame smash and batter
me, yet Andrei never makes me feel any of those things.
I turn in his arms, his fingers leave me, and I look up at him. He
watches me with concern like he is worried he has pushed me too far. I
reach up on my tippy toes and wrap my arms around his neck. He leans
down, letting me kiss him, his hands cradle my hips as I press closer to him
and then pull away slightly.
“I want to,” I tell him, and I feel Sierra pressing calm over me but also
not forcing me.
She never does, though I can tell she wants to force control. However,
that is one thing I know she wouldn’t do.
“Sierra?” Andrei asks. I shake my head.
“No, I want to, Andrei. It’s not Sierra pushing me to,” I tell him, and he
grips my face, staring at me intently.
“I can feel her forward,” he growls, letting me go and shutting the water
off. He always stops if she is forward because he is worried she is taking
my choice.
Andrei hops out, grabs a towel, and wraps it around himself. I hop out
of the shower, and grab my own just as he walks into the bedroom.
“Command me to answer. Command Sierra to back off,” I tell him when
I feel his doubt hit me.
He stops, and I nearly walk into the back of him. Sierra never pushes
me, but her influence has forced me to freak out because I couldn’t
recognize my limits with her urges.
Andrei turns around to look down at me. “You know I don’t like doing
that to you, Sage,” he says, and I step around him, drying myself. Andrei
watches me for a second.
“If it’s not Sierra, why did you run?” He asks, and my cheeks flush.
“I was embarrassed,” I admit.
“Of what?”
“Of wanting you when I usually shove you away,” I tell him as I sit on
the edge of the bed.
Why am I so fucked up? Now, even Andrei doubts my words.
 He steps closer and grips my face, forcing me to look at him. “Sierra,
recede,” he commands, and my eyes flicker before I feel her shove
completely out, where I can’t reach her.
Andrei lets out a breath, feeling her leave. “Do you want this? Answer
me,” He commands, and I see him swallow nervously.
“Yes, yes, I want you, Andrei,” I breathe. I can feel myself relax as I
hear my own answer.
Though I know it isn't Sierra, the fact that Andrei doubts my answer
makes me doubt my own thoughts and Sierra’s influence over me.
Andrei growls, his eyes flick onyx and then return to their normal color.
His grip on my face tightens, and his lips smash against mine in a bruising
kiss that makes me gasp.
His tongue delves between my lips, yet his hands remain gentle as he
wraps his arm around my waist, hauling me to the center of the bed with
him.
His chest is warm against mine as he presses himself between my legs,
his heart beating against mine calmly, despite the torn feeling swirling
inside him.
I wrap my legs around his waist, tugging him closer, wanting to make
the doubt in him vanish as I kiss him back with just as much hunger.
“Let Sierra go,” I mumble against his lips, and he pulls away.
“Why?” Andrei tilts his head to the side, scrutinizing my face, looking
for any doubt.
“So she can sense Donnie,” I tell him.
“I don’t like the idea of that, Sage.”
“Please,” I whisper, and he looks away before he sighs and nods. His
aura rushes over me, making me shiver.
“Sierra, return,” he growls, and I feel the veil lift, granting her access to
the front of my mind. I tug Andrei back to me and kiss him, but he pulls
away, his aura rushing over me again.
“You don’t force her,” Andrei tells her and I feel my eyes bleed black to
my wolf.
“Never,” Sierra purrs at him, then she gives me back control. Andrei
relaxes, dropping the command, his aura slips away as he stares down at
me.
Hesitantly, I lift slightly and kiss him, his caution slips away as he
kisses me back. His weight presses down on me, and one of his hands grip
my thigh, pushing it higher up his waist as he presses his erection against
me. His hardened length runs through my slick folds and hits my clit
making me moan into his mouth, which he quickly swallows as he kisses
me harder.
My heart beats erratically in my chest but not out of fear, just out of
realizing what we are doing.
I roll my hips against him, liking the friction it causes against his heated
flesh. Everything feels heightened and alive. Some dead part of me
awakens, knowing he will never hurt me, and I trap myself in the confines
of a past that is no longer my future, smashing through a barrier I placed to
protect myself.
Andrei groans as my arousal coats his cock, but he doesn’t move.
Instead, he lets me move against him as his open-mouth kisses devour the
skin of my neck. His hot mouth moves lower as he dips his face, taking my
hardened nipple in his mouth. My back arches, a whimpered moan leaves
my lips as he flicks his tongue over it.
His hips move slowly when I feel his tip press against my core. My
breathing hitches and my body’s natural reaction kicks in despite me
wanting this, anticipating pain, and making my eyes clench shut.
“Open them. You are safe with me,” Andrei whispers as his lips press
against the corner of my mouth. “Open your eyes for me, Sage,” Andrei
repeats, and I open my eyes to see his hypnotic, penetrating gaze watching
me. He presses his forehead against mine.
“Right here with you, always with you,” he grabs my hand and places it
in the center of his chest, allowing me to feel the steady rhythm of his heart
beating against my palm, and his arm returns to rest at the side of my face.
I nod as sparks ignite all over me, and calm washes over me in waves.
Turning my face up, I capture his lips and move my hips against him.
My heart falls in time to the beat of his rhythm under my palm. Andrei
pushes against me, kissing me harder, his tongue playing with mine when I
feel his aroused flesh stretching me as he thrusts into me.
There is no pain, just stretching and a sense of feeling full. No violence,
just his hand running up my thigh and gentle lips moving against mine as he
stills inside me, waiting to see my reaction.
Andrei pulls away. I suck in a breath, and he smiles back at me. “Are
you okay?” He whispers, remaining still, and I nod my head quickly.
 Andrei moves his hips slightly, gauging my reaction, watching my face,
and feeling me through the bond. He rocks his hips, and my walls clench
around him, and he smiles, leaning down to kiss me.
He groans into my mouth, pulls out slowly, and pushes in again. I roll
my hips against him, getting used to the feeling of me stretching around
him as he slowly moves against me.
My hips meet his gentle movements while his lips move down my jaw
to my mark. He runs his tongue over it, making my walls flutter around him
and my hips buck as pleasure washes me, coating his length in my juices as
he moves a little faster.
Friction builds up, and my body reacts and wants to chase the feeling,
find where it ends as I move my hips, wanting him to go faster.
He growls as my heels dig into him, my nails dig into his hip while I
keep tugging him to move, the other grips his hair, pulling him closer. He
nips at my neck, and his canines graze and tease my skin, making my
breathing heavier and my skin heat, and warmth slivers through me.
Andrei purrs, thrusting in harder but not picking up pace, and I growl at
him, needing him to. When he suddenly rolls, pulling me on top of him. His
cock is still buried deep within my walls. He moves so he is leaning against
the headboard with me straddling him.
“You’re in control,” he whispers, pressing his lips against mine.
My hands go to his shoulders, and Andrei’s hands move to my hips,
rocking me against him. Nervousness sweeps over me as he gently shows
me how to move, and I roll my hips against copying the movements. His
hands fall away, letting me move at my pace.
I roll my hips against him when I feel him grip my wrists, placing my
hands on the headboard above his head, and I grip it, moving faster.
“That’s it, love,” he purrs before his lips wrap around one nipple while
his fingers roll the other.
My body moves and clenches as I find my own rhythm, and I become
lost in the feeling building within my stomach. Sparks dance along my skin
as it heats the faster I move.
Euphoria rushes through my veins as I writhe above him, his hands trail
down my sides, his mouth on my heated flesh. The next moment, I feel him
grip my hips, and he thrusts up into me, making me gasp as he meets my
movements, making me moan.
 The sound is dirty and guttural like flesh slapping flesh. The room fills
with the heady, exotic scents of my arousal and sex. His hand moves away,
but I pull it back, wanting him to impale me on him as my stomach tightens,
my muscles tense as I climb higher to the precipice, and my head falls back
as he slams me down on him.
Andrei leans forward and clutches me as I ride the high of my pleasure
builds, and my walls clamp down on him. He purrs loudly, and the vibration
sends me plummeting over the edge, making me cry out as my walls grip
him.
Everything pulsates. My orgasm ripples through me, leaving me
breathless when my canines lengthen. His scent washes over me, and I sink
them deep into his neck as I fall into pleasurable bliss.
My entire body feels heavy when Andrei groans, his teeth biting into
me, making me clench tighter around him, milking his cock as he comes
within my walls, spilling his hot seed into me and leaving me breathless as I
collapse on top of him.
“I love you,” I whisper against his neck, and he chuckles, turning his
face toward mine.
“I love you too,” he says, pecking my lips before moving and rolling me
onto my back.
I feel heavy and relaxed, sleep wanting to take me as he pulls out of me.
Andrei tucks me against his body. Goosebumps rise on my skin as the high
recedes and my temperature drops. Andrei tugs the blankets up before
wrapping his arms around me, and I melt against him, letting my eyes fall
as sleep takes me.
I fall into a dreamless sleep, sleeping heavily when I feel the bed move,
and I can vaguely hear the sound of a phone ringing in the distance. The
bed dips as Andrei gets up, leaving the bed. His voice is husky as he
answers his phone. Yet I don’t want to wake yet.
“Hello,” I hear Andrei say as I drift off again. Andrei growls loudly,
making my body jolt and react to the pure rage behind the noise. My eyes
snap open as I try to figure out what’s going on when he grabs my face.
“I need to go, stay here,” he says, and I rub my eyes, wondering what
has angered him.
“What’s going on?” I ask, rubbing my sleep-filled eyes and sitting up.
“Jonah needs me. I am going to go get him.”
“What?” I panic, tossing the covers back and scrambling for clothes.
 “Stay here. I will be back soon.”
“But Jonah-”
“I will bring him home. I promise I will get him back to you,” he says
as he lets go and heads for the door. A ferocious growl escapes him that
echoes off the walls in his anger.
“I will fucking kill him,” I hear Andrei mutter as he runs down the
stairs, leaving me in a state of panic.
 Chapter

Twenty-Three

A ndrei
I feel Donnie’s relief at completing the bond. His tether to Sierra
blowing open, and I can hear her purring through him.
Sage’s soft body tucked, snuggling against my hard one, feels right.
Everything about her is fragile, I am petrified of breaking her.
One slip and she will be right back with them. I hate seeing the way her
body locks up, her muscles tense, and her face has that faraway expression
like she is being transported back to a time right in front of us.
Though I expected it to happen it didn’t. Our closeness didn’t break her,
which is a massive relief. I hate feeling her slip away from me.
All of that is made worse by feeling her emotions when she gets trapped
in her head. It is like I am living the horror with her, and it sickens me.
The things they did to her, I could almost see it in my head just through
what she felt at the time.
Her pain becomes mine. The scars on her body are the only traces left of
what they did to her physically. But her mind is what I struggle with the
most.
Wounds heal, but the mind relives and remembers long after the damage
is done, those scars don’t heal it. Instead, it taints her and her soul.
It blackens parts of her, making her ashamed of what she sees in the
mirror. Yet, I look in awe of her strength. Sage is broken, maybe irreparably
in some ways, but she survived. She endured, and she survived it, lived
through unthinkable horror. She carried the burden of their torture alone. At
least she thought she did.
 Now, I accept the responsibility of never letting her know that I know
what they did because I can feel it through her each time she is forced back
there. I can’t tell her, and I won’t unless she tells me herself, and I will
never drag up her past to ask.
I never understood PTSD until I watched her relive the things they did.
Taken back in time, it felt like she was right there, transported back, like
it was happening all over again. She is a warrior. She sees herself as broken
and ugly, while I see her as delicate and soft, yet strong, withstanding all
that life tosses at her.
There’s beauty in her pain because on the other side of it I see her. I see
how amazing, strong, patient, and understanding she is.
She has something I will never have, and that is gentleness and softness,
despite everything that should have made her angry, bitter, and cruel.
Instead, she possesses an inner strength and resilience, along with the
pure determination to be better than them, better than I was when led by my
pain.
Sage is the flower that blooms without water, sunlight, care, or love to
nurture her, yet she still blossomed into the woman she is today.
Despite the storm’s harsh winds and everything that tried to destroy her
beauty, she stood, endured, and stayed strong. She bloomed instead of
letting her petals wilt and die by giving up. She became a warrior in her
own right, and I am blessed to call her mine.
I stare down at the woman beside me. My Sage. My mate. Mine.
Climbing out of bed, I gently pull my arm from under her head, trying
not to wake her. Walking into the bathroom, I grab a cloth, wet it with warm
water, and squeeze it out before scrubbing my thighs off of the leaked
secretions. I walk back into the bedroom and tug back the blanket that is
covering her.
“Make sure you let her know what you are doing,” Donnie mumbles at
me like I don’t already know that. I know better than anyone else not to
touch her.
Leaning down, I kiss her and nibble on her bottom lip. “Sage,” I
whisper, running my hand across her stomach gently. She mumbles
incoherently against my lips in her sleep, making me laugh.
“Sage, I will clean you,” I tell her, dipping my face into her neck and
licking her mark. She moans softly, turning her face into mine and my
stubble brushes her cheek.
 “Let me sleep,” she mumbles.
I pull away and chuckle as her nipples harden from me touching her
mark. “I am about to touch you, so don’t freak out,” I warn her, pecking her
face as she tries to swat me away.
“Damn, I hope she doesn’t sleep like this every time. It’s like trying to
wake the dead,” Donnie mutters.
“Andrei, it’s cold, get back in bed and be my hot water bottle,” she
pouts, half asleep, turning into me where I sit on the edge of the bed.
I lean down to nuzzle her neck, and she growls at me, wanting to sleep.
“Touching you now,” I tell her, and she mutters something that sounds
like “Do what you want, just let her sleep.” I roll my eyes, moving the
washcloth between her legs.
She reacts to my touch instantly, and I freeze for a second when she
moans softly. I quickly clean her, walk to the bathroom and toss the cloth in
the hamper.
As I walk back into the room I notice she is laying in my spot. I move
her over to climb into bed beside her, eager to sleep myself. Sage drapes her
limbs over me, presses closer and starts to purr, the sound she is making
puts me at ease, and I yawn, closing my eyes and letting sleep take me.
I sleep heavily with Sage wrapped around me, her scent sticking to my
skin. Rolling her on her side, I tuck my body around hers as I try to figure
out why I have awoken. I am still tired when I hear it - my phone ringing
and vibrating on the bedside table.
Sitting up, I reach for it and don’t recognize the number. “Hello?” I ask,
bleary-eyed.
“Hi, is this Mr. Andrei?” A man’s voice says, only one person calls me
that, Jonah.
“Yes, who is this?” I grumble, growing a little worried ahead of time.
“He said you’re his dad. Is this correct because I have a small boy here
with me? He said you would come and get him.”
“Yes, put him on.” I hear the phone change hands.
“I want to come home, please,” Jonah’s frightened voice comes through
the other end.
“Where is Clive?” I ask him, sitting up, and I see Sage stirring on the
bed. My heart is hammering a million miles an hour.
“I ran away. He is drunk. He isn’t supposed to drink, but he stinks and
he pulled my hair. Please come and get me.” Jonah cries.
 “I will be right there. Put the man on for me,” I tell him.
“Where are you?” I ask.
He gives me his address. It is a Chinese restaurant around the corner
from the Casino. He assures me he will keep Jonah with him and give him
something to eat.
Jonah tells him he is hungry because Clive didn’t let him eat his dinner.
Hanging up, I can’t help the growl that rips out of me. I am going to fucking
kill the bastard.
Sage jumps up at the noise, and instantly I feel terrible for waking her. I
feel terrible that I can’t stay snuggled next to her, but our son needs us, and
she will understand. She always understands.
“I need to go, stay here,” I tell her as I grab my jeans and slip them on.
“What’s going on?” She asks, rubbing her eyes.
“Jonah needs me. I am going to go get him.”
“What?” She gasps, instantly alerted at his name, and she tosses the
blankets back.
“Stay here. I will be back soon.”
“But Jonah,” she says, and I grip her face, kissing her cheek.
“I will bring him home with me, I promise. I will get him back to you,”
I tell her, let her go, and head for the door.
A furious growl escapes me that echoes off the walls in my anger. “I
will fucking kill him,” I growl, rushing down the steps. He is going to
fucking die for touching my boy.
Opening the mind link, I search for my father’s link. Now that he is
initiated into our pack, it is so much easier than calling. I feel his mind alert
as I force the link while unlocking the front door and grabbing my keys.
“What’s wrong?” He asks.
“Meet me by the car. Jonah is in trouble,” I tell him.
“On my way,” he says instantly and cuts off the link.
I pull my shirt on as I head toward my car. My eyes snap to the side and
I notice Malik’s porch light turns on. He and my father rush out of the
house, pulling clothes on while jogging over.
“What’s going on?” Malik asks, reaching for the back door. I see Zane’s
light turn on as he rushes over.
“Andrei,” Zane calls my name.
“Keep an eye on Sage, and call if anything happens while we are gone,”
I call out to him.
 “Yes, Alpha,” he says, and I climb into the driver’s seat.
My father hops in the passenger seat, and Malik climbs in the back.
“Where are we going? Is he alright?” My father asks.
“We will get my son back, then I kill that bastard Clive,” I tell him.
He growls at the edge of my tone. “Is my grandson okay?” He asks as I
tear out of the driveway, heading for the highway.
“He is safe for now,” I tell him. The car slides onto the asphalt road as it
leaves the gravel. I floor it, heading toward the Safari Casino.
It would take at least two hours, and the longer I drive, the more
anxious I become. It is a little after midnight already, and I have my father
text the restaurant owner to let him know we are on our way.
He said he lives above the restaurant, and Jonah is watching TV with
his wife.
“Pass me my phone,” I tell my father. I flick through the contacts,
looking for Dominic’s number. I am fucking livid. The phone rings, and I
growl as it rings out before hitting the re-dial.
I listen to it ring, but this time he answers. “Who the fuck dares to ring
me at this ungodly hour?” He snaps into the phone.
“It’s Andrei. Did you see Clive today?” I ask him.
“Yes, this morning. Why the fuck are you calling me? What time is it?”
Dominic snarls.
“After midnight.” I mutter without feeling even a bit of regret for
waking him.
“Yesterday morning then, Andrei, the boy is fine,” Dominic growls.
“If he is fine, why did I just get a call from a stranger saying they have
Jonah?” I snap at him.
“What, who has the boy?” Dominic says, and I can hear him moving
around whatever room he is in. “Where is he?” Dominic asks.
“Not a chance. I am getting my son. We got the laws changed, Dominic.
It will be changed on Wednesday. We got the signatures Kat needed for the
petition, so if you try to stop me-”
Dominic cuts me off. “I am getting dressed now. Tell me where he is.”
“You should know, he was trusted into the care of a man you fucking
vouched for,” I spit at him.
“I will head over and check in on them, Tanya, watch Kyan for me,”
Dominic calls out. “Don’t do anything stupid, Andrei.” He adds.
 “Too late, tell Clive his time alive is ticking away because when I get
my fucking hands on him, there won’t be much left of him when I am done,
no one touches my kid.” I snap at Dominic and hang up the phone.
I toss the phone in my father’s lap, struggling to contain my anger.
Donnie presses beneath my skin, and the closer we get to our destination,
the more my anger increases.
He is going to pay; he is going to pay for taking him, for hurting him,
and he is going to pay with his life, no matter the consequences afterward. I
will deal with Dominic afterward.
The city is alive. Neon lights are seen as we come over the hill, heading
toward the city limits. I don’t dare to slow. I need to make sure he is okay. I
need him where I know he is safe and loved - back in our arms, in Sage’s,
where she will nurture and love him. He is ours even if not by blood. I love
him just as much as if he were.
“Next left,” my father says, and I see the Safari Casino come into view.
The streets are crawling with people, clubs are pumping and packed full, all
the shop lights are on, and people are moving about. The place never sleeps.
“Should be on the corner on your right.” He mutters.
“He crossed a road by himself.” I growl, looking at the traffic. I stop
double parking, and cars honk their horns.
“Malik, find a parking spot and meet us inside,” I tell him, climbing out
of the car.
Malik jumps over the seats and into the driver’s seat, and my father
climbs out and walks over to the curb. Malik pulls the car away looking for
a parking spot. Walking over, I look at the restaurant windows. Red lanterns
hang from the inside, and I can’t read the Chinese writing scrawled in gold
along the black walls as we step inside the dimly lit restaurant.
A woman greets us as we step in. My father talks to her, giving the
woman the owner’s name who we are looking for.
 Chapter

Twenty-Four

A ndrei
“Right this way,” she says as we walk past all the round tables,
and towards the kitchen.
“Tom, two men are here to see you,” the woman tells the owner and
disappears somewhere.
A man in his early twenties comes over with his hand out. “Tom. Which
one of you is Andrei?” The man asks.
“I am,” I tell him, shaking his hand.
“No, offense my friend, but I need to see some ID. I will not hand a kid
over if I am not sure you are the person the boy asked me to call.” He
announces and I barely hold back from grinning. This is the type of attitude
everyone should have.
I grab my wallet and hand him my ID. Tom looks at it and reaches over
to grab his phone off the bench. He pulls a crumpled piece of paper from his
pocket, the same piece of paper I wrote my number on and gave to Jonah
before he was taken.
“Just a precaution,” he says, and I nod. I don’t care that he is wasting
time, making sure I am the same person he seeks. In fact, I am glad he is
being so careful.
I’m just glad he wouldn’t have handed Jonah over to anyone else. He
calls my number, and my phone rings in my father’s hand. He shows the
man, and he nods as he reads the number.
“Do you mind if I take your picture to show Jonah, so I can verify you
are the man he asked for?” Tim asks, and I shake my head.
 “Go for it,” I tell him, and he quickly snaps a photo and rushes off
somewhere.
My father looks around at the chefs, most of them stare at us, and we
must look out of place. We put on the first things we grabbed, and I am in a
wrinkled shirt and jeans. My father is dressed in a tank top and jeans.
“He came, he came for me!” I hear a squeal and look toward the door
Tom had walked through earlier.
Jonah comes running toward us, and I rush over, scooping him up and
hugging him tight while burying my face in his neck. “You came for me,”
he says, his arms tight around my neck.
“Of course I did. I will always come for you, Jonah. You are mine. I
should never have let you go,” I tell him.
“You promise?” Jonah asks.
“I promise, I will even pinkie promise,” I tell him, and he pulls back
smiling. He holds his pinky up, and I grab it with mine, kissing his cheek. “I
missed you so much,” I tell him, squeezing him.
“I missed you too. I can come home now, right? Will you take me
home?” He asks right as I notice the handprint on his cheek, his ear red, and
I turn his face. A growl emanates out of me, and my father coughs loudly,
making me remember that humans surround me.
“I am taking you home, and you are never leaving again.” I tell him.
Jonah nods and rests his head on my shoulder. I turn to the owner and nod,
“thank you.”
“It is fine. I am just glad he didn’t get hit by a car. He nearly caused an
accident when I grabbed him off the road,” Tom says, and my stomach
drops. “He said his uncle was supposed to be watching him, but he didn’t
want to go back.” Tom adds.
“Custody dispute. He won’t be going back there,” I assure him.
“I am glad. He has a few bruises on his arms and legs. I was nearly
tempted to call the police until I spoke to Dominic Octavian. I called him an
hour ago. He said to let you take him.” The moment he brings up the name,
I struggle to hide my shock and disgust that the very name brings to me.
“You know Dominic Octavian?” I ask him.
“Yes, Dominic owns half the city. Everyone knows who he is. I rent this
place from him. Good man, but not someone I would want to cross.
Anyway, I know what you are, so it is probably best I didn’t call the police,
he needs to be with his species,” Tom adds in a rather careless tone.
 “Bye, Jonah,” Tom waves to him.
“Wait!” My father says as he tries to give Tom an envelope full of cash.
“No, I want nothing. He is a good kid. I am just glad he is okay,” Tom
says and walks off back to his station in the kitchen.
“Come on, let’s get you home,” I tell Jonah, and he nods against my
shoulder. We walk out to see Malik talking to the woman at the service
counter. “Ah, that’s them,” he says, rushing over.
“Hey, kiddo,” Malik says, brushing Jonah’s hair from his face.
“You look tired. You can sleep on the way home,” Malik tells him.
We walk out of the restaurant, and Malik shows us where he has parked
the car. I place Jonah in the back with my father, who takes him. He is
already dozing off, and I find bruises on his arm in a handprint’s distinctive
shape. His little cheek is bright red, and he looks exhausted like he hadn’t
been sleeping well.
“Andrei, let’s get him home,” my father says.
“I will be back soon. Put the heater on for him.” I nod at Malik.
“Andrei, you heard Tom. Dominic could be around here somewhere.”
My father hisses in a whispered tone.
“I don’t care where Dominic is. I want Clive,” I tell him as I shut the
rear door before he can say anything else.
I look over the building rooftops, where we are parked around the side
of the restaurant. “Stay with them,” I tell Malik and walk off to head toward
the Casino.
I move through the crowds of people, then turn the corner and finally,
see the Casino. Valet is out the front, along with armed guards. Crossing the
street, I walk toward the front entrance.
The guards are staring at me, and I see a few calls across their radios as
I approach the doorman. He opens the door, and I ignore the staff at the
front counter and head for the suites above the Casino, taking the stairs two
at a time.
When I hear footsteps behind me, I glance over my shoulder. I see two
guards following me. A sniff of the air proves they are werewolves, and
both have Beta Genes. They keep their distance but continue to follow me
through the corridors while I look for the room Clive and Jonah were in.
Walking up yet another flight of stairs, I stop looking at the guards
behind me. “I am assuming Dominic knows I am here?” I ask, and one
steps forward. He has a stocky build with a shaved head and a scar across
his eyebrow.
“Yes, Alpha Andrei.”
“Take me to Clive’s room now. I am sick of walking in circles.” I watch
his eyes glaze over and know he is mind-linking Dominic. The other man’s
hand hovers over the gun at his waist.
“This way,” the man says, pointing toward an elevator.
We step in, and the guard presses the button to the second-highest floor,
which I know are units. “He put them in a unit?” I ask the guards, and they
both nod.
Then, when the elevator opens up, the man speaks again. “Third door on
the right,” he says, and I nod, walking down the corridor.
Just as I am about to kick the door in, it opens. Dominic steps out and
blocks it. He cleans blood off his hands on a tea towel and tosses it over his
shoulder, back into the room. “Try not to break anything and make it look
like an accident for the tourists. I hear the balcony views are amazing up
here,” Dominic says, patting me on the shoulder.
“You aren’t going to try to stop me?” I ask.
“Would you like me to?” I shake my head, and a growl slips past my
lips.
“That’s what I thought. I may be a prick, but I would never hurt a child,
and to think he thought he could under my watch sickens me. I saw Jonah.
When you are done, take the boy home where he belongs,” he says as he
looks over my shoulder at the guards.
“Clear the ground below the balcony. I believe we have a jumper,”
Dominic says, and I smirk.
“I will be over on Tuesday to check on Jonah and see Sage. Tell Kat to
come if she wants, I will see you then, and I will bring Kyan. The boy has
no one to play with, it would be good for him,” he says, walks off toward
the elevator, and talks to the guards.
As he steps away from the door, I see Clive bleeding heavily and wiping
his face. He looks up and whimpers. The entire room stinks of beer and
whiskey. Shutting the door, I lock it, and he jumps up with his hands out.
Gripping the back of my shirt, I take it off to hang it over a chair. “Don’t
want to get blood on it,” I tell Clive.
Donnie presses forward and my claws slip from my fingertips. Clive
shrieks like a little girl as he darts behind the table to put distance between
us. He grabs a chair and lifts it to use as a weapon. He swings it at me, and I
grab it, tossing it away before lunging at him.
His screams are like music to my ears as I grab him. I punch him in the
gut, and he doubles over before I bring my knee to meet his bloodied face.
His head snaps back with a sickening crunch as his nose breaks.
Dragging him to the kitchen, he struggles to dig his heels into the floor,
and I repeatedly smash his face into the counter while turning the burner on.
Finally, he crumbles to the ground, and I hunt for a knife in the drawers.
Finding one, I crouch in front of him, plunging the knife into his thigh.
He screams, and his leg bounces as he tries to pull the knife out but
can’t bring himself to do it. His hands tremble that badly, and the knife is to
its hilt.
“You laid your filthy hands on my son,” I tell him, yanking the knife
out.
He screams again when I grab his hand and bring the sharp knife down
on his fingers and sever three of them cleanly off. Sweat coats him as he
screams and begs, crying out as I cut each finger off.
“You slapped a six-year-old,” I tell him, gripping his head and slashing
his face.
I drag the dulling blade down his cheek, and he paws at my hand with
his nubs left for fingers. Then, grabbing his ear, I pull on it and cut it off.
His screams are dying as he loses his voice, and I haul him upright to the
stove. The burner is bright red as it reaches maximum heat.
“No, no, no,” he begs, pushing his feet and palms against the oven as I
drag him toward it.
I slam his face down on the burner, and he thrashes and screams. I hold
my breath. The stench of burning flesh and facial hair makes me want to
puke. Ripping him off it, he sags against me, having passed out. I drag him
toward the balcony. Pushing the sliding doors open when I am hit with a
chilled breeze.
Dominic is right. The view from up here is truly great.
I haul his lanky body toward the railing and I toss half of his body over.
The bastard groans and wakes up. I growl at him, pulling him back against
me, and he looks at me, horrified over his shoulder. A cruel smile tugs at
my lips, and I grab his face.
“You hurt him for the last time,” I tell him and shove him over.
 His hands flail about, trying to catch the air as his body falls over the
edge. I step out of sight and listen for the thud. Screams sound out from
below before I hear his body splat on the concrete. No way he would
survive that fall. We are nearly fifty stories in the sky.
As I walk back into the apartment, the first thing I do is turn the burner
off. I don’t want to set this place on flames, no matter how big of a prick
Dominic is. I grab my shirt and head for the door.
As soon as I open the door, I find Dominic waiting in the corridor,
leaning against the wall.
“You came back,” I tell him.
“Yeah, something delicious about hearing a grown man scream,”
Dominic says, pushing off the wall.
I pull my shirt over my head and walk toward the elevator, hitting the
button. The doors open, and I step in, and so does Dominic.
“I suppose I should call in the clean-up crew,” he says.
“Yes, the kitchen is filthy,” I tell him. His eyes glaze over as someone
mind-links him. The elevators stop, and I head for the main doors when
Dominic grabs my arm.
“Fire exit, I will handle the police, but it’s best you aren’t seen leaving
out the front. I will have the footage taken care of, too,” he says.
“Why?” I ask as he opens a side door that reads fire exit.
“As I said, I hate child abusers, and I feel responsible for what
happened. However, I didn’t think he would hurt his own nephew, but it
doesn’t matter why. We are both fathers and werewolves. This can’t get out
to the media, Andrei. We aren’t so different, you and I. Now get your son
home while I deal with the authorities.” Dominic whispers so no one can
hear us.
I give him a sharp nod. “I will see you Tuesday, then.”
“That you will.” He nods, heading toward the front exit.
I walk out and head back to my car. A crowd has formed around his
body on the ground further up the street. Police cars line the street, and I
cross the road, heading back to the car.
As I climb in, I see that Jonah is asleep, and my father looks at me.
“What happened?”
“I took care of it with Dominic’s help,” I tell him.
“He helped you?” My father asks, and I nod.
 “Yes, he is bringing Kyan over for a play date on Tuesday,” I tell him,
and my father shakes his head, as shocked as I am.
For this once, I believe in Dominic’s words. He seemed genuine and let
me trash one of his units.
“Let’s go home.” I mutter as I smile and look over my shoulder. Jonah
sleeps in my father’s arms. He is here, safe, and coming home to his family.
“Yes, and you should call Sage. She wouldn’t stop calling us while you
were gone.” Malik says.
 Chapter

Twenty-Five

S age
Zane and Nora sit with me the entire time while Andrei is gone. I
feel nauseous, knowing something is going on, and I don’t know what
it was. I can’t sit still while I wait for the phone to ring.
Malik said Andrei went after Clive, but that is all he could tell me
because he wasn’t with him.
What if something happened to him? Surely, I will know if something
bad happens to Andrei. Mates can feel that sort of thing, but all I feel is his
burning hatred and then nothing, but calm through the bond. It unnerves
me.
“He is fine, Sage. Andrei can handle himself, and Malik and Derrick
have Jonah,” Zane tries to reassure me as I pace nervously in front of the
dining table.
I just can’t help it. Not knowing what is going on is worse. My
imagination is running rampant and putting terrible thoughts in my head,
making me worry.
When the phone rings I practically dive onto the table to retrieve it. My
hands are shaking so much I can’t swipe the phone to answer it, so Nora
takes it from me. She answers it quickly and hands it back.
“Hello?” My voice is shaking just as terribly as my hands.
“I have him,” comes Andrei’s voice through the phone, and it is like a
ton of weight is lifted off my shoulders upon hearing his voice.
He is okay, my Jonah is okay. I slide down the pantry door to the cold
floor. Now, I can breathe again.
“Sage, are you there?” Andrei asks as worry laces his words.
 “Yes, I am here. Malik said you went after Clive. I have been so sick
with worry,” I tell him.
“I know, I could feel you. I am on my way home with Jonah,” Andrei
says, and I feel tears prick at the edge of my eyes.
“And he is okay?” I ask.
“Yes, he has a few bruises, but he is okay, love. We’ll be home in a
couple of hours, try to get some sleep,” he says as if I can even manage that.
I let out a breath. I just want them home where I can see for myself that
they are both safe, not that I doubt Andrei, but seeing is believing.
“I will try,” I lie, knowing that won’t happen.
He chuckles softly, and my heart pinches at the sound. “You are a
terrible liar. You know I can feel you, right? I will see you soon. I love you,
Sage.”
“I love you too. Can I speak to Jonah?” I ask him.
“He is asleep. You will see him soon,” Andrei tells me, and I nod before
I realize he can’t see me.
“Ok, hurry home but drive safely,” I tell him.
“See you soon,” he replies, and then the phone goes dead. I rest my
head on the pantry door. Nora is watching me, standing by my feet.
“See, he is fine” she yawns, and I feel bad that she is still awake
because of me. The entire pack is awake. The night turned into a mess, but
I’m just relieved I am getting Jonah back.
Eventually, I convince Zane and Nora to go home. Once they leave, I
clean, because I have nothing else to do. Then, I make Jonah a nice bed on
the couch and remind myself it’s time to set up a bedroom for our boy.
Once I run out of jobs to do, I make myself more coffee. Not that I need
it because I am alert and on edge the entire time, but it gives me something
else to focus on while I clean, even if only briefly.
Distraction keeps me from going insane, but when I finally hear the car
pull up, it is twenty past four in the morning. I leap out of my seat and rush
to the front door. Unlocking it with my palm, it feels like it takes forever for
the door to unlatch, and I hold my breath as I pull it open.
Malik stretches his back as he climbs out of the car, yawning. Andrei is
at the back door, leaning in. When he stands up, he has a sleeping Jonah in
his arms, and Derrick climbs out of the backseat after him.
I watch as Andrei sniffs his little head gently, holding him close to
shield him from the breeze. I want to jump with joy at them being home,
but hold myself together as Andrei looks over at me.
His excitement burns just as strongly. My hands are already reaching for
him as Andrei approaches me. My hands comb over Jonah before taking
him and molding his tiny body around me in my arms.
He has lost a little weight. Not much, but I can tell. I can tell you every
little detail of my boy, and I notice it instantly as his body is placed in my
arms. I bury my face in his neck, and my breathing is shaking as I bring him
inside.
Derrick follows Andrei in and kisses my head, motioning that he is
going upstairs to bed in the spare room. I nod and walk into the living room
with Jonah.
I don’t want to put him down like he will disappear again if I do. Andrei
wraps his arms around us. Jonah pressed between us, sleeping soundly.
Only when Andrei cups my face do I notice how terribly I am shaking and
that I’m crying.
Sierra is so present and vigilant as we watch him sleep. Also excited,
but nervous about our boy.
“Stop crying. He is fine. You should put him down before you wake
him,” Andrei tells me, and I look up at him.
I never want to let him go again, but I know he is right, so I tuck him
into his makeshift bed.
“He is safe now,” Andrei tells me as I tuck him in.
I quickly pull his shoes off his tiny feet and tuck the blanket up under
his chin. “What if Clive comes back for him or Dominic?” I whisper,
voicing my worry while wrapping my arms around his middle and pressing
my face into his chest.
“Clive is dead, and Dominic knows I have him. He said to bring him
home with me.” Andrei tells me and I barely hold back from screaming in
surprise.
“Clive is dead?” I ask him, pulling away and looking up at him.
“He won’t touch our son again. You don’t have to worry about him
taking him, Sage. I will kill anyone that tries. I won’t make the mistake of
letting him go again. That I can swear to you,” Andrei whispers, dipping his
face down to mine. He kisses my lips softly and then pulls away. “How are
you feeling?” Andrei asks.
“Relieved now you are home.” I breathe out.
 “No, I know that, but I wasn’t talking about that. Are you okay? I hated
having to rush out on you,” he says, and it takes a few seconds to figure out
what he is talking about. With everything, I haven’t even thought about it,
too worried about Jonah and Andrei, I didn’t even give it a second thought.
Andrei leads me upstairs, and I hesitate at the top of the step, not liking
Jonah being so far away.
“I will put the alarm on,” Andrei says, walking back down the steps and
fiddling with the digital panel.
He also checks the door and then wanders off, returning a few seconds
later, and climbing the stairs.
“House is secure, windows are locked, no one is getting to him,” Andrei
says, and I chew my lip, still hesitant. It feels surreal to have him back. I
couldn’t live with losing him again.
Andrei turns me around when I don’t move and nudges me toward the
bedroom. I robotically hop in bed, and Andrei strips out of his clothes and
puts on some boxer shorts, climbing in beside me. His arms wrap around
me as he buries his face in my hair.
“You never answered me,” Andrei whispers into my hair.
“I am fine. I forgot about it until you said something. I was worried
about Jonah and you,” I answer him honestly.
“Hmm, not that memorable.” He laughs.
“No, I didn’t mean that. I was just worried.”
“I know, I was teasing, and now that I have mentioned it?”
“I don’t know,” I tell him.
And I truly don’t. I am not scared. I am not anything really, just content.
Sierra hasn’t left me all night like she is relieved, and I can hear Donnie
without it being forced or through Andrei. Somehow, I feel more connected
with my wolf and Andrei. For the first time ever, I feel comfortable in my
skin. Free, like the shackles that held me for so long unlocked and released
me.
Andrei purrs behind me, and I roll in his arms to face him, his nose
brushing mine. Andrei pulls me closer, and I feel safe like I never knew
before. My body has never been mine. And I was never given a choice, but
Andrei is my safe place.
He is mine, and I am his, and I know I can trust him more than I can
trust myself. I know this is where I belong, with him and Jonah. He will
never hurt me. No, this man will fight to the death for me, and I will lay my
life down in a heartbeat for him and our son.
I sniffle at the realization and how liberating it feels. “Shh, I am right
here. You can tell me anything. I won’t get upset, Sage,” Andrei whispers,
brushing his nose across my cheek.
“Tell me,” he whispers, kissing the side of my mouth.
Instead, I close my eyes just breathing in his scent, the scent of what’s
mine, the scent of the man who loves me despite being broken, the man that
put all my broken pieces back together, the man who would continue to
love me wholeheartedly and the one person who gave me a choice.
Andrei showed me what it feels like to be loved again and taught me to
love myself, he never looked at me with disgust, he never looked at me like
I am less. No, he looks at me like I am his world even though the scars of
my past mar my body. He loves me despite my flaws, and without
judgment, without blame, he loves me and sets me free of myself.
“I feel free, I feel like I am home,” I breathe.
“You’ll always have a home with Jonah and me, Sage, and our pack.
You have all of us, and we will always have you. This is home, your home,”
Andrei whispers, pressing his lips to my head.
He purrs happily, and I enjoy his familiar embrace letting go of
everything. Everything that is in my past no longer holds me in its confines
or traps me there.
Now, I am free to live and let it go, and for the first time, my future
doesn’t scare me. I no longer fear the monsters of my past, but instead, I
conquer them; they have no place in my future, they no longer have control,
and I will never give it to them again. They don’t deserve it, and I owe it to
myself to ensure they never have it.
For the first time, I am excited about my life and the life I share with
Andrei and Jonah, our little boy. He is ours, and we are his. They’re all that
matter and all I need. I slowly start drifting off into a peaceful sleep without
the burden of trying to sleep with one eye open while keeping my senses
alert. Constantly on edge with the what-ifs. Now I can sleep knowing that
Andrei would keep me safe, no matter what happens.
Movement jostles me, and Andrei’s soft-spoken words as he rolls over
wake me.
“What’s wrong, Jonah? Are you okay?” Andrei whispers.
 I sit up, and rub my eyes to find Jonah standing beside him at the edge
of the bed, and I know I must not have slept long because it is still dark
outside. Jonah holds his pillow in his arms, looking longingly at the bed.
“I’m scared. Can I sleep with you?” Jonah whispers. His little eyes are
filled with sleep and fear, and I want to hug away whatever scared him.
Andrei picks him up, lifting him onto the bed. “I have just the place for
you,” Andrei tells him, tucking him between us.
“Right where you belong, with us,” Andrei tells him, tucking the
blanket around him. I fix his pillow between mine and Andrei’s, and Jonah
nestles against me, letting out a breath as Andrei hugs us both tightly.
“I love you, my little Jonah,” I tell him, kissing his little cheek.
He presses his face under my neck and yawns tiredly. “I love you too,
mommy,” he whispers, patting my face with his little hand.
My heart burst into a million pieces at his sleepy words. Andrei moves
his arm, moving it under his little head and mine. I watch him kiss Jonah’s
head before relaxing and getting comfortable, his fingers playing with my
hair.
“You are our new world, Jonah. You are ours, and we are yours forever
and always,” Andrei whispers to him before closing his eyes.
 Chapter

Twenty-Six

A ndrei
I wake to the sound of people whispering and banging around.
Sitting up in bed, I notice someone has closed our bedroom door.
Looking down at Jonah and Sage, they are both sleeping peacefully, and I
carefully climb out of bed to not wake them as I leave to find out who is in
the packhouse and who has closed our door.
I know it must be pack members or my father because I would have
woken to the feeling of trespassers on my territory.
Pulling a tank top on, I open the door carefully, closing it behind me to
find Zane, Malik, Casen, Vince, and my father in the surveillance room.
Rubbing a hand down my face, I walk over to the room to see my father
stand up with a box in his hands. The room is bare, and all equipment is
being removed.
He nearly jumps out of his skin, touching Zane’s shoulder, not realizing
I am behind him. His arms flail about as I startle him. Casen laughs,
mimicking his flailing hands and the noise that leaves him poking fun and
laughing at Zane.
I chuckle as Zane turns around. “Fuck, make some noise next time. I
nearly shit my pants. Why are you creeping around?” He asks.
“Well, it’s my house, so I could ask you the same thing,” I tell him,
stepping into the empty room. “What are you all doing here, and why are
you doing it?” I ask.
My father walks out with the box of equipment and walks downstairs.
“Well, now Jonah is home, he needs his own room,” Malik states, and I nod
while yawning.
 “Yeah, I wanted to move all this to the office downstairs,” I tell him.
“Already done,” Casen says, grinning.
“Vince is about to go down and set it up again for you,” Malik says,
nudging Vince. He nods and ducks out of the room. I look around the room
down the end of the hall from ours and at the landing on this floor.
“What time is it?” I ask as my father walks back into the room.
“A little after 2 pm,” he answers, and I nod. Damn, I slept the entire day
away.
“Now that you are up, you can help carry everything in,” my father
says, gripping my shoulder.
“Carry what in?” I ask him.
“Your father went shopping this morning, and woke me up at 7 am to
head into the City,” Casen says, clearly not appreciating the early wake-up.
“Sage and Jonah?” Malik asks.
“Still sleeping,” I tell him, looking back at my bedroom door.
“Well, come on, we can bring everything up now,” my father says, and I
follow him out of the room and down the stairs.
Walking out of the packhouse, I find my father’s old wagon with a
trailer on the back loaded with boxes of all different sizes. The back of his
wagon is full to the brim, he wouldn’t have even been able to see out the
rear-view mirror.
I look over my shoulder at my father, who shrugs. “I may have been a
little excited about his return, and I couldn’t sleep,” he tells me.
“You brought all this for Jonah?” I ask, a little shocked.
I already knew we would have to sort him a room out, but we would
have gone, and he didn’t have to spend his money to do it.
“Yes, he is my grandson. Come on,“ he walks over to the trailer and
undoes the straps. We unpack the trailer, and a few pack members come
over to help unload the mountain load of toys and linens from the wagon’s
trunk.
We haul all the furniture upstairs before Casen grabs the tools from the
basement and places them beside me. My father and I start unpacking the
bed to put it together, and Malik sets the mattress against the wall,
removing the plastic covering.
“He will love this,” I tell my father, looking at the picture on the box.
The bed is a green race car. My father and I set to work putting it
together and trying to follow the impossible instructions. We get the bed
together only to pull it apart again when we realize we place the bottom
support railing upside down and can’t screw the slats down flat from the
joins.
“How did we mess that up?” My father says while scratching his chin
and staring at the instructions again. “This is why I left the assembling to
Shirley,” he says, and I laugh, turning the frame on the side to see if we can
pull the brace off without completely undoing it.
“Hold that,” I tell him, and he grabs the frame while I remove the
screws before flipping the brackets over.
Once in place, we turn the bed back the right way up. When I hear
footsteps in the hallway, my father removes the bed slats from their
bindings. I notice Jonah rubbing his eyes and standing in the doorway when
I look up.
“Hey, little man,” dad says to him, and Jonah looks at him.
“What are you doing?” He asks, looking at me kneeling beside the bed.
His little eyes light up at the race car bed.
“We are putting your bed together. That pop brought you,” I tell him.
“Is it for me?” He asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet excitedly as he
stares at us.
“It’s all yours, and this will be your room,” my father tells him.
“Really? My room, with my bed? I never had my own bed,” he says
excitedly, rushing over. I try not to let his words bother me.
“You want to help?” I ask him, and he nods excitedly. We place the bed
slats down in their allocated spots before I grab the drill. “Come here,” I tell
him, reaching for him and pulling him to stand in front of me.
I pass him the drill and place the screw in the hole in the slat. He
struggles to hold it under its weight. Gripping the bottom, I show him how
to do the first one before letting him do the next one. His tongue pokes out
the side of his lips as he tries to line the drill piece up with the screw.
“Now, pull the trigger and press down,” I tell him. He jumps when the
noise of the drill starts before screwing in the slat.
“I did it,” he squeals excitedly, jumping up and down, only for the drill
to drop from his hands. It lands on my toes, making me hiss. “Ah,
fuuuuudgiickles!” I only just manage to hold back the curses I want to sling
at the pain, my hands clench, and my jaw locks shut as I try to breathe
through it.
 “Sorry!” Jonah shrieks, his lips turning to an O shape before he purses
his lips. My toes are throbbing to their own beat when I look down to find
my toes turning black, and one is bleeding. I force myself to wiggle my
toes, so they heal.
Jonah bends down, examining my bleeding toe before he pokes it.
“Does it still hurt?” He asks, jabbing it with his index finger. My father
chuckles while I blink at the small boy as he continues to poke my foot.
“You should be more careful where you put your feet,” he says, like it is my
fault that he dropped it on my toe.
“Yes, I should start wearing steel cap shoes around you,” I tell him,
shaking my head and picking up the drill.
“Want to do the rest?” I ask him, and his hands instantly reach for the
drill. I keep my feet away and a hand on the drill this time as we set up his
bed.
 Chapter

Twenty-Seven

S age
I wake to the bed empty, my heart hammers when I don’t feel
Jonah.
Sitting up, I scan the room with my eyes to see the door is shut, but I
can hear giggling coming from the other side of it. Grabbing my dressing
gown, I see the sun going down out the window before glancing at the
alarm clock - 5 pm. I slept the entire day away.
Opening the door, I walk down the hall to the open door at the end,
where I can hear Jonah’s laughter coming from.
Pushing the door wide, I see the surveillance room has been turned into
a child’s bedroom. Perfect for Jonah. A race car bed with matching green
linen sits along one wall, and a blue and green dresser which matches the
bed sits on the other wall. A bedside table with a car night lamp sits next to
the bed, with dinosaurs and car wall decor stickers covering the walls.
Jonah sits on the floor in Andrei’s lap as they play with matchbox cars on
the car mat.
“Who did all this?” I gasp, looking around the room.
“I helped,” says Jonah, climbing out of Andrei’s lap and rushing over.
“You did?” I ask, looking around.
Andrei climbs off the floor and stands up, kissing my temple. “Dad
went shopping and came home with this. I woke to them pulling the room
apart,” he says, laughing softly.
“Your dad got all this for him?” I ask.
“Yep, Pop-Pop got it. Look, I have my own bed,” Jonah says excitedly,
sitting on it and brushing the covers with his hands. I love how easily Jonah
just slipped into the role of being our son and being everyone’s shining
light.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” Andrei murmurs into my hair.
“Look, I have toys too,” Jonah squeals, rummaging through a toy
bucket. He pulls out a dinosaur holding it up.
“Wow, isn’t he cool?” I ask, and Jonah makes roaring noises at me.
“Dinner is done,” Derrick calls out from downstairs.
“Quick, wash your hands and face so that you can have dinner,” I tell
him, and he rushes to the bathroom.
“This is amazing. I can’t believe you all did all this while I slept,” I tell
Andrei as he leads me out of the room.
Walking down the stairs, I reach the bottom when Jonah squeals.
“Look at me,” he says, and my heart stutters frantically as he slides
down the banister, falling off the side. I shriek when Andrei grabs the back
of his pants before he hits the ground, holding him in the air.
“What did I say about doing that?” Andrei scolds him before setting
him on the ground. Jonah picks out the wedgie that Andrei just gave him
after grabbing him.
“But Pop did it,” Jonah whines.
“Pop is old and senile. Don’t listen to everything Pop says,” Andrei tells
him.
“I am not, and I am not that old,” Derrick grumbles, walking out with
his hands in oven mitts and a floral apron around his waist. Jonah laughs at
Derrick’s attire.
“Quick, dinner,” Derrick tells him, and he rushes off into the kitchen.
“And I am not old,” he tells Andrei
“Not old, huh? That’s why I had to peel you off the banister when you
got your leg stuck,” Andrei tells him, shaking his head and following Jonah.
“It’s my sciatica. It has nothing to do with old age,” Derrick tells him,
muttering under his breath, when Andrei laughs.
“Something smells good,” I tell Derrick.
“Roast and I made chocolate pudding. Kat always loved chocolate
pudding,” he announces, leading me into the kitchen.
“Have any of you told Kat about Jonah?” I ask them.
“Yes, she will be over Tuesday when Dominic comes to visit,” Andrei
tells me.
“Dominic is coming here?” I ask, and Derrick and Andrei both nod.
 “Why?” I furrow my brows.
“No idea, but he said he is bringing Kyan, his son, with him,” Andrei
says.
“Kyan is strange,” Jonah says, making me look at him.
“You met Kyan. Was he mean to you?” I ask.
“No, he is alright, but he always looks sad. He didn’t talk much,” Jonah
says, looking up and licking his lips as Derrick sets his plate in front of him.
“How old is Kyan?” I ask Andrei, who shrugs.
“He is nine. Kyan has powers too. He showed me this black mist stuff.
It was cool but also scary, it was so cold and sticky, but then his dad got
mad and said he shouldn’t show people,” Jonah says, and Derrick stares
down at him for a second before glancing at Andrei and me.
“Well, you should never be mean to anyone just because they are a little
odd,” I tell Jonah, slightly creeped out. Surely, he imagined it.
“No, he is alright, I like him. He asked if I would be his friend,” Jonah
says, stabbing a roasted potato with his fork.
“You said yes, didn’t you?” Andrei asks him, and he nods.
“Yep, he is my friend. Can he come over to play?”
“He will be here on Tuesday,” Andrei tells him, though I can tell he is
nervous about Dominic coming. So am I. What if he tries to take Jonah
from us?
“Jonah, come here for a second,” Andrei says, pushing his chair out. I
watch as Jonah goes to Andrei. He swallows his food quickly, and Andrei
brushes his lip covered in gravy, wiping it on his pants.
“Dad, can you pass me a can of lemonade?” Andrei asks, and Derrick
grabs one from the fridge, cracking the can for him and handing it to Jonah.
Jonah sips it before placing it down.
“I thought I couldn’t have bubbles at night,” Jonah says, knowing Malik
and us never gave him a fizzy drink late in the afternoons. It always made
him hyper.
“Just tonight okay, I need you to do something for me.” Andrei tells
him.
“Can I drink more lemon bubbles?”
“Yes, but do you know how Clive took you away?” Jonah nods.
“Well, we don’t want that to happen again, so we need to make you a
pack member until the adoption process finishes. If you are a pack member,
they won’t be able to take you from us.”
 “But I thought I couldn’t become pack because of Uncle Clive,” Jonah
asks.
“You aren’t supposed to without parental or guardian consent, but you
are ours now, so I give you permission,” Andrei tells him, looking at me
nervously.
He can face serious consequences if it is ever revealed that he did this.
But Andrei will take that punishment before anything has been legally
documented to ensure he remains with us.
“I should have done it in the first place,” Andrei mind links me, and I
press my lips in a line but nod, knowing what he is risking.
But this will ensure he stays here. They won’t pull a boy his age from a
pack. It would cause him too much pain to sever a pack bond, and they
won’t be allowed to remove him until he is old enough to decide for
himself.
“I will give you some of my blood, then I need you to repeat these
words, okay?” Jonah nods.
“I need you to say that I, Jonah Marshall, pledge my life and loyalty to
Alpha Andrei Hartley of the Howlers Pack. Ok?”
“Does that mean I have to call you Alpha? I thought you wanted to be
my dad,” Jonah asks.
“You can call me whatever you like, and I want to be your dad. I just
need you to do this to make sure no one takes you from Sage and me,”
Andrei tells him.
“So I can still call you dad?” Our little boy asks, clearly excited.
Andrei nods. “Yes, or Mr. Andrei, whatever you like.”
“I like dad better,” Jonah says, smiling at him.
“So do I,” Andrei tells him, leaning forward and kissing his head.
“Ready?” He asks him. Jonah nods, and Andrei bites his hand above his
thumb, and Jonah scrunches his face up before biting down on Andrei’s
hand.
“Gross, I am not a vampire,” Jonah says, and Andrei gives him a look.
“Oh, I, Jonah Marshall, pledge my life and my loyalty to Alpha Andrei
Hartley of the Howlers Pack,” Jonah says, his brows scrunch up, and I feel
the pack bond stretch taking him into its safety net, tethering him to the
pack and us.
Andrei passes him his lemonade, and Jonah drinks some. “Good boy,
now go eat your dinner, then you can have some pudding,” Andrei tells
him.
“So I can stay now?”
“Yes, you were never leaving once we got you back,” I tell him.
“But I don’t have to drink dad’s blood anymore. He doesn’t taste very
nice, and I don’t want to turn into a bat,” Jonah says while sipping more
lemonade. Derrick snorts.
“Why would you turn into a bat?” I ask.
“Because Dracula did, he drank blood and turned into a bat, and not like
batman, a real bat with wings,” Jonah exclaims.
“You won’t turn into a bat. One day, a werewolf but not a bat,” Andrei
laughs, shaking his head.
“A big wolf-like Donnie?” Jonah asks.
“Yep, a wolf-like Donnie, and then when you are much older, I will
make you an Alpha like me.”
“But I don’t want to be an Alpha. Alphas have their own packs, and I
would have to leave. You said I could stay,” Jonah pouts.
“You can stay, Jonah, it just means when you are older, and I am old, I
will make you Alpha, and you will run my pack, it will become yours, and
you will be Alpha one day,” Andrei tells him.
“But my mother was an Omega, and my father was the um… he was
like an Omega…. I think,” Jonah says, his brows pinch together. “So I can’t
be an Alpha,” Jonah pouts.
“Pop is only a Beta. My mother was an Omega, and Sage was an
Omega before she was Luna, you can be whoever you want to be, and if
you want to be Alpha one day, I will make you one, as my dad did for me,”
Andrei tells him.
“Other dad, not me,” Derrick tells him when Jonah looks at him.
“Like my new dad,” and Derrick nods.
“Yep, Anthony, Andrei’s other dad. He was a warrior and wasn’t Alpha,
but titles can change when given, and they are found worthy of them.
Anthony became Alpha and became strong like an Alpha because the pack
pledged to him, which gave him his title and all the things that came with it.
There is more to being Alpha than just blood. I believe that is why your dad
is stronger than most Alphas because, with most Alphas, the title is handed
down, whereas your dad had to earn his just like you will have to, and that
sort of respect and loyalty strengthens him. That’s how packs used to be
formed, by challenging the Alpha’s now they hand the titles down, but your
dad had to do it the old way,” Derrick tells him.
“You had to fight your dad?” Jonah exclaims. Andrei nods his head.
“So I will have to fight you?”
“Not now, when you are older and trained.”
“Is that how your other dad died? Did you kill your dad?”
“No, but I had to make him submit,” Andrei explains.
“Ok,” Jonah says, turning back to his plate.
We all sit and eat dinner while Jonah tells us what he thinks being Alpha
means and how he will make Andrei submit to him with a big fart that will
knock him over before giving him a mega wedgie.
That boy's imagination never ceases to amaze me. I listen and watch his
excitement while anticipating what Tuesday will bring and what Andrei’s
punishment will be when they discover Andrei initiated Jonah before the
court’s approval.
 Chapter

Twenty-Eight

K atya

pack.
I wait for Seline to show up. We have so much going on with the

My stress levels are through the roof. I have hardly been sleeping with
everything going on.
The twins are teething - something horrendous. All their teeth decide to
come through at once. Sleep feels like a thing of the past. Dominic is going
to Andrei’s on Tuesday, and I have been in a state of panic ever since
finding out and knowing I will have to confront him. Why he would request
for me to come has me on edge, making me wonder if this is going to be a
cause for the vision.
I also lost my phone. I have no idea where I put it, but that is another
issue for another day. I yawn, looking at the clock. It is a little after 5 pm. Is
that all it is? My eyes are practically falling out of my head.
The room shudders and ripples, and I sigh. Finally, Seline is here. As I
look over at her, she smiles brightly at me. Please, bring good news.
“Why are you smiling?” I ask her cautiously.
“Because today, I want to show you something, I found it fascinating
when Celeste showed me before she died, and also I have fixed the second
chance mate issue, but first come with me because you get to make not only
a bond but a vessel bond,” she says, holding her hands out to me.
I can’t help it and smile at her enthusiasm. It is good to see her smile. It
almost makes me forget she is dying. Walking over, I place my hands in
hers. The room fizzles and warps and takes a few seconds, only for nothing
to happen.
 Seline lets my hands go and shakes hers before grabbing mine again.
The same thing, we don’t move to her realm.
“This has been getting harder. How about you try? You will have to
learn how to travel between realms anyway when you take over.” She
suggests.
“How am I going to transport us? I don’t know how to do it,” I tell her.
“Just think of my office, picture both of us there, relax your mind,
breathe in, and breathe out,” she says.
I close my eyes, trying to picture her golden light-filled office. At first, I
feel nothing, and I inhale and exhale, trying to picture her room exactly how
I saw it last time, and I feel a slight buzz under my skin before a suction
feeling and pressure. When I open my eyes, we are standing next to her
desk.
“Perfect, see you will get the hang of it. Once I die, it will get easier.
The fact that I couldn’t do it with you present means you are getting
stronger, and it requires you to do it.” I hate the casual way she talks about
her death.
“So, what is the lesson for today?”
“Pairing mates,” she says, motioning to the strange mystical fountain.
I walk over, peer into the smoky water, and I can see the bottom. She
swirls her hand in the water, and colors appear, glowing different colors
before she runs a finger straight down the middle. The blobs of color move
to one side, and I watch as the blurred colors take small forms of wolves.
“So, the first part is the history lesson.” She announces.
“History lesson, on what?” I ask.
“Celeste, I know you hadn’t heard of her before I mentioned her, but
how did she become the Moon Goddess?” Seline asks, and I shrug.
“God!” I tell her, and she chuckles. What did she expect me to say?
“Celeste was a witch, but not just any witch. She was half Goddess, she
was the sister of Venus. Since she was a half-witch, her father got with a
mortal woman, creating Celeste. So she was half-human, half Goddess.
Venus was a full Goddess, and she is the Goddess of love and Celeste’s
half-sister.” I nod, trying to take all this in.
“Okay, so?” I ask.
“Well, as I said, she was half-mortal and a witch. When Celeste was
alive in the human world, she lived in a village with humans, her mother
being one of them, and her little brother. They all lived together in a small
hut, and the village was surrounded by forest. One night, Celeste’s mother
was killed, which angered Celeste. Can you guess what killed her mother?”
I think for a second, it could be any number of things, but the first word that
pops to mind is…
“Wolves.”
“Correct. Wild wolves had become desperate because there was not
enough food. Not enough wild game to feed hundreds of villagers and the
carnivores, so Celeste wanted to protect her village. Her sister, who she
didn’t know, always kept a close eye on her. Venus found her mortal sister
quite fascinating and kept watch over her. Venus tried to warn her that
doing a spell like that was dangerous. Celeste, however, didn’t care. Her
anger fueled her intentions. The villagers were scared, and Celeste wanted
to do something. She wanted to ensure her brothers’ safety, so Celeste and a
few coven witches decided to do a spell. Level the playing field, if you will.
Only it required a human sacrifice and the sacrifice of a wolf.”
“Celeste became that sacrifice. What is it with gods and sacrifices?” I
shake my head, and Seline laughs.
“The things one would do for love,” she says, and I nod.
“Anyway, no one stepped forward obviously, but Celeste couldn’t bear
the thought of her brother being killed. So she tried to do the spell without a
sacrifice, Venus warned her against it, but of course, she didn’t listen as no
teenager does. So they created the spell, and it was a full moon. They had
everything else except the human sacrifice. When they cast the spell, they
quickly realized something was wrong when the humans suddenly shifted.
The spell was supposed to give them extra senses, if you can’t beat the
enemy, join them. They should have been given speed, sight, sense of smell,
all that comes with being a wolf but in human form,” She pauses for a
second.
“Only when they shifted did she realize her mistake. Venus tried to warn
her, and she didn’t listen, and suddenly her entire village and every village
in the country were forced to shift into beasts, savage like real wolves. Only
bigger and stronger instincts ruled over them, making them crazed. Nearly
her entire coven was killed, all but her. It is believed she was spared as
punishment by the gods. Forced to watch her mistake, this is also where all
the myths come from. She didn’t create wolves. She created something
worse, she created Lycans.”
 “At first, they could only shift on a full moon. If the moon was out, they
couldn’t help it. Their bodies transformed, roaming the earth, killing
everything they came across. In a bid to stop this, the villagers set out to sea
in search of new lands and places to live, trying to separate the colonies of
Lycan’s because their uncontrollable urges were killing everything and
leaving nothing,” Seline explains.
“So that is how so many exist today. She didn’t just transform her
village, she transformed an entire country?” I ask.
“Yes, she underestimated her power being half Goddess, so with the
coven, it only enhanced it, like a plague, affecting every human it reached.
Celeste angered the gods, so they locked her into this realm to ensure she
did no more harm while the monsters she created continued to roam the
earth. They told her she had to fix it and undo it, but she couldn’t without
the original coven elders who helped cast the spell. So for centuries, she
tried. The monsters she created were feared, and humans hunted them,
sought them out, and killed them while they were in their human forms,
hence when they found out about silver harming us, it did. It harmed
Lycans. It could kill them.”
“So when did you become the Moon Goddess?”
“Time wasn’t really measured or accurate, so I can’t say for sure, but
the saying I am as old as dirt would be close.” She chuckles.
“And you created werewolves?” Seline nods, pointing to the fountain.
“Yes, so Celeste was stuck in this very realm, and they called her the
Moon Goddess because the only day she could leave here was on a full
moon to reign in the Lycans. But it never worked.”
“Now my parents were King and Queen, making me a princess of our
Kingdom. My parents died. Lycans got them when they traveled to another
Kingdom by horse and carriage. My maid raised me until my coronation. I
wanted to eradicate the Lycans. What I wasn’t expecting was to fall in love
with one.”
“Wait, you were human? I know you said it earlier, but I thought you
meant like part human, not an actual human.” Seline smiles as her eyes
sparkle.
“Hundred percent human, I was walking through my garden when a
man climbed the stone fence, gave me quite the fright. He was severely
injured. I couldn’t understand how he was alive. My maid helped get him
inside. The guards wanted to kill him. He was naked when I found him, and
he was also a savage. We had him locked in the cells after he tried to attack
me when he woke up. We thought he was a madman.”
“The guards refused to feed him, saying he suffered from madness, but I
couldn’t let him die from starvation. So instead I went down every day, and
I would read to him. After a while, he started eating, and he healed a little
more. He used to watch me through the bars when one day he spoke and
said his name was Bain. After the second week, he would sit by the bars
waiting for me, and eventually, I built up the courage to step into his cell.
He wanted to look at the pictures of the book I was reading, which became
routine. A month later, I was reading to him when I fell asleep. You could
imagine my shock when I heard his bones snapping, and he turned into an
8-foot wolf standing on two legs. I thought the monster ate him,” she
chuckles.
“Only when I screamed, he clamped his hand around my mouth and
curled himself around me instead of attacking me. All night, I sat frozen,
petrified he was going to eat me too while he purred. I was convinced I
would become his next meal, but he shifted back when the night was over,
and I found Bain naked and curled around me.” I sit down, fascinated with
the story, yet also shocked to learn she used to be a human.
“I kept his secret, but eventually, he was caught, he was fine around me,
but I made the mistake of letting him stay in my room on a full moon, a
guard came to check on me because I was sick, and he killed the guard, he
was possessive and felt threatened when the man touched my forehead.”
“They killed him not long after I learned I was pregnant,” she says
sadly.
“My daughter was beautiful. She was placid, but when she came of age,
she showed traits, but she never shifted. I was Queen, but nothing I did
could prevent her death. Once they found out who her father was, they
killed Koraline. She was 13, and they burned her at the stake. When I found
out they caught her, I raced to get to her. I rode a horse into the city in the
middle of the night and found her tied to a stake, and they were going to set
it alight.” She stops like she is lost in time, remembering her heartache. I
reach over and squeeze her fingers gently, and she wipes her eyes, shaking
her head.
“Everyone refused to help. No one would let me explain she wasn’t a
monster like the Lycans. She was good and raised right. She screamed for
me when she spotted me trying to get to her. I wanted to hug her, she was
my world. She was the last piece of her father and the man I loved, and she
was my daughter. So I broke free, and I climbed up there with her. I tried to
remove her shackles, but I couldn’t, so instead, I hugged her and held her
tight.”
“I brought her into the world and I was going with her if she was
leaving it,” Seline says.
“I told her of her father to comfort her, trying to distract her, and I
burned with her. Then howls rang through the night. What I didn’t know
was that the Lycans knew of my daughter. Koraline would sneak out
constantly, which was how she was caught. She hated being kept in the
castle like a prisoner. She liked to roam the forests. Even though she
couldn’t shift into a wolf, she smelt like one. She was stronger than a
human, and she befriended them.”
“The Lycans came tearing apart the city. They tried to save us, but I
refused to let go of her. They wouldn't let me die with my baby, but I
wanted to. I was furious. They couldn’t get her shackles off, and I watched
her burn. I was near death when Celeste came. Luckily, it was a full moon.
She was shocked that a human woman would die for one of her beasts, and
I begged her to kill me.”
“She said she saw that I was able to tame my daughter, able to tame
Bain, and told me she couldn’t save my daughter because she was mostly
human unless she did a spell making her have an immortal soul like her
Lycans,” Seline sits down beside me.
“She said she could take me to Bain. I yelled at her, said no, and told her
to kill me. I was already dying, my skin as dark as charcoal in places, and I
was barely alive. She said I was the missing link she was looking for, which
I didn’t understand at first. She said I was their humanity, that love changed
Bain and stopped Koraline from becoming a monster,” Seline says. Then
she stands up and walks over to the fountain, looking at it before looking at
me.
“I was unfortunately mortal and dying. Celeste used her magic and her
Goddess-given divine power. Instead of making me a Lycan, she tried
something else, she moved over to where my daughter lay dying, she told
me she could bring her back, but if I wanted to see her again, I could only
do so in her realm and that she would make me a Goddess, but only if I
fixed her Lycan’s. I, of course, agreed, not realizing what she meant. She
couldn’t bring my daughter back to her human form. But I agreed, so she
brought me here and gave me a piece of her soul as I did you,” Seline tells
me, pointing at me.
“Only she didn’t just give me a piece, she gave me her life, and in
exchange, she brought my daughter back, but she wasn’t the same, she
didn’t remember me, she didn’t know who I was to her. She brought her
back as the white wolf, a symbol of my love for her.”
“I kept my daughter with me, yet she longed to be free. Lycans started
dying off completely. This realm was becoming overthrown with them until
I remembered love saved Koraline and Bain. After a while, I convinced the
goddess of love, Venus, to help me create mates. She thought it was a great
idea, forcing their humanity, but that didn’t work either. The Lycans nearly
died out, and I was stuck with all these Lycan souls. So I changed the idea
again, I mated them to humans, creating vessels, so when the Lycan died
off, and a child was born with Lycan DNA, I placed one of the Lycan souls
into that child’s vessel, making them a werewolf, giving the human form an
alter ego, and by doing that the Lycan’s have lived on through their human
counterparts,” she explains.
“It gave them back their humanity by having a human vessel. My
daughter wanted to be free, she couldn’t understand what she meant to me.
She didn’t understand that I was her mother, as she was a wolf. She longed
to find her mate. Koraline was blessed by Celeste when she was returned to
me, but she was never whole. She always longed to be free, even when
alive.” Seline glances at the fountains. She tilts her head to the side, her
eyes fall on me again.
“So when Marabella cursed me out, I saw it as an opportunity, and I
merged my daughter with Marabella, taking Marabella’s original wolf and
replacing it with Koraline, giving her what she wanted. I just didn’t realize
the consequences of it. I thought she would be set free, not passed down
through generations. My daughter is Kora. She needed her mates to set her
free. She just wanted to be loved completely, and she got that when you set
her free. You freed my daughter Katya, you sacrificed your life for your
packs, so I brought you back. You were the first person who gave me hope
of reuniting with her.”
“Wait, Kora is Koraline?” I ask her, and she nods.
“Yes, Kora is my daughter and the blessed white wolf. I cursed my
daughter when I cursed your family, and this is when I took mate bonds
seriously.” Seline waves me toward the fountain, and I get up, looking into
it.
“When a werewolf child is conceived, you will feel it. All wolves are
Lycan reincarnation that needs a vessel, recycled, keeping the bloodlines
alive. Some want to go back, some choose to remain here, and this side is
the Lycans wishing to go back. This fountain is the fountain of life. When a
Lycan chooses to go back, I place them in the fountain, waiting for an
available vessel. While in the fountain, everything they know and love is
erased, and they are reborn. When a child is conceived,” she waves her
hand through the water, colors ghostly but colored float amongst the water.
“You match a wolf to the personality that you think the human vessel
needs. See here, this human vessel is light blue. What does that tell you?”
Seline asks.
“You can touch it,” Seline says, and I gently run my fingers through the
water and gasp.
“You can feel their personalities,” I gasp, and Seline smiles.
“She is quiet and shy,” I tell Seline.
“So you give her the opposite wolf, a wolf that will bring her out of her
shell. It’s not just about mating them, it’s also about finding the right human
vessel. See, the wolf isn’t mated to the other wolf, they are mated to the
human counterpart, so when Kora awakens within your daughter; Maddox
won’t recognize Kora as his mate, he will recognize his daughter, the same
as Kora. It’s confusing, but mate bonds are formed between human and
wolf, not because of the wolves themselves, just the wolf’s sense when they
find their human soul to bond to,” Seline explains. I nod, thinking I
understand. When I scan the wolves, looking for a wolf for the girl, I touch
an orange-hued wolf. It is lively but kind.
“That’s good, now bring them together and bleed them into one
another,” I do as she says, feeling them merge and the rest of the blobs
disappear, leaving the two I merged.
“Now call on the unmated,” she says, washing her hands through the
water. Merged souls come to the surface, and I instantly spot one that stands
out like a tingling sensation.
“Now guide them together. Sometimes they will take control themselves
but rarely, so part the others away,” I do, leaving only green and yellow-
hued auras. The orange moves toward them and stops before absorbing into
the one I believe is correct.
 “You just created a mate bond and a vessel bond,” Seline says, and I
smile.
“When you said Marabella and her mate forged a bond, is that what you
meant? When you tried to pair them, they drifted and merged
independently?”
“Yes, I tried to put Marabella with Jonah. They were a good match, I
could feel it, yet with the other dark aura I had, he never found a mate, but
he floated around. The moment I brought you back, it forced them together.
For hours, I tried to separate them. I couldn’t keep them apart. I tried
guiding them to others, but nothing worked.”
“So if you didn’t mate her to Jonah, who did you mate Jonah to?”
“I didn’t. I gave him his wolf, but I left him as a wildcard. He was
suited to Marabella, but I couldn’t bond them,” Seline tells me.
“So she could take him as her chosen mate,” I finish for her.
“Always a loophole; remember that, Kat,” Seline says.
 Chapter

Twenty-Nine

M ateo
“What are you doing?” Ezra asks me as I dig through the
cushions on the couch.
I tilt my head to look at him and grin at his confused facial expression.
“Looking for Kat’s phone; we have been looking all day,” I tell him.
He furrows his brows. “The kids?”
“In bed,” I tell him as I place the cushions back on the couch and check
they don’t look out of place. Can’t leave the place looking like an entire
construction team had tried to remodel the furniture, can I?
Ezra clears his throat and crosses his arms in front of his chest. “And
Kat?”
“With Seline again. I’m worried about how much time she spends in
that realm. Something’s off with their sudden need to spend every waking
moment together,” I tell Ezra.
Every time Kat comes back, she is more stressed than she usually is. As
if the world’s weight is forced on her shoulders for her to carry alone. I
suppose, in a sense, it is.
Ezra remains quiet, obviously stuck in his own head. I know he worries
too, so I try to distract him. “Just help me find it,” I tell him.
I want to help Kat however I can. Even if it’s just silly as helping find
her phone. At this point, I am ready to do anything, just to take a bit of that
weight off her shoulders.
“Or we could sneak up to the room while the kids are sleeping,” Ezra
tells me as he walks closer and stops behind me. His arms wrap around my
waist, pulling me back against him. He presses his pelvis into my ass.
 “No, you know how left out she feels,” I tell him as I shake my head.
I don’t want to anger or hurt Kat. She has been all over the place lately.
The last thing she needs is to come home and catch us railing each other, or
even just smell sex on us. We barely get to touch her. I’m sure this would be
another thing that might bring her down.
I drop to my knees to look under the couch for her phone. Ezra growls
behind me, clearly annoyed, but I won’t make the same mistake again. I
will learn from them, not step on the same rake over and over again.
“I might as well just cut it off since I never get to use it anymore,” Ezra
mumbles behind me.
I stand up, place my hands on my hips, and try to remember where Kat
had her phone the last time. For the record, I completely dismissed the
remark from my mate. Ezra is a horndog, and sometimes, he thinks with his
little friend more often than he does with his actual head.
At this point, he might as well send the brain cells down to his dick.
I perk up as I remember that the last place I have seen her phone around
is the kitchen.
I walk away from Ezra, straight into the pantry, and look through every
section where she might have tossed the phone and forgotten. Then I check
the kitchen drawers.
A while ago, we found our car keys in the bathtub. None of us had any
idea how they got in there, but we all assumed it was Eziah because he was
on the move that day. This could be the same case - the kiddo might have
grabbed the phone and hidden it. Such things happen.
“Are you going to help me or whine? The latter one doesn’t really help
much, in case you’re wondering.” I glance over my shoulder as I ask Ezra
the question. He is following me around, a few steps behind, pouting like
someone just stole his candy.
“I am not whining. I have fucking blue balls that need emptying. Just
touch it.” Ezra whines even louder. The funniest part is that although he
sounds like a child, he is freaking serious.
“Ask Kat,” I tell him and shrug.
Ezra groans and rolls his eyes at me. “She always says she is too tired. I
don’t understand why it is an issue for you, Mateo. We are mates too.”
I love him, I really do, more than anything, but for fuck’s sake, can Ezra
think with his head, not his fucking balls for once?
 I sigh and glance over my shoulder to look at him. “Yes, but if she
knows, that is different because she knows she can join us. But if we go
upstairs while she is not here, and she comes home, she may get upset
thinking we don’t want her.” I try to explain.
“I don’t care when you two fuck.” Ezra says, and I stand up.
“Are you sure you’re an Alpha King? Because right now, you sound
like a whiny bitch. Go rub one out if you’re that hard up, I am busy
anyway,” I wink at Ezra and bend down to dig through the pot’s cabinet.
As soon as I realize the phone isn’t here too, a loud frustrated sigh
leaves my lips.
Ezra growls behind me. “One of you is sucking my cock. I don’t care
who, but one of you will be,” he announces.
I chuckle. It’s all I can do while he is having his tantrum. “Hasn’t been
that long, geez,” I tell him.
“It’s been a month. I have been keeping track.” Ezra argues.
My eyebrows furrow at his argument. “Why would you keep track for?”
I glance at Ezra as he runs his hand through his hair. Frustration radiates
off him in intense waves as he groans again. “Because one day, my nuts will
combust from all the sexual tension in this house, and I want to be able to
blame someone when I am neutered like a dog.” He explains.
It feels like all I get these days are tantrums, anger, and groans or growls
from my mate. Never, in a million years, would I have thought that
someone could go this far simply because they don’t get a little action.
But, fuck. I hope Katya gives him some soon because he is acting like a
she-wolf in heat. No, it’s ten times worse than that. Now that I think of it,
Ezra is worse than Katya on her monthly’s. And nobody likes a moody
Alpha.
As I focus on my primary goal and dig through the fridge, I spot the
phone and almost do a happy dance. But I don’t because if I shake my ass
even a little, Ezra will take it as an invitation.
“I found it,” I tell him with a wide grin across my lips.
“Good, give it here. I will tell her she has to suck my dick for it back.”
Ezra says with a laugh as he tries to pluck the phone from my fingers.
“One day, she will bite you, and it will be your fault,” I tell him, pulling
Kat’s phone out of his reach.
“I would even take teeth at this point. Attention is attention,” Ezra
growls out.
 “Eziah must have put it in the fridge,” I tell Ezra as I look at the phone
and turn it on.
“At least we found it,” Ezra says.
My eyes snap up at him. “You mean I found it? All you did was moan
and groan over your balls,” I tell him, stressing over his own words.
While I try to charge Kat’s phone, it nearly blows up with all the
notifications coming through. It goes off like crazy and vibrates nonstop.
“Check for the important ones and answer them. The rest she can deal
with tomorrow. I wonder how much longer she will be away?” Ezra mutters
as he makes us our coffees.
I flick through her messages. The first one I reply to is from Kat’s
father. He wants to come over on Sunday. “Derrick is coming over Sunday
to help with the kids,” I tell Ezra as I send off the message to Derrick.
“Thank the Goddess. Oh wait, Kat is now the Goddess. Thank the other
Goddess, you know what I mean.” Ezra mutters, sounding just as exhausted
as Kat and I. Lately, we are facing some hell since Marge is sick and can’t
help us out with the kids. That woman is indeed a godsend, and we would
most likely die without her.
“She has three hundred eighty-one missed calls,” I tell Ezra when I
notice that a fair chunk of them are from a weird name.
Is it some sort of code? Is Kat talking to someone behind our backs?
The thought alone angers Ares and me, and I struggle to remain calm.
“You know someone called Android?” I ask Ezra as I look up from the
phone screen.
“Android?” Ezra says, coming over to look over my shoulder.
“Yeah, this Android person rang forty-three times in the last two days,”
I tell him as I show him the missed call log on Kat’s phone.
Ezra growls. “I swear if she is talking to some man, I will fucking kill
him!” Ezra snaps as he snatches the phone from my fingers.
 Chapter

Thirty

K atya
“So I only have to push her toward Jonah, pray she chooses
Jonah before she shifts,” I ask Seline.
“No, unfortunately, fate always changes. It is always altering, depending
on the person’s mindset. I believe nothing you do will stop them from
meeting,” Seline says.
I shake my head. Deep within me, I have a fierce urge to protect my
daughter, but I also know that as she grows up, she will have to make her
own decisions.
“So If I warn her, it could alter her future?” I ask as I bite my bottom lip
and try to look anywhere but at Seline.
“Yes, but there will be consequences for every change you make, Kat.
Fate and destiny aren’t to be altered lightly. I have made that mistake many
times. I nearly lost my daughter because of it. Eventually, I realized her
happiness was all that mattered. It broke my heart letting her enter the
fountain of life, and I paid the consequences, but she chose to go back to
Marabella. There is more to life than the mate bonds, it’s about living and
choosing your path, and that’s why when she volunteered for Marabella, I
didn’t stop her.”
“But Kora remembered me when I came here.”
“Yes, because after you set her free, she didn’t intend to go back, Kora
had limited memory of your bloodline, she is blessed after all, but not even
she could predict everything. She only knew from the visions she shared
with you, she was going to live here and remain. Now that I have placed her
with Marabella, she won’t even remember you,” Seline explains.
 I tilt my head and glance at her, raising an eyebrow. “So there is nothing
we can do to prevent them from meeting?”
“No, sometimes we don’t get a choice.”
“But we are Moon Goddesses?” Seline waves me over to the fountain
again.
She runs her hand through the murky water, and two vessels with their
two wolves appear, and I instantly recognize them.
“Sage and Sierra, Andrei and Donnie,” I mutter under my breath.
“When we first tried creating the mate bond, we mated Lycan’s to
Lycan’s. We don’t give a second chance, mate. It makes it too complicated,
or I thought it did, but look closely and tell me what you see?” she says.
I squint my eyes and lean a little closer to the murky water. Then, I
finally notice a tear in each aura that surrounds the vessels. The tear on the
Lycan side.
“The Lycan aura is severed.” I whisper.
“Correct, Sierra and Donnie were Lycan mates before I started using
werewolf/human vessels, they were the first pair we made because Lycans
are savages. Most killed each other not fixing anything because they had no
humanity, but Sierra and Donnie, they became fused to each other even
after death, their souls stuck. So I separated them, giving them mates. Yet
both of them died, and I have noticed every time I separated them, they
seemed to be on a never-ending loop that usually ends in one of their
deaths, except this time because they found each other.”
I tear my eyes away from the water and look up at her in question.
“When you say never-ending loop, you mean history repeating itself?”
“Yes, but only Sierra’s for some reason repeats, and she can actually
remember parts of her past lives for some reason. Whereas Donnie can’t,
but he feels connected not only to the vessel but Sierra. Sierra suffered the
same way as Sage when she was pure Lycan. She was the weakest Lycan in
her pack, the others took advantage of that before eventually, Donnie saved
her and I merged them, bonded them together. They were the only Lycans
that bonded without killing each other. So when they died and came here, I
noticed when I placed them in the fountain of life, they instantly merged,
and ever since, they have merged on their own. Donnie is Sierra’s safe
place, and Sierra is Donnie’s calm one, and no matter how much I tried to
separate them in the fountain, they would merge back eventually.” She
gently shakes her head and smiles, as if she’s still struggling with how it can
be possible. Like she is watching a miracle happen before her eyes, and she
isn’t the one who’s responsible for the said miracle.
“But yet you gave them mates before each other?” I tilt my head and
hum, attempting to figure out the reasoning behind her actions.
If Sierra and Donnie were literally meant to be together, almost created
for each other even before the pairing happened, why would she still try to
separate them?
“Yes, I wanted to see if I could separate them. I have tried a couple of
times to test the theory, but no matter who I bond them to, the mates I
choose for them die, and then they don’t find each other. So when you
asked if I could give Andrei a second chance, I gave him Sage, but this is
what I mean about meddling with fate. For some reason, Sierra’s trauma in
her past life has remained with her. She suffers, again and again, the same
fate, and so does her vessel, which is now Sage. It happens every time I try
to separate them. Something we need to realize we can’t control, just like I
tried to control who they were mated to, the consequence of me trying to
mate them to other people was that their mates always died. You never
know the consequence of meddling with fate, and sometimes it isn’t worth
meddling with, it will cause more heartache.” Seline glances at the water as
raw sadness radiates off her.
It must have been so hard on her to watch her children suffer like that.
And worst of all, this is but a tiny fraction of everything she had to watch
over the years.
“So I need to let Marabella and Kora decide because I could cause more
damage by tampering with the bonds,” I ask, horrified. Is there possibly a
worse future than my daughter killing herself?
“Exactly,” she whispers, and offers me a weak smile.
“Can I see Marabella’s bonds?” I ask her, and she runs her fingers
through the water. Two equally dark figures appear in the murky water, and
Jonah’s figure floats randomly around them.
“Try to separate them,” Seline tells me, and I do.
I even try to direct Marabella’s to Jonah’s, but the other one just
follows, and Marabella’s pushing against my hand, trying to get back to
him. Jonah, however, chases Marabella’s dark hue, wanting to merge but
unable to. The two black blobs clash violently and fuse as soon as I move
my hand.
 “See, we can’t control everyone’s bonds, like Sierra and Donnie’s.
Some refuse to do what we think is best.” Seline sighs and shakes her head.
“So what will happen to Jonah? Clearly, he wants to be Marabella’s
mate, or at least his wolf wants him to be, yet she is bonded to this one.” I
huff.
I want my daughter to find her happiness, even if it happens to involve
something very dark, but I want Jonah to find his. The little boy has seen
some terrifying things, endured so much over his short life, and it breaks
my heart that my brother’s boy might never find it.
“That I can’t say, chosen bonds will always be stronger than mated
bonds because it has a choice. Both wolf and human choose the same, and
since she is your daughter, you also don’t get to see her future.” I force
down the lump that forms in my throat, struggling to hide how upset this
makes me feel. “But you can see her mate,” Seline then adds, and I look
down at the black figures.
“You can touch him,” Seline says as I run my fingers through the murky
water. The moment I touch his aura, I can tell he is an Alpha. A strong and
powerful one, at that. However, the next moment, I feel the coldness of
black magic and my eyes immediately snap back at Seline.
“Kyan Dominic Octavian,” I tell her as my eyes widen in realization.
She nods sadly. “I couldn’t find him a match until after I brought you
back. I went to check your kid’s bonds only to find Kyan had already
merged with her. This is what I meant when I said about the Octavian 12th-
cycle bloodline. Every 12th generation born, I never get to choose a mate.
Something I forgot when I remembered Kyan was in the fountain. And
when Marabella’s vessel appeared, he instantly became attached to her,”
Seline tells me.
“What do you mean?”
“Kyan appeared in the fountain of life with his wolf already decided. He
appeared with his beast. I didn’t place him in the fountain, something else
did. It’s almost as if every 12th generation just randomly appears in the
fountain. Whatever the curse is that is on the Octavian bloodline is stronger
than me.”
“So, who is his wolf?” I ask her because I can’t feel anything from him
but darkness. The same darkness that I felt when confronting Dominic.
“That is something I also don’t know. I have never had the 12-cycle
reincarnation come to the fountains. He only shows up with his vessel every
twelve generations. He is a secret Celeste took to the heavens with her and,
for some reason, I have never been able to see the Octavian 12th
generation.”
“So, what can I do to help her?” I ask, growing more worried with each
second.
“Maybe try to build a relationship between Kyan and Marabella, but if
you try to separate them, it could end in disaster, that’s the only thing I can
think of,” Seline tells me, and I nod while yawning, wondering what time it
is.
“You should head back to your mates,” Seline tells me.
“When will I see you next?” I ask her.
“Hopefully soon, I still have a lot of things to go over, plus I need to tell
Bain,” she tells me.
“Bain is here?” I ask her.
“Yep, he remained in this realm, never left my side. Though I am not
looking forward to that conversation.” She averts her gaze.
“So can he shift between, or is he, like Kora, stuck in wolf form?” I
raise an eyebrow. For some reason, I feel like this conversation is far from
over, and we will come back to this.
“No, Kora is the only one that can’t shift in this realm. The rest can shift
to their true Lycan forms, but most prefer werewolf forms now, evolution in
a sense,” Seline says, and I nod.
“You need help to get back?” She asks, and I shake my head.
“I think I will be fine,” I tell her and quickly hug her goodbye. Then, I
focus on the office back home, and in a heartbeat, I stand in the middle of it.
When I do, I find Ezra and Mateo sitting on the edge of the desk. I
smile. They must have sensed that I was coming back home.
My eyes fall on the device Ezra is holding, and I grin. “You found my
phone!” I say excitedly as I try to reach for it. Finally, I can get hold of
Andrei and Sage without waiting for the landline to free up.
Ezra pulls it out of reach, and I pout, wondering why he is holding it
hostage. “Not fair. Are you really going to make me jump for it?” I ask as
he holds it above his head. I cross my arms over my chest. I am not making
a fool of myself by jumping for it.
“Who is Android?” Ezra growls.
Huh? What the fuck is he talking about? I furrow my brows and glare at
him. “Pardon?” I ask.
 “Are you talking to other men behind our backs? Is this why you aren’t
interested in us anymore?”
As the ridiculous questions spill from Ezra, all I can do is stop and stare.
Somehow, he manages to catch me off guard time and time again. Is he on
drugs? Did he bump his head a little too hard, and it knocked the sense out
of him?
“Answer Kat, you are constantly up at us for screwing once without
telling you, but you talk to some man behind our backs.” Ezra growls, close
to shaking in anger.
“What man?” I ask, completely baffled.
“Android!” They both scream at me.
I look at Ezra and Mateo as if those two are stupid. What are they
talking about? And who the fuck is Android? Or better yet, who, in their
right mind, would call a kid Android?
“How could I be talking to some man behind your backs when you have
my phone?” I snap back at them. Their accusation is uncalled for,
completely baseless, and goddamn stupid.
“Don’t lie, Kat! This is why you were so desperate to find your phone,
isn’t it? So you can speak to this germ,” Ezra growls at me, and Maddox
presses forward.
I blink at them. This can’t be happening. If I were cheating, they would
feel it. Are they morons? “I have no idea what you are talking about,” I tell
them.
“Really? Then explain why he called forty-three times in two days?”
Mateo says, glaring at me.
Maddox growls. They are serious, and they seriously think I am having
an affair. “Show me,” I demand, and Ezra practically tosses the phone at
me.
I scan the call logs, plenty from family, Terra, Jasmine, and pack
members. Then there is the Android that these two are upset over. Looking
up, I purse my lips.
“See, there he is! Now, fucking explain,” Ezra snaps at me.
I fold my arms in front of my chest and shake my head. Never have I
ever struggled so much to keep a straight face as much as I am now.
Usually, it’s not hard at all when I face one stupid person. But now, I’m
looking at double stupid, stupid that shares one brain cell between them. Or
perhaps these two are brain-dead.
 “Yeah, I let him touch my soft wares,” I tell them. Emphasizing soft
wares.
“You let him touch your what?” Mateo growls menacingly.
“Yep, he could even handle duel-siming me,” I tell them.
The crazed, menacing looks make it almost impossible to stop myself
from laughing. “Sometimes he lets me finger his touchscreen?”
Ezra steps forward and I can’t hold it in any longer as I see the
murderous look on his face. I crack and laugh as tears roll down my cheeks
at their stupidity.
“You think this is funny? Are you trying to joke about it?” Ezra growls
at my face.
“Hilarious,” I choke out. I have to sit on the couch before I pee myself
from laughing so hard.
“I can’t believe you are laughing right now. You betrayed us.” Mateo
gasps in disbelief. He truly feels disgusted and betrayed. I can hear it in his
voice and feel it through the bond. And yet, as sorry as I am, I can’t help but
laugh even harder. I can’t contain myself.
“Well, you both just won first place for the dumbass awards,” I choke
out, struggling to breathe at this point.
“Excuse me?” Ezra says, glaring down at me.
“Did either of you check the numbers on the “contact?” I ask using air
quotes on the contact. They look at each other. “Because if you did, you
would have realized it was too long to be a mobile number and if you tried
calling it back, it would have probably called my tablet. It is a software
number. I called it to find my phone, you bloody idiots. My phone is an
Android phone if you bothered to look at the back of it.” I explain, no
amusement left in my words at this point.
Honestly, I can’t believe they actually think I might cheat on them. Not
only is it ridiculous because of how “obvious” it would be, but also, I can’t
cheat on my mates. I can’t believe Ezra and Mateo think I ever could.
Ezra turns the phone over and looks at it. “Ah well, I thought it was a
man’s number or code for some man’s number.” He mutters, keeping his
eyes locked on the phone.
“And what man do you know that has the name Android?” I ask.
“I did think the name sounded odd,” Mateo mutters.
“So, a blowjob is out of the question?” Ezra asks.
I glare at him. “Why the hell would you think I was having an affair?”
 “Because you aren’t giving us any, so?”
“So, you assumed instantly I was having an affair. I am fucking tired. I
haven’t got time to scratch my ass or screw either of you, but I have time to
find another man?” I ask.
“Well, when you say it like that,” Mateo looks away guiltily.
“He assumed it, not me, so punish him,” Ezra says, and Mateo glares at
him.
“Are you forgetting we are mates? If I were cheating, you would know
instantly and feel it.” I point out the obvious.
“Emotional affairs happen,” Mateo says, and I raise an eyebrow at him.
He needs to lay off watching Dr. Phil.
“Emotional affairs, right? But it is okay for you to fuck in the forest
behind my back?” I snap at them.
“We have apologized a million times for that, and we haven’t since.
Must you always bring that up?” Mateo asks and drops his head to look at
the floor.
“Well, apparently, I am having an affair with my phone, so I thought I
should remind you two of when you were both screwing and leaving me out
all the time.” I snap at them. As funny as their accusations were the moment
they brought them up, it’s not nearly as funny anymore. I slowly realize that
my mates don’t trust me.
“It was one time, and it wasn’t planned or anything, and we thought you
wanted nothing to do with us,” Ezra says, shrugging his shoulders.
“You are my mates,” I tell them, though how I can make that much
clearer is beyond me.
“And we are mates too. It’s not cheating,” Ezra says, pointing between
him and Mateo.
“I never said it was, but it fucking sucked knowing my life was falling
apart while you were fooling around,” I stress the same thing I have
stressed far too many times. All those times they still didn’t listen, and it
doesn’t look like they will anytime soon.
“We didn’t mean to upset you, you were in a bad place, and we… it was
one time,” Ezra says. “I don’t care if you two screw around when I am not
here, so why do you care?” He gets defensive.
“Because it always feels like you are both ganging up on me, and then
you run off together like you don’t want me around,” I explain.
 “What? No, Kat, it wasn’t like that,” Mateo says, stepping forward and
wrapping his arms around me. “We are yours, and you are ours. As for this
whole Android thing, that was Ezra, and it had nothing to do with me, he
found the phone.” Mateo says and kisses the top of my head.
“So, I found it now? What, when I wanted to use it for blackmail
against her - you found it. But now she is angry - I did?” Ezra asks,
completely astonished.
“Blackmail?” I raise an eyebrow as I look between my mates. So, there
is more to this than I already know. Apparently, the Android thing isn’t the
only bit my mates came up with.
“He wanted you to suck him off in exchange for your phone,” Mateo
chuckles.
“Yeah, after sucking off Android, my lips are sore and slightly
chapped,” I tell him, laughing to myself.
Ezra mutters something under his breath and steps over to kiss my
cheek. “I’m sorry Mateo is an idiot and didn’t realize what Android was,”
Ezra says, and I roll my eyes.
“So, what did you learn with Seline?” He quickly changes the topic, and
for once, I’m grateful we can talk about something other than phones,
Android, and sucking someone off.
“She showed me how to create and forge mate bonds,” I tell them.
I know I shouldn’t, but I leave out the part about their daughter, who is
mated to Kyan Octavian - Dominic Octavian’s son. The same boy that I will
meet in two days for whatever reason his father needs me this time.
Hopefully, not another stupid, power-hungry attempt to challenge the power
he seems to be seeking.
 Chapter

Thirty-One

S age
I have just put Jonah to bed, and Andrei still hasn’t returned home
yet. He left early this morning before I was fully awake, and now, it is
nearly 11 pm already. I’m starting to worry. He rarely spends that much
time away from me and Jonah.
He has been in and out all day, and we have barely spoken a word today.
That fact alone makes me feel more uneasy. I don’t enjoy staying apart for
so long or simply accepting that we’re not talking. At this point, I feel like
we are having a massive argument and are giving each other the cold
shoulder, even though it’s not like that.
And to make everything even worse, Derrick left around lunchtime to
go to Kat’s. I know that he wants to help her and her mates with the kids,
but the lack of his presence in the house makes me feel a little lonely.
I can’t prioritize my feelings over Kat’s need for help, though.
Apparently, the twins are teething badly, and Marge has been sick with flu,
so all of them have had no sleep at all. The lack of rest also results in Kat’s
inability to shift. That fact worries me because we all know how important
it is for her to shift regularly.
Derrick is going over there to give Kat’s mates a reason to force her to
shift.
I close the door to Jonah’s bedroom and walk into the bedroom to flop
on the bed.
It is so quiet; the bed feels too big with no one in it, and I debate
whether to climb in Jonah’s with him so I can try to sleep. As I walk into
the room, my eyes feel dry, like sandpaper, and I give up on any thoughts
just to flop on the bed, face down.
I don’t notice when I fall asleep, but when I feel the bed shift next to me
and hands grip under my arms, I startle awake.
Apparently, I’m more exhausted than I realized as the scent of soap and
Andrei wafts under my nose.
“You’re home finally,” I mutter as he maneuvers me around the bed and
tugs the blankets up.
“Sorry I was busy. It took longer than I thought,” he says, wrapping his
body around mine before I drift back off.
It is early when I wake up. The sun isn't even out yet. Something
unnerves me, and I have no reason to wake yet. Andrei is sleeping soundly,
but dread washes over me, and I am unsure why. This feeling has been
appearing since Jonah came home, like something bad will happen.
“It’s nothing, go back to sleep,” Sierra says, but I can’t help it. Instead
of listening, I force myself up to go check on him. Paranoia always creeps
in - it makes me wonder if the windows are locked, the door is locked, and
if he is still in bed.
As I walk down the hall, I open the door to find him safely tucked in his
bed, nothing out of place.
“See, told you.” Sierra says, and she is right, as always when I wake up
time and time again. Climbing back in bed, Andrei rolls on his back.
“Go back to sleep,” he mutters. He has become used to my nightly
walks to check on Jonah. My mind is alert, though, and I am unable to go
back to sleep. As I look at the alarm clock, I see it is a little after 4:30 AM.
“Sage, please sleep,” Andrei mutters as he turns to face me and tucks
me closer. My nose presses against his chest. His scent calms me and makes
the tension leave.
“Please don’t make me get up. I can feel how awake you are, and it will
keep me awake,” he mutters. “Sleep,” he says, and I sigh, trying to close my
eyes and fight the urge to check Jonah again.
“No one will take him,” Andrei says, pulling away and opening one eye
to look at me.
“You’re going to make me get up, aren’t you?”
“Can you just check the border cameras, please?” He sighs.
“You know I can feel if intruders step over, right?”
“Yeah, but sometimes they still slip through,” I tell him, and he groans.
 “This is the third time since I got home,” he mutters.
“I just woke up.” I tell him.
“That doesn’t stop you from waking me to get up to check the cameras
while you’re sleeping. You know what it is? You are so used to something
going wrong, Sage. So when you find a sliver of peace, you are waiting for
something to go wrong,” he says, and I know he is right, but the feeling of
unease is unsettling.
“Fine, I am going, but this is the last time, though. I need more than four
hours of broken sleep at night,” he says, tossing the blanket back and
walking out of the room.
I hear him go downstairs and into the office. About five minutes later,
he returns, but instead of climbing back into bed, he walks into the
bathroom and turns the shower on. Tossing the blankets off, I follow him
into the bathroom.
“I thought you were coming back to bed.” I mutter.
“Well, I can’t now. If I go back to sleep and get up in an hour, I will be
more tired,” he says, stripping his boxer shorts off.
“You’re leaving again, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but hopefully, I won’t be long today. I just need to go meet some
people, and if all goes well, I will be home by lunch,” he says before
stepping into the shower. Then he glances at me and flashes me a gentle
smile. “Shower with me?” I nod, strip my clothes off, climb in, and shut the
shower screen.
“Where have you been going?” I ask him.
“The caves where Jonah was found.”
“Why?”
“We found a rogue camp there, and Zane and I have been watching
them.”
“You aren’t going to hurt them, are you?”
“What? No, just observing them. Most of them are women and children.
There are a few men, but mostly women and children.” Andrei explains.
I raise an eyebrow. “So then, what’s the point of watching them?”
“We have been sending supplies in. I tried to speak to them yesterday,
but they know of my cruelty towards rogues, which is making it difficult.”
He sighs.
“Making what difficult?”
 “I offered them to join our pack, but they are hesitant,” he answers,
reaching for the shampoo. He turns me around and squirts some in his
hands. He washes my hair, massaging my scalp with his fingers.
“You will let them join? You would bring a rogue camp in?” I ask him,
shocked.
“Mhm,” he hums softly.
“Why are they hesitant? Most would jump at that opportunity.” I ask,
genuinely confused.
“Well, I haven’t exactly got an excellent reputation with rogues, and
also, the other rogue packs in the area have been talking. They have been
warned away from our pack.” Andrei says, and I sigh in understanding. I
wouldn’t precisely be jumping to join the rogue killing Alpha’s pack if he
wasn’t my mate.
“Maybe I could come with you?” I ask him, but he pushes me under the
stream of water.
“No, we have spotted a few camps surrounding it. It isn’t safe, and I
found a few all-male rogue camps that seem to have more sinister
intentions. We have spotted them going to this camp. I think they are the
main reason they refuse to join. I think they fear the men’s camp,” Andrei
says.
I nod, but still have many questions to ask. “You think they are hurting
the rogues?”
“No idea, but I intend to find out today when I go back,” Andrei tells
me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want to get your hopes up. I don’t want to build an
illusion that I have changed if I couldn’t bring myself to let them in.”
“So, what changed your mind?”
“Jonah did, you did, my pack did,” Andrei says, kissing my shoulder. I
lean against him, but he steps back.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he says, and I turn around to face him. I wrap my arms
around his neck, kissing his lips.
“Liar,” I tell him, feeling his erection pressing against my stomach. I
know that is why he steps away. He barely touches me, almost like he
thinks now we have mated that I will see him as pressuring me for more.
“You don’t have to hide from me,” I tell him.
 “I just don’t want you thinking that I expect it now,” he says against my
lips.
I kiss him back, nibbling on his lip. My tongue traces the seam of his
lips, and he groans, pushing me against the cold tiles.
Reaching down, I wrap my hands around his shaft. I enjoy touching him
as much as he enjoys touching me. I never thought I would like intimacy
with anyone, but with Andrei, it is different. He makes me see everything
differently, it feels different.
I squeeze him gently, running my hand up his length to the tip before
pressing closer to him, and kissing his chest, running my tongue down his
pec.
“Sage?” Andrei growls, trying to grab my arms as I drop to my knees in
front of him.
“Oh God, are you really going to try doing that? Have fun choking on
that.” Sierra says, laughing in my head.
“Sage, you don’t have to,” Andrei says, trying to grab my arms, but I
shrug him off, grabbing his cock in my hand. “Sage?”
“Stop, I am fine. I wouldn’t if I didn’t want to, and I couldn’t save
anything else for you, so let me. No one was stupid enough to stick
anything near my mouth,” I mutter dryly.
“Was that humor because that was messed up? Don’t speak like that,”
Andrei growls.
“Well, it’s true,” Andrei growls at me again. But he has to understand
that if I want to joke about my horrible past, he has to let me do so. It’s
better than crying about it.
“I am just saying you don’t have to, so please get up.”
“You don’t want me to?” I ask him.
“No of course, I do. I am a man. What man doesn’t want? Never mind,
just - ”
I don’t let him finish. His confession is good enough for me as I wrap
my lips around the tip. His hands smack the tiles as he jerks, not expecting
me to go ahead. Sierra gives me gross mental images I don’t want in my
head like she is some cock sucking coach.
“Just help yourself then,” Andrei mutters as I take more of him in my
mouth.
My hand moves in rhythm with my mouth as I run my tongue along his
shaft. I steady myself with one hand on his thigh when I feel his hand move
to my hair, yet he only gently strokes my hair, tangling his fingers in it. I
pick up my pace, his hand in my hair is enough encouragement to make me
want to keep going, taking him deeper into my mouth when I suddenly take
too much, gagging on it and pulling back.
Andrei laughs softly, tugging me back up, a smile on his lips. He
presses his body against mine, his heat seeping into me, and I wrap my
arms around his neck, drawing him in closer as he dips his face to kiss me.
Andrei’s hands move down my sides, gripping the back of my thighs
and hoisting me up. My legs wrap around his waist as he presses me against
the tiled wall. His cock presses against my core, and he rocks his hips,
making his length slide between my folds and hit my clit. Sparks move
across my skin, making me gasp into his mouth. Desire overwhelms me,
and my arousal spills from me.
I roll my hips against him, his cock slides back and forth, rubs against
me, and builds up friction. Andrei’s lips are not leaving mine as he deepens
the kiss, his tongue tasting every inch of my mouth, and my walls clench in
anticipation. Moving my hips, I lift myself higher, and he squeezes my
thighs, lining himself up with my entrance. I try to press down on him,
feeling his cock prodding but not entering, and he groans, pressing his face
into my neck.
“Sage?”
“Hmm.” Is all I manage, and he nips at my neck and jawline before
thrusting into me.
His cock fills and stretches me as he buries himself in me. He pulls out
slowly, and my lips part at the feel of him filling me. My hips move,
seeking the friction he is giving and making me moan. The sound is lewd
and louder than I thought as it bounces off the tiled walls, making me clamp
my lips together.
Andrei picks up his pace, finding a rhythm, and I cry out as I feel my
walls clamp around him. His mouth crashes against mine, and he swallows
my moans while he pounds into me. The familiar tensing of my stomach
muscles takes over, and my legs squeeze around his waist, pulling him
deeper when my skin prickles and heats.
Andrei’s movements become harsher and more erratic when warmth
floods me, making me cry out. My toes curl as my climax washes over me
in waves, and my walls spasm and flutter around his length, squeezing and
milking his cock as he stills deep inside me. I feel the thick ropes of his
seed coating my insides, leaving us both panting as the pulsation of his cock
prolongs the feeling that ebbs and flows over me.
I lean heavily against the wall, trying to catch my breath, and Andrei
kisses my lips, nibbling on them. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” I mumble, kissing him back. He pulls out of me, sets
my feet on the floor, and reaches for the soap.
“I am glad you made me check the cameras now,” he says, making me
laugh before reaching for me. I grab the soap from his hand and rub it
across his chest while he helps me wash.
“Are you sure I can’t come with you tomorrow?” I ask him while
yawning.
“I won’t have you put in danger until we know for sure it is safe. You
have to stay here. I will try to be quick. Besides, Jonah needs you here, and
I doubt you will be comfortable leaving him,” Andrei says.
“Yeah, true.” I mutter. He is right. I’m not comfortable being away from
Jonah, not when we just got him back.
 Chapter

Thirty-Two

S age
Monday
Andrei leaves early once again, I wish Derrick could be with him.
I would feel more at ease, knowing his father is with him and would have
his back.
Derrick called me earlier and said he would be over tomorrow before
Dominic gets here with Kat and the kids. Andrei was so excited when I told
him that Derrick called around lunchtime.
Andrei already called to tell me he is still with the rogue camp, and they
had a run-in with another camp, which turned out to be one of the rogue
camps Jackson worked with when they had the pack war. They weren’t
happy that Andrei wanted to initiate the rogue camp.
They are staking some claim to them, saying the women are their
workers, which sickens me, knowing this rogue camp is whoring out the
women in return for safety from the very rogue pack that is selling them.
The last time I heard from him was just after dinner, when I was getting
Jonah ready for his bath.
Clay, one of Andrei’s warriors, mind-linked me and said they were fine,
that Andrei attacked the leader of the all-male rogue camp, but was fine and
that only one warrior got injured, but was already healing.
They are planning to move the camp and bring them here during the
week once they organize transportation for everyone, and we also have to
figure out where to put them.
We have eleven vacant homes. So, Malik and Zane spent most of the
day with Nora and me setting up bunk beds in all the rooms to place
everyone in until they can order more kit homes to be built.
From my understanding, Andrei’s pack was one of the biggest ones,
next to Jackson’s old pack before the war, and Andrei was shocked to learn
that a few of those in the rogue camp were from Jackson’s pack originally,
but fled before the war with Kat’s pack.
Malik and Zane told me that Andrei has been sending supply trucks out
to the rogue camp since he found it when they were searching for
information about Jonah. I was a little shocked he could hide it so well
because I had no idea about it.
I’m not entirely sure if it is his guilty conscience mixed with Jonah’s
arrival, but I am glad to see the changes, and he also seems happier within
himself.
I just wish he would have told me, but I also understand why he kept it
between his father, Zane, and Malik. He didn’t want to raise the pack’s
hopes if he couldn’t handle it and killed them.
I just hop out of the shower and am getting ready for bed, but that
restless feeling rushes over me again. Walking into the hall with just my
towel on, I listen for noise. I don’t understand what it is, I just can’t shake
it.
I check on Jonah again - he is still fast asleep in his bed. I quickly check
the security cameras, but also nothing. Going back to the room, I put on my
pajamas, the unsettling feeling eases off, and I am eager for Andrei to return
home.
“Now I am bored,” I mutter as I dig through the pile of books on the
nightstand I have read repeatedly since being here.
“You could always talk to me,” Sierra says.
“It’s not the same. I want my mate.”
“Yeah, but I’m better than nothing,” she says and yawns. I know she
wants to shift. We haven’t done it in so long, and it is quite a pleasant night,
the sky clear and the breeze warm.
“I know. I can ask Malik to come to watch Jonah or Casen,” I tell her,
feeling her itching to go for a run despite being exhausted.
“Please,” she groans, and I chuckle.
With everything going on, shifting has been far from my mind. Sierra is
unwilling to ask or ever bring it up. The silly wolf thinks she is adding to
my stress levels.
 Opening the pack mind link, I search for Malik and Casen’s tether. Both
of them answer at the same time. “Everything alright?”
“Yes, I am fine. Can one of you come and watch Jonah for me while I go
for a run?” I ask them.
“I will. Malik can go for a run with you,” Casen says.
“No, I will be fine by myself. I will stay within the borders,” I tell them.
“Luna, Andrei won’t like you running through the forest on your own,”
Malik says.
“I know, but no need for everyone to get up. I have the mind link, and I
will remain close.” I insist.
“I don’t mind coming with you,” Malik says.
“It isn’t necessary. I’ll see you soon, Casen. Jonah is asleep, so you can
do what you want. I just don’t want him to wake up while I am gone, and
see that no one is here. He has been having night terrors.” I explain the
importance of someone’s presence in the house.
“On my way,” he replies, and I cut the link.
I walk straight into the closet, and grab a thin dress. I remove my
clothes, slip on the dress and head back downstairs to open the door. Casen
is walking across the grass toward me as I step out.
“Luna,” he says, pecking my cheek on his way past.
“The TV remote is on the mantle,” I tell him.
“Have fun, and yes, I will lock the door,” he says, smiling at me as he
closes it.
I start walking to the side of the house when I notice Malik sitting on
the front steps. I roll my eyes at him. I’m aware he won’t go back inside
until I return. Walking around the side, I find Zane lying on the grass on his
back.
“Really?” I ask him.
“You are our Luna. If you think we will let you roam the forest with no
one out here, you are mistaken.” He chuckles and wiggles his eyebrows at
me.
“The border patrols are on. I don’t need babysitting,” I tell him.
“Yes, they are, but we have still been getting rogue scouts along the
borders. It isn’t safe by yourself, since you won’t let any of us come with
you. We will remain close enough in case we need to get to you,” Zane
says.
 “I feel bad, though. I will just wait and make Andrei take me
tomorrow,” I tell him, and Sierra whines loudly.
“Sage, go, but I am not going inside until you are safely tucked back
inside the house. The border patrol knows you are heading out and are
keeping watch, you aren’t a burden to us, we just care about you, Sage, so
get used to it,” he says.
“Fine, well, where is the border patrol?”
“On the borders, I won’t peek. You know, Andrei would tear out
anyone’s eyes that did. You are safe, Sage. This is your pack, your family.
So, if you want to go, go.” Zane gestures towards the tees.
“I will be quick,” I tell him and quickly head to the tree line.
“Take as long as you want,” he says, closing his eyes.
I step into the dark forest and duck behind a tree. I know they won’t
watch me, but being out in the open still freaks me out. Shifting is more
difficult, as the tension in my body makes the process take a little longer.
Sierra takes off the moment I do. She is zipping in and out of trees and
pushing herself to the limit. We run for about an hour when she slows,
lazily walking back toward the clearing and training grounds. She lays
down when we reach the long grass, hiding amongst it on her back.
“I love this place,” Sierra tells me.
“I do, too,” I tell her.
“We should head back,” I tell her. At this point, both of us know we
have been gone for a while already and Jonah might be looking for us.
“We are ready to head back home,” I mind-link Malik.
“Not necessary. Just tell me where you are. I can’t pick up your scent,”
he says.
“Are you following me?” I mentally facepalm myself. I should have
seen this coming.
“Guilty, Zane went home to kill a spider for Nora. I was becoming
uneasy after just sitting on the steps for so long.” He admits.
I chuckle to myself that Nora needs to be rescued from a spider when
she is a werewolf.
“I am in the clearing. Where are you?”
“By the waterfall, I will head to you,” he replies.
“Ok, and Casen?”
“With Jonah still, he ate Andrei’s cookies that he likes,” Malik says, and
I chuckle. Andrei loves Montecarlos, but whenever he gets them, they
mysteriously vanish if Casen is around. “Oh, Andrei is a few minutes out.
He should be here soon,” Malik tells me.
Excitement bubbles in me at our mate coming home, and I feel Sierra
get all giddy.
Closing the link, Sierra rolls over on her tummy before spotting a rabbit.
She crawls on her belly, eyes trained on her target. “Ew, no, please.”
“I just want to play with it.” She whines.
“Your idea of play and mine are two different things. I don’t play with
my teeth,” I tell her.
“Just let me catch it, I will let it go,” she says, licking her furry chops.
There is no way she will let it go. She likes the chase. Of course, she
will let it go and then hunt it back down until the poor thing is too
exhausted and practically crawls in her mouth to get some rest and die.
“Shh,” she says as she sneaks closer, her tail waggles behind her.
“It can’t hear me.” I mutter, growing a little annoyed.
“But it’s distracting, just like Andrei turning the radio down when he is
looking for a parking spot. It helps me see better,” she says.
“We don’t look with our ears,” I tell her, and she shushes me again.
I roll my eyes at her as she pounces on it. She pins it between her paws
and starts licking it. The rabbit thrashes as she mauls it with her tongue.
“Why do you do that?” I ask her.
“To soften it up. I need to tenderize it with my tongue,” she answers and
then, lets go of the poor thing. Sierra lets it run a few feet away before she
pounces on it again.
“And that?” I groan.
“I like its fear, kind of like how you like salt and pepper - makes it taste
better,” she answers, picking it up like a pup. It thrashes as she plays with it
when it shrieks.
“Please, Sierra, you know I hate when you hurt them, just eat it or let it
go.” I snap at her.
“Fine,” she says, about to kill it, but we both freeze as we hear the
grass rustle. Sierra’s head whips up, and she looks around but hears nothing.
“Malik was quick,” I tell her.
“Too quick,” she says, standing up, and the rabbit darts away. Sierra
sniffs the air, and then, we hear another rustle of grass. She spins quickly,
but nothing is there.
 “Malik, where are you?” I ask through the link when it is suddenly
overwhelmed by Andrei’s voice.
“Rogues!” He bellows through the link.
“Malik!” I scream.
“Get home, Sage, now!” He screams, and Sierra takes the position to
dart away, but the grass directly behind us makes noise.
We are so close to the border and the grass is so overgrown that we still
have a good ten-minute run to the training grounds.
“Sage, where are you? Are you safe?” Andrei asks.
“The clearing. I don’t think I am alone out here,” I tell him as Sierra’s
eyes scan the area.
Sierra’s fur hackles up, like in a sense when you know you are being
cornered and watched. I can hear fighting in the forest, yet every noise has
us turning, and I feel like there is more than one rogue in this grass.
When a warm gust of wind flattens the grass, I see the reflection of two
sets of eyes looking back at us, hunched low to the ground. Just a brief
moment after, I hear savage growls just as teeth sink into our side.
Sierra whimpers, trying to get the wolf off as it perches on our back. Its
teeth rip into our side when the other two jump us, teeth and claws tearing
us to pieces.
We never stood a chance.
“Sierra, get us out!” I scream as she tries to defend herself, but no
matter how we move, teeth and claws sink in, ripping off chunks of flesh
and fur. Sierra whimpers, but we are pinned underneath three wolves hell-
bent on killing us.
“Shift back,” I scream, feeling her trying to hold off, but a smaller body
is harder to target.
I can hear Andrei screaming, but I can’t pay attention or even reply. I
hear Malik and the warriors screaming when I feel Sierra’s back leg snap,
her ribs break, and she is given no choice but to shift to heal quicker.
I scream as I feel teeth sink into my thigh and then my shoulder. Pain,
all I feel is pain, but one has to back off because three are now getting in
each other’s way. I kick one in the head, only for him to bite my foot,
flinging me like I weigh nothing.
My pulse is beating in my ears and head as I smack the ground, clawing
at the dirt. All that training is for nothing. I am no match against one, let
alone three. We should have been paying better attention to our
surroundings.
Claws sink into my back before I feel its breath on my neck. Another is
ripping at my broken leg, and I close my eyes, waiting for it to snap my
neck. As its weight crushes my broken ribs, my breathing becomes
wheezing. Sierra is screaming at me to get up. My thoughts are wandering
to Jonah and Andrei. My leg feels nearly torn off just below the knee when
I let out a breath.
I resign myself to death, but the weight is gone suddenly. I hear
fighting, and the horrendous sounds of flesh tearing and shrieking cries. All
I can focus on is the gurgling and gasping noises other than the pain. Using
my hands I try to crawl away, but even my upper body strength is gone. I
hear grass rustling all around me, and so much fighting I am worried
someone will eventually fall on me.
When I feel fur brush me, I tense, but I feel tingles and a wet tongue on
my leg instead of teeth. I can still hear rustling, but no more fighting.
“You’re okay, love,” Andrei says, while Donnie uses his nose to roll me
over. I scream when only part of my leg moves with me.
“Hold her leg,” I hear a voice boom through the link.
“Hate me later,” Andrei says when Malik suddenly shifts next to me.
He kneels next to me and grabs my ankle.
“Sorry, Luna,” he says, trying not to look at my naked body.
“Do it?” Andrei snaps at him.
My scream rings out through the night as Malik forces my leg back into
position. Donnie’s tongue works frantically over my injuries, trying to heal
them.
“Hold her skin together,” Andrei tells him, and Malik’s eyes dart to
mine, but I can’t care less right now about being naked in front of him. I
know I am bleeding to death.
“Please don’t hate me,” he says, following Andrei’s instructions. Donnie
growls at him when he hesitates about touching me. Dazed, I can’t even feel
the pain anymore. I just want to sleep.
My DNA tries to heal Donnie and me, but time slows. I notice my
muted surroundings as I stare at the sky, the breeze makes the grass sway.
“You can go check the others,” Andrei says, shifting back.
“They are fine. It looks like they just went after.”
“Don’t fucking say it,” Andrei snaps at Malik.
 I can’t figure out what they are talking about. Right now, I can’t care
less either. I just want to check on Jonah.
“They should never have got across the borders and we can’t cover
every access point. We move them tomorrow, after Dominic leaves. We are
stronger with numbers. We will figure out where to put them,” Andrei says.
“This is retaliation, Andrei. We can’t afford another war right now,”
Malik says.
“Yes, but I won’t lose any more of my people. Tomorrow, be ready. We
are bringing them home,” Andrei tells him. I try to remember what day it
was. Tomorrow is Tuesday. Malik runs off, and Andrei grips my face.
“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to go for a run? I would have come
home and taken you?” He asks. Andrei helps me sit up, and I see the
enormous, jagged scar along my shin to my knee.
Another one, I swear I am eighty percent scar tissue.
“It looks bad now, it will heal neater,” Andrei says, and I hiss as he tries
to grab me. My body is drenched in blood. Looking at Andrei’s, so is he.
Though judging by the stench, at least it isn’t his.
“Argh,” I cry out as he puts pressure on my ribs.
“Shit, ok, we wait, or I’ll try to heal you more,” he says, but I know he
was forced to shift back after Donnie tried to heal the worst parts of me.
Andrei grabs me under the arms and pulls me between his legs. “Rest.
I’ll keep watch until you tell me I can pick you up.”
“Why?” I murmur and Andrei sighs.
“It’s my fault. When I went to the rogue camp, I got into a fight with the
leader of the male camp.”
“The rogue camp attacked us?” I ask.
“No, it’s mostly women and children, but today I went there to try to
convince them to join the pack. But unfortunately, they refused because the
other camp visited them last night and threatened them. Plus, they are still
hesitant.” Andrei explains. Pain resonates in his words and I feel it seep
through the bond we share.
“Because you are killing rogues,” I answer for him, but he shakes his
head.
“No, I think it is more to do with fear of the other camp. I was thinking
of asking Dominic and Kat tomorrow for their opinions on how to deal with
it, but now they have attacked me. I think I am going to need to ask for
more than opinions,” Andrei says.
 “What do you mean?” I furrow my brows and ignore the pain even at
such a simple action.
“I will ask them to help me take out the other camp. They are a danger
to all neighboring packs, but the fact they are preying on other rogue camps
won’t be taken lightly. I doubt even Dominic would let that go on. They
may be rogue, but they are a community as far as werewolf law goes,”
Andrei explains.
Then Andrei lifts my arm, looking at my ribs. The bruises are still there,
but the bones have healed, and I can breathe easier. “I will try to move you
now,” Andrei says, and I nod, letting him grab me. I bite my tongue when
my leg throbs as he picks me up.
Andrei has claw marks down his back, but he doesn’t seem to notice or
care as he starts walking toward the training grounds. He walks for about
ten minutes until I see the packhouse surrounded by multiple warriors.
Casen rushes over with a towel when he spots us and drapes it over me
in Andrei’s arms.
“How many and are any alive?” Andrei asks him while walking.
“Eleven rogues and no, three tried to attack the packhouse. Jonah slept
through it and is still asleep. Three attacked Sage. The other five, I think
they were supposed to be a distraction. One got away over the river.” Casen
quickly reports.
“You and Jonah don’t go anywhere without warriors or Zane and
Malik,” Andrei tells me and looks over at Casen. “Go tell Nora and her
siblings the same thing, they are not to leave her house unless someone is
with them.” Casen nods and instantly darts off toward Nora’s place.
“Where did they get through?” Andrei asks, as we approach a group of
warriors.
Vince is injured, and Zane hands him a bottle of amber liquid that looks
like whiskey or bourbon. Vince guzzles it down, and Zane pats his shoulder.
“Ready?” Vince nods, Malik grips his bicep, and I watch with avid
fascination and disgust as Zane breaks his arm back into place after it has
healed wrong.
Vince screams a colorful array of curses while Andrei discusses with
Clay how the rogues got in, but it makes me wonder if the unsettled feeling
I got earlier crept on me because of the rogues, because now, I no longer
have it.
 I try to get out of Andrei’s arms, but he refuses to put me down until we
are inside. I rush up the steps instantly to check Jonah, and exactly as Casen
said, he is still asleep.
Andrei takes a shower before telling me to go to bed while he makes
some phone calls, and once again, nerves about tomorrow kick in. Dominic
scares me. I know he helped Andrei in the city, but I just have this sickening
feeling about tomorrow.
I get it every time I think of this alleged playdate. What if it is a set-up?
What if tomorrow Andrei gets carted away to prison for initiating Jonah
illegally or killing Clive? I have no idea what to expect, and I don’t trust
this changed version of Dominic.
Something has always felt off with him since I met him. Then also,
Jonah’s words about his son Kyan, about some dark magic. I don’t know
whether it is a trick of his imagination or if he really did witness dark magic
being used.
“We should sleep. We will heal faster, and we will need our strength
tomorrow, just in case,” Sierra tells me.
 Chapter

Thirty-Three

A ndrei
After we shower, I send Sage to bed. Going downstairs, I head to
my office. Zane and Malik are already waiting for me, having let
themselves in.
“How’s Nora?” I ask Zane.
“Scared, she said she has had run-ins with that particular camp before.
She recognized one body and said it was definitely one of the Reaper
Wolves.” Zane explains. I see how he’s struggling to stay calm, while his
aura gives off how pissed off he is.
“Reaper Wolves?” I ask Zane, and he nods, dropping some paperwork
in front of me.
“Found these online and printed them while you were in the shower,” he
tells me, and I glance down at the printed pieces of paper.
Fuck! Here we were, thinking they are just a normal rogue camp but it
turns out they are part of some criminal organization - even the human
population knows about them because of their crimes. By the looks of it,
they dabble in drugs and are known for trafficking. Quite frankly, it
surprises me - to find Rogues willing to put that much attention on
themselves with the human media.
Some humans are aware of our kind, and smaller local towns have
suspicions, but with Dominic being involved with human politics and
higher-ups, most of this stuff is swept under the rug or covered up.
All packs pay monthly contributions to Dominic, and he pays off the
human governing areas to turn a blind eye and keep people out of the
werewolf communities in this area. It isn’t in our best interests to be known
widely to the public. We can be hunted down and experimented on, or just
hunted. Humans have a tendency to panic, and knowledge of werewolves
existing may cause widespread panic and hysteria, which is not good for
anyone.
“What a stupid name to call yourself, Reaper wolves,” Malik says,
reading over the paper I just put down as I notice an old newspaper article
with Dominic’s picture.
He appears in the background and is shaking the mayor’s hand. While
the main picture is of a few men, sitting in the gutter, arrested with their
heads down, and human police behind them, I know they most likely never
made it to human prisons. It probably explains why Dominic is in the
picture's background.
“That’s Dominic. Do you think he had something to do with the
attack?” Zane asks, leaning over my shoulder. Malik moves around my desk
and looks over my shoulder to read the article as well.
“No idea,” I tell him, grabbing my mobile. I look for Ezra’s number and
ring him. The phone rings a few times before he answers.
“Hello?” His voice sounds rather strained through the phone.
“Bad time?” I ask him, wondering why he is breathing so hard. Is he
working out?
“Ah, it depends. Is this important?”
“Kind of. We were attacked tonight. I wanted to ask you a question,” I
tell him when I hear Kat in the background, asking who he is talking to, but
he doesn’t answer.
“Is everyone alright?” Ezra asks.
“Yeah, we are now, but have you heard of Reaper wolves?” Ezra groans
and I pull the phone away from my ear, thinking it is an abnormal response,
and look at the screen.
“Ah, what was the question again?” He asks.
“If it is a bad time, I can call back. Clearly, you are distracted by
something.” I mutter as realization slowly sinks in.
“No, I am just fucking your sister. It’s fine. I can multitask,” He
chuckles. I growl, about to hang up. “Joking, I am joking,” Ezra says. “She
is actually sucking my dick.” He adds.
“Fucking prick, when I see you…” I hiss, but before I can share
everything I plan to do to him, Ezra cuts me off.
“You will high-five me,” he says, and I growl.
 “Fine, fine. Mateo, stay with Kat. I’ll be back in a second. I have Andrei
on the phone,” Ezra says, and I hear Kat go off in the background about
being on the phone with me and not telling her.
“I don’t know what’s more disturbing, knowing my father is in the
house with you and listening to that or you groaning in my fucking ear like
some porn star,” I tell him.
“Derrick isn’t home. He went to his storage locker to retrieve
something. So be quick because I have a date with your sister’s vagina,”
Ezra tells me, and I hear Malik and Zane snort while listening to him.
I glare at them both, and they put their hands up, sitting on the edge
desk and pretending not to listen.
“So, what did you want to know?” Ezra asks.
I roll my eyes. As if he doesn’t know what I fucking need to know.
“Reaper wolves, have you heard of them?” I repeat myself.
“That’s the rogue gang, a bunch of pussies, if you ask me. I have had a
few run-ins with them when they stepped over my borders. Our
governments have been tracking them, but they move around too much, and
no one knows where they are permanently based. A heap of them were
arrested a while back, and Dominic had them killed, so why are you asking
about them?”
“They are the ones that attacked us. The rogue camp which is joining
my pack is having issues with them, and we had a run-in with them this
morning, then tonight they attacked my pack, so Alpha Dominic is aware of
them?” I start pacing the office.
“Yeah, do you not listen in meetings?” He asks, but I don’t remember
hearing anything of this rogue gang.
“Must have missed it, plus I missed heaps when mom was sick,” I tell
him, and he sighs.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but it may help. If you need men,
just ask and I will send some over, but honestly, ask Dominic if you want
help with them. You could be Dominic’s worst enemy, but when it comes to
Reaper Wolves, he will back you.” Ezra speaks with such certainty in his
voice that I almost believe his words.
And yet, being the pessimist I am, I still decide to question him. “Why
is that?”
“That’s how he met his mate. She was working a corner in the city when
Dominic stumbled on her, she had been beaten pretty badly by her pimp,
and she stumbled into his Casino looking for help. They laced her with
wolfsbane, and she nearly died from her injuries. Security was called, and
Dominic investigated why when he saw her. He hunted every member of
the Reaper Wolves in the city and killed them for her, including one of the
bosses, which was quite shocking,” Ezra tells me.
“Why would it be shocking?” I ask him.
“Because the head boss was a woman, she started it, and her mate
helped her. Dominic has been hunting her mate ever since,” Ezra explains.
After that bit of information, we chat for a while longer until Ezra has to
leave for reasons I don’t want to know about.
As soon as we end the call, Zane raises an eyebrow at me. “So, what do
you want to do?” He asks.
“I will speak to Dominic tomorrow about them and see if his pack will
help us. I will call a bus company in the morning and see if we can hire a
bus to get to the camping grounds.” I tell him and nod as if I need more
reassurance that I am making the right decision.
“Sounds good. I’ll handle the bus if you want. I will call when I wake
up,“ Zane tells me, and I nod.
“Fine, you both might as well get some sleep. I need to go check on
patrols,” I tell them.
“No need. The entire pack is on border patrol. None could sleep
afterward, and I think it has dragged up old memories for a few,” Malik
tells me.
“Casen and Vince?” I ask him.
“They wanted to go, but I said no. They settled for going to watch over
Nora’s siblings,” Malik tells me.
“And you two?” I raise an eyebrow, a little suspicious of what these two
are planning to do.
“We will run the borders once we are done here,” Zane answers.
I shake my head. “Try to convince a few to head in and try to sleep.
Otherwise, everyone will be exhausted, and we need everyone to be alert.
We don’t want anyone falling asleep on shift.”
“We will try. I will tell those, who were on duty when the rogues got in,
to head home first.” Zane says, and I nod as I slowly walk toward the door.
“What time is Dominic getting here?” Malik asks, stopping me in my
tracks.
 “11 in the morning, my sister and father should be here around 10,” I
tell them, and they both nod.
“Okay, get some sleep, Alpha. We will sort borders and patrols out,”
Malik tells me as I walk them out. I don’t know what I would do without
them and my father.
“Also, at the next pack meeting, we need to make sure everyone is okay
and not struggling. I know a few of them struggle badly with PTSD, so the
pack meeting for welfare checks is Wednesday at lunchtime. If they say
they don’t have time, tell them to make time, everyone is to show up, no
excuses,” I tell them.
After watching them leave, I shut the door and set the alarm before I
head upstairs to check on Jonah. He has kicked his blanket onto the floor. I
scoop it up and drape it back over him. A weak smile tugs on my lips as I
bend down to peck our boy’s head.
His dinosaur plushie is tucked under his arm while he sucks on his
thumb in his sleep. I gently pull it from his mouth, rolling my eyes when he
shoves it into his mouth again.
Walking out into my room, I find Sage fast asleep, drooling on my
pillow. I take my pillow, flipp it over, and she growls at me as I climb in
bed beside her before she realizes it is me. Her body molds around me as
she throws her leg across my waist. Her arm flings across my face. I move
it off, placing it across my chest, only for her to toss it back across my head.
I leave it there, too tired to wrangle her into a more comfortable position.
 Chapter

Thirty-Four

S age
I am in a place of sleep where you aren’t quite ready to wake up.
Rolling over, my eyes flutter at the light coming in when I see wide
eyes barely an inch off my face, making me nearly jump out of my skin, fur
grows across my arms from the fright.
“Hi mom,” Jonah says, his face right in mine as he blinks down at me. I
try to get my racing heart under control.
“You scared me.” I tell him.
“I tried to make breakfast, but I broke it.” Jonah tells me. I blink, trying
to understand what he means, and I sit up, rubbing my eyes.
“What do you mean, you tried to make breakfast?” I mutter as I stretch
my upper body.
“I wanted to surprise you and dad,” he says and as I glance at him, I
notice he is covered in flour. I blink, taking in his tiny body. “I tried to make
pancakes like pop, then they exploded, shh,” he says, holding his finger to
his lips and waving for me to follow him.
“What exploded?” Andrei says, rolling over and propping himself up on
one elbow.
“The pancakes, I tried to use the mixing spoon, but it was too hard to
get the lumps out. Pop says you have to get out the lumps. But my arm
started aching, so I put it in the thing that makes the buzzing noise but then
it exploded, but I saved the chocolate chips,” Jonah tells us, holding out his
hand to show us the melted chocolate.
“This is what’s left. I accidentally ate the rest,” he says, his little lips
making a kissy face, and I chuckle.
 “Okay, let’s see this explosion,” I tell him, tossing the blanket back and
grabbing my dressing gown before following him out.
I stand horrified in the kitchen doorway. The batter is everywhere, even
on the ceiling. The kitchen is covered in flour and batter. Andrei runs into
my back as he walks in, also stopping.
“What the…. How?” He groans, shaking his head, and I step aside.
“I told you it exploded,” Jonah says, looking at us with puppy dog eyes.
“Jonah, you shouldn’t use a blender. You could have cut your fingers,
and where is the lid?” Andrei says as I walk into the pantry to grab some
cereal. Andrei hands me a bowl and spoon, and I make Jonah some coco
pops, sitting him at the table.
“It didn’t have a lid,” Jonah says.
Andrei shakes his head, rubbing a hand down his face. “It is too early
for this,” he mutters. “Buddy, you don’t cook by yourself. You should have
woken one of us,” Andrei tells him, looking at the mess.
Walking to the sink, I grab a rag. Looking around, I have no idea where
to start. Andrei grabs the mop and wheels the bucket in, filling it up in the
laundry room. I scrub the cupboards. An hour later, we are finished, and I
am dressing Jonah when Andrei sings out to let me know Kat and her
family are here. Jonah bounces down the steps as Andrei opens the front
door, letting them in.
Mateo walks in with Eziah in his arms, placing him down, and he looks
too small to be walking but is cute to watch as he stomps his feet, clapping
his hands.
Ezra walks in with Marabella while Kat and Derrick bring in some baby
items for the kids to play with and a playpen if needed. We set the kids up
in the living room and put some cartoons on while Andrei and Ezra wander
off to the kitchen to talk while making coffee.
“Hey,” Kat says, giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek after setting
everything down.
Marabella is crawling on the floor, chasing after her brother as he walks
around before stopping next to Jonah. She tries pulling herself up by
gripping his pants, but the mittens covering her hands make her fall back to
her hands and knees.
“Jonah, leave her mittens on,” I tell him as he tries to pull Marabella’s
mittens off.
“But she doesn’t like them,” Jonah says.
 “She has to leave them on, sweety,” Kat tells him, but Jonah shakes his
head.
“No! It hurts. She doesn’t like it,” Jonah says, trying to pull her mittens
off her little hand.
“Jonah, no!” I tell him, walking over to him, but Mateo reaches for
Marabella instead, and she starts crying when he picks her up.
“That one, it hurts,” Jonah says, pointing to her left hand.
My brows furrow, and so do Kats when Mateo pulls her mitten off. Kat
shrieks, rushing over. Her little pointer finger is swollen and red. A piece of
cotton from inside the mitten has wrapped around her finger and cut the
circulation off. Kat quickly unwraps it before healing her finger by kissing
it. Marabella smiles and babbles happily.
“What, what’s going on?” Ezra comes barging out.
“Marabella had cotton wrapped around her finger,” Kat explains.
“That must have been why she was crying in the car. I just thought it
was because she hates the new car seat,” Mateo says, checking inside the
mitten when we all turn to look at Jonah.
“How did you know?” Kat asks him.
“She showed me, in my head,” Jonah shrugs, “She cries in my head and
holds her hand up,” Jonah says, and I look at Marabella.
“She showed you?” I ask him.
“She doesn’t like them,” Jonah says, sitting on the floor.
He rolls the fabric ball to Eziah, and Eziah squeals, trying to copy and
roll it back but is unable to. We watch Jonah play with the kids for a bit.
Marabella follows him around, giggling as she crawls after him and her
brother when I hear a car pull up. We left the front door open, knowing
Dominic would be here soon.
“That must be Dominic,” Andrei says, and I get up, following Andrei to
the door.
Walking outside, Kat and Ezra follow us while Mateo stays to watch the
kids. Dominic gets out of the car, walks to the back door, and opens it. The
other door swings open, and his son climbs out of the car. He looks just like
his father.
 Chapter

Thirty-Five

S age
“Kyan, grab the folder off the passenger seat for me, please,”
Dominic tells him, reaching into the back of the car. Kyan does as he
is told, quickly shutting the door, walking over to his father, and handing
him the document.
“I brought a fruit platter and a sandwich platter from the hotel,”
Dominic says, and Kat and I look at each other.
We are quite shocked to see him so social. I don’t know what I was
expecting, but I was not expecting this. Andrei walks over to him as he sets
a platter on the roof of his car. Andrei quickly shakes his hand, and
Dominic motions to grab the platter off the roof while he grabs the other
one from the backseat.
“Kyan, did you take a bite of one and put it back?” Dominic asks his
son before shaking his head with a silly grin on his face. “Kids,” he says,
grabbing it and walking over to us.
“Katya, Sage, Ezra,” Dominic says before looking around.
“Where is Mateo?” He asks.
“Inside with the kids,” Andrei answers.
“Ah, Kyan,” Dominic calls out. His son immediately runs over, and we
show them inside.
“Coffee?” I ask, and he nods.
“Please, where can I put these? The kids would be hungry, Kyan
obviously is,” he laughs, pointing to a sandwich with a bite out of it.
“Kyan!” Jonah squeals, rushing past Dominic and over to his son.
“Want to see my room? I have a car bed,” Jonah says, but Kyan is too busy
staring at the twins. Dominic looks down, noticing his stare, and looks
down at his son.
“She is like me,” Kyan says, stepping toward the living room.
“Kyan, go play with Jonah,” Dominic says.
“But-”
“But nothing. Go play with Jonah. You can meet them in a minute. I
need to speak with Sage and Andrei, as well as Kat.” Kyan nods his head
sadly and Jonah grabs his hand, tugging him up the stairs, and both boys
rush up the steps to Jonah’s room.
“Sorry about that. He can sense your daughter’s magic,” Dominic says,
but Kat is staring up the stairs after the two boys with a strange look on her
face.
“Katya?” Dominic calls.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you saying?” Kat asks.
“I said my son can sense your daughter’s magic, but you already know
that. Don’t you?”
“Yes, just like I can sense yours and his,” she says, tilting her to the
side.
Dominic nods to her, his lips tugging up in the corners. Ezra is quietly
watching the exchange, just as confused as the rest of us.
“Where can I put this?” Dominic asks, holding up the sandwich platter.
“Oh, in the kitchen, Andrei is putting on a barbeque for lunch too,” I tell
Dominic, showing him to the kitchen.
He places the platter on the dining table before taking his suit jacket off
and draping it over a chair. He then rolls his shirt sleeves to his elbows, and
I am shocked to find he is covered in tattoos - some strange swirling pattern
up both arms.
“Sorry, it’s hotter here than in the city,” he says, sitting down while I
make coffee for everyone.
Mateo and Ezra bring Eziah and Marabella out. Marabella instantly
goes over to Dominic, and he picks her up. “Hey, cutie,” Dominic says to
her.
“Just watch her hands,” Katya says.
“No, need. Her Magic is similar to mine,” he says, tugging her mittens
off and holding his hands out with his palms up.
Marabella starts smacking his hands with hers, Katya watches them, and
I can see her curious face. Mateo looks like he is about to faint, watching
the Alpha of Alphas playing with his daughter, while Ezra walks over to me
and starts handing out coffees as I make them. Grabbing my mug, I take a
sip and nearly spit it across the bench when I see Dominic’s hands covered
in black mist.
“Eziah is an elemental?” Dominic asks, and Kat looks at Eziah.
“Healing. What’s an Elemental?”
“Yes, Earth magic, I can sense it. He is strong, but not as strong as her.
Her magic is very similar to mine and Kyan’s, darker, but she has the
shadow element too,” Dominic says.
“So, you do have magic?” I blurt, which is obvious because he is letting
Marabella play with his mist-covered hands.
“Yes, the rumors are true, which I am sure you have heard. She is
drawing on mine, and I can feel hers. It is strong,” Dominic says, and Kat
nods.
“Dominic’s bloodline comes from witches,” Kat tells me, and I nod.
“So that is why she can’t kill you?” I ask, watching Marabella grasping
the mist in his hands and giggling as it climbs up her arms like it is tickling
her.
“Correct. I doubt she could hurt Kyan either. Their magic is very
similar, although Kyan’s differs from her shadow element,” Dominic says.
“How so?” I dare to ask.
“He resurrected his pet rabbit once. The bloody thing turned
cannibalistic before I had to kill it.” Dominic mutters the last part.
At this point, it feels like I am having a conversion with him, but I don’t
care. I’m too curious to silence my questions. “He resurrected the dead?” I
ask, beyond shocked. Now that the words have passed over my lips, I
understand how ridiculous I sound.
“Yes, but our magic is dark, so it tainted it. He is slowly learning to
control it. Don’t worry, he won’t hurt Jonah,” he says, and I nod, praying
that is true. He slips her mittens back on, and she pouts.
“Until you can control it, these must stay on. You are quite the weapon,
missy,” Dominic tells her, passing her to Mateo. Mateo kisses her cheek,
and Dominic grabs his coffee.
“I heard you had issues last night?” Dominic asks, looking over at
Andrei.
“Yes, we were attacked by rogues,” Andrei tells him.
“No fatalities, I hope.”
 “No, luckily. They went after Sage and Jonah, though.”
“Okay, we can discuss it after lunch if you like in detail, but first, I have
some paperwork to show you and for you to sign,” he says, retrieving the
folder Kyan grabbed off the front seat of his car for him.
“So, you really came here just for a playdate?” Kat asks him, and
Dominic looks at her.
“What else for?” He asks, confused. Kat shrugs, taking a seat next to
Andrei.
“I just thought you were taking Jonah from Andrei after what happened
at the Alpha meeting,” she stops.
“What, you think I would do something like that just to hurt your
brother? I was pissed off, and I was hoping you would stand down. I have
run things for a long time, Kat. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to rise to the
occasion, if I am honest.” He admits.
“What do you mean?” Kat frowns.
“You are young, my job isn’t for the faint-hearted, you will be forced to
do things you don’t like or agree with, but as Queen, the same as Alpha of
Alphas, it is your job to rule, to do what’s best for the packs. I may be an
asshole, Katya, but I have a good reason. You can’t be a pushover when at
the top, can’t show weakness. It will get you killed, or worse, start an
uprising with the packs.” Dominic explains.
“I don’t want your position. That was never my intention to take it from
you. You are still Alpha of Alphas,” Kat tells him.
“Correct, and that won’t change. We have just added another level to the
hierarchy. I was angry when a nineteen-year-old girl showed me up, but that
is behind us. I know you are capable. You did one thing I was never able to
do,” Dominic says.
“And what is that?” She asks.
“Rally the Lunas. I tried to get the Lunas to speak up, and they just saw
me as another Alpha. After a while, I gave up. Some people don’t like
change, but I know it is necessary. You will be challenged, but those
challenges won’t come from me,” Dominic says.
Ezra lets out a breath, sitting back in his chair. I’m pretty sure Ezra is
displaying the relief all of us feel right now. And the tension around us also
starts fading, which I assume has to be a good thing.
Dominic opens up the file in his hand, turns it around, and places it in
front of Andrei and me, then places another in front of Kat. “The petition?”
She asks.
“Yes, I signed it. I had the law changed yesterday, all of them and yours.
You just need to sign the dotted line, and Kat and I can sign off on it,”
Dominic says, pointing to the paper in front of me. Andrei grabs it, reading
it over.
“Adoption paperwork?” Andrei looks at Dominic, as wide eyed as me.
“Correct. He will officially be your son. I had these filled out before
Clive took him. I was always going to give him back.” Dominic announces,
shocking us all.
“Wait, you weren’t taking him from us?” I ask the question that
everyone has to be thinking.
“No, why would I do that? I wanted Kat to step down, but when Andrei
rang me and said Jonah was in trouble, I realized I had made a mistake. I
may not be a good man, Sage, but I own up to my mistakes, and taking
Jonah from a loving home is one of them. I’m not proud of my decision, but
I am a father, and I realize I let my ego impede what was best for Jonah. As
for Kat, I seriously thought she was in over her head, but clearly, she has a
backbone, something you will need,” he says, turning to look at her. Kat
nods her head to him.
“And if you need help, just ask, it is better to ask than to make a mistake
that could have been avoided like this clusterfuck with Jonah, but one good
thing is some laws have been changed, and you rallied the she-wolves. So
hopefully, we will see some changes amongst the packs. My wife was
trying to do that before her passing. She almost had them in the courts
helping to decide, but they stopped fighting for their places amongst the
Alphas when she died. Lunas are important in packs. If the Alphas are the
muscle, the Lunas are the caregivers of a pack, they nurture and keep the
peace, they are just as important as the Alphas. I think some Alphas forget
that,” he says.
“So, I just sign this, and he is ours officially?” Andrei says, reaching for
the pen.
“Not that it could be any more official than initiating him, but, well,
legally, this is required,” he says, and Andrei nods, signing it, and passing it
to me.
I quickly sign, knowing Andrei must have read it. Dominic then signs it,
passing it to Kat, who also signs it.
“You can hand that in, or do you want me to?” He asks.
 “I can do it,” Kat says.
“Just let me take a photo so I can email a copy,” Dominic says, taking it
and photographing each page before returning it to Kat. He then types up an
email, showing it to Kat, who nods before sending it. Kat takes the
documents and hands them to Ezra, who carefully folds them and places
them in his pocket.
Jonah and Kyan come downstairs, rushing into the kitchen with some
toy cars. Kyan stops next to his father. Dominic sips his coffee, watching
his son over his mug.
“What is wrong?” He asks him, and Kyan looks over at Marabella.
“Can they play with Jonah and me?”
“That is up to their parents. You are asking the wrong person,” Dominic
tells him, and Kyan nods, looking at Mateo and Ezra.
“Can I play with them?” He asks.
“Of course, you can but play where we can see you all,” Mateo answers
him, and Kyan looks at his father.
“Go on then,” Dominic tells him, and Kyan rushes over to Jonah, who is
playing with his toy cars with Marabella and Eziah. Kat is observing them.
She almost seems distracted.
“My son has control, Kat. He won’t hurt your children. He knows better
than that,” Dominic tells her, and Kat pulls her eyes away from them.
“It’s not that,” she says, and Dominic nods to her like he understands
whatever they aren’t saying aloud. Ezra is watching Kat, his eyes narrow,
and he leans forward, staring between them, and Kat looks away.
“How about we get this barbeque going?” Mateo suggests, already
getting up from his seat.
“Great idea. Boys, there are sandwiches on the table and fruit,” Dominic
tells Kyan and Jonah, and they hop up to help themselves. Kyan grabs a
sandwich and a piece of watermelon before plopping down on the mat with
the kids. Marabella crawls over to him and tries to grab the watermelon
from him.
“Here you go,” Kyan says, holding the watermelon to her lips.
“Kyan, did you ask?” Dominic scolds his son, and he jerks his hand
back.
“They can eat the fruit, but the sandwiches might be hard for her to eat,”
Kat tells him, and he nods, holding the watermelon out to her, and Kat
jumps.
 “Wait,” she rushes over just as Marabella bites him. A shriek leaves her
lips, but Kyan laughs.
“She has teeth,” He laughs, and Kat looks like she is about to throw up.
“Told you,” Dominic says, patting her shoulder as he passes her, while
Kat and Ezra look dumbfounded.
“You’re hiding something,” I hear Ezra whisper in her ear as he walks
past. He gives her a look before following Andrei out.
“What did he mean?” I ask her.
“Nothing. I was worried her bite would hurt him.” Kat blurts out.
“They seem fine,” I tell her, and she nods her head with a look of worry
on her face.
“Well, that wasn’t what I expected,” I tell Kat, and she sighs, leaning
back in her chair.
 Chapter

Thirty-Six

A ndrei
“What’s going on with the rogue situation?” Dominic asks,
sitting on one of the bench seats while I turn the barbecue on. My
father goes inside, returning with sausages and steaks and passing them to
me.
“Apparently, you have dealt with them before. Reaper wolves attacked
my pack last night and went after my mate and Jonah. They seemed to be
the only people targeted,” I tell him, and he instantly sits straighter before
leaning forward and clasping his hands together, his elbows braced on his
knees.
It is odd seeing Dominic so casual-looking. If I could get past the
dramas caused by Jonah, I would probably get on pretty well with him.
“You know where they are?” Dominic questions.
I explain everything to him, and he listens intently, making a few phone
calls and walking off when Zane comes around the back of the house.
“Smells good.” He mutters, eyeing the food.
“Yeah, about to sit down and eat if you want to join us. What’s up?” I
ask him.
“Bus will be here around 1 pm.” Zane announces with a wide grin
across his lips.
“Good, I am coming with you,” Dominic says, hanging up the phone.
“You want to come to pick up the rogues?” I ask.
“You want my help, I am helping. I have men on the way already, they
should be here by two, we will leave after that,” Dominic says before
looking at Sage as she comes out the back with the kids.
 “Sage, do you mind watching Kyan for me for a couple of hours while I
go with Andrei to the rogue camp?” He asks her. Honestly, I am surprised at
how polite and considerate Dominic can be. That is, if he wants to be.
“No, he is fine here, I can watch him,” Sage says, looking down at
Kyan, who runs off with Jonah to roll in the grass.
“Well, that settles it then,” Dominic says, and Zane perks up.
“Good, I will get some people ready,” Zane says and quickly walks off.
Everyone eats lunch, and we make sure the kids are all fed, setting them
a little picnic on the back lawn. We discuss the rogue situation and go over
some maps on the outside table while we are eating so I can show Dominic
where we found the other rogue camps.
Over the last few weeks, we noticed they shift around a lot, never
staying in one place for long when Dominic points to two towns on either
side.
“They must have permanent residences in one of these two towns.
There seems to be a pattern if your locations and times are correct. You said
the rogue women are picked up randomly, making me think they are called
in.” He arches an eyebrow.
“It’s a patrol roster. You said at night that your scouts said these two
camps are randomly manned. Were your men keeping track of the times
they would see women come and go from the camp?” Mateo asks.
“Um, yeah,” I tell him, scrambling through the papers when my father
pulls out the journals.
“He is correct. These two camps both have roads leading in and out of
the camps, and the roads leading into those have straight access to both
towns. Look at the times, they match up too for the girls and the camp
rosters.”
“What about the other two camps? This one is also manned
simultaneously but doesn’t have a road.” Kat says, pointing to the map of
the other two camps beside the ones that are hardly used further out.
“That must be where the calls come in, there is a phone tower there, the
rogue camp has no reception, they must take the calls here, and then
someone from these two camps pick them up when called,” I tell them
when I look at Dominic. It makes sense but that just unsettles me more.
“They have an Alpha. The only way to communicate is mind-link, if not
by phone, so unless they have made a pack, there would be no way to get a
hold of them,” Mateo voices my thoughts. “So, it’s definitely a patrol roster.
The other three camps they have been spotted must be dummy camps to
throw people off. I would bet they have two residences, one in each town,
depending on the calls they get, decides where the girls get sent,” Mateo
adds.
“They wouldn’t be taking them to the residence, though. It would be too
risky. Did they say where they were meeting the buyers?” Dominic asks,
and I shake my head. That is one thing they are never willing to give up.
“No, they said when they were never taken into the towns to meet up, so
they must take them somewhere else” I look over at Sage, her eyes trained
on the map, and my stomach rolls at the dark look on her face. I can see
what she is looking at, and two seconds later, she confirms it.
“They are taking them to Flower Meadow. Flower Meadow runs
directly between the two towns and is only ten minutes from each one, but
also on each end. There are camping grounds for tourists,” Sage says.
“You’re sure?” Dominic asks her.
“It makes sense, and I was taken from there, along with my mother,
when I was a kid. They were staying at the camping grounds when they
came across us. I heard of the flower meadow and asked my parents to go
there because one of the locals mentioned it.” Sage mutters. Her eyes lift
from the map and set on Dominic. “Be careful, the camping grounds out
there get pretty rowdy at night with the tourists, maybe they aren’t tourists.
Maybe those are the Reaper Wolves,” Sage says, making me wonder if the
men who took her were part of this organization.
I have more questions, but I know she will be uncomfortable answering
them when her eyes go to mine. She sighs, rubbing her temples. I never
bring this stuff up with her. I always wait for her to tell me, not wanting to
drag up her past.
“Just ask. I know you want to ask me something. If it helps, I will try to
answer so we can get them away from this camp,” Sage tells me.
Dominic is watching her curiously. He is the only one unaware of
Sage’s past at this table. Dominic tilts his head to the side, watching her.
“Forgive me, but what do you mean when you say you were taken?”
Sage’s eyes go to mine, and Kat pats her knee gently.
“When I was thirteen, my family visited Flower Meadow. When we
were getting ready to leave, my mother and I were taken, and my father was
killed. I was stuck with the men that took us until Andrei came across their
camp,” Sage answers.
 “Your mother?” Dominic asks.
“She was killed when she tried to stop them from using me,” she says
without going into detail, but she doesn't need to. We know what that
implies.
“Where did you find her?” Dominic asks me.
“The other side of the mountain, between these two camps, but closer to
the dummy site ones,” I answer.
“I am surprised she came back with you. No offense,” Dominic says.
“I didn’t at first. He hunted me down and followed me into the
waterfall. He saved me, I was chained to a tree, he seemed like the safer
option once I realized he wouldn’t kill me,” Sage answers.
“Did the men, who took you, ever take you to these camps?” I ask her. I
hate myself for asking, but she still answers.
“No, but looking at the maps, we were mostly on the outskirts of these
other camps, it would make sense if they were part of this group, though.
The three men that held us left in intervals, and sometimes they would leave
me chained to a tree for days at a time until they returned. I always thought
it was for supply runs, but maybe it was to help man these other camps,”
she says, pointing to the mountain and the surrounding camps we found.
“This is where my first mate was killed,” she says, pointing to the
border of Ezra and Kat’s territory.
“That’s also where my pack has had run-ins with them, but they always
left before I got there. We never had reason to go to the other side of the
river that runs through it, so I never sent scouts out that way,” Ezra says
before looking at Sage who nods, looking at me.
It is quite tragic to think about. Sage was so close to two packs that
would have helped, right under our noses, yet suffering so close to us. I
know that is what Ezra is thinking as well. We could have stopped all this if
we had noticed them earlier.
“Yes, well, one rule I noticed in the city when they were there was,
besides the pimps, no one was to touch the working girls. It makes sense
they would have some on the side to keep them busy because most didn’t
have mates. What happened to the three men that took her?” Dominic asks.
“I killed them, Sage….” I pause, looking at her, and she huffs but nods.
“Sage killed one of them when I brought two of them back here after
catching them,” I tell him, and he nods.
 I wonder if that will make him change his mind about everything, I
know he must have heard the rumors of rogues being killed in this area.
“The bodies?”
“In the incinerator.”
“Good, so no evidence,” he says, and I nod.
Our attention is quickly diverted to planning while we wait for
Dominic’s men to arrive when we hear laughter behind us. Turning around,
the two boys are in fits of giggles before I hear Jonah talk, making us look
over at him.
“You can do it, come on,” Jonah says, and we all turn around to find
Marabella with her mittens off, holding both of Kyan’s hands and standing.
Eziah claps his hands as he watches his sister standing on wobbly legs.
Jonah’s arms are outstretched when she suddenly steps toward Jonah,
falling on her bottom. Kat stands up, and so do Mateo and Ezra as
Marabella pulls herself up to a standing position again, using Kyan’s hands.
She giggles, taking another step.
“She is walking,” Sage gasps. Just as she takes another step and Kyan’s
hands leave hers, she wobbles awkwardly over to Jonah’s outstretched
arms, laughing.
“Her hands,” Ezra gasps, and Mateo rushes over just as Marabella grabs
Jonah’s, making my heart stop for a second.
“You did it.” Jonah squeals excitedly, hugging her just as Mateo gets up,
walking over to them.
“She isn’t using her magic, stress less she is happy,” Dominic says to
Kat and Ezra, who both look like they are fighting the urge to race over and
force her mittens back on her hands.
“Come to dadda,” Mateo says, kneeling on the ground off the side of the
two boys.
“Are you going to put her mittens on her? We only just took them off
for a second,” Jonah asks, and he helps Marabella stand. Her little hands
clamp onto his arms as she wobbles on her feet.
“No, I want to see if she will come to me,” Mateo answers when
suddenly both Jonah’s and Kyan’s eyes glaze over. Dominic laughs softly,
making me look at him.
“Interesting gift. I suppose she gets that from you?” He asks Kat.
“What’s that?” Kat frowns.
 “She’s mind-linking the two boys. She can get in the heads of people
that aren’t part of her pack. Can’t you see how their auras light up while her
eyes glaze over?” He asks. I don’t see any of these weird auras Dominic is
talking about, but I don’t doubt him.
“Come on, sweety, come to Dadda,” Mateo repeats, and Marabella
hesitates, looking up at Jonah, who encourages her to walk to him.
She cackles loudly, wobbling over to him just as Kat drops a hand on
Mateo’s shoulder, her fingers touching the back of his neck as Marabella
grabs his hands.
Black veins snake up his arms, and he gasps but doesn’t hesitate to pull
her to him before they recede. Kat’s eyes glow brightly as she counteracts
Marabella’s magic. Mateo kisses all over her little face, mushing her cheeks
and making her laugh, and the black veins recede completely.
“She doesn’t mean it. She thought you were trying to put the mittens on
her,” Kyan tells him, and Mateo nods, placing her back down on her feet.
We watch her waddle off toward the boys again, and she goes to Kyan,
cackling her little head off as he catches her. Turning back to the table, Ezra
sits back down with his phone in his hand.
“Sorry, I probably should have asked if I could record that since the
boys are in it,” Ezra says, and Dominic waves him off.
“Precious moments should always be captured,” he says, watching the
kids play.
Ezra knows Sage and I wouldn’t have an issue with it, but Dominic is
just proving he is indeed a father first and Alpha second. Mateo watches the
clip over Ezra’s shoulder, and Katya sits back down, but I notice she didn’t
put on Marabella’s mittens, letting her hands remain free.
“She won’t hurt Jonah, and the other two boys appear to be immune to
her,” Dominic says.
“Yes, I’m starting to see that,” Kat says, nodding at him.
“Do you need me to come with you three, or can I stay here with Kat
and Sage?” Mateo asks Dominic and me.
“No, stay. I would feel better knowing one of us is here while we go,” I
tell him, and Dominic also nods when he gets a text message.
“My men are here,” he says just as Zane and Malik walk around the
back.
“We are ready when you are. I also just got word that Dominic’s men
are parked by the road,” Malik says, and I nod, getting up out of my seat.
 I peck Sage’s lips softly. “We will be back soon,” I tell her, and Ezra and
Dominic also get up.
“Kyan, stay with Sage and Kat, I will be back in a few hours and listen
to them, they have permission to put you in a naughty corner if needed,”
Dominic tells him, and Kyan smiles, nodding his head when Dominic bends
down, kissing his forehead. “I will be back soon,” he says, following Ezra
and me.
Malik and Zane head toward the bus with a few of our men, and Ezra
and I walk over when Dominic calls out to us. “Come on, we can follow
them in my car,” Dominic tells us, unlocking it.
“You take the front, you’re taller than me,” Ezra says, patting my arm
on the way past me. He opens the back door and hops in. Dominic gets into
the driver’s side, and I hop into the passenger side.
We wait for the bus to start, and we drive out, the bus following behind
us. When we get to the end of the road leading into my pack, I see three
cars parked on the grass that pull onto the road in front of us. We make
small talk, following Dominic’s men in three SUVs. It isn’t until about
twenty minutes later that nausea rolls over me harshly.
“Are you car sick?” Dominic asks just as another brutal wave rushes
over me, making me clutch the dash, the same violent nausea I get when
intruders are crossing into my territory, and by the feel, there were a lot of
them.
“Andrei?” Ezra says, leaning forward, alarmed.
“Turn around, we need to head back, rogues,” I growl, and Dominic
suddenly rips the handbrake up and spins the wheel just as Sage screams
my name through the link.
The car spins around and into the oncoming lane. I am thrown into my
door before being thrown back in my seat as Dominic floors it, heading
back to the pack. The bus comes to a screeching stop when Malik and Zane
jump out, shifting instantly and cutting through the forest toward home.
Dominic’s men also turn around and chase after us.
 Chapter

Thirty-Seven

S age
After everyone leaves and I make more coffee, we sit out in the
back talking. Nora comes over feeling lonely without Zane, and her
siblings are too busy playing their video games.
We watch the kids play, and Marabella eventually falls asleep on the
picnic rug, so Kat goes and lays her down inside. In contrast, we watch
Kyan and Jonah sword fight with some twigs they found while running
around the backyard and along the treeline before Mateo calls them over,
not liking them that close to the forest edge.
“We can always go out the front, the kids can climb the willow tree, and
it is shadier for them to play,” I tell Mateo, and he nods, scooping up Eziah,
who is ripping out handfuls of grass.
“Come on, boys,” Mateo calls out to them, waving them over. They stop
what they are doing and race over to us, skidding to a stop on the grass in
front of me.
“Where has Ella gone?” Kyan asks, looking around.
“Ella?” I ask.
“Marabella,” he says.
“She is sleeping,” Mateo tells him.
“Come on, you both should get a drink. Your little faces are so red,” I
tell them, walking inside with them. I make them a drink of juice each,
washing their faces with a wet cloth to cool them down.
“Want to climb the willow tree?” I ask them, and they rush toward the
front of the house.
 Following them, I can’t see them. I am looking up the stairs when I hear
hushed voices making me look into the living room to find Kat watching
Marabella sleep in her fold-out bed. Jonah and Kyan, staring down at her.
“Why does she make that face?” Jonah asks as Marabella quivers her lip
in her sleep.
“She can hear them?” Kyan says, reaching his hand out toward her.
“Boys, come on. Let her sleep,” I whisper to them when Kyan touches
her cheek.
Black mist rushes up his arm, and his eyes turn black. The sight sends
goosebumps up my arms, and the room feels electrified when he suddenly
pulls his hand back.
“There, all better now,” Kyan says. He then leans in and kisses her
cheek.
“What did you do?” Kat asks him.
“Took it from her. They were scaring her.” He announces with a grin.
“What were?” Kat asks, looking at me.
“The shadows. Come on, I want to climb this tree,” Kyan says before
pecking Marabella’s head once more.
“Sweet dreams, Ella,” he whispers and grabs Jonah’s arm to tug him
past me to the front door.
“What was that about?” Mateo asks, watching the boys run out the front
door.
“Marabella must have been having a nightmare, Kyan took it from her,”
I tell him.
“Yeah, that kid does some spooky things.” Mateo mutters under his
breath.
“So does our daughter,” Kat says with a soft laugh.
“I think he is sweet,” I tell them, and they both nod.
“Yes, he seems like a good kid,” Mateo says, following them outside.
“Are you coming out with us?” I ask Kat.
“I will wait for a bit to make sure she is alright,” Kat says, looking
down at Marabella.
“Is everything alright? You seem distracted?” I ask her when Mateo and
Nora walk out the front door.
“Yeah, I am. I have a lot going on with the Moon Goddess dying and the
Packs. My kids, everything feels like it is becoming too much.” She sighs
and runs a hand through her hair.
 “What about your mates? Have you told them? I sensed some tension
between you and Ezra.” I glance at the door to make sure no one is listening
in on our conversation.
“Yeah, we are fine, Ezra worries. He thinks I am taking on too much.
Mateo, he is great with the kids. Honestly, I feel like a shitty mom. I feel
like all I do is work, and when I am not working, I am exhausted or so
stressed that I am cranky.” Another heavy sigh leaves her lips.
“Have you told them this?” I ask her, and she shakes her head.
“Why not?” I frown.
“Because there are some things I can’t speak about, there will be
consequences if I do. It could change things and make them worse.”
“Ok, so what worries you most, then?” I shift my weight from one leg
to another, growing a little anxious.
“My kids, becoming the Moon Goddess. When I first met Ezra, I never
would have predicted how much my life would change, not that I hate it.
They are great, but sometimes I think I grew up too fast.” She lets out a
breath. “Before, I was just trying to go unnoticed, and now everything I do
is criticized and judged. There is no hanging out with friends, no social life,
and no time for anything anymore. I didn’t think it would be this hard,” she
says, looking down at Marabella.
I walk around the couch and sit on it. “What’s hard, you can tell me. I
won’t say anything to your mates, Kat,” I tell her, and she chews her bottom
lip, sucking it into her mouth before looking at the ceiling.
“I feel like an imposter. I don’t know who I am anymore. Everyone
expects so much of me, and I don’t know if I can live up to their
expectations. I feel like I am failing everything and everyone,” she says,
closing her eyes and resting her head against the wall.
“I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t this. When I found out I
was pregnant, I had unrealistic expectations of what it would be like to have
children and unrealistic ideas about becoming Luna. Everything I thought
my life would be was wrong. I get it now. I was so angry at her for lying to
me for so long that all I could see was that betrayal, even with dad. He kept
what I was from me, so many secrets, but I get it now. I know they did it to
protect me, and having my own kids and knowing what I know, I want to
protect them from it too. I get it. I get why they lied. I’m now doing the
same.”
“What do you mean?” I ask her.
 “I mean that the secrets we keep trying to protect those we love. They
eat at you and make you question whether you are hurting them more by
keeping it from them, but when you know the consequences of telling them,
you risk losing them. But I get it now, I just wished I realized it sooner. I’ve
spent so long angry at her, angry at everyone, that I forgot for a second how
much I loved her, what she sacrificed for me, who she was. Same with dad,
he left me, and I hated that he did, but after mom died, I realized I only hurt
myself by being angry at them. You never know when the day will come
when you have to say goodbye to them,” she says, sniffling and wiping her
nose.
“Have you said this to Ezra or Mateo?” She shakes her head.
“They don’t get it. Ezra and Maddox hated my mother. Even now, he
doesn’t understand how I forgave her. He is thankful for what she did, but
he never forgave her. Mateo understands, despite that, I put too much
pressure on him with the kids. I don’t need to burden him with me being a
crybaby,” she says, tugging at the thin blanket to throw over Marabella as
she rolls on her side.
“Gosh, I miss her, she was a tough woman, she would have kicked my
ass, literally, for moping about and told me to get my shit together, but
that’s ok because she would be there to catch me when I fall. Now I have to
catch myself and everyone else and not being able to tell Ezra and Mateo
certain things. It’s so lonely,” she whispers the last words.
Kat closes her eyes and rubs her temples like she has a headache before
opening her eyes to look at me. I can see her pain. She wears it so plainly,
I’m surprised no one else can see it.
“I have lost the image of who I thought I was and who I thought I would
be, and now, looking at everything that has happened, I realize I am a
stranger within myself. Trying to live up to everyone else’s expectations,
and I lost myself in it,” Kat whispers.
I feel terrible for her. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be
responsible for not just a pack but every pack, while trying to raise her kids
and be a good mate. It has to be too much.
“Everyone has a breaking point, Kat. But when you reach it, you just
have to remember to toss the broken pieces away. Don’t let their sharpness
cut you to pieces, and don’t worry about what you can’t change or fix.
Focus on what matters, what’s right in front of you. Anger and hate are
heavy to carry, they damage the carrier more.”
 Kat laughs, and her face turns red. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said
anything. Here I am, moping about being Queen and a mother when you
had to fight for your son. When you have been put through the worst
situations ever, and I am here whining about my protected childhood and
having to be an adult,” she laughs, shaking her head.
“You don’t need to apologize, Kat, your feelings aren’t invalid, and you
can’t imagine what I have been through, just like I can’t imagine what you
have been through or the pressures on you. I count myself pretty lucky,
despite everything. I would go through it all again just to be here right now.
God only knows if I would have found Jonah or Andrei if I didn’t have that
life, so as much as it sucked, I came out of it with two people I couldn’t
imagine living without,” I tell her.
“You ever wonder what your life would be like if the one thing that
changed everything didn’t happen?” Kat asks.
“Every day, I always wonder about the what-ifs. What if I didn’t
convince my family to go to Flower Meadows? But you know what? It
happened, I survived it, and I got my life back. A better one and I realize
what happened was on them, not me. What they did was on them, and
nothing I could have or should have done would change it. Sometimes fate
has a funny way of showing us how much one can endure, but once you
endure it, you realize nothing will break you except yourself. You will
realize that Kat, one day you will wake up, and the weight on your
shoulders won’t feel so heavy, it won’t feel consuming, and you will realize
you can carry it because you carried a weight so much heavier before and
you are stronger because of it.” I tell her as I hop up from my seat.
“Come on, I will make more coffee. Mateo is alright with the kids, and
we can steal Andrei’s Monte Carlo biscuits. He has hidden in the back of
the pantry.” I wink at her.
“I love Monte Carlo’s,” Kat says with a groan.
“Yeah, Casen brought them over this morning to replace the ones he
stole last night,” I chuckle while walking out to the kitchen. Kat follows
me, and I flick the kettle on.
“Thank you,” Kat says, and I nod to her.
“You can always talk to me,” I tell her, grabbing some mugs down.
Kat grabs the milk from the fridge and hands it to me. We are in the
middle of making coffee when nausea rolls over me, making my heart race
and beat frantically in my chest. Sweat coats my forehead, and my hands
tremble.
“Sage?” Kat calls my name.
“Get the kids,” I shriek, fighting down the urge to throw up as I tear off
out of the house.
Rushing out of the house, I see rogues running from every direction. My
scream is loud and bounces off the trees and through the mind link as I
scream for Andrei.
I look for Jonah and the kids spotting them both in the tree. Mateo’s
gray wolf fends off rogues as they come out of nowhere and everywhere.
Our pack runs from the houses and treeline, trying to help Mateo as Eziah
cries under the tree where he sits.
Shifting, I jump into the fray, racing toward where the kids are.
“Get the kids to the packhouse and lock it down,” I rush through the
mind link as Sierra sinks her teeth into a brown blotchy-colored wolf.
Kat races toward Eziah but is tackled at the last second, her wolf
skidding across the ground when it sinks its teeth into her neck, forcing her
to shift back.
Her naked body is tossed, and Mateo’s wolf whimpers. But he is the
only thing standing in the way of the wolves getting to his son as I try to get
to his position. Sierra kills a wolf as our warriors take them down, but there
are so many. They come out of nowhere and seem to have no end as they
keep zipping out of the trees toward us.
Being jumped from behind, I am shoved forward, face planting the
ground. Sierra turns quickly, snapping at anything that comes into reach
when Kat barges into me. She kicks another wolf in the head as it tries to
get me from my blind spot.
Her entire body is saturated in blood, and her neck is bleeding profusely
as she continues fighting, trying to get to her son and the boys. Three
wolves suddenly jump Mateo, and he kills one quickly before the other two
pounce on him and knock him down. One of them rips into his flank
viciously. Sierra charges toward them, and she tackles one off the top of
him, tearing it into its neck.
Looking up into a tree, Jonah and Kyan are perched on a branch, both
looking petrified. I see Kat get to the tree and Sierra bites and claws at
anything that attacks us when I hear Kat tell the boys to jump.
 Unfortunately, I don’t have time to see if she needs help as teeth sink
into my tail, ripping me back, claws dig deep into my ribs, and scratches
down my hip.
“Andrei!” I scream through the link, needing them to get here before
we all end up dead.
We are outnumbered five to one easily, and they just don’t stop coming.
Then out of the corner of my eye, I see Jonah jump into Kat’s arms and
Kyan run toward the packhouse, to safety.
I am running towards them when Kat starts to scream.
“No, no, no, not now,” she screams, making me look at her.
She has Eziah in her arms when she suddenly vanishes in thin air. I
don’t have time to think much of it when I’m hit from the side. Gunfire
rings out before I hear someone scream, “Grenades!”
 Chapter

Thirty-Eight

K atya
The moment I grab Eziah, I race toward the packhouse to lock
them in the house until help arrives. I get three steps when I feel a
jolt. Pain ravages me as I’m forced to stop. “No, no, no, not now,” I scream.
My surroundings blur and shake, and I’m sucked into the vortex of
teleporting to Seline’s realm. I barely catch myself, still mid-run when I’m
forced here.
I try to teleport back but can’t. Eziah quiets down, looking around, and I
look for Seline to tell her to send me back, but I find her collapsed body
next to the fountain of life.
“Seline!” I shriek, rushing over to her. I roll her onto her back, and she
mumbles incoherently. Her eyes are white, and I shake her. Her eyes shake
and flicker from white to gold.
I place Eziah down next to her, standing up and running my hands
through the water, trying to find something to fix her and get back to my
world.
I watch the scenes in my world. Andrei, Ezra, and Dominic are back
helping, and my father rushes toward Sage. The entire scene is bloody
chaos and destruction. I turn, looking down at Seline and kneel next to her. I
clutch her arms to heal her, to rouse her conscious enough to help me. Eziah
sobs and climbs up on her, his eyes glowing.
“That’s it, bubba, help Momma,” I tell him as tears stream down my
face.
I’m torn. I need to help Seline, but I need to get back to the real world
and not this one. Seline suddenly gasps, her eyes refocuses, but the golden
hue surrounding her is gone. She looks almost human.
“Kat?” she gasps, and Eziah leans heavily on me. I grip his arms, and he
turns all floppy.
“Eziah?” I shriek, clutching his tiny limp body in my arms when his
eyes flutter, and he yawns, passing out.
I try to heal him and take some of the exhaustion from him enough to
rouse him awake, but feel his heart rate even out, and he sighs happily
enough and falls asleep.
“You need to get up, I need to get back,” I tell Seline. Seline coughs,
blood starts pouring from her lips and down her chin, and my heart pounds
in my chest. So hard I can hear it.
“No, no, you don’t get to leave me with this, please,” I beg her.
“It’s time, Kat,” she whispers and her eyes fall shut.
“Seline, no. I don’t know what I am doing,” I tell her, shaking her until
her eyes open. “You need to get up. You’re fine. We healed you, Eziah
healed you,” I tell her.
She shakes her head when her nose bleeds and runs down the side of her
face. “You have to do it, Kat, you have to do it and get back to your mates,”
she whispers, and I shake my head when I hear footsteps, making me look
up to see a man in Lycan form.
His face looks like a wolf, and he is covered in fur, but he stands taller
than anyone I have ever known.
Fur is so dark black, I think it is almost blue and the color of the sky at
night. Gold eyes stare back at me, and I see a silver dagger with rubies in
his hand and a huge white stone at the end of the handle. I sit back on my
heels, watching as he walks over to her before sitting next to her.
“Did you get it?” Seline whispers to him, turning her face to him.
The man nods, looking at her and brushing her hair from her face before
pressing his furry head to hers. He grips her hand in his, bringing it to his
face. Her hand looks tiny in his, and I instantly know who he is.
“You’re Bain, aren’t you?” I ask him, and he pulls away from her. His
eyes snap to mine and he nods his head once before handing me the dagger.
I shake my head, pushing it away, but he thrusts it forward at me while
holding the blade.
“No, I don’t understand,” I tell him, looking at Seline, but he grabs my
hand and places the knife in it.
 “This is how it has to be. This is how you become the Moon and its
Goddess,” she says, and I shake my head. “You will, and you must.”
I look down at Eziah, gently picking him up and placing him on the
sofa. Bain cups her cheek with his hand as he walks back to her, tears
streaming down his face and snout.
“You remind Koraline I love her when you see her again. You watch
over our girl,” she says, and he nods, his shoulders shaking as he whimpers
“Don’t cry, my love. This is how it has to be. It’s time. It’s time I go.”
Seline tells him, and he nods, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand and
nodding his head.
Seline turns her head to me and smiles sadly. “You will be great. I knew
it the day I first saw you. Take care of my children for me.”
My lips quiver, and I can barely see anything through my tears.“Please
don’t make me do this,” I tell her, my voice trembling.
“I, Seline blessed daughter of the Moon, hereby grant my divine power
and my life to Katya Hartley, daughter of mine and the new Moon Goddess,
Goddess to the children of the Moon,” Seline says, and a cold rush rolls
over me, and I shake my head not wanting it.
I don’t want to do this. Bain grabs my hand, holding the dagger, and
hovers it over the center of her chest. He grips my hand, holding it there.
His pained and tear-filled eyes hold mine as my hands shake violently in his
as I try to pull it away.
“I, Katya Hartley, accept your sacrifice and will take your place as the
Goddess of the Moon,” I choke out, and Bain lets my hands go.
I cry out as I plunge the knife into her chest, the handle grows hot and I
feel her life essence rush up my arms. The Moonstone glows as I absorb its
power. I don’t know how I know what to say, but it feels right as it vibrates
around me, the words come out on their own.
I suck in a breath, her power vibrates through me, warm and loving, yet
cold and smooth as it caresses every piece of me. It’s warming me from the
inside out as her last breath wheezes out of her and my arms fall, letting go
of the dagger. She looks almost peaceful as she lays there, and I see who
she was before.
Bain howls loudly, and the sound breaks my heart.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him.
“She is at peace now,” His voice speaks in my head as he places his
arms under her body and lifts her.
 Bain then walks off down some corridor away from me. Wiping my
tears, I get to my feet, walking over to Eziah, who is still sound asleep, and
pick him up. “Time to go home,” I whisper to him.
Feeling our surroundings ripple, it is so much easier than before, just a
mere thought, and I am back in my realm, standing amongst the carnage
and chaos.

S age The moment the word is screamed, the first explosion goes off just
to the right of the packhouse.
The walls shake, and Mateo’s wolf stops. His head turns toward it as
Andrei and those who left rush in and start taking down wolves. So many
men I don’t recognize racing toward us. Mateo suddenly shifts back, racing
toward his car.
“We need to get them out of here,” he screams to me, and I glance
around for a way out when he ducks and weaves his way through fighting
wolves, scooping up some keys, and hits the button to his car.
“Get the kids in the car,” Mateo calls to me, and I nod, racing into the
house.
“Jonah, Kyan!” I scream, racing inside.
“Kids!” I scream, running into the hall.
What if one of them got in, or someone took them or hurt them? I panic,
looking around frantically when I hear soft sobbing, and I spot Kyan and
Jonah hiding in a corner behind the couch. Marabella is clutched in Kyan’s
arms, and they are both shaking terribly. Running over to them, I check
them.
“I need to get you both out of here. I need you two to both hold each
other’s hands, and you need to run with me to the car,” I explain while
taking Marabella from Kyan’s arms.
I grab Jonah’s hand, forcing him to his feet, and Kyan grabs his hand.
We walk to the entryway and I peer out. “Stay close, and don’t let go of my
hand,” I tell Jonah, tucking him behind me.
The car is twenty meters away from the house as we step out. Mateo is
fighting a gray wolf while in his human form. Wolves are fighting, blood
and fur are everywhere. Mangled screams and whimpers fill the air, along
with the stench of blood.
 The rear door is open on the car, so I know Mateo must have opened it.
“Straight to the car and get in and duck down,” I tell the boys. They
nod, their little faces full of fear, and I clutch Marabella to my chest.
“One, two, three,” I tell them, ripping Jonah to me as I take off running
for the car.
Growls and snarls break out everywhere around us. Jonah screams
behind me. His hand letting mine go, and I turn, looking over my shoulder
to see a ginger-colored wolf running straight at me.
Its body collides with mine, and I can’t do anything but tuck and roll as
I try to shield Marabella.
Jonah and Kyan start screaming. Marabella’s head is clutched in my
hands, her body tucked to my chest as the wolf tears into my back. All I can
do is curl into a ball, using my arms and legs to shield her.
My scream rings out as my back and arms get ripped to shreds, the wolf
mauls me until I hear it grunt.
“Go!” Mateo yells, and I push myself off the ground, sprinting towards
the car.
I stagger and land on the door frame of the car. A wolf is tearing into
my leg, and Marabella is screaming in my arms. I try to kick it off as its
teeth sink into my thigh, and I look over my shoulder to see Kyan and
Jonah being chased into the house by a wolf.
Mateo is fighting the wolf that mauled me. Using the arm holding
Marabella, I place her in her car seat and I kick my legs, trying to get the
wolf off me as I shut the door, hoping she doesn’t fall out of her seat.
“They ran back inside!” Mateo screams as another bomb goes off.
Turning, I see Dominic fighting three wolves, still in his human form,
his suit is torn to shreds, but he moves quickly, smashing them with his
magic, then moving on to the next.
I punch the wolf when it pivots, sinking its teeth into my arm, and
punch it again only for it to knock me over. It lands on top of me and I wrap
my arms around its neck, my legs around its torso, pulling up and squeezing
as hard as I can.
It makes a choked whimpering noise, but I don’t let go. Its back legs
thrash, cutting mine apart, and Derrick runs toward the house just as its
neck snaps in my arms. Tossing it off, I run toward the house again, Mateo
on my heels.
 We race toward the boys trapped inside with the wolf. Their screams are
blood-curdling as we approach. Just as I step over the threshold next to
Derrick, Mateo reaches it at the same moment as me.
Heat rushes over me from inside the house. The smell of gas reaches my
nose simultaneously. I’m thrown backward. The house explodes. I gasp -
Jonah and Kyan are inside. My skin melts off me from the sheer intensity of
the heat, and I scream before I feel nothing and see nothing. Only oblivion
as my body smashes into the ground.
 Chapter

Thirty-Nine

K atya
People are dead on the ground everywhere as I drop back into the
middle of a war zone. Trained rogue fighters are attacking, and
Andrei’s pack is equally efficient but lacking the numbers.
I recognize Dominic’s men instantly by their sheer size and
effectiveness. They don’t flinch and fight like they have been training for
this day all their lives.
Turning around, watching the carnage, I notice Mateo; he is running
toward the packhouse, and it is like time slows down when I hear Andrei
scream for Sage, who is also running in the same direction toward the
packhouse ahead of him, Mateo not far behind her. So much is going on. It
is hard to keep track of as I turn to see Andrei screaming and running
straight towards me, and I gasp.
This is the vision, I am reliving it. Deja-vu washes over me in real time,
and I duck as a rogue jumps toward me. Dominic punches it out of my way
and I clutch Eziah to my chest. The ground vibrates, and heat makes the air
warmer as the packhouse explodes.
Covering my ears, I’m not expecting the blast and I’m tossed backward
into the dirt, Eziah is still out cold but on my chest. Sitting up, my heart
thumps against my ribs. Bodies are scattered everywhere. Dazed, I peer
around.
Andrei is clutching Sage in his hands as everyone rushes toward the
burning destruction of the packhouse, digging through the debris, and that’s
when I notice Mateo lying dead close to Andrei.
 Ezra frantically tries to revive his charred and burned body. My stomach
twists, peering around, praying this is a figment of my imagination, only I
know it is real, genuine. Hearing a growl behind me, I turn to see him.
His figure is imposing as he claps his hands. He laughs maniacally and
rubs his hands together. A black mist spreads across his body. His shirt has
been torn off in the fray, revealing tattoos that shimmer and ripple and swirl
across his skin, making me see they aren’t tattoos but the markings of his
magic.
An army of shifting wolves stands behind him. Their menacing growls
roar through the air. Donnie and Maddox have taken over Ezra and Andrei
in their grief.
Dominic smiles cruelly and raises his hands in the air. His eyes pitch
black, and the rogues back up, the fear on their faces is clear. Goosebumps
rise on my arms. The darkness takes over Dominic and ripples over his
men, firing them up as they growl and snarl, hackled up, and wanting blood.
The wolves behind him growl and snap their jaws. Dominic drops his
arms and rolls his hands around, making a black sphere of his magic with
them.
The menacing look of red eyes chills me to the bone as I stare at his
men, their bodies transform and grow larger. Dark mist envelopes his hands
and spreads over the wolves behind him, turning them into rabid beasts with
blood-red eyes.
“Kill them all,” he says, and the wolves charge toward me, where I’m
standing watching all this play out.
I scream, seeing Donnie and Maddox running into the fray. They rip
into the rogues, tearing them limb from limb while Dominic’s eyes focus,
and I watch him use his powers like some dark angel out for revenge.
He walks around the carnage like it can’t touch him, and I turn to the
packhouse. Mateo remains motionless on the ground, and I run over to him.
Shaking him but getting no response, my mark burns, and I can feel the
bond severing. The bond recognizes his death and somehow, it brings the
pain forward, making me clutch my chest.
The vision Seline showed me comes to the forefront of my mind. I can
see it clearly as I watch my kids play. I thought the decision was for the war
with Jackson’s pack, but I’ve realized it’s now.
It was never then, but now as I turn, looking over at Sage’s dead body
on the ground. She is drenched in blood, her skin gray, and my eyes burn at
the sight of her.
Seline’s voice booms through my head, her words on repeat. “Always
choose the mate bond, choose your mates over everything else,” she had
said to me so long ago.
Blinking back tears, I do just that, choosing Mateo to save our family,
but that means destroying Andrei’s. I choke back a sob.
I know it is selfish, but I can’t live without him. I can’t live without my
mate, can’t live with Ezra hating me. I can’t live with the guilt that he won’t
be able to watch his children grow.
As I press my lips to Mateo’s, tears stream down my cheeks. I know
Andrei will hate me, I know I am choosing my mate over his. Warmth
moves through me, and everything I love about him rushes to the surface.
My magic flares to life and a sob breaks past my lips. Everything falls
quiet around me and I pull him back, pull him to me just as he gasps,
sucking in a deep breath.
He peers around desperately, clutching his chest, his eyes fall on me. He
clutches my face, fighting around us slows down.
“You’re ok. We’re okay.” Mateo whispers, pulling me to him.
“Jonah, Kyan, they were in the house.” He says, and I snap my head
back.
“What?” I shriek, my head snaps in the packhouse's direction.
“The children,” I scream, and Dominic looks over at me. I shove Eziah
into Mateo’s arms, rushing over and ripping through the rubble of what’s
left, the house reduced to concrete debris.
“Kyan?” Dominic yells. His magic drops, and he rushes to help me.
“Move!” He says, and I step back.
He raises his hands, and I feel the energy rush off him, physically feel it
as he flings concrete like it weighs nothing, the shadows lift the debris and
move them off to the side when I spot my father.
Mateo rushes over, helping me drag him out with his free hand that isn’t
clutching Eziah. I can see Ezra and Andrei taking down the last few rogues.
The ground is completely drenched in blood.
People are injured everywhere, and I hear my father cough. His legs are
crushed, and he has a piece of rebar through his stomach. Moving to his
side, he tries to speak.
“Kat, you need to,” he chokes out. “Jonah,” he gasps.
 “Kyan!” Dominic says, and I hear him rip away rubble with his hands
when I see the black sphere. Both boys inside are perfectly okay. Kyan’s
face is deathly pale, and he drops his magic. Dominic scoops him up.
“I got you, I got you, buddy,” Dominic whispers to him as I watch
through tear-filled eyes.
“Jonah?” My dad asks, just as Andrei comes rushing over screaming for
him. His entire body is drenched in blood.
“He’s fine,” I tell my father, watching Andrei hug him.
“Where is mom?” Jonah cries out, and Andrei drops to the ground,
sobbing into Jonah’s shoulder and clutching him tightly. “Where is she?”
Jonah asks, pulling on Andrei’s head.
“Dad, where is mom? Where is mom, dad?” Jonah asks as he wails and
tries to get out of his grip as Andrei holds him, refusing to let him look
behind him. Jonah smacks his arms, and Eziah stirs on the grass beside my
father, finally waking up as Ezra rushes to my side, scooping him up.
“Where is Marabella?” Ezra asks frantically.
“In the car, Sage got her out.” Mateo says, looking over my shoulder at
her body when suddenly I hear a bloodcurdling scream making me look at
Andrei.
Jonah thrashes wildly in Andrei’s arms, escaping and dropping next to
Sage. He yanks on her shoulders. Her body is limp, and Andrei tries to get
up.
“Jonah!” He calls, getting to his feet, his eyes all swollen from crying,
his body marred with the scars of the war.
Dominic’s men are walking around, killing the injured wolves.
“It’s okay, Pumpkin,” says my father’s weak voice, making me look at
him. I nod.
“Pull it out, so I can heal him,” I tell Mateo.
My father groans as he pulls the rebar out of him. I can hear Jonah
wailing in the background. Andrei is wailing and trying to console him. My
hands instantly reach for his wound, but my father grips my hands, making
my eyes dart to him. “You can’t heal her, can you?” he rasps, and my lips
tremble.
I shake my head, trying to heal him, but his hands don’t let go and he
pushes mine away. “Stop, dad, let me, I can help,” I tell him.
“You’re right, you can, but not this time, pumpkin,” my father says, and
I ignore him, trying to twist my wrists from his grip.
 “I abandoned him once. And I promised won’t do it again when he
needs me, and he needs me Kat,” my father says.
“No! I won’t,” I tell him.
“Pin him,” I tell Mateo, who hesitates when my father glares at him.
“You heal me, and I will never forgive you. You will do this for me. I
need you to do this for me,” my father pleads.
“I’ve made so many mistakes, I won’t let this be one of them. Let me do
this for him. This is my karma, and I can make things right. He’s my son.”
Tears stream down my face at what he’s asking of me. “And I am your
daughter,” I cry out, shaking my head.
Can he even fathom what asking this of me would do to me? Skeletons,
Seline said. We choose which we can live with and killing my father isn’t
one I wish to carry and have haunting me.
“And so is she. So is Sage. I love her like one too. You guys don’t need
me, you have your mates, you don’t need me anymore, Pumpkin.” my
father whispers.
But I need him. Can’t he see I need him? He’s all I have left of her. Left
of my old life.
“You don’t need me anymore. You have your mates. And that’s okay.
But your brother…” Dad turns his head, looking at Andrei. “He needs her,
Jonah needs her, and I need you to do this for him and me. Either way, you
are not healing me, not while she is lying there and I can take her place,”
my father says, squeezing my hands softly with a pleading look in his eyes.
I hiccup a breath, looking over my shoulder at my brother and Jonah.
Why do I have to lose everything and everyone? It seemed unfair.
“You’re not killing me, sweetheart. Don’t think of it that way. You are
saving them,” my father says, and I turn back to face him.
Ezra and Mateo are both looking away. Both of them say nothing as
tears wash down their cheeks.
My father’s wounds heal slowly, but his skin is pale as he slowly bleeds
out. “You became so much more than your mothers and I ever imagined,
you make me proud to call you my daughter,” he says, and a trickle of
blood leaks from the side of his mouth.
“Now, you tell your brother I love him, and I love you, and you look
after those grandbabies for me,” he says, letting my hands go. “You look
after my girl,” he says, turning his head and looking at Ezra and Mateo.
“Promise,” Mateo chokes out.
 “Always,” Ezra says, and my father looks at me.
“It’s time for me to go, Pumpkin.”
I bite my lip as my hands shakily reach for his. I clutch it in both of
mine, and he opens it. Lifting it to my face, I press my face into his palm. “I
love you, Dad.”
“I know Pumpkin, I love you too,” he murmurs.
Choking on emotion, I feel my canines slip out, my mouth filling with
venom. Closing my eyes, I sink them into his hand. My magic rushes out,
his hand goes cold in mine almost instantly.
As I open my eyes and stare at my father’s vacant ones, his face gray, a
choked sob leaves my lips. Placing his hand in his lap, Ezra reaches for me
as an energized shiver ripples through every nerve in my body.
His hands reach for me, but I jerk away. “Please, don’t touch me, just
don’t touch me,” I sob, my hands shaking, and he pulls his hands away that
are reaching for me.
“Kat?” I shake my head, getting to my feet.
Dominic looks away, Kyan’s face buried in his chest.
Walking over to Andrei, who’s in a daze while Jonah rocks back and
forth in his lap. He is trying his best to console a crying Jonah.
Tears stream down my face as I kneel beside her, dripping on her as I
lean down over her, pressing my lips to hers. A sob leaves me as I kiss her.
The same warmth that I felt with Mateo floods over me. It rushes into
her, and I feel my heart leave me as I give it to her. I give my father’s life to
her.
I pull away, watching her color return. Standing, I grab the back of
Andrei’s neck and tilt his head up to look at me. His eyes are bloodshot as I
peer into my brother’s eyes.
“Dad said to tell you he loves you,” I tell him, my voice breaking just as
Sage gasps and she starts coughing.
“Mom?”
“Mom!” Jonah squeals, jumping on her.
Andrei stares at me with wide eyes, then turns his head to see Sage. He
sputters his head, turning back to look at me before crushing her to his
chest.
My words must have registered in his head. “Wait,” he says, his eyes
going to our father. His lips part, and he bites down on his lip, a choked sob
escapes him. “Kat?” My brother says, and I shake my head, sucking in a
breath.
“He would not abandon you a second time,” I tell him, and he nods as
tears leak down his face before he sucks in a deep shuddering breath.
I turn back to my father when Ezra steps in my path, not giving me the
option and crowding my space as he crushes me against him. His scent
invades my senses, and I feel the tension leave me.
“You did the right thing, you did what he wanted,” Ezra whispers next
to my ear, and I nod when Marabella cries from inside the car. I wipe my
face, pulling away from Ezra to get her.
“I will get her,” Dominic calls out, and I look over my shoulder to see
him place Kyan down on the ground before walking over to our car.
He opens the back door, grabbing her out. She cries loudly until he
picks her up, and she stops crying instantly. Dominic’s men and Andrei’s
warriors are resting, a few are already cleaning up, and I check on Eziah. I
get Marabella from Dominic when I hear a voice.
“Gun, he has a gun,” one of Dominic’s men screams.
My head whips to the side to see an injured rogue by the packhouse sit
up, debris and dust falling from his body as he takes aim. My eyes follow in
the gun's direction, pointed at Marabella in Dominic’s arms.
My scream resonates through the trees, and Dominic’s head whips in
my direction. He notices the man just as the gun fires. The bang hurts my
ears, and my scream is strangled as I watch the bullet blink past me before
hearing the thud.
Andrei slashes the man’s throat with his claws a second too late. Kyan
screams a bloodcurdling scream as my eyes fall on my daughter, only to see
Dominic’s back. He staggers, catching himself on the side of the car, and
falling to his knees.
“Dad!” Kyan’s voice echoes through me, and I gasp as Dominic turns.
Marabella is in his arms, screaming her head off and I race over to him
when he collapses. His legs outstretches in front of him as his back hits the
rear tire of the car.
Marabella falls from his arms as they go slack, and she lands in his lap,
crying. We all race over to them, and I scoop up Marabella, but she appears
to be okay, just frightened when Kyan grips his father and starts shaking
him.
 “Dad?” He says, yanking on him, and I glance away, unable to see his
heartache.
His father is dead. The bullet hit him in the center of his back as he
turned to shield Marabella. His head hangs forward limply, and Kyan is
screaming for his father and shaking him.
“Ezra,” I call, nodding toward Kyan.
Ezra walks over to him and tries to grab him when the mist engulfs him,
and Ezra is thrown backward at an alarming speed.
“Dad, wake up, dad,” he screams, climbing onto his father’s lap.
“Please, dad,” Kyan cries.
Ezra shakes himself off. Getting to his feet, he goes over to pry Kyan
off his father’s body. “I know, buddy,” Ezra tells him.
“No, no, no,’’ Kyan screams before unleashing his magic and directing
his magic at his father.
I gasp when I realize he is trying to resurrect him, remembering what
Dominic said about his son’s rabbit turning evil and cannibalistic. “Kyan,
no,” Ezra says, gripping his arms.
“Get him out of here,” I call to Dominic’s men, who rush over and grab
Dominic’s body and remove it so his son can’t try to resurrect him.
“No, bring him back, bring him back, I can save him!” Kyan screams,
and I drop in front of him.
“You can’t bring him back. Your father wouldn’t want to be like your
rabbit,” I remind him, trying to get him to understand.
My words may be brutal, but he needs to understand what he was trying
to do.
“No, let me go. Let me go!” Kyan screams, thrashing in Ezra’s arms.
“This is her fault. It’s all her fault. He died for her!” He screams as he
stops thrashing. His breathing is hard as he glares at Marabella in my arms.
I stand up, seeing one of Dominic’s men walk over. He is tall and stern-
looking, muscle on muscle. I look up at him as he stops beside us.
“I am Dominic’s Beta. Let me take him,” he says.
“Kye,” the man says, and Kyan’s tear-filled eyes look up at him before
he jumps out of Ezra’s lap and rushes over to the man who grabs him,
crushing him against his chest.
“I’m his next of kin after the Alpha. You can check his will. My name is
Lucas. I am Kyan’s uncle on his mother’s side,” the man tells me as Kyan
hugs him, sobbing against his chest.
 “He’s gone,” Kyan chokes out.
“I know, buddy,” Lucas tells him.
“He died for her. I hate her, I hate her,” he whispers, and my heart
clenches.
“Don’t say that, don’t say that, Kye,” Lucas tells him, but Kyan shakes
his head.
Lucas puts him on his feet, taking his hand when Kyan lets his hand go,
ripping his arm away. His eyes lock on Marabella, and I turn slightly,
shielding her from his angry gaze, and he looks up at Lucas.
“Take me home now,” he says, his voice ice-cold, before he walks off
toward Dominic’s car and not looking back.
“He is just upset. He doesn’t mean it,” Lucas tells me.
“I have a feeling he does,” I whisper, watching him open the rear door
and get in the car.
“Soren, Rowan,” Lucas calls out, and I see two, just as intimidating men
approach him with hard looks on their faces.
“Bring his body back. I’m taking Kyan home,” Lucas says, and the men
nod sadly, and Lucas walks off toward Dominic’s car. He stops at the trunk,
grabs some clothes out, and slips on some shorts.
“Is Kyan going to be okay?” I hear Jonah’s voice.
“He will be alright, he is just sad,” Sage tells him, looking at me. She
nods her head to me, mouthing thank you. I tip my head to her, and she
smiles as she sits in Andrei’s lap with Jonah on hers.
The first day on the job, I already have failed and want to quit.
 Chapter

Forty

K atya
One week later
There is nothing worse than everyone thinking you are the
solution to their dilemma. Sure, I could have saved him, but how do you
choose whose life is worth more? How do you decide who to kill and who
to save? Essentially playing God, how do I live with choosing?
What will the ramifications of that decision be? How do you choose
whose life is more valuable when all life is precious?
Marabella learned the hard way. She saved her pack, but by doing so,
damned the man she loved. She cursed herself and paid the price - a never-
ending cycle of pain. Now, I am the one to choose who can live or die. The
risks of altering a future that I have no control over might be my downfall
and ruin those I hold dear.
Choosing to do nothing and watching Kyan’s heartbreak was the hardest
decision of my life.
I already regretted it, but Dominic’s men had already killed the rogues,
and I couldn’t take the life of someone undeserving. Skeletons, Seline said,
make sure you choose which to live with, and now I understand that with a
newfound clarity, that is terrifying.
Every decision I make from now on will haunt me, break small pieces
off, and I don’t know how Seline bore the weight of those decisions. How
she chose between her children, her children she entrusted me with. This
job is impossible.
I am not ready for this, and I am not ready to take her place and the
expectations that come with it.
 Is it too much to be normal, free of consequence, and free to live
without choosing? I feel tired, and this is just the beginning. I am already
emotionally exhausted, and I feel dead inside.
So many lives have been lost, and I just watched because sometimes
choosing to do nothing is a better option. A long time ago, this was all set in
motion. I realize how right Seline was.
We choose mates, not their destiny. Sometimes fate can be cruel, and I
learned to take the punches and avoid causing more unnecessary
destruction.
One decision can have a domino effect. One wrong move and the entire
thing will fall around you. Get it right, and we may just survive it, but with
death comes life, and once that life is over, death comes for us again, a
never-ending cycle.
Each time we wash off our sins and send them back until we get it right
or choose not to. I realize Seline decided not to.
She broke the cycle of living with the things that haunted her.
I wonder if I will make the same decision one day. Could I force this
onto someone else? I am grateful for Seline bringing me back, but now, I
pay the consequences of her sacrifice. My kids are forced to pay for a
sacrifice of mine.
“Kat?” Ezra whispers as his hands drop on my shoulders.
I don’t realize I have been staring at my father’s body in the coffin. I
completely zoned out and thought of what if I found another way.
Would he still be here? His death is one skeleton I don’t want to live
with. It was his choice, his life to sacrifice, but it doesn’t change the fact it
was the man who raised me. The man that taught me to ride a bike, the man
who tossed his pack away, and his title for me. He was my father, my safe
place, and the hero of my stories growing up. And I killed him.
“Kat?” Ezra repeats, and I look at him, finally able to pull my eyes
away from the man that raised me.
I still wait for him to wake up and call me that god-awful nickname, but
now I will take the teasing, anything to hear him repeat it.
Instead, I have been listening to his voicemail on repeat, just so I can
hear his voice and pretend he is still here and is just too busy to pick up.
Andrei walks up behind Ezra and pats his shoulder, nodding at him.
Ezra looks at him, walking off, only for Andrei to take his place. He is
wearing a suit. I am used to seeing him dressed casually, yet he looks
handsome. I can actually see the similarities he shares with our father.
“I don’t know what to say,” Andrei admits, and I nod, feeling his hand
wrap around mine, engulfing it. He rubs circles on the back of my hand
with his thumb.
“We don’t need to say anything, dad knows. He knows already,” I tell
him.
“I never would have put you in that position. I understand the
consequences of you having to do that for me, but I can’t thank you enough.
I can’t make this up to you or dad.”
“Yes, you can. You can live for him. He died to make sure you kept on
living. He knew Sage was the only way that would have happened. You
needed her more than him.”
“But what about you?” Andrei asks.
“You’re my brother. His death, I will learn to deal with. Neither dad, nor
I could live with yours. I didn’t have to do what he asked. I could have
saved him, but I would have been condemning you and your family. One
life for three, it was the right thing to do, and it is what he wanted.”
“I’m sorry, Kat. I know that would have been the toughest decision to
make.” Andrei whispers.
“It helps to know it was the right one. I have no regrets about choosing
Sage. I regret being the one to do it, but I don’t regret saving her. This was
his way of giving you back everything he took from you. His way of
showing to you that you meant more than his own life and that he would
give up everything to make sure you have the life you deserve, with your
mate and your son. He gave it up for them and you. If our roles were
reversed and it was for one of my children, I would lay my life down in a
heartbeat. I would give my last breath to ensure they got to take another.” I
tell him.
Andrei tugs me closer to him, draping his arm across my shoulders,
pressing his cheek to the top of my head, and kissing my hair.
“I love you,” he whispers. I wrap my arms around his waist, hugging
him back.
“I love you too,” I tell him before following him out of the church. Sage
is waiting for us outside, her eyes bloodshot from crying. The guilt on her
face is undeniable.
 She hesitates as she approaches me like she thinks I will turn away from
her, cast her away for his death. She looks at Andrei as if she is worried that
she shouldn’t approach me, so I move to her instead and open my arms. Her
hug is tight as she hugs me like she can’t bear to let go.
“I’m sorry, Kat,” she whispers, and I let out a shaky breath.
Her hug is warm, and seeing her heartbreak makes my heart swell. I
made the right decision, and so did dad. He saved his son, but also killed
me in the process. That is the beauty of sacrifice.
Someone is always left pained no matter what. I may not have my
father, but he was right, saving their family was worth the sacrifice.
Knowing my brother would be happy, Jonah would have both parents, Sage
gets to live after a life full of heartache, and finally, the cycle of Donnie’s
and Sierra’s torment had come full circle.
He saved more than Sage; he ensured Jonah and Andrei had a future. He
will finally know peace, knowing that he proved his love for his son
outweighed his own life.
“Family, we are nothing without them, and I am glad to have you as part
of mine,” I tell her, and she sniffles and nods against my shoulder.
Survivor’s guilt. But I know her life was worth saving. She deserves a
happy ending after everything she endured. She deserves peace and
happiness, and Andrei and Jonah deserve the love she will give them.
“Come on, we should get home. Everyone is waiting,” I tell her,
knowing that both packs are at home to celebrate my father’s life.
His funeral differed from my mother’s. He earned his place in both
packs and earned the respect of everyone and his place amongst both. He
redeemed himself for his past failures. My father thought he failed me by
leaving, but I knew he would come back, and he did. He just needed time.
He never failed me, and neither did mom because I know everything
they did was never to hurt me, not intentionally anyway.
Now to do this all over again tomorrow, but for Dominic, the man that
gave his life for my daughter’s, the man I realize I have painted wrong from
the beginning. All a misunderstanding based on fear of each other and fear
for the packs we both served.
T he next day

T he funeral home is crowded, with bodies pressed against each other, and
there are members from every pack. Hundreds of people turned up for
Dominic’s funeral.
So many people are gathered outside the building, all the way to the
lush lawns surrounding the place. There are even humans, which shows
how much respect this man had.
I stand at the back with Ezra and Mateo. Marge said she would watch
the kids while we attend, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to bring
Marabella, while it is still so raw for Kyan. Andrei, Sage, and Jonah stand
at the back with us, and Lucas, spotting us, waves us forward.
I shake my head, not feeling like I belong at the front. When we don’t
move, Lucas pushes through the crowd toward us. “My Queen, you belong
up there with Kyan.” He announces.
“I don’t think he will want me up there,” I tell him.
“Dominic gave his life for your daughter, that means you are worthy
enough in his eyes,” Lucas tells me, and I feel torn when Lucas leans closer
to whisper to me, not that he has to, the crowd of those talking will drown
out all noise as we wait for the funeral to start.
“Your daughter is Kyan’s mate. You are family whether or not Kyan
knows it,” Lucas whispers, and I pull away to look at him, shocked.
“How?” I ask him, wondering how he can know that.
“Dominic told me. He wouldn’t give his life for just anyone. His life
was reserved for his son, so he gave it to save his son from himself.” Lucas
whispers.
“Dominic knew?” I gasp, a little louder than I should.
“Dominic was a remarkable man, but he was a father first, and his son
was his world. Despite being strict, there is no one in this world he loves
more than Kyan. Dominic saw you coming before you even knew what you
were. He saw the baby that would match his son one day, he saw the
darkness that taints her, he saw who she would one day become to him.”
“And what’s that?” I ask him, wondering if Dominic saw a brighter
future than what I was shown.
“His redemption,” Lucas whispers, leaning in closer.
He stares at me when he pulls away, and I nod once. I don’t know what
he needs redemption for, but I know it involves my daughter, something I
know I will never be comfortable with.
“Jonah, Kyan was asking for you earlier. Maybe you could cheer him up
a bit,” Lucas says, looking at Andrei. Andrei nods to Jonah, who is waiting
for permission.
“I saved all of you seats,” he says, looking from my mates to Andrei
and Sage.
I let out a breath, following him to an empty pew. Kyan is nowhere to
be seen, but when Jonah went to follow his parents, Lucas pats the spot next
to him in the front row.
“You sit here, son, with Kyan,” Lucas says, and he looks at Sage, who
motions he can before I sit down next to Lucas.
Jonah looks so small sitting beside the man. The chatter quiets down
when the music starts, and the aisle between the pews clears. I don’t see
Kyan until he passes me.
Kyan’s face is set in stone and void of all emotion. He is present. The
shadows surrounding him are black as coal, tainting him. The darkness
encases him, numbing him as he walks behind his father’s coffin, a silver
urn clutched in his hands.
I watch as they place the coffin in the center of the room. The men walk
back to their seats as one of the funeral directors sets up the coffin for open
viewing before nodding to Kyan, who waits off to the side. He is staring at
the wall, off to the side of the room. The funeral director motions toward
the coffin.
Kyan walks up to it, and I know the second he lays eyes on his father,
because the shadows erupt out of him, filling the stage and spreading to the
roof like dark smoky tentacles that only I could see.
Kyan places the urn in the coffin before turning around, his eyes vacant
and not a tear in sight, like he has none left to give. He is an empty shell,
despite being the picture of indifference. I can tell by the shadows that his
father’s death destroyed him more than he is willing to show anyone.
 He sits next to his uncle, who then gets up and gives a eulogy. Kyan sits
with his shoulders slumped, head down as I watch the shadows move back
toward him, blanketing him and caressing him when he suddenly jumps.
The shadows fizzle, and I stare at him, wondering what caused it when I
notice Jonah’s hand has reached out and grabbed Kyan’s.
Kyan stares at him like he only just noticed Jonah is sitting beside him.
The shadows recede a little when Jonah places his little head on Kyan’s
shoulder, and I can almost feel Kyan’s shock at Jonah trying to comfort
him. He relaxes, resting the side of his face on Jonah’s head.
“What did you put in with your dad?” I hear Jonah ask him.
“What’s left of my mother,” Kyan tells him. They don’t speak after that,
they just watch the people give tribute to Dominic.
When it is over, and everyone is leaving, Jonah stands up with Kyan,
and Lucas is talking to Ezra and Mateo along with Andrei. Yet, I watch the
two boys when Kyan lets go of Jonah’s hand and walks toward his father’s
coffin.
Jonah follows him. The room is empty, besides my family and Lucas.
Kyan leans in the coffin, and I wander closer to check on them when I see
Kyan whisper to his father.
“She will never be mine because I won’t allow her to be, not when she
took you from me,” Kyan whispers softly, barely audible.
He stands up, removing a necklace from his pocket and placing it in his
father’s hand. “What’s that?” Jonah asks him.
“It keeps the darkness away,” Kyan answers him, and I realize it is some
sort of protection necklace.
“But I thought you didn’t like the darkness?” Jonah asks him, staring at
him worriedly.
“I never used to, but it helps me not feel,” Kyan tells him.
“You don’t want to feel anything?” Jonah asks.
“Not anymore,” Kyan says, turning around to see me watching him. He
stops before walking over to his uncle. He tugs his arm. “We can leave
now,” he says, and Lucas looks down at his nephew.
“In a minute,” Lucas tells him.
“No, we leave now,” Kyan tells him, walking off and heading outside.
“Sorry, he is struggling more than he lets on. He doesn’t have any
friends, and Jonah is the only child I have seen him play with. Maybe I
could bring him over sometime to see Jonah.”
 “Of course, Kyan is always welcome,” Sage tells him, and Lucas nods
before bowing to me and chasing after his nephew.
“Are you ok?” Sage asks, brushing Jonah’s cheek with her hand.
“Yeah, but I don’t think Kyan is momma.”
“He will be. He just needs time,” she tells him, and he nods, staring at
the door where Kyan exited.
 Chapter

Forty-One

S age
It has been two days since Dominic’s funeral, and Jonah has barely
spoken to us. Something is bothering him, and he won’t tell us what it
is, but I don’t have time to ask him this morning.
Kat came over in a rush this morning. They have summoned her and her
friends to the courts, and Marge is in the city for a function she was invited
to.
Andrei is feeding Marabella some custard. I watch as he makes funny
faces and scoops the spoon into her mouth. His lips appear to mimic hers,
as if opening his mouth will somehow convince her to do it.
Marabella, however, stares at him with wide eyes, like she isn’t sure of
the faces he is making, or maybe she thinks he looks like an idiot.
Eziah has messed with his custard as he smears it all over the highchair.
Cackling his head off. Getting up, I grab a washcloth to wash the boy down.
Jonah is playing with his custard berries, moving them around the bowl but
not eating any of them.
“Ah, ah Marabella, uncle will do it,” Andrei tells her as she tries to grab
the spoon with her mitten covered hand.
I frown. How is she supposed to learn these things if she always has
gloves or mittens on? It saddens me that she is restricted in a world with so
many restrictions. She is a baby, and she should be allowed to make a mess
and play with her food.
“I know what you are thinking,” Andrei says, making me look at him.
“Kat worries over the same thing, her being normal, while she can’t
even do the simplest things herself at this age,” he says, spooning more into
her mouth, and she blows a raspberry, spraying custard all over his face.
I try to stifle my laugh. Jonah doesn’t bother as he snorts and starts
giggling. Marabella cackles loudly while Andrei wipes his face which is
covered in custard.
“You think that is funny?” Andrei asks Jonah, who just laughs harder.
Andrei grabs him and wipes his face on his neck and all over Jonah’s face.
He paws at Andrei’s face, laughing harder as Andrei’s stubble tickles him.
“There is my smiling boy,” Andrei tells him, plopping Jonah on his lap.
“Now, if she does it again, you will be covered in it too,” Andrei tells
him.
Jonah reaches for his bowl, and Andrei passes it to him while I walk
around the counter toward Eziah, who is scribbling in the mess he made
with his fingers.
“Cheeky boy,” I tell him, wiping the table and cleaning his hands and
face. I let Eziah out of his seat and place him on the ground.
He is such a cheerful boy and instantly reaches for Jonah’s dinosaur
before banging it on the ground. Turning back around, Jonah is finally
eating, but Marabella grips the edge of her highchair with her mittened
hands to pull herself forward, to see what he is doing. Jonah looks up at her.
“Want to try this one?” He asks, holding up a blueberry.
“She may choke, they need to be cut,” I tell Jonah when he suddenly
bites half of the small blueberry, and before Andrei can stop him, he places
it on her lips.
Marabella opens her mouth. Andrei notices and goes to snatch his hand
away from her open mouth when Jonah sticks his tongue out. Marabella
copies him, and he drops the berry on her little tongue.
“Good girl. What about this one?” Jonah asks, holding up a raspberry.
He waits for her to finish eating, and Andrei looks over his shoulder at
me and raises an eyebrow. I watch them together, and he repeats the same
thing with the raspberry, biting it in half and giving her one-half of the
small berry.
It is odd to watch, and I almost feel like Marabella knows she can hurt
him and doesn’t want to. She always waits for him to drop it on the tip of
her tongue.
I shake my head at the insanity. She is a baby, and her understanding
can’t be that good yet.
 Suddenly the mind-link opens up, and I hear Zane’s voice reach out to
Andrei and me. “We have company, I think it’s Lucas,” Zane says, and
Andrei pats Jonah’s leg so he can get up. Jonah moves into Andrei’s seat,
while Andrei walks to the door.
“Yep, Lucas and Kyan,” Zane confirms.
“Jonah, Kyan is here,” I tell him, and he looks over at me before
looking at Marabella.
“Want to play with Kyan?” Jonah asks her, and she claps her hands,
mumbling to herself or trying to speak.
That is the other thing that bothers me. Eziah can already say a handful
of words, while Marabella, I never hear her say anything. She is a quiet
child, unless Jonah is nearby.
I grab her out of her highchair, and Jonah rushes to the front door when
he hears voices. “Kyan!” Jonah exclaims loudly.
I scoop up Eziah and walk out to greet Lucas, one kid on each hip. Kyan
is showing Jonah something on his tablet, and they are on their way to the
living room when Kyan looks up.
“Hi, Luna.” His words die out when he spots the two kids in my arms,
and his eyes glare at Marabella.
“Are you ok, Kyan?” I ask him, propping Marabella higher on my hip.
He snaps out of whatever comes over him and looks at me. “I’m fine,
Luna Sage,” he says, tugging Jonah into the living room.
“Sorry, he sometimes gets in a weird mood,” Lucas apologizes.
“He is fine. I will just set these two little ones down with the boys for a
few minutes while I put the kettle on,” I tell them.
Andrei shuts the door, and I place the kids in the sectioned-off playpen
around the couch the two boys are sitting on. Then I place them both on the
mat with their toys.
“Jonah, sing out if they need me, and don’t take off Marabella’s
gloves,” I warn him, giving him a stern look.
He always takes them off her. Although she has never hurt him, it still
makes my stomach knot, knowing she could kill him with just a touch. I
quickly make coffee for Lucas and Andrei, and they seem to get along
pretty well.
Lucas has called a few times since the funeral, and they seem to have
become pretty good friends, though Lucas called Andrei the other day about
something to do with work when they were suddenly talking about the kids
and now seem to speak each day. It is good to see Andrei be friends with
someone outside the pack, and Lucas gets on well with all our pack
members.
I listen while they chat and hold up the sugar to Lucas. He holds up two
fingers, and I nod, placing two teaspoons in his coffee.
“I actually wanted to ask you something but thought it better in person,”
Lucas tells Andrei as I hand him his coffee.
“What is that?” Andrei asks him, sipping his coffee while I go retrieve
my own.
“Obviously, Kyan owns the Safari Casino now, but he wants to sell it.”
Lucas gestures his hand in the air and sighs. “In fact, he’s hellbent on
destroying anything that reminds him of his father,” Lucas says.
“He will regret it. Besides, you are his legal guardian. He can’t do
anything until he is of age,” Andrei tells him, and Lucas nods his head,
scrubbing his hand down his face.
“When it comes to getting his way, the boy can be like his father,” he
says. His words seem to trouble him.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Honestly, the boy scares the crap out of me, out of everyone. I love
him, he is my nephew, but he can be-” Lucas stops what he is going to say,
and he looks over his shoulder toward the door like he is expecting to be
overheard. I find it strange that he fears a nine-year-old boy. “His father was
so good with him, he knew how to handle him and his gifts. I have no idea
what I’m doing with him.”
“He seems like a good kid. He is sweet,” I tell Lucas, not understanding.
“He was until the day of his father’s funeral, he seemed fine, and then,
the last two days he has been ordering us to move. He may not be an Alpha
of Alphas yet, but not even I can go against what he wants or demands,”
Lucas says.
“So, what has this got to do with the Safari Casino?” Andrei asks.
“Do you need a break? We can take him for a few days?” Andrei offers,
and I agree.
Maybe it will be good if he can just forget everything and play with
Jonah for a few days. Jonah doesn’t start school until Tuesday, so he can
spend the weekend.
“Really? You wouldn’t mind?” Lucas asks, looking between Andrei and
me, and I shrug.
 “If he wants to, he is always welcome here,” I tell Lucas, and he lets out
a breath.
“Kyan!” Lucas calls out to his nephew. Kyan walks out, stopping in the
doorway.
“Yes, Lucas?” He asks, looking at his uncle.
“Sage and I were wondering if you wanted to stay the weekend with
Jonah?” Andrei asks Kyan.
“Really, a sleepover?” Kyan asks, and Andrei nods. Kyan beams
excitedly, but then suddenly his smile wipes off his face. “Will Marabella be
here?” Kyan asks.
“No, Kat is picking the kids up when she returns from the court,” I tell
him.
“Okay then,” he says, smiling again.
Honestly, I think his question is odd. He seemed to like Marabella when
he was last here. And why did he mention her and not Eziah?
Kyan turns his attention to his uncle. “Did you ask him yet?”
“I was about to, but then Andrei asked if you wanted to stay for the
weekend.” Kyan nods, wandering off, and Lucas turns back to Andrei.
“Kyan wants to sell the Safari Casino. He wants nothing left to remind
him of his father. He made us move out of the penthouse the day his father
died. We have been living at his grandmother’s estate.” He shakes his head,
clutching his hair and sitting back in his chair to look at Andrei.
“I convinced him, you hear that? I convinced a nine-year-old boy,” he
says, shaking his head.
“I convinced him to keep it, but I can’t run it as his father did. Kyan
won’t step foot in the place right now, I know if he sells it off, he will regret
it, so I convinced him to let someone partner up with him.”
My brows furrow. Does he want Andrei to run it? How would that work
with Andrei out here? It is too far to commute.
“You’re selling half of the shares for the place?” Andrei asks.
“Well, that’s what I wanted to do, but Kyan asked if you would allow
Jonah to partner up with him. He’ll keep it, and the manager will run it until
Kyan wants to take over when he’s older. When Jonah is old enough, he
will own half the place, but for now, the shares will be divided evenly, and
it will need to be in your name, seeing as Jonah is only six.” Lucas explains,
and my brows furrow in confusion.
 “They are kids!” I tell Lucas. This entire idea is insanity. Andrei nods in
agreement.
“Exactly. They are friends now, but what happens when Kyan is a
teenager and they drift apart? Not all friendships last, Lucas.” Andrei adds.
“This will,” Lucas says.
“You can’t know that,” I tell him, about to tell Andrei to say no.
“I do know that with certainty because Dominic used to have similar
gifts to Katya. He saw things, and those boys were a part of each other’s
future. Dominic is never wrong. Kyan will get worse, he will be his own
destruction, and-” He pauses. “I can assure you Jonah and Kyan will remain
friends, maybe more.”
“Maybe more?” I ask, a little taken aback.
“The future isn’t easily read. It was the only piece Dominic couldn’t
figure out. Dominic wasn’t sure if they were mates or friends,” Lucas tells
us.
I am pretty sure my eyebrows move to the back of my head somewhere.
They raise that high at his words. “We are talking about my son, right?
Jonah. I am so confused right now.” I mutter.
“Me too,” says Andrei.
“Do you trust Katya completely?” Lucas asks Andrei.
“Yes, of course,” Andrei answers, and I nod.
“Well, I trusted Dominic. Dominic’s visions have never been wrong. He
knew he would die the day he came here. He knew and still came because
Kyan’s future would be ruined if he didn’t.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“I can only say so much. Things can change with their knowledge.
Dominic told me Kyan would kill him one day, and that he would destroy
himself after that. He told me that when Kyan was two. Killing his father
would, in turn, kill Kyan.” Lucas whispers.
“But Dominic died,” I whisper. Goosebumps rise on my arms when I
say that out loud.
“Things can change. Kat’s death and rebirth altered that, altered things.
If Kyan killed him, Dominic knew it would be Kyan’s downfall when he
had a new vision. So, Dominic dabbled back into his family’s magic,
searching for the reasoning behind why it changed, trying to alter it and find
another way. He realized the only way to save Kyan was to save someone
else.”
 “I am not following,” Andrei says.
“Are you saying he knew he would die by taking a bullet for
Marabella?” I try to understand.
“That’s exactly what I am saying. As I said, I can’t risk saying much,
but I assure you Jonah and Kyan will remain together. Dominic told me
pieces, what he could before he signed Kyan over into my care the week
before he died,” Lucas explains. A shiver runs up my spine.
“I should go check on the kids,” I tell Andrei, who nods.
I need to get out of here. That entire conversation is turning strange.
Walking into the living room, I see the boys watching something on the
tablet. Eziah is sitting next to Jonah, and Marabella holds onto Kyan’s leg,
trying to get his attention as she pulls on his pants leg.
“Go away, annoy Jonah,” he tells her, pushing her hands off his leg.
Jonah’s brows furrow and I watch as he reaches down, grabs Marabella,
and places her on his lap so she can watch next to her brother. “Why are
you being mean to her?” Jonah asks.
“I wasn’t. She was touching me,” Kyan answers, looking at Jonah.
I, like Jonah, appear confused. Kyan spent the entire time playing with
Marabella the day he was here. His behavior had definitely changed.
“Who wants to watch a movie?” I ask, walking into the room.
“Jurassic Park?” Jonah asks.
Right about now, I could kill Andrei for letting him watch that movie.
Jonah loved it until night came, and he was convinced a T-Rex would come
to eat him from his bed.
“It gives you nightmares,” I tell him.
“But Kyan is staying. I won’t have nightmares with him in the room,
please, momma,” Jonah asks, and I look toward the babies, who clearly
shouldn’t watch it.
“How about you watch it after Kat gets the kids? It’s a little too scary
for them,” I tell him.
He looks at Eziah and Marabella, then he quickly nods his head.
“Alright, you pick,” Jonah says, and I find a cartoon to put on.
“I’ll go make popcorn, and hopefully, those two will take a nap.” I tell
the boys.
Kat said they usually nap around this time. As I walk out of the living
room and into the hall, I notice Lucas approaching me.
 “Andrei said Zane is heading into the city tomorrow. I will send him
back with some clothes for Kyan. Andrei said he could borrow some of
Zane’s mates’ siblings for tonight?” Lucas looks at Andrei over his
shoulder. Andrei nods at him.
“If you need me to come get him, just call, and I will head straight
here,” Lucas says, glancing over my shoulder at the boys on the couch.
“He will be fine,” I tell Lucas, who seems nervous about leaving him
here.
“But if he isn’t, just ring, and I will be here as quick as possible,” he
says, stepping past me and into the living room.
“Kyan, I’m leaving now.” Kyan looks up and nods to his uncle.
“I love you, buddy,” Lucas tells him.
“I love you too, you know that,” Kyan says, and Lucas sighs.
Lucas leaves, and the day goes by slowly before eventually, it turns into
night, and I have just finished tucking the two boys in bed.
Kat rang earlier and said they are still stuck in court at quarter to five. I
told her to stay the night in the city and that the kids are fine here.
Ducking into my room, I walk into the closet and grab some pajamas
before changing into them. I am sleeping in the living room because that’s
where we set up the portable cot for Marabella and Eziah. Besides, Andrei’s
snoring would wake them if they were in the room with us.
Tugging my shirt and pants off, I pull on the tank top and pull the pants
up.
I can’t help but stop as I get to my thighs. The sight of them always
shocks me. I’m not sure how it is possible. My skin is now smooth, and the
burns and scars of my past are just a distant memory.
The shock of seeing my skin after the war made me think I was dead.
Andrei spent an hour convincing me I was alive and that I wasn’t stuck
in some purgatory. I couldn’t believe it, but when Kat healed me, she
somehow healed all my old injuries, and now my skin is perfect and
smooth.
I really should have a shower, but I am exhausted, and Andrei is already
passed out in bed. I just want to sink into the couch and sleep. Walking
down the steps, I walk into the living room, climb onto the couch next to
the cot, and pull the blanket up. It doesn’t take long before I fall asleep. The
four kids have kept us on our toes today.
I tMarabella
takes me a few minutes to register the sound of crying, and I sit upright.
is crying, and I can hear her waking Eziah.
I grab her out, rock her while yawning, and walk to the kitchen to make
her bottle. She finally falls back to sleep, and I lay back down only to jolt
back awake. I swear my eyes feel like they only just shut. I lost count after
the first handful of times. She never sleeps.
The kid did not sleep. I start again, make the bottle, change her butt,
everything. The next time she starts crying, I nearly start crying with her,
crying over my broken sleep. No wonder Kat feels like a zombie, no
wonder she has a severe coffee addiction.
I feel like death as I try to force myself up. I mentally curse Andrei, who
I can hear snoring upstairs, and even flip the ceiling off with my rude finger
because he is getting some sleep.
“He can’t see you,” Kyan’s voice says, making me nearly jump out of
my skin. He picks up Marabella out of the porta-cot.
“What are you doing up?” I ask. He looks over at me.
“She won’t stop crying, she could wake the dead,” he says, walking
over to the two-seater with her.
“You should go back to bed, Kyan. I will take her,” I tell him, but he
lays down on the couch.
Marabella wiggles around on him for a second, getting comfortable. Her
ear presses against the center of his chest like she is listening to his
heartbeat. She yawns, and I go to grab her bottle.
“I will make her bottle and come get her so you can sleep.” I announce,
about to jump off the sofa.
He shakes his head. “She won’t need it. Can you pass me her blanket,
please?” Kyan asks.
I don’t know what to think about him ordering me around, but at least
he said please. I pass him her pink blanket and tuck Eziah’s back around
him after he kicks it off.
“Now sleep, Ella,” Kyan says, yawning as his hand rests on her back.
 I sit down in the armchair, so I am close in case she rolls, planning to
take her off him when they are both asleep. “I will just close my eyes for a
second,” I tell Sierra, who is just as exhausted in my head.
It is meant to be a few seconds, and I jolt awake to hands grabbing my
shoulders. Andrei is hovering above me. He holds a finger to his lips and
points to the couch.
Shit! Marabella. I lurch to my feet, and relief floods me when I see she
hasn't rolled off and is still laying with Kyan, though her back is against the
couch and he has rolled on his side on the edge of the couch.
Her head props on his arm, next to his face as they both sleep
peacefully. I tuck the blanket back around them when I pause, noticing her
un-mittened hand is on the side of his face. My heart skips a beat, and I
shake his shoulder.
He stirs, looking at me over his shoulder. “What?” He says groggily, his
eyes half-open.
“Did you take her mittens off?” I whisper.
“She can’t hurt me,” Kyan mutters, and I look at Andrei, who just
shrugs.
“Just leave her. She is fine, and Kyan is alive,” Andrei says as I reach
for her mittens.
“Please leave her, you will wake her, and she will scream again,” Kyan
says, leaving his eyes closed as he turns his face toward hers.
“See,” Andrei says, and I nod.
“Coffee?” I whisper, and Andrei nods, following me.
“Yes, please, I had the worst sleep,” he says, yawning, and I feel my eye
twitch.
The man has no idea, no damn idea, how many times I got up to
Marabella. I want to strangle him.
I don’t know how Kat does it, how any of them do it, how Mateo has so
much energy all the time. I have her one night and feel like the walking
dead. Kat said Mateo mostly watches the kids at night, but Kat is more
erratic at night when the moon is out.
I feel terrible for her. The moon used to heal her, and recharge her, but
ever since she said it makes her antsy, it feels like she is waiting for
something.
“Kat said last night she would be here by lunchtime.” Andrei tells me,
and I nod, resting my arms and head on the countertop while I lean over the
counter.
 Chapter

Forty-Two

S age
One Week Later
Sweat glistens on my skin as I wait for Jonah to get home from
school. It is sweltering today as I wait for the bus that would drop Jonah at
the end of the entryway into the pack.
Laying on the grass under the shade of a tree, I sit up when I hear the
bus coming down the road. The blue and white bus pulls up just as I get to
my feet.
“Momma,” Jonah squeals, jumping down the bus steps and skipping to
me with a picture in his hand. I smile down at him as he shows me a picture
he has painted.
“Oh wow, it is lovely,” I tell him, taking it from his little hands as the
bus pulls away, leaving.
“Do you like it?” He asks, and I nod before reaching down and hugging
him, his scent soothing after the boring day I have had.
Andrei has been busy in the city helping Lucas, but he rang me a few
hours ago to tell me he is on his way home. I am expecting him back any
minute. He is trying to get home before Jonah finishes school, but must
have gotten stuck in the evening traffic.
“Can we stick it on the fridge?” Jonah asks excitedly.
“If we can’t find a room, we might have to put it in dad’s office. The
fridge is running out of room,” I tell him. He nods happily, taking my hand,
and we start the long walk back to the pack house.
Halfway back, I pull Jonah off to the side of the dirt road, needing to
have a break. I’m sweating profusely and feeling light-headed.
 “Are you ok, mom?” Jonah asks as I flop down on the grass.
“Yes, I am fine. It is just boiling today,” I tell him, and his brows
scrunch together.
“It’s not hot, I have goosebumps, look,” Jonah tells me, holding his arm
up to show me.
I blink twice before looking up at the sky. The sun is out yet looking at
Jonah, I notice his lips are blue, and he is covered in goosebumps.
Confusion sets in, though I thought it was odd earlier that I saw Zane in a
sweatshirt.
“Maybe you’re coming down with something,” I tell him, reaching up
and cupping his forehead with my hand. Yet, I can’t feel his temperature at
all against my clammy hand.
“Your face is very red,” Jonah tells me, and I observe him, his lips
trembling slightly.
I feel like I am burning up. Maybe I am coming down with something.
Standing up, Jonah grabs my hand as I sway slightly, dizzy from standing
up too fast. The feeling doesn’t leave, though, as we slowly trek back to the
pack house. My vision blurs, and I become hotter. My skin is burning, and
my mouth is dry.
“Jonah, have you got any water in your drink bottle?” I ask him.
He stops dropping his school bag on the ground, rummaging through it,
and retrieving his blue water bottle. It’s still half full, and I pop the lid and
gulp some water down. Quenching my thirst, then squirting some in my
hand, wetting my face and the back of my neck.
My surroundings spin as I hand it back to him. Jonah is watching me,
his lips purse, and he shakes my arm gently as he tries to pull me along with
him.
Staggering forward, I try to force my feet to keep moving, though every
step is getting harder to take- vertigo washes over me in waves when I
exhale loudly. Jonah stops, and I nearly trip over him.
“You smell funny. Are you sure you’re alright?” Jonah says.
I try to nudge him forward to keep going gently. The simple motion
throws my balance off, and the ground suddenly rushes toward my face. I
don’t even feel the impact when my body hits the ground.
But I hear the air leave my lungs, and the burning sensation rolling over
my entire body is all I can think about. My blood is boiling in my veins.
 Jonah’s shrieks of panic become dimmer as all sound becomes muffled,
and I force myself to roll on my back as I stare up at him. My entire body is
heavy, like I’m being weighed down.
“Mom, mom,” Jonah’s face turns purple as he shakes me, yelling for
me, tears streaming down his face.
I want to comfort him, desperately want to soothe him, but my muscles
lock, and next, I’m seeing double. Jonah looks over his shoulder before
suddenly he is gone.
Turning my head, I can see the silhouette of a car driving toward him.
Dust from the gravel road fills the road, and I hear the screeching of
tires on the road. My heart jolts in my chest as I see the car heading straight
at Jonah as he waves his arms.
Adrenaline shoots through me, and I sit up. The car slides across the
gravel, and a dust cloud engulfs Jonah. The engine suddenly cuts out as I
stagger, falling twice as I race toward him. Jonah suddenly disappears
amongst the dust from the road, and my shriek of fear rings loudly in my
head.

A ndrei

M ybring
mind is consumed with everything I need to get done. I still need to
the rogue camp to the pack, but I just haven’t had time to
organize anything with everything going on.
The pack has been sending supplies regularly to them. The biggest issue
being they are still reluctant to leave their camp. At least they are safe with
the Reaper wolves gone, but I definitely need to organize something soon.
The pack is eager to get them here. On the other hand, the men are
finding it difficult to cope and have been working themselves into the
ground.
 Pack meetings have been happening every few days because Zane and I
struggle to keep them in line. Some refuse to sleep after the recent attack,
making them relive the day we lost nearly the entire pack.
Old memories resurfaced, and the paranoia kicked in. Last night when
Lucas brought Kyan up, I was at a loss for what to do.
Kat has been run off her feet by being a Moon Goddess and running the
packs. She is almost dead on her feet, and I can’t ask more of her.
She already brought Sage back, and despite saying she is alright, I know
she isn’t. So instead, I asked Lucas if he had any ideas, and he brought
Kyan to me. He stayed last night and left early this morning.
So last night, I called a pack meeting.
Some hadn’t slept since the day the Reaper wolves attacked, and it was
taking a toll on them. Men were falling asleep on border patrol, others were
turning manic, and their wolves were taking over.
It has been chaotic. The first week was horrid with all the funerals and
clean-up. When Kyan walked in with Lucas, at first, I was confused,
wondering why he would bring Kyan when my men were unhinged and
erratic.
I didn’t even like Jonah being around them while they were like that.
However, Kyan walked in, and the way he walked in and grabbed
everyone’s attention instantly startled me.
Lucas waved me over, and Kyan walked to the front of the room of the
small demountable building. “Unless you want to join them, you need to
hop out right now,” Lucas said in a hushed voice.
Zane, overhearing, rushed over to us, and Lucas dragged us out of the
small meeting room and outside. Sage, Nora, and Jonah were in the
packhouse. Nora had stayed the night before after one of our men broke
into Zane’s place and attacked him, thinking Zane was an intruder trying to
kill his own mate.
We barely stepped outside when I heard the thuds and went to turn
around to race back inside, only for Lucas to grip my arm. “He is fine,” he
said to me. And he was right. When we could step back in, I found my men
on the ground, out cold, and Kyan walking toward us.
“They’re alive.” Was all he said before walking past me and heading to
the packhouse. I stood stunned. Zane and I thought we would have to drug
the water cooler to get them to sleep. I have no idea what he did, but Sage
told me earlier that most of them are still asleep. A few woke up, and she
said they seemed better.
My mind is still reeling over the night’s events as I drive up the
driveway, finally getting home from meetings in town with the pack’s
accountant.
It doesn’t feel right just to give Jonah half of the Safari Casino. Lucas
and Kyan agreed to let the pack buy half of Jonah’s shares, which would
only be an investment for the pack anyway.
Lucas said anyone needing a job would have work, which will be good
for those of the rogue camp if they are comfortable working away and
returning when they please.
Driving on autopilot, I don’t see Jonah until the last second as he runs
towards my car, waving his arms frantically in the air.
I lock the car up, my foot slams down on the brake, and I rip the
handbrake up. I hear Sage scream a bloodcurdling scream, yet don’t see her.
The car skids and rushes toward him. Panic nearly makes me throw up
when the car stops, and I can’t see him. Dust is everywhere. I can’t see
anything out of any windows. My entire body is shaking as I toss the door
open when I hear Jonah’s voice.
“Dad! Dad. Something is wrong with mom!” He cries, wrapping his
arms around my legs. The immense relief takes my breath away as the fear
of hitting him recedes, and the dust finally settles.
“What are you doing on the road?” I snap at him. I don’t mean for my
words to come off so harshly. But it shakes me, nearly running him over.
“Mom!” He cries, and I glance around, wondering where Sage is.
I heard her voice seconds ago. My eyes scan my surroundings, and I see
her hands clutching her knees as she bends over and throws up.
Jonah points at her, and I look down at him. Tears streak his face and I
look back at her.
“Sage?” I call out to her, heading toward her.
Jonah races over to her, and a second later, she collapses in the dirt,
making me run to her side in panic. Jonah is clutching the front of her dress.
Kneeling beside her, I watch as her eyes roll into the back of her head as
she falls unconscious just as her scent smashes into me. A feral growl
leaves me, making Jonah jump and leap away from me.
 Chapter

Forty-Three

A ndrei
“Donnie!” I snap at him as instinct takes over.
The need to mate makes him feral as he locks onto her scent. My
chest rattles and I try to suppress the savage noises leaving me.
Jonah clearly is petrified.
I reach for Sage and feel my canines slip out. Turning away from him,
fighting Donnie for control, primal instincts kick in as he sees our son as a
threat.
“Jonah, get in the car,” I grit out as fur covers my arms.
Jonah looks at me, horrified, but I don’t know how to explain without
scaring him more. Donnie is wildly trying to take control when I don’t mate
her instantly.
“Dad?” Jonah cries, grabbing my arm and making my head snap in his
direction. He pulls his hand away. “Dad, you’re scaring me,” Jonah sobs,
and I shake my head, or Donnie does at his words.
“Our son,” I spit at Donnie, needing him to see Jonah, not an enemy.
He seems to calm slightly, letting me have control back, and Jonah
swallows, and my canines and claws retract. I let out a breath. “Come here,
buddy, I didn’t mean to scare you,” I tell him, reaching for him.
Sage groans, turning quickly and throwing up again, barely missing my
feet.
“What’s wrong with her?” Jonah asks as I brush her hair back, sticking
to her face from sweat.
“Andrei?” Sage mumbles, and I set Jonah on his feet at my side.
“Right here, love,” I tell her.
 “I feel funny,” she mutters.
“I know. Let’s get you home,” I tell her, scooping her up. Her skin is
clammy despite it being rather chilly today. The wind has a harsh bite, and
Jonah’s teeth chatter as the sun slips behind the mountains.
Donnie is pressing beneath my skin, wanting control as I walk toward
the car.
“Get the door Jonah,” I tell him, and he opens the back door, and I lay
Sage down in the backseat.
Jonah climbs in beside her, and my hands grip the door frame as I
struggle against my wolf.
“It’s Jonah. You fucking hurt him, Donnie. I will drink wolfsbane. Now
settle down!” I tell him as I fight him to shut the door and not rip our son
from the car.
“Jonah, Jonah, our son,” he chants in my head, and I finally shut the
door, climbing into the driver’s side.
Mind-linking Zane, I continue driving for a few minutes, pulling up to
the front. Zane is waiting out the front of the packhouse, glancing around
nervously.
“Jonah, go with uncle Zane, please. You need to stay with him tonight,”
I tell Jonah.
“What, why?” Jonah asks just as Zane opens the backdoor with his
hands in a surrendering gesture, knowing Donnie is on edge.
My hands white knuckle the steering wheel.
“Are you good, Alpha? Just grabbing Jonah,” he says, and I nod.
He is mated already to Nora, but not even he is game enough to get
close to an Alpha that’s heat crazed, and I’m not game enough to move
either.
Donnie is struggling and can’t think straight, especially with her scent
filling the car.
“Most are still asleep. Malik has gone with Nora to get the berries to
make the jam in case they wake,” he tells me, and all I can do is nod.
A new appreciation for Ezra washes over me. How he could control
Maddox enough not to kill me and everyone else when Kat went into heat is
beyond me.
I can’t imagine how hard it would have been to stop Maddox from
killing Mateo, who was locked in the packhouse with her, knowing you
have barely any human consciousness once locked onto a scent.
 I don’t know how he did it or how Mateo resisted the urge to mate her.
Because I’m struggling not to let my wolf kill my son and Beta. Zane is
mated already, and Jonah still has no wolf and is a child, yet Donnie wants
them nowhere near her.
“But she’ll be okay?” Jonah asks, tapping my shoulder, and I catch
Zane’s eye in the rear-view mirror as he tries to pull Jonah from the car.
“Jonah, you need to come with me.” Zane tells him.
Fur spreads across my arms when Zane leans over Sage, reaching for
Jonah, who refuses to leave his mother. “But why?”
“Come,” Zane hurriedly tells him, holding out his hand.
“No, I am not leaving her,” Jonah says, slapping Zane’s hand away.
“Jonah, you need to go with Zane now!” Donnie forces the words over
my lips. My voice is distorted and gravelly sounding. The noise hurts the
back of my throat.
“Come now,” Zane says, grabbing his arm and pulling him from the car.
“No, I want my mom,” Jonah says, kicking and screaming.
Donnie, realizing Jonah won’t leave, retreats to the back of my mind.
“Hurry, I want her inside,” Donnie snarls at me, letting me block him
out. I open my door and get out.
Zane backs away from me instantly, yanking Jonah behind him
protectively. His hands out in what I assume is a placating gesture.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, and Jonah rushes over, grabbing my legs. My
entire body tenses as I kneel before him, so I am closer to his small height.
“What’s wrong with her?” Jonah asks, peering in the window.
I know he fears losing her again. It is nearly impossible to keep the
barrier up between Donnie and me. Her scent pulls him forward as he tries
to remain back so I can have control. A slow, steady throbbing is pulsating
in my head at the strain. I need to be quick before I give myself a migraine
from the restraint.
“She will be fine, but you need to stay with Zane and Nora tonight.” I
try to speak as calmly as possible.
“But why?” He whines, and Sage makes a groaning noise that causes
Zane to tense and look in the car’s window.
“Ah, she just threw up in your car, but she is fine now,” Zane adds, and
I shake my head.
Fuck! Jonah peeks through the window at her, and I remain where I am,
knowing it may force Donnie forward if I look.
 “She is sick?” He asks.
“Yes and no, she is fine, Jonah, but it will be too dangerous for you to
stay at home tonight,” I tell him, and he turns to face me, not understanding.
“Remember when Nora was sick, and we had to give everyone that
special jam?” He nods his head.
“Yep, Uncle Zane attacked Clay, and Uncle Malik had to help fight him
off,” Jonah laughs. Zane’s cheeks flush red.
“That’s because he didn’t drink enough, but the same thing is happening
to mom now, and I will struggle to control Donnie.” I tell him, looking at
Zane.
“You’re going to give mom the cooties!” Jonah twists his face in
disgust.
“Gonna give her what?” I ask. My eyebrows shoot into my hairline.
“Cooties, Casen said Zane was giving Nora cooties!” Jonah screams,
and Zane growls behind him.
I will have to chat with Casen and tell him to watch what he tells Jonah
in the future.
“Don’t listen to what Casen says. He is an idiot,” Zane says, and I shake
Jonah’s words off.
“You need to go stay with Zane and Nora. I will look after mom, okay?
You can come to see her soon,” I tell him, not wanting to promise he can
see her tomorrow, knowing heats can be different for everyone and last
longer than normal.
“Ok,” Jonah mumbles, dropping his head and his shoulders sag.
I reach for him, giving him a brief hug and Zane grabs his hand, pulling
him away.
Once Jonah is safely tucked away, I glance around to make sure no one
is about, just as Donnie smashes through the veil that separates us, taking
control as he opens the rear door.
Her scent invades all my senses as I pull her from the backseat and head
for the house. Unlocking the front door, I step inside and instantly lock it.
My vision flickers back and forth between mine and that of my wolf.
Turning to the door panel, I scroll the menu, quickly activate the roller
shutters and lock the place down.
“So hot,” Sage mumbles, her head slumped over my shoulder.
“I know, hang on,” Donnie tells her, my words sound distorted by him.
“Donnie?” Sage slurs.
 “Yes,” he tells her as I climb the steps.
Heading straight for the bathroom, I turn the shower on, trying to cool
her down and clean her up. The moment I place her feet on the ground, she
lurches for the toilet, throwing up again.
Donnie is almost uncontrollable as her scent becomes intoxicatingly
stronger and her temperature rises. My hands shake as I hold her hair back.
“Hospital,” Sage gasps, trying to breathe.
“I am not taking you to the hospital,” I tell her, chuckling to myself
because she still hasn’t figured it out yet, but considering they sterilized her
as a teen, I honestly couldn’t have predicted this myself.
It is no wonder this wouldn’t even register to her because it shouldn’t be
possible. I have no clue what Kat has done, but she healed all of Sage’s
scars, and I can bet everything I have that Kat has healed her and restored
her to the way she was before those monsters got their hands on her.
Stripping out of my clothes, I leave my boxers on. My cock strains
painfully against the fabric. Reaching down and grabbing Sage under her
arms, I pull her against me. Holding her tightly, I tear off her clothes and
toss them away.
“Please, something’s wrong with me,” she whimpers, leaning heavily
against me.
Her skin is so hot, it makes me sweat. Her scent perfumes the room and
makes me purr. My chest vibrates. Sage sighs, the sound calming her.
She has always liked the noise. While I find it more embarrassing, Sage
will ask me to purr. If she can’t sleep, she finds comfort in the noise and
Donnie is always more than happy to annoy me by giving in to her.
Though, I don’t try to stifle it anymore. I like her reaction and how she
instantly calms.
“You’re not sick,” I tell her, and she shakes her head against my chest.
Now her clothes are off. I grip the back of her thighs and wrap her legs
around my waist, only just grabbing her as she falls backward, mumbling
incoherently.
She whimpers, pressing closer against me as my skin contact offers
relief, and I turn, open the shower screen and step in.
The icy water jolts me and takes my breath, and I swear my balls recede
into my throat at the harsh cold bite of the water as it drenches me and my
family jewels hide away from the cold.
 Sage sighs, her temperature drops slightly, but she is still hot, the
shower screen fogs up with steam, even though there is no hot water on. I
sit down with her in my lap.
First, I need her temperature to go down so I can control her scent. The
last thing I need is to have Donnie attack her while she still doesn't know
what is going on.
“You stay back until the next phase Donnie. I swear, if you scare her, I
won’t forgive you,” I tell him, needing him to remain dormant until Sage’s
wolf urges kick in.
I can’t allow Donnie that control, especially after the things Sage has
suffered, and deep-down Donnie is aware of that because now we are safely
tucked in the house, and she is away from everyone. He has calmed
considerably.
“I know,” Donnie tells me.
I instantly feel myself relax at his words. I press my back against the
wall as her temperature slowly drops, waiting for the second phase to start.
Sage has to start it. The heat is rough. Sierra and Sage suffered enough,
though I know they will understand. But I won’t forgive myself if I am the
one that sends her plummeting back to being timid and scared of the world,
all because Donnie is too rough if he forces forward.
“Hospital,” Sage slurs again. Her voice breaks, and I can feel she is in
pain as she squirms in my lap. Another wave rushes over her. I reach for the
soap in the niche and start washing her.
“It will ease off soon. You’re not sick, Sage. You’re in heat,” I tell her,
kissing the side of her face.
 Chapter

Forty-Four

A ndrei
Sage shakes her head. She doesn’t believe my words, and I don’t
blame her.
She has been under the impression kids are out of the question, besides
Jonah. Jonah is ours, and I am happy enough to have our boy, so I
understood it would be shocking to hear that she is in heat.
Whether it can lead to pups is another story, but for now, we just have to
wait it out, wait her heat out, and hope she doesn’t come out traumatized by
it.
Sage begs me to take her to the hospital, her hands clutch her stomach
as she writhes in pain in my lap. Her pain radiates through me and the bond,
making me feel uncomfortable as I rub her back, trying to ease some of it.
Still, she just needs to wait it out until the next phase starts.
Sage whimpers, pressing her face into the crook of my neck, and I feel
her body tense in my arms as her skin heats more.
Additionally, Donnie is becoming restless again. His need to mate her is
as painful as her heat with the pheromones she is putting out. And to think
she may go through this every few months unless it is a once-off.
I struggle to wrap my head around it, unable to believe it myself, yet I
am positive it is her heat or Donnie would never have reacted like this. The
entire process makes it difficult for me to think, as animalistic urges to hold
her down and drive my cock into her, tug at me.
The only thing I truly hate about being a werewolf is the urge to force
she-wolves and claim them when the heat starts. Just like Sage will want to
when the second phase begins.
 The animalistic side of us is taking over our consciousness and forces us
to breed. Such a dangerous time for she-wolves.
They are at their most vulnerable while their mates and the unmated are
at their most rabid. A blend of bliss and cruelty.
I know Sage is close to the second phase, her scent is so potent and
addictively sweet that it makes my cock ache and throb beneath her. Her
body seeks my skin like she wants to bleed into me as she subconsciously
rocks her hips against me as she sits on my lap.
A growl rumbles through my chest, and I fist my hands as my claws slip
out.
The pain makes me grit my teeth as I try to hold back from clawing at
her. Donnie’s urges bleed into mine as it forces us to merge, two entities
becoming one.
Her heat removes my basic human instincts, replaces mine with his
primitive, uncontainable frenzied urges, and makes them my own as I try to
think straight and remember who she is and what she is to me.
These instincts are our most dangerous because, with them, we no
longer have control, no longer identify with anything or anyone, only
regaining clarity between each wave she suffers.
Growing up as a rogue when mates found each other, I witnessed
horrific things when a she-wolf had gone into heat. Their mates were not
getting to them in time, nobody recognized the changes in their scents, and
it quickly became a mating orgy or a slaughter or sometimes both.
Mates feel the overwhelming need to protect and claim what is theirs,
while unmated heat-crazed wolves can’t unlock and detach themselves from
recognizing or identifying what isn’t theirs to touch.
The she-wolves become subdued by instinct in the first stage, the heat
incapacitates them so the male or mate can find them easily, and the second
stage forces them to want to mate if they want the pain to stop.
They are mostly too far gone to recognize they aren’t mating with their
mates and running off scents alone.
I’ve seen it before, and it is something everyone has come to live with,
especially if you have been rogue. For example, if your mate went into heat,
everyone knew there could be a chance the pup they carried isn’t yours.
It is ungrudgingly accepted and also forgiven because everyone knows
we have no control in that state, and nor did the she-wolf. Yet that is also
how many mates are killed, trying to protect what’s theirs.
 Tragic, and that is why most packs ensure they equip all houses with
industrial-strength shutters and have shots and antidotes for the unmated
wolves to sedate them, but we found making our own most effective.
Werewolves are pack creatures and can’t function without a pack-like
community, yet the danger of living in one can sometimes be horrific if
unprepared.
The smell of my blood fills my nostrils as my claws slice through my
palms.
Sage squirms on my lap, rubbing herself against me, and I feel Donnie
fight the urge to give in, knowing once he does, we won’t be man or wolf,
thus becoming the thing in between that gave humans the stories of
monsters that howl at the moon and slaughtered their people.
We become the monsters the stories told them about, yet the only ones
we terrorize are our mates, while she will be forced to endure the primitive
side and ultimately be at my mercy until it ends.
Sage shudders against me, and I feel my eyes bleed black as Donnie’s
soul bleeds into mine, consciously aware of what I’m doing, but completely
unable to do anything but give in to the bliss and carnage that wraps into
one.
There is something freeing about letting go of all restraint.
However, it is also terrifying.
Especially when you no longer have control of urges that we usually
keep at bay.
Sage will be in duress and utterly reliant on me to stop anyone from
getting in as she will no longer recognize them and me.
Her claws slip from her fingertips, digging into my sides as she rakes
them down my skin.
The purr that leaves her and vibrates against my chest is more feral and
half growl as my skin tears under the sharpness of her claws.
Her scent sends my brain into overdrive, frenzied almost, as I feel her
slick coat my stomach and cock when she grinds herself against me, making
me moan as my hard length runs between her slick folds.
Trying to get my bearings and keep what little sense I have left intact, I
stand up, but her legs instantly wrap around my waist tightly as Sage
refuses to let go and untangle herself from me.
My skin is the only thing that offers Sage relief from the insatiable
burning I can feel simmering through the bond. My entire body tenses as I
reach for the shower taps, fighting against the urge to tear into her.
It is a struggle to twist the taps and shut the water off. My claws are
getting in the way, and Sage is not helping as she licks and nips my skin.
A shudder runs through me when she sinks her teeth into my shoulder
before biting my mark and reopening it. Her body presses so tightly against
mine that it is like Sage is trying to push into me.
I want to adjust her and tug her higher up, but the motion and her grip
on me sends me smashing into the shower screen, the glass bursting as she
fights against me.
Donnie’s presence ultimately leaves.
His consciousness merges and fuses into mine until I can’t hear him but
can feel him, tainting my essence and morphing it to our innate baser
instincts as the glass cuts my feet, my own hands slicing through her soft
skin, and Sage whimpers.
I can feel her tongue as she licks my skin, her teeth grazing, sending
pleasure and pain through me.
A sordid groan pushes past my lips, and my restraint slips. My
movements are too quick and desperate as I pin her against the doorframe
leading into the bedroom.
Sage hisses at the impact before her claws rake down my back and her
legs tighten around my waist, soaking me with her wet heat and her desire.
My mouth latches onto her neck, and my canines slice through her skin.
The metallic taste of her blood floods my mouth while my claws scratch
down her thighs. My cock is so hard I think it will burst as I grip her hips,
impaling her on it.
She moans loudly, her slick tight walls clamp around my shaft in a vice-
like grip as her tight walls flutter. Her insides swell before I pull out and
slam back into her. My breathing is harsh while my mouth licks and nips at
her skin as I rock her hips against mine, slamming her hot heat down and
pounding into her depths.
Sage whines, clawing at my arms and back as she tries to meet my
brutal thrusts, her teeth nipping at my jaw and chin before her sharp teeth
slice through my lip. Her tongue invades my mouth before she sucks on my
tongue, her mouth devouring mine as she grips my hair and I stagger
toward the bed.
She grunts as I stumble back, slamming against the bed, forcing her lips
from mine.
 Her breasts fill my palm as I squeeze it. The hardness of her nipple
scraping the inside of my palm makes me groan as her warm, wet walls
clamp around my cock. Her hips gyrate underneath me as she seeks the
friction.
The ridges and smooth, moist texture of her walls enveloping my hard
length makes my body tense as she gyrates her hips on my cock, taking
what her body demands are hers.
My hands grip her arms, pinning them to the bed as my hips push
against hers, sinking deeper into her and burying myself into her tight
pussy, her walls squeezing around my shaft.
I pull out before ramming back into her, her juices coat my cock with
each thrust, her pussy slick with her arousal that perfumes the room, sweet
and addicting.
I relentlessly pound into her, making provocative sounds leave her lips
as she unravels beneath me.
Her screaming cries urge me faster and harder while I pound into her,
her walls clamping tightly around my hard cock as I continue to drive into
her, and a growl escapes me as her face falls slack.
Her back arches as her orgasm rips through her, her pussy heating, and
her juices slip out of her, drenching my crotch and coating my cock as she
rides out her orgasm.
I become lost in the look on her face as her body relaxes, falling limply
back onto the mattress as the wave of heat subsides from her orgasm, giving
my senses some reprieve as I stare down at her.
Her pupils are dilated, and her lips part, making my cock twitch inside
her, the pressure encasing my cock, deliciously warm as her skin heats
again.
The next wave of heat ishes over her, a never-ending cycle of blissful,
brutal torture overwhelming her again as she shudders, her scent growing
more robust, and I feel my canines slip from my gums, the points of my
claws breaking the skin.
I force myself to let go of her, my handprints bruising into the skin of
her arms.
Sage fists the sheets as I rock my hips, trying to be gentle and clear, my
mind of the vicious thoughts consuming me before they become too much,
her sweet scent crushing the sliver of control and humanity again, making
me pull out of her.
 Then, gripping her hips, I flip her onto her stomach before pulling her
ass into the air. Her puffy, swollen pussy lips glisten with her slick, moist
arousal as I grip the back of her neck and force her face down into the
mattress.
The sheets tear under her sharp claws as I hold her down with one hand
and my other on her hip as I bury my cock in her warm, wet canal. My hips
hit her ass with a wet slap, and a grunt leaves my lips as her walls suck me
in, encasing me as her muscles spasm.
Sage pushes against me, and I pull back before gripping her hips and
driving my cock deep into her, spearing her on my cock hard and fast. My
claws dig into her ass cheeks as I push them apart, watching my cock slip in
and out of her tight, wet heat.
Her pussy is swollen and red from my harsh movements as she presses
against me. The seductive noises that leave her are tantalizing as she comes
undone again.
My body tenses, and my balls tighten as her warmth clamps around my
cock, the sensation and pressure sends hot jets of my seed spilling into her,
coating her insides.
My thrusts slow, my cock pulsating deep inside her as I still with a
muffled groan. The effects of her heat die for a second, and I pull out,
rolling onto my back, trying to catch my breath.
Sage is lying face down, her breathing hard before it slows, and my eyes
close for what feels like seconds before I hear her whimper again. Her
hands reach out and seek me as I feel her tongue glide over my chest as she
straddles me, the same urge returning.
My sanity wanes again as heat rushed over her, making my cock harden
again, needing to answer and abate her heat-ravaged body.
 Chapter

Forty-Five

S age
Squinting at the bright light filtering in through the window, I rub
my eyes, and a shiver runs up my spine as the tingling sensation from
the mate bond ripples through me.
I can feel Andrei hovering over the top of me, his tongue runs across my
ribs to the side of my breast. My back arches at the sensation as his hot
tongue moves across my body, his fingers press against my skin firmly as
he maneuvers me.
When his hand grips my elbow, I watch, amused, as he forces my arm
above my head. His tongue runs across the inside of my arm from my
elbow to just below my armpit.
I run my fingers through his hair, trying to get his attention as he doesn't
seem to realize I’m awake now. My fingers run through his thick locks, and
he jumps, confirming my assumption that he hadn’t realized I am awake.
His voice could not be confused for anyone other than Donnie’s. His
voice is raspier and deeper than Andrei’s as he pulls back and looks down at
me, his knee presses between my thighs against my aching core, making me
hiss.
“You’re awake. Sorry, I’m trying to be gentle,” he growls as his
blackened eyes watch me while his hands gently caress my skin, patting me
like I am his pet.
“Morning, Donnie,” I hiss while trying to sit up, but Donnie won’t
move as he hovers above me, his body pressing mine back down into the
bed.
 Every muscle aches, and I am aware of the moist feeling of the sheets
under me and the scent of blood in the air.
“Lay down,” he purrs, and I groan but do as he asks, loving the rumble
vibrating from his chest.
Donnie continues fussing and petting my hair after a while. I know I
have to get up, and I try to roll to get out from under him. The once-white
sheets are a deep shade of pink and dark red.
“I have to get Jonah,” I tell him, but he shakes his head, pushing my
shoulder back down and not allowing me to get up.
“You should rest,” he says, and my brows bunch together at his
insistence.
“Where is Andrei? Did you block him out?” I ask Donnie, but he shakes
his head before dipping his face into my neck.
Andrei’s stubble scratching against my skin makes me hiss and shiver.
My skin is burning and tingling at the same time. I feel Donnie’s tongue run
up my neck to my chin and shut my eyes, just giving in and letting him do
whatever the heck he is doing - trying not to think of the throbbing in my
core every time he presses against me. I am sore; everything is sore and
stinging.
“Better?” Donnie mumbles against my lips before licking them. I
chuckle at his odd behavior.
“Yes, so you can stop licking me now,” I tell him, wanting to find
Jonah.
Sierra is sluggish as she presses forward to peer out my eyes before she
growls, annoyed at something.
“Ah, he is still trying to heal us. He fucking makes me feel weaker,
exerting his energy. We are fucking fine,” Sierra growls in my head.
I sigh, pushing Andrei’s face away, and Sierra wanders off where I can’t
reach her to rest.
Donnie kisses the inside of my palm when I try to push his face away
again.
“Bring Andrei back, Donnie; Sierra wants you to stop. You’re making
her tired.” I tell him, and he whines, making me shake my head.
Seeing Andrei act more like a puppy than a human is rather
entertaining. He exhales, quickly pecking at my lips, and I watch as his eyes
fade from the black abyss to Andrei’s hypnotic gaze.
 His entire body shudders, making me wonder how long Donnie has had
control.
“Morning, love,” he says as he slides his arm under my waist and rolls
off of me onto his back. Andrei pulls me on top of him. His arm is still
draped across my lower back.
“Did Donnie lock you out?” I ask him, sitting up and making his arm
fall off my back as I straddle him.
He lifts his head and places his arm behind his head as he stares up at
me. “No, I gave him control; you were pretty banged up.”
Looking down, I take in the bloodstained sheets. “If it makes you feel
any better, half of it is mine,” he says, and I stare at him, finally noticing the
scars that litter his chest and arms.
Are they from me? Andrei chuckles at the horrified look on my face,
and my face flushes at what I have done to him.
“Stop. I am fine. Donnie stopped my healing, but I wasn't complaining.
I’m fine, and I don’t mind wearing your marks,” he says, running his hand
up my thigh. “However, you may be sore for a few days,” he says, and I
notice the purple blotches covering my skin.
I can see the complete outlines of his hands on my thighs, making me
lift my arms to examine them. I raise an eyebrow at him.
“Hey, you demanded harder. I gave you harder. Don’t blame me,”
Andrei says with a cheeky grin. I roll my eyes at him.
“Jonah?” I ask.
“With Malik, Zane dropped him to Malik this morning. I already
checked in with him,” he grins.
Yawning, I nod before laying back down and resting my head on his
chest. His fingers gently trail up my spine while I enjoy his warmth and the
deep purr vibrating from his chest. He seems to be in a good mood despite
being exhausted, and I revel in his closeness, feeling content.
“Your scent has changed,” Andrei murmurs, making me lift my head to
stare up at him. I can smell no changes in my scent.
“Well, I can’t smell anything besides blood, sex, and you,” I tell him.
“Donnie noticed it. That’s why he was trying to heal you, just in case he
is right. He was also sensing you because he is a possessive bastard.”
Andrei laughs, and I slap his arm, but he shrugs.
“So Donnie mistook it for real heat? Not a phantom one?” I ask.
 I know deep down I have no chance of having kids. I have no ovaries,
so it is impossible. I know Andrei knows that.
The doctor said I could have phantom heats, especially now that we
have Jonah, but they wouldn’t be the real thing, just a coping mechanism of
my wolf's side not being able to have pups.
I feel like an idiot even asking because I know it isn’t possible, yet his
words make me hope for some miracle, but I think already I hit my quota
on blessings and wishes coming true.
I can’t ask for more than I have, I have everything I could hope for, and
that is freedom to live, my mate, and Jonah.
Andrei says nothing for a few moments, and I can feel his apprehension
before he finally speaks.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” he says, kissing my forehead. “But
Donnie believes you were in an actual heat, and I have to agree with him.”
I look up at him, not wanting to get my hopes up, knowing it is
unimaginable.
“I think Kat healed more than your scars, Sage.” Andrei whispers.
I shake my head. It is one thing to heal scars and burns, but replacing
organs is almost laughable.
Andrei grips my face in his hands. “I wouldn’t believe it either, but she
healed you, love. You were putting out pheromones. You shouldn’t be able
to do that if it is phantom, but you did. Your scent has changed because Kat
has replaced something that was missing, something I couldn’t sense before
but can now because even though you are not in heat now, it has changed
your scent. You smell fertile.”
I scoff. “That’s not funny, Andrei, and you shouldn’t joke about things
like that. You don’t say shit like that and give me false hope. I learned to
live with knowing I can’t have children. Don’t give me some bullshit that it
suddenly changed, only to find out later you have to take those words back
just because you can’t live with the disappointment of never having
something you desperately wanted.” My eyes burn as tears blur my vision.
Why would he say that?
“I know it is something I should be able to give you, but it will never
happen,” I tell him, pushing off his chest and climbing off him.
“Sage!” Andrei sighs, but I ignore him.
“Donnie wouldn’t have reacted that way unless-“
 “No, I don’t want to hear it. The doctor said I could have phantom
heats, that is all this is, now drop it,” I tell him before walking off into the
bathroom to shower so I can go get our son and bring him home.

A ndrei

I shouldn’t have said anything, and I know that is something Sage worries
about most. What she is most insecure about when it comes to being an
Alpha’s mate.
She doesn’t feel worthy of being Luna because she can’t provide an
heir. Sage needs to realize I already have one, Jonah, and nothing will
change that, even if she carries my pups. He is as much ours as any blood-
born child would be, just like I was Anthony’s.
Jonah will become Alpha, and even if we didn’t have Jonah, and if
Donnie is wrong and it is a phantom - I would hand the title down to
someone else like Casen or Vince, so why she feels that way is beyond me.
Her being infertile never once crossed my mind as a reason to reject her.
Nothing did, and that would never change.
I don’t want her for her ability to give me an heir. I want her. It doesn’t
matter if she can carry my pups, or not. She is mine, and nothing will
change that.
“It was real. We didn’t imagine it,” Donnie says to me as she shuts the
bathroom door.
I hear the lock slip in place and decide to let her calm down instead of
arguing with her and beating the door down. I know, until she realizes
herself, nothing I say will change her mind about believing me.
“I know,” I tell him.
“Sierra thinks it’s a phantom heat too, but I know it wasn’t. I know her
scent; I know our mate, Andrei. She is with pup now.” Donnie stresses.
 “I guess we will find out in a couple of weeks, or if Sierra suddenly
can’t shift,” he nods in agreement, but I can feel his excitement bleeding
into me.
Despite what Sage believes, I would know her scent anywhere.
It has changed and become more intoxicating, sweeter than I realized,
making me understand Kat had done the impossible.
She took all Sage’s broken pieces and put them back together - made
her whole again. The events will permanently scar Sage’s mind. However,
the physical side is no longer a reminder when she looks in the mirror.
To live the horrors, she did, and to come out the other side with the
inner strength she has, the capacity to still love and be loved, amazes me.
She is mine. I can weather any storm with her by my side because she won’t
let me drown.
Sage taught me more than I thought I needed to know - that what
happens to us doesn’t define us unless we let it. What others do to us is
never a reflection of who we are, but of those that did it.
She makes me want to live again, and Sage gives me hope. She is my
redemption. And I will aim to be worthy of her every day. She has no idea
what she means to this pack, means to me, and it will always be more than
she could ever fathom.
She saved us, and she gave my pack back their ability to move on, to
forgive ourselves for what we had no control over.
My men and I blame ourselves for not getting back in time to save our
loved ones. Sage showed them it was okay to let live, that it is possible to
move on and leave the past where it belonged in the past.
Not forgotten but forgiven, the blame and conviction have no place in
our futures, so we shouldn’t let it dictate our lives or live in its shadow. Our
destinies are for us to determine, not the past.
Sage showed me I can forgive myself for not saving Angie and my pack
because the blame was not on me. It was the actions of others, and I will no
longer take fault for those actions, so I forgive them for what they did and
what they took from us, not because they deserve forgiveness, not for them,
but for myself to move on. I have no place left for hate.
Forgiveness is the key to moving on, not dwelling on a past that I am no
longer living.
Jonah and Sage are the only future I need. No matter what happens, all I
need is for them to keep getting up and keep trying to earn forgiveness for
my sins.
The ones I made after losing my pack. The dreadful things I did to the
rogues. I see it for what it is now. I am the monster of someone else’s past
now, and mine no longer haunts me, but I need redemption for my sins, and
Sage gave me hope that redemption is possible.
That is the reason I will never forget where Sage came from, because
she has come a long way, and I need the reminder that we can live again,
despite our past. Sage believes they defeated her, but after surviving the
horrors of her past, they never broke her.
Sage made herself a warrior and took her life back. She is the most
remarkable person I know, and she proved strength was never physical.
Real strength shows through a person’s character. Sage feels deeply and
loves fiercely. Her tears flow just as freely as her laughter, and she is a soft
yet strong and inspiring, pure-hearted woman. She more than deserves her
place in our pack. She is my mate, and she is Luna; Sage is mine.
I get up and knock on the bathroom door; I can hear the shower running
and still feel that Sage is upset. She thinks I have given her false hope, but
that has never been my intention. I just want to point out what Donnie and I
know.
“I am going to retrieve Jonah. I will be back soon, okay?” I ask her.
She doesn’t reply, but I leave her be, knowing she needs time to herself.
Grabbing some clothes from the walk-in closet, I walk back into the
room and put some jeans on before pulling on my tank top. Hearing the
water shut off, I listen for a few seconds and hear Sage sniffle, my heart
instantly sinks.
She will see, she will see we are right - I remind myself.
Sighing, I walk out of the room and down the stairs. I just need to grab
our son. I have missed him the last couple of days, and I know Jonah could
always bring Sage out of the dark places she sometimes slipped back to. If I
can’t, he always can.
I don’t even have time to knock on Malik’s door before it is thrown
open and Jonah smashes against my legs, his little arms wrap securely
around them as he squeezes tight.
“Dad! Dad, dad!” He bounces excitedly on the balls of his feet, and I
reach down to grab him under the arms, lifting him into the air and placing
him on my hip.
 Malik walks to the door, looking exhausted but otherwise happy. “Good
morning; he has sat by the front window, waiting for you or Sage to pick
him up,” Malik says before ruffling Jonah’s hair. I kiss Jonah’s cheek, and
he smiles happily.
“Where is mom?” He asks, looking over my shoulder at the packhouse.
“At home waiting for you,” I tell him.
Malik yawns loudly, covering his mouth with his hand, before
stretching. “Alright, kiddo. I need some sleep. I have patrols tonight.”
Maliks tells him.
“I can take your patrol,” I tell him, feeling bad that he is exhausted and
has been helping Zane with the pack for days.
“I’m fine; it’s just the heat berries. Now that Sage is out of the heat, and
I don’t need to keep eating the crap, I will nap and be good as new.” He
assures me.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask Malik, and I look at Jonah in my
arms. “Quick, rush home, and go find mom,” I tell Jonah, placing him on
the ground.
He giggles, rushing off toward the packhouse, and I wait to see him run
through the open door before turning back to Zane.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Malik says just as Casen wanders out the front and
onto the porch. “Oi, no eavesdropping,” Malik scolds him.
“No, he is fine. Better two opinions than one,” I tell Malik, and Casen
smirks at him while Malik scoffs at his cockiness.
“Sage’s heat-”
“Fucking lasted days, tell her thanks for three days of blue balls, gave
Ms. Palmer a workout, practically rubbed the skin off it,” Casen says, not
letting me finish, but he just answered my question.
“So, you could sense it? So it was a proper heat from what you could
tell?”
“Yeah, it was real. Strong too, like the first heat. I suppose it was, but
still, even with the jam, we had to remain inside. Only the mated have been
able to leave the house; Zane is exhausted. Even previously mated ones
were affected by her scent.” Malik says, rubbing a hand down his face.
“Why are you asking?” Malik asks.
“Sage believes it’s a phantom heat, and I tried to tell her it wasn’t, that
she is fertile. Donnie thinks she is with pup now.”
“Wait, hang on, Sage can’t have kids,” Casen states.
 “Exactly,” I tell him, and he seems to ponder that.
“Unless a certain Moon Goddess healed her,” Malik smiles, and so do I.
“Well, I need to get back. I want to check on Sage and play with Jonah.”
“Look at you all domesticated,” Casen taunts, and Malik smacks him up
the back of the head. I chuckle, shaking my head and walking down the few
steps to the grass.
“I will be sure to tell your Luna you spent three days wanking over her.”
I call out to Casen.
He growls, making me look back at him. “You wouldn’t,” he snarls,
glaring at me, and I smile. Malik chuckles beside him, nudging him with his
elbow, and I turn back, heading home.
 Chapter

Forty-Six

A ndrei
Two weeks later
“Just break it down. Why is she hiding from us?” Donnie snarls
in my head.
He has been trying to get Sierra to listen to him for the last week. Both
are in denial, and Sage is still mad.
I bang on the door again, becoming annoyed as she continues ignoring
me. “Open the door, Sage!”
“I’m fine. It is just that stupid coffee. We need to switch brands,” she
gasps out.
I roll my eyes. It is not the damn coffee. I have been trying to get her to
see the doctor for the last week, but she refuses. She insists she is not
pregnant, but Donnie and I can smell her scent, smell the changes, and until
she confirms it, not only will Sage not believe us, but Donnie won’t stop
keeping me awake sniffing her while she sleeps. I shake my head.
Last night was humiliating as he forced control, only for Sage to wake
up during his sniffing fest while I looked like some creep.
Donnie forced control and jammed my nose into her belly button. If he
was going to be a creep, he could at least do it in his form, so she knows I
am not the perverted one sniffing her while she sleeps, and it was my
bizarre, domineering wolf that had the sniffing belly button fetish. The look
she gave him, well me… I facepalm myself, trying not to relive the
memory.
“It isn’t a fetish. If she went to the doctor, I wouldn’t have to sniff-test
her to make sure she progresses,” Donnie spits at me.“Just be grateful she
didn’t wake the first time when I sniffed her-”
I growl at him, cutting his words off. I don’t need the reminder of how
perverted he can be.
“Ah enough, don’t remind me, you are damn deranged,” I tell him.
“Please, Sage, open the goddamn door,” I tell her while pinching the
bridge of my nose in frustration. Jonah walks in, stops at the door, and
looks toward the bathroom.
“Use him. That will get her to the doctor, make him fake sick, kids do it
all the time to get out of school,” Donnie tells me.
“I am not using our son, and then what? Pin her down?” I ask him.
He appears to be considering it, and I huff, turning to look at Jonah.
“Is mom alright?” Jonah asks, as I hear her puke again. Jonah walks
over and bangs on the door. “Mom?” Jonah calls through the door.
“Go get ready for school. I will be down in a minute,” Sage groans
before puking again. Jonah looks up at me with a worried look on his face.
“Go see uncle Malik and see if he can bring the car to the front of the
house and wait in the car for me,” I tell him.
“Why? Is she ok?” Jonah squeaks.
“She is fine. My keys are on the hall table. Give them to Malik for me,”
I tell him, and he glances at the bathroom door quickly and then rushes off.
I could have mind-linked Malik, but I need Jonah out of the room, so I
don’t scare him. Sage is going to lose her mind in a second. I listen as he
drags the chair to the panel to unlock the door. When I hear the door open, I
turn back to the bathroom door.
“Sage, you have three seconds to open this door,” I warn her, and she
growls at me.
“One!” I start.
“Just go away.” She screams again.
“Two!” I say a little louder.
“Andrei, stop it. Help Jonah get ready for school.” She screams.
“And that would be three,” I tell her before kicking the door. The door
bursts open, banging against the wall, and Sage shrieks. Walking in, she is
on the ground next to the toilet.
“Was that necessary?” She snaps at me as I reach for her.
“Well, no, but you wouldn’t open the door,” I tell her, reaching down to
grab her. She tries to slap my hands away. She looks pale, and her attempts
to stop me were weak.
 “What are you-?” She screeches as I scoop her up, going stiff as a board
in my arms as she tries to escape me.
“Put me down!” She demands.
“Then stop being difficult,” I tell her, poking her in the ribs with my
fingers, and she squeals. So touchy. I crush her to me, and she kicks her
legs, trying to get out of my arms.
“She needs to eat more. She looks like she’s lost weight,” Donnie says,
and I roll my eyes as I stomp down the steps toward the front door.
Sage’s wild mood swings and Donnie’s odd behavior that makes me
look like some freak is enough to drive anyone insane. When I walk out the
door, Malik’s mouth falls open. Spotting his kicking and screaming Luna in
my arms, he rushes over to the back door and opens it for me.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “Duck, Sage,” I warn her.
“You fucking duck, you damn caveman!” She says, smacking me in the
side of the head. Malik chuckles, rushing to the driver’s side.
“I haven’t even got shoes on,” she shrieks but ducks her head into my
chest while growling as I sit down in the back with her.
She instantly moves off my lap, about to lose her shit. I recognize the
look on her face. She is about to teach me who the Alpha is, and for the last
week, it sure as shit hasn’t been me with her moody behavior.
“Ah, settle down, there are children present.” I tell her, and right in the
queue, Jonah sticks his head between the seats to look back at us.
“Hi mom,” he says, beaming at her.
Sage’s face flushes red. “Jonah, where is your school bag?” Sage asks
him as Malik starts the car.
“I put it in the trunk,” Malik lies, knowing exactly where I want to take
her.
“Well, I don’t have any shoes, you will have to sign him in,” Sage says,
folding her hands in her lap and closing her eyes as she rests her head back
on the seat.
“Am I going to school?” Jonah asks through the Mind link.
“No, we are taking mom to the doctor, so shh,” I tell him, and Malik
glances at me in the rear-view mirror.
Sage falls asleep on the drive. If she isn’t throwing up, she is sleeping,
yelling at me like a banshee, or eating. Sage barely leaves the house
anymore because she has been too tired the last week.
 She refuses to believe us, saying it is impossible, and I even asked Kat,
who said she isn’t sure because she hadn’t gone to the Moon Goddess realm
to check.
However, she has been having issues with Marabella and told me she
would check soon.
But Kat didn’t say no either. Despite this, it is impossible in Sage’s eyes.
Donnie and I, however, know we are right. No one else could smell her
changes, but we can. Her heat, yes, but not the subtle changes to her overall
scent. We are so in tune with her scent we can pick up the slightest changes,
even if she can’t.
The drive takes around an hour to get to Kat’s pack. I message Kat to
tell Mathias to be ready, and she assures me he will see her today.
As we pull into the bustling town, I look down at Sage, where she had
managed to lie down with her head in my lap. Brushing her hair from her
face, Malik pulls up, and I gently shake her shoulder until she sits up.
She yawns, looking out the front window. Her expression changes to
disbelief, then anger.
“This isn’t the school,” she states as Malik and Jonah hop out. Malik
walks over to Jonah and grabs his hand, walking toward the doctor’s office.
“Now you have gone too far, Andrei,” Sage rants, and I see Kat walk
out the doors just as Jonah reaches the steps out the front.
Jonah spots Kat and rushes over to her, and she picks him up and hugs
him while he tells her something animatedly. My sister makes enthusiastic
exclamations as she listens to him. I chuckle, turning back to Sage, who
was glaring at me, and I sigh.
“Please, let him examine you, if you aren’t, I will leave you alone, and
we will keep blaming the coffee.”
She mutters something, shaking her head and looking out the window,
and my chest restricts when I see her wipe a stray tear she tried to hide.
Reaching for her hand, I squeeze it.
“I know I’m right, please.” I beg. At this point, I will drop to my knees
and beg, even more, she just has to tell me to.
Sage looks at me, and I can see the desperation on her face, the look of,
what if I am wrong? I know it would crush her.
“I wouldn’t bring you here if I weren’t certain,” I tell her, and she looks
at the doctor’s office.
“And if you’re wrong?” She mutters.
 “Then we have Jonah, but I know you are carrying our pup,” I tell her.
“Jonah. Will he be enough for you?” She asks, looking back at me.
Her question has a double meaning. She isn’t just referring to Jonah, but
to herself. This one insecurity is one she hasn’t gotten rid of.
“Always, no matter what the doctor says, Jonah is enough. You are
enough. That will never change. But, please, do this, just this once.”
She worries her lip between her teeth, her eyes glistening with unshed
tears.
“Just to be sure, or at least please do it, so I don’t have to put up with
Donnie sniffing you while you sleep every goddamn night.” I mutter.
“Every night? You said it was the first time,” she says, appalled. I look
away from her, my face heating.
“How many times?” She demands.
“Every night,” I tell her, refusing to look at her. I could kill him.
“Didn’t take you for suicidal,” Donnie mutters to me, and I growl at
him.
“Well, you thought it, and you think I am unhinged. We are the same
person, idiot.” He mutters.
“Fine, but only because I don’t want him sniffing my stomach every
night, and I sure don’t want him sniffing anything else.” She chuckles, and I
look at her, trying to hide the lengths he has gone.
I don’t know what she sees on my face, but she suddenly stops
laughing. “Wait, why are you embarrassed? He hasn’t, he wouldn’t,” she
couldn’t bring herself to ask, and I wouldn’t lie to her if she did. I look
away again, unable to meet her eyes.
“I don’t even want to know,” she says.
“Nope, you definitely don’t,” I tell her.
“Ah, why say that? Now, I am curious about what he did.” She groans
as I open the door, wanting to escape this awkward conversation. Stepping
out of the car, Sage reaches out to grab my hand, and I relax, feeling her
tiny hand slip into mine.
“You’re not mad?” I ask her.
“About being here, yes. About Donnie, no. I know you would never
hurt me,” she says, looking down at her bare feet. I grip her chin, tilting her
face up.
“I love you.” I whisper and quickly peck her lips.
 “I love you too,” she whispers before glancing at the doctor’s office and
sighing.
I pull her to me and drape my arm around her shoulders, walking
toward the building. When we get inside, Kat sits on the chair, reading to
Jonah.
She looks up and smiles, turning her attention back to our son. The
doctor’s office is small, but modern and clean. I can see a small ultrasound
room off to one side. And another office with its door closed, Mathias’s
name on it. The receptionist smiles a bright grin.
“Luna Sage, Alpha Andrei, Kat already signed you both in. The doctor
will be with you shortly. Doc was called into the hospital for an emergency.
Hopefully, he won’t be too long.”
Sage nods, and I can feel her unease, her fear. Every emotion of hers
rushes into me. Grabbing her hand, I can feel how clammy it is. I kissed the
back of her hand before tugging her to some seats. We have just sat down
when the door opens, and Mateo comes in.
“Ah, perfect timing,” Katya tells him before nodding to Sage.
“Malik told Kat you had no shoes.” Mateo tells Sage, and Sage looks
over at him, and he nods to her. Mateo holds out a pair of flip-flops for her.
“Thank you, you didn’t have to,” Sage tells him.
“No, it’s fine, I had to duck to the shop anyway.” He waves her off
before walking over to Kat and pecking her forehead.
“The kids?” She asks him.
“Ezra has them, they are fine. You worry too much,” He tells her. “I will
see you at home,” he tells Kat, and she nods.
“Jasmine will be over soon with Marley,” Kat tells Mateo as he is about
to walk out the door.
“She is running late. She rang before I left.” He tells her, and Kat nods
before turning back to the book she is reading for Jonah.
“Kat, you don’t have to wait,” I tell her.
“I wanted to see Jonah. I can see Jasmine when I get home. It has been
two weeks,” she tells me, kissing Jonah’s head and continuing the book.
Sage fidgets with her fingers, her eyes looking around, and I can feel
how anxious she is. It feels like we are waiting forever, but it probably has
been about half an hour. The receptionist says she will ring him, but Sage
tells her no and that he is busy, and she is fine to wait.
 But time drags on, and not long after, Kat’s phone starts ringing, and she
walks outside to answer it. A few moments later, she rushes back in
frantically.
“I need to go. Do you want me to take Jonah?” She says, her eyes
glancing toward him, and I get up, worried.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Marabella, she hurt Marley, she is fine, luckily, Eziah was holding
Marley’s hand, or it would have been much worse.” Kat shakes her head, I
can hear the rapid beating of her heart, and see the worry in my sister’s
eyes.
“Kat, go, Jonah’s fine here,” I tell her, and she seems to shake herself
out of wherever her mind went before rushing out.
“Is Marabella ok?” Jonah asks me.
“I am sure she is fine,” I tell him, and Malik nods to him.
Jonah sits down beside me, and I can see the worry on his face. “She is
fine,” I tell him, pushing his hair from his eyes. He nods but doesn’t look
convinced, and I sigh, turning back to Sage, who seems to be in a stare-off
with the office door.
I stroked her hair, pulling her head to my chest, her stiff body resists
until I start purring. I see the receptionist glance over the counter, quickly
looking away with a slight smile on her lips.
 Chapter

Forty-Seven

A ndrei
I can’t care less what she thinks as I feel the tension leave Sage
as she presses closer, her ear to my chest. Malik is unfazed by the
noise, and is used to me using it on Sage, He glances over at Jonah, who
tucks his head next to his mother's, and they both seem to calm down.
Donnie, I can hear, is talking to Sierra, trying to make her more at ease.
Her doubt has been the biggest challenge, and she has a lot of influence
over Sage, and her reluctance to believe, is not helping me convince Sage.
Sierra should have had a clue when the heat finished, Donnie told me,
but Sierra is in as much denial as Sage.
She keeps saying to us nothing good ever happens for her, that she
never has or will be able to have pups. Donnie and I have no idea what she
is talking about, but she keeps insisting something about the cycle never
changes, the cycle can't be beaten, and that she is doomed for eternal
misery.
Whatever the heck that means.
It’s sometimes that angers me, knowing she is feeding the same
nonsense to Sage, but she doesn't even understand the weird things she
sometimes says.
Sage said she always says strange things, but doesn't know if Sierra
fully understands her.
I had asked Kat about it, and she only told me that Sierra knew more
than she realized, and some traumas linger even after death. That a cycle
has been on an endless loop, but she can't tell me more than that, something
about knowing too much can alter things and some things are best left
unknown.
"The best calming device, one we all have but rarely use, yours would
be a little more potent though, Alpha." Mathias says, making me jump.
Sage also jerks upright, none of us hearing him walk in. Mathias laughs
softly.
“How is your granddaughter?” I ask him, knowing Jasmine is his
daughter.
"Quite alright, gave my daughter quite the scare, but she is fine. Jasmine
wraps that baby up in bubble wrap," he says, shaking his head.
“But how would she breathe?" Asks Jonah and Mathias chuckles.
"Exactly, but it was just a figure of speech. Now come on, let's see what
is going on with your mother," Mathias says, waving for Sage to follow
him.
Sage reluctantly hops up, her anxiety skyrockets, and Jonah looks to
Malik. "You can come too, Jonah," I tell him when he goes to walk over to
him.
Malik spins him around and gives him a little push toward us, and Sage
grips his hand, Malik then pulls his phone out to look at it.
We follow Mathias into his office, he goes over a few things before
sending Sage to pee in a cup and takes some blood from her when she
returns.
Jonah watches Sage get poked and prodded with avid fascination. Once
he has the blood, he hands the specimen and blood vials to the nurse, who
walks off with them.
"Come on, next room over," Mathias says, getting up from his desk and
walking out before stopping when Sage speaks out.
"But we should wait for the test results to come back." Sage mutters.
"Most sure way to know is to have a look, Luna," he says before
walking off to the room next door. Jonah is watching curiously, not
understanding. He hops off my lap and follows after the doctor.
"Come on, mom," he calls, and I nudge Sage, who is chewing her
fingernails. I pull her hand away, her thumb is bleeding where she has
chewed off more than her nail. Then clicking my tongue at what she has
done, she looks away but hops up, following Jonah.
I follow her, and Malik is still sitting in the waiting room on his phone.
"Lock the door, just in case she flips out," I mind-link him.
 "Already have, did it the moment you went in the doctor's office," He
replies.
I smile because he is observant, which makes him an irreplaceable
member of our pack. I have to tell him what to do very often, and he usually
knows before I say anything.
Mathias is setting up when I walk in, and I close the door, flicking the
lock. Doc doesn't say anything about it, just nods before motioning for Sage
to lie down. She does stiffly, and Mathias looks over at me.
"Well, make yourself useful, calm your mate," he says, trying to tug
Sage's shirt up. Her hands fisted at her hips as she clutched it. "Anytime
now, Alpha," Mathias says to me.
I am about to ask what he means when Donnie forces me forward.
"Idiot," Donnie says before he starts purring ridiculously loudly.
My face heats, but the doctor doesn't even glance up. "Now, Luna, I
need to tug this up, I can't check anything if you are holding it." Mathias
chuckles, and Sage startles.
"Oh right, sorry," She exclaims, and I step over to her. Jonah is kneeling
on a chair watching Doc.
"Interesting fact about purring, it lowers blood pressure and works as an
analgesic/sedative on she-wolves. Kind of works similar to a siren call in a
way, that's why she calms down, works on kids too, or anyone we have a
strong connection with, but more so she-wolves, and you being an Alpha, it
would be stronger." Mathias says, while squirting some jelly on Sage's
belly.
"Well, I didn't know that, but I knew it calmed her," I tell him before
Sage clutches the bottom of my shirt. I grab her hand and purr again while
Mathias turns dials before moving the device over her stomach.
"Oh, it's a tummy TV," Jonah says, and Sage looks away, focusing on
something behind me. I press my lips together, rubbing circles on her hand
with my thumb.
"Correct, Jonah. Good boy, we can have a look inside mommy's belly."
He trails off, pressing buttons, and I can feel Sage's anxiety turning to
acceptance as she stares off.
I move my hand, letting hers go, and she instantly grabs my shirt again
like it offers some relief from her fear. Cupping her face, I wipe the tear that
slips away with my thumb, knowing she is looking off to hide how scared
she is of Donnie and me being wrong.
 "Ah, there we go," Mathias says, making my head snap to him. "Now,
let's see, give me a sec. I am a bit rusty, this isn't usually my job, one
moment," Doc says, fiddling with dials and buttons.
Sage's heart is hammering in her chest, yet she never once looks at the
screen.
Kneeling beside her, she is staring off, so I grab her hand. I place it in
the center of my chest so she can feel the vibration, her eyes close, and she
lets out a breath, her heart rate slows when I hear another come across the
speakers attached to the ultrasound device.
Jonah leans forward as Mathias points to something on the screen as he
glances over his shoulder and smiles. He looks at Sage, pressing his lips
together, frowning before shaking her arm.
"Sage?" Mathias says, but she shakes her head.
"What is that?" Jonah asks.
"Well, that sound is your brother or sister, and this right here is a baby
growing in your mommy's tummy," Mathias tells him, and he smiles.
"A baby," He gasps excitedly.
I look down at Sage, who seems to be stuck in her head, muttering to
herself. "That's not your heartbeat," I whisper to her. I get no reaction from
her. Gripping her chin, I force her to look at me.
"That isn't your heartbeat, it's our pup's, look," I tell her. Her brows
pinch together.
"You are pregnant, Sage," I tell her, and Mathias turns the speaker dial-
up, and the baby's heart rhythm is easily noticed as it is faster than her
racing heart. Leaning down, I press my lips to hers before smiling against
her lips.
"I'm pregnant?" Sage murmurs, and I nod, unable to stop myself from
smiling, and her head whips to the side to look at the screen. Mathias zooms
in, blowing up the image on the screen.
"Yes, Luna, you are indeed pregnant, quite the miracle," Mathias tells
her.
Sage seems shocked as she looks at the screen when Mathias hands me
some tissues without glancing behind himself. I take them, wiping Sage's
face as tears roll down her cheeks.
"We will have a baby," She sobs in disbelief, and I nod.
Sage takes the tissues from me as she tries to stop her tears, while
staring at the screen. Jonah is busy examining the screen when Mathias
passes back more tissues.
"She still has some," I tell him, my voice cracking slightly.
"They aren't for her, Alpha," Mathias says, and Jonah looks over at me.
"Why is everyone sad?" He asks as I take the tissues, quickly wiping my
face, not realizing I am the one blubbering like a baby.
"They aren't sad tears, Jonah, they are happy," Mathias tells him.
"So that's what cooties look like, huh?" Jonah says, and I snort, looking
over at him.
Mathias gives him a strange look, and Sage chuckles.
"But how did the cooties get in there?" He asks, looking at me.
"Cooties?" Mathias asks him.
"Yep, Casen said Dad was giving mom the cooties, and the cooties
would turn into a baby," Jonah explains, and Mathias chuckles while
shaking his head.
"Well, this Casen seems very knowledgeable about these cooties,"
Mathias states.
"He is, so where is the spitting wand?" Jonah asks, looking at me
"The spitting wand?" Sage asks, looking at me, and I haven't heard this
part before.
"Yeah, Casen, said dad would use the spitting wand to give you the
cooties."
"Casen will be getting his spitting wand broken when we get home," I
tell Jonah.
His brows furrow as he looks back at the screen.

S age stares amazed at the printout from the ultrasound the entire way
home, like she is worried it will disappear and not be true if she looks
away.
Pulling up out front of the packhouse, I am excited to be home and want
to rest. Malik stretches, also tired, before hopping out of the car.
I open the door for Sage, and Malik unclips Jonah's seatbelt. I can see
some of our patrollers returning, and I tell Sage we will tell the rest of the
pack tomorrow, wanting to let it sink first, and she agreed.
"Thanks, Malik," I tell him.
"Anytime, Alpha," he says before walking toward his house.
Jonah skips around the car and over to us when I spot Casen walking
back from patrol. "Oi, Casen!"
"Yeah, Alpha?" He says with a wave. That little shit. He starts jogging
over toward me, and I head toward him.
"I just want to check the spitting wand," I tell him, and he stops in his
tracks.
Malik laughs as Casen backs up.
"Run, Casen. He said he's going to break it!" Jonah screams out to him
from behind me.
Casen takes off running, only for Malik to chase after him and grab him.
He starts squealing as Malik wrestles him to the ground, and Casen thrashes
as he tries to escape.
"I warned you to watch what you tell Jonah," I growl, and Malik pins
him on his stomach with his hands behind his back before winking at me as
I stop beside him.
"It wasn't me, it was Vince, I only told him about the cooties," Casen
shrieks.
"Is that so?" I ask, looking down at him. Vince comes out of the
treeline, also coming off patrol.
"Clay, grab him," I call out to him. Vince looks over at me before
looking at Clay, who gives him a little wave. Vince's eyes go wide before he
shrieks and darts off for the treeline, but Clay tackles him before tossing
him over his shoulder.
"It wasn't me, whatever it was, it was Casen," he shrieks as Clay
marches over with him before dropping him next to his twin.
"Do you know anything about the spitting wand?" I ask Vince.
"Huh, the what?" Vince furrows his brows.
"Spitting wand," I repeat, and he seems to think before his mouth opens
and closes like a fish.
"No… No, that was Casen. He told Jonah about Sage being in heat,
telling him you would use a spitting wand to spit cooties in Luna," Vince
dobs.
"You traitor, I am your brother, and you just give me up like that! I
would have taken half the blame for you!" Casen growls at him.
 "Hey, I told you to let Malik explain what it was to him, besides, you
don't scare me, but the Alpha does," Vince retorts.
"Traitor," Casen sneers.
"You're free to go home or watch," I tell Vince.
He laughs, getting up and moving over to the porch and sitting down to
watch his brother. Malik chuckles as Casen begins to struggle. "Just
remember you gotta sleep sometime, old man,"' Casen tells Malik.
"Old man?" Malik asks before grasping both hands in one of his and
ripping Casen's pants up his ass.
"You're young, you're so young," Casen squeals.
Malik lets him go, and Casen growls at him before trying to squirm out
from under him. "That's what I thought," Malik laughs before looking up at
me. "What do you want to do with him?"
"Cut off the spitting wand!" Vince screams out from the porch steps.
"Shut up, traitor, don't give him ideas."
"That does sound like a good idea, remove his pants," I tell Malik, and
Casen screams like a girl, and Clay comes over laughing, helping Malik pin
him down.
"Anything but that, I will give you a toe, the little finger, anything but
that!" He screams.
"You aren't really going to cut it off," Vince mind-links, and I look over
at him.
"No, of course not, but I am tying him to the tree in his underwear,"
Casen squirms and squeals as Clay and Malik strip him down.
"I'm going to kill you, Vince, you just wait, I am… I am…. I am going
to fart in your pillowcase!" Casen screams at Vince, who is laughing as we
haul him over to the willow tree and tie him to it.
"Wow, so scary. You realize Vince will probably go do that to yours
while you're tied to this tree?" Malik tells him.
"He wouldn't dare!" Casen says, appalled.
"Well, when you get pink eye, don't blame me," Malik tells him before
slapping his cheek softly. I laugh, turning to walk back to the packhouse.
"Wait, how long are you keeping me out here?" He calls out as we
leave.
"Just overnight,” I shrug.
"What?" he shrieks, and I laugh. "But it will get dark and cold. What
about spiders?"
 "Use your spitting wand to fend them off," I retort.
"Yeah, give it the cooties," Malik tells him as we part ways. I head
home. I figure I will let him sweat for a few hours first before I untie him.
 Chapter

Forty-Eight

A ndrei
A month later
“Jonah!” Sage calls out for the fourth time before turning to me.
Sage’s stomach is now round and huge as she looks up the stairs where
Jonah had rushed off to his room, slamming the door behind him.
“I don’t understand why he is acting out like this,” Sage mutters,
shaking her head.
Jonah’s behavior has been out of character for him recently. His usually
bubbly personality lessened. More so today, he even played up at the
doctor’s visit and stormed out of the ultrasound room, making me chase
after him.
“Just go, I can handle him,” Sage says, waving me off. Malik knocks on
the door as he waits for me. We are already running late, and I really need
to get going if I want to get home before dark.
“How about I take him with me?” I suggest, and Sage shakes her head.
“No, what if he runs off again?” Sage says worriedly, chewing her lip as
she anxiously looks up the stairs. I know she is also worried that if he runs
off from her, she is hardly in the right state to chase after him. All week, she
has complained about not being able to see her own feet.
“I’m taking him. We will be back before dark,” I tell her, refusing to let
her argue the matter further, pecking her lips quickly. I jog up the steps, my
boots making the sound so much louder as I make my way to Jonah’s
bedroom. I knock on the door, then twist the handle and walk in.
Jonah is lying on his bed with his face jammed into his pillow.
 “Come on, buddy, let’s go, you are coming with me.” Walking into his
room, I stop next to his bed.
Jonah doesn’t move or acknowledge my presence, and I sigh before
grabbing his ankle and ripping him off the bed. He squeals as he flails
about, dangling upside down. My hand is wrapped securely around his
ankle.
I start walking out of the room. He squeals and laughs, clawing at my
jeans like he believes I will drop him. Sage gasps, her hands clutch her
mouth as I stomp down the steps.
“Careful,” she shrieks, and I raise an eyebrow at her.
I will not drop him. Well, not on purpose anyway. Jonah’s hands clutch
Sage’s maxi dress as he tries to pull himself upright.
“Kiss your mother. We are leaving,” I tell him, grabbing his arm,
turning him the right way up, and setting him on his feet. His face is red
from being upside down.
Sage clutches his little face in her hands and then kisses his nose. “You
be good for your father.”
Jonah nods, turning to the now open door where Malik is waiting out
the front in my car. Jonah sulks, walking off toward the car. I spot Malik
trying to talk to him, but Jonah pays him no attention and climbs in the back
silently. I sigh, turning to look at Sage, who is also watching him.
“I will find out what is wrong with him,” I assure her, quickly pressing
my lips to hers and turning on my heel, and walking toward the car.
I glance over my shoulder as I get into the car and notice Jonah has his
seatbelt on. Exhaling, I start the car.
“Is he alright?” Malik asks through the mind-link.
“No idea,” I reply while driving out of the pack grounds.
Zane, Casen, and Nora are already there preparing things, and they left
earlier in the day to help back up while I attended Sage’s appointment with
her.
“Pack is excited. A lot of them wanted to come,” Malik tells me.
Glancing in the rear-view mirror, I catch Jonah staring off out the
window with his chin propped on his arm on the window ledge. Turning my
attention back to the road, we continue to drive before pulling up in the
parking lot. I stop the car and put it in the park, and Malik hops straight out,
and I turn to Jonah, who has remained in the same position the entire drive,
not saying a single word.
 “Come on,” I tell him, and he looks over at me with a bored look on his
face. I grip his chin when he goes to turn away and force him to look at me.
“What’s wrong? You have been in a weird mood for two weeks now.”
“Nothing,” he says, pushing my hand away, and opening his door, he
climbs out. A growl escapes me, and Donnie comes forward at his attitude,
but he isn’t angry. Donnie is just as concerned about his odd behavior.
“Find out. Something is definitely wrong with him,” Donnie tells me.
“Thanks for stating the obvious.” I retort, climbing out of the car.
“You go ahead, Malik,” I tell him, and he nods, sending a glance to
Jonah, who is kicking loose rocks across the gravel.
“Jonah, now,” I tell him, waving him over to me.
He walks over to me, and I reach into the front and grab my water bottle
from between the front seats. It is pretty warm today. Drinking some, I offer
the bottle to Jonah, who takes it, also thirsty.
Locking the car, we slowly follow the path Malik just went down before
ducking out of view.
“Why are we here?” Jonah asks, looking up at the mountain.
“Do you want to go up there and look?” I ask him as he stops.
He peers up at the mountain that holds the cave he lived in before Nora
found him. Jonah shakes his head, grabbing my hand. I squeeze his hand,
and he returns it, his small one tucked in mine.
However, his next words shock me, and I feel my stomach drop as he
peers up at me with tears in his eyes.“Are you leaving me here?”
“What? No, why would I leave you here?” I ask him, tugging him along
the path. Jonah shrugs but says nothing for a few seconds when I stop again
and come across a boulder. Grabbing him by the arms, I pluck him off the
ground and sit him on top of it.
“We are not moving, and I am not helping you down until you tell me
what is wrong,” I tell him, leaning on the enormous boulder where Jonah is
perched.
Jonah huffs, sitting down and crossing his legs, he sweeps dust and dirt
off the top of the rock. I try to wait him out, but after ten minutes, it is clear
he isn’t going to tell me.
“Should I get Malik to drop some water off and a sleeping bag? Do you
plan on sleeping on that rock because we aren’t leaving here until you tell
me?” Jonah remains quiet, tracing the patterns on the boulder with his index
finger, his chin propped on his other hand.
 “Why did you ask if I was leaving you here?” Jonah mumbles
something inaudible, making me look at him.
“Jonah, answer me, or I will command you.” I warn him, and he looks
up at me, alarmed.
Of course, I never have or ever will, but the threat seems to have
received some reaction from him. His eyes burn with tears, and he wipes his
little eyes, and I wrap my arm around him, and he bursts out crying.
“Hey, what’s wrong? I didn’t mean it. I would never command you, you
know that,” I tell him, crushing him against my chest, his little hands grip
my shirt tightly as he sobs and I brush his hair with my hand, waiting for
him to stop, knowing I won’t get a clear answer from him while he is in this
state.
After a few minutes, his sobbing turns to hiccups, and I pull away and
wipe his face. His eyes go to the mountain trail behind me that leads to the
cave where he lived for months on his own. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to
bring him here. It seems to have triggered something in him. I hated seeing
him this upset.
“What’s wrong? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.” He shakes his
head.
“I don’t want to leave. I want to stay at home,” he whispers, looking
down at his hands.
“Why would you leave, Jonah? I don’t want you to leave me, and you
aren’t going anywhere, so why would you say that?”
“Because of the baby,” I blink, dumbfounded by his words.
“I don’t understand, Jonah. What’s this got to do with your sister?” I ask
him.
“You have a real family now, you won’t want me around anymore, you
have a real child now,” he thinks we would throw him away because Sage is
pregnant? Jonah chews his fingernail and his eyes go to the cave in the
mountain above us. I tug his fingers from his mouth.
“Look at me,” I tell him, Jonah’s eyes reluctantly go to mine with a
grim expression on his face, and I can tell he really believes his words, he
thinks he is unwanted because Sage is having a baby, and believes he is just
a temporary replacement.
“Never, and I mean never, let your mother hear you say that. She may
just smack your ass for saying something so ridiculous. You are our son,
your sister does not change that. You are our son, just like she is our
daughter. You belong to us, and we belong to you. Nothing will ever change
that, Jonah.” He looks away, and I grip his face, turning it back so I can see
his face.
“Understood?” He nods. “Understood?” I repeat.
“Yes,” he whispers.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, dad,” Jonah says.
“I never want to hear you say you are not my son again. We were a
family the moment I pulled you from the river, I was never going to let you
go, you were always mine, and your mothers, do you understand me? You
are my son. I am your father, and your sister’s arrival will never change
that. We are family, and you are irreplaceable, you are worth more to me
than my own life, you are worth more to me than your mothers, we will
always put you and your sister ahead of ourselves, and we love you both
equally, you are my son, whether or not you came from my cooties.” I tell
him. Jonah chuckles, and I smile.
“You are ours, Jonah. I promise you, that will never change. You are my
next Alpha and my heir that will never change, no matter how many
siblings you have,” I tell him.
“So, I’m still your heir?” He asks.
“Always, unless you don’t want to be, I will never force that on you, but
if you want the pack when you are old enough, it is yours,” I tell him,
grabbing him off the rock. He wraps his arms around my neck, and I hug
him close, inhaling his scent.
“You made us a family, you made me want to be a father,” I whisper,
and he nods into my neck.
“Now, are you ready to do your first Alpha job?” I ask him, and he pulls
back to look at me. I kiss his little cheek.
“I love you, kiddo.”
“I love you too,” he says, and I set him down on his feet, grabbing his
hand, and we start along the trail again.
“So, what is the Alpha Job?” Jonah asks me.
“Bringing the rest of your pack home,” I tell him, stepping out of the
treeline into the clearing - the rogues’ camp is in the middle of packing up.
Zane is already loading people onto the buses, and tents and fires are being
dismantled.
Malik rushes toward us, a big, excited grin on his face.
 “Zane said some were still down the river washing laundry, but this is
the first time I have been in the camp. I wanted to wait for you to come.
They won’t recognize me,” Malik tells me, and I nod to him.
Usually, Malik waits back or checks the outside camps surrounding this
one, but I can see his excitement about new pack members.
Jonah looks around with a huge grin on his face at all the children
running around when a group of them stops and stares at him curiously.
“Do you know him?” Asks a little girl with blonde ringlets, looking up
at me.
“Yeah, he’s my dad,” Jonah tells her.
“I’m Lia. Do you want to play?” She asks Jonah.
“No, I have to help my dad, maybe when we all get home,” Jonah tells
her, and she nods, rushing off after the rest of the kids.
“Ah, they are finally coming back,” Malik says, pointing to the trail
leading off into the trees across the other side of the clearing where the river
runs through.
The wind shifts, the scorching breeze caresses us, and the trees sway
from its abrupt assault when Malik suddenly growls, making me look over
at him. Everyone near us suddenly stops and stares at him. His entire body
is tense, and his eyes are as black as his wolf as he comes forward.
“Malik, control yourself,” I tell him, and he shakes his head, staring off
across the camp’s clearing, the rogues staring at him are frightened, and
they have reason to be. Malik’s wolf is huge for a warrior, he is bigger than
Zane’s. But he is a huge softy. However, if he shifts, he might spook them
out of coming with us.
“Uncle Malik!” Jonah says, gripping his arm.
Malik growls, his eyes not leaving the spot he is locked onto, but he
calms hearing Jonah’s voice. Turning, I look in the direction he is staring.
A woman is standing there with a baby perched on her hip, and my
stomach sinks.
Please don’t have a mate already.
Malik turns his head to the side, watching the woman. Her dark blonde
unruly hair suddenly blows into her face when she looks up and, in our
direction, her eyes pinned on Malik while the person beside her keeps
talking to her.
The baby in her arms appears only to be a few months old. The little girl
Lia comes over again, seeming to want to play with Jonah, who is tugging
on Malik’s arm.
Lia hesitates as she approaches Jonah, her eyes stuck on Malik warily.
“Is he ok?” she asks.
“Yeah, he is nice, but his wolf is being naughty,” Jonah says, trying to
get his attention. Lia nods.
“You want to meet my sister and my mom?” She asks Jonah, pointing at
the woman Malik is staring at.
“That woman is your mother?” I ask her and her eyes dart to me, and
Malik’s eyes snap down to look at Lia.
The woman, obviously having overheard, rushes over with a frantic
look on her face. Malik goes to speak to Lia when a feral growl rips out of
the woman as she snatches her daughter’s arm, ripping her away from
Malik’s outstretched hand that is about to grip the girl’s shoulder.
The woman growls threateningly at him, handing the baby off to the girl
and placing herself between her children and Malik.
“Mate or not, I will knife you in your goddamn sleep if you lay a hand
on my kids.” She steps forward threateningly, her finger jabbing him in the
chest.
“I would never hurt your kids,” Malik snaps at her, appalled at her
words. Shit, if only she knew he is raising sixteen-year-old twin boys that
aren’t even his by himself. She pulls her hand back and takes a step back.
“Hmm, well. My kids stay. I won’t get rid of them because they aren’t
yours.”
“Never asked you to,” Malik says, an amused grin on his lips as he
watches her.
She seems surprised, which I understand. Of course, most mates
wouldn’t be happy about finding their mate has kids that didn’t belong to
them, but our pack is not like most packs. We are a rogue pack, we
understand what it is like being rogue, and we also know that a lot of rogue
women don’t get to choose the life they are given.
Lia groans under her sister’s weight, who she is clutching. “Mom.” She
gasps, and the woman startles, glancing back at her daughter. “
“Oh, sorry, dear,” she says, grabbing the baby from her. I sniff the air,
noticing the two children don’t smell exactly the same, and I notice Malik
does the same thing.
“Half-sisters?” Malik asks, and the woman nods as Lia rushes off with
Jonah, and another boy that approaches them.
 “Their fathers,” Malik asks, and the woman blushes before shrugging,
looking down at the baby in her arms. “You don’t know?” He asks her, and
she glares at him.
“Don’t judge me,” she snaps at him, and Malik cuts her off.
“Didn’t say I was, just a simple question.”
I am tired of watching him beat around the bush instead of asking
outright, it is obvious the reason she doesn’t know - she is one of the
working girls
To get it out of the way, I, however, am not so polite. “Have you got a
mate, a boyfriend, a husband? Does he need to go kill someone to claim and
mark you?” I ask her.
She jumps, her hand goes to her throat, and I know she only just sees
me standing there. “Name would also be good,” I tell her.
“Heidi, Alpha, and no, no mate or anything,” She says, looking over at
Malik.
“Oh, thank the Goddess,” Malik says, grabbing and ripping her to him,
careful of the baby clutched in her arms.
His lips crash against hers, and she squeals before relaxing and kissing
him back. I walk over and grab the baby from her arms, but the woman
refuses to let her go.
“Not kidnapping her, just let you two talk. I will be over there with Lia
and Jonah,” I tell her, pointing them out.
“He would never hurt her. He is a good Alpha,” Malik tells her, and she
lets me take her child. I nod to her before walking off. I hear Malik
introduce himself as I walk off toward my son.
“Hello, cutie,” I tell the little girl, who gives me a big gummy grin.
“Jonah said we are Pack now?” Lia asks as I sit on the grass next to the
kids, watching as everyone packs up and takes stuff to the buses.
“Yep, everyone is Pack if they want to be,” I answer with a smile nearly
as wide as hers.
“And can we all come?” She asks.
“Yes, everyone in your camp can come home with us.”
She nods her head, thinking. “And you won’t kick us out?” She asks.
“No, Pack is family, family is pack,” Jonah answers, and the little girl
looks over at me.
“Will you make my mom leave for a night like the other Alpha?” Her
eyebrows furrow and I can see the worry flash in her eyes.
 “Definitely not,” I tell her, shaking my head.
“Then why are you helping us?” She asks curiously, glancing at her
mother behind me.
I can see those little eyes have witnessed more than they should have at
her age. They hold worry for the woman she calls mother, worry for the
little girl in my arms. Something I will ensure none of them have to worry
about again.
“Because I used to be a rogue. My entire pack was rogues once, and
now we are family, Packs are family, and we wanted to invite everyone here
to be a part of it.” I tell her.
“He must be a good Alpha,” Lia says, looking at Jonah.
“He’s an even better dad,” Jonah says, smiling at her.
 Authors I suggest

Authors I suggest.

Jane Knight
Want books with an immersive story that sucks you in until you are left wanting more? Queen of
spice Jane has got you covered with her mix of paranormal and contemporary romance stories.
She’s a master of heat, but not all of her characters are nice. They’re dark and controlling and not
afraid to take their mates over their knees for a good spanking that will leave you just as shaken as
the leading ladies. Or if you’d prefer the daddy-dom type, she writes those too just so they can tell
you that you are a good girl before growling in your ear.
Her writing is dark and erotic. Her reverse harems will leave you craving more and the kinks will
have you wondering if you’ll call the safe word or keep going for that happily ever after.
https://www.facebook.com/JaneKnightWrites

My Book

My Book

Moonlight Muse
Looking for a storyline that will have you on the edge of your seat? The spice levels are high,
with a plot that will keep you flipping to the next page and ready for book two. You won’t be
disappointed with Moonlight Muse. Her women are sassy, and her men are possessive alpha-holes
with high tensions and tons of steam.
She’ll draw you into her taboo tales, breaking your heart before she gives you the much deserved
Happily Ever After. Dark and twisted, she’ll keep you guessing as she pleasurably tortures you with
her words, making you ready for the next book.
Http.//www.facebook.com/AuthorMuse

My Book

My Book
Fated Series
 Also by Jessica Hall

Join my Facebook group to connect with me

https://www.facebook.com/jessicahall91

Enjoy all of my series

https://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Hall/e/B09TSM8RZ7

Hybrid Aria Series

Book One: Hyrbid Aria
Book Two: Alpha's Unhinged Mate
Book Three: Fight Between Alphas
Book Four: Alpha King's Mate