OliverMy parents invited some of their old friends to join us in the hopes that if they gave us their support it would convince the last pack members to just accept the changes. Our guests arrive and by late evening the entire city is alive with celebration. Helena looks excited, and I feel so great to see her having fun. My people were just relaxing when the alarms sounded.I couldn’t believe the reports coming through our pack link! The werewolves, I thought, had returned home and were living their lives in peace … They were now rising up against me! All around us people were shifting. Some of the children screamed as their parents rushed them home. I noted the first wolf enter our city and I howled before shifting!“MOM! Take Helena with you! I don’t want one of us thinking she is the enemy!” I shouted through the pack link. Something told me that if I told Helena to go home, she wouldn’t listen. She seemed to get along well with my mother! I didn’t wait to see if Helena and my mo
Oliver“Why are you asking, son?” My father frowned. I sighed. It would be no use to try and explain. I knew deep down that I had killed the guy. I was sure of it. There was no way he could have been behind the attack. My warriors were out looking for any leads. They were trying to find traces of tracks where I last smelled her scent, but so far there wasn’t much news.“They must have come after your mate because of you, Oliver.” King Alaric sighed deeply. “I don’t want to dredge up the past in front of my mate, but that was how we lost our daughter. Someone had a grudge, and we never found her again. We don’t even know if she’s alive or dead.” I knew the story well. Everyone did.King Alaric and Queen Jacqui’s daughter were taken right out from under their noses. The kidnappers took her right from her crib at night. By the time the night nurse realized, the scent was growing cold, and they couldn’t find her again.Queen Jacqui was a werewolf like my Helena. The king and queen were my
OliverWe looked everywhere! I tore that bastard’s packhouse apart, but there was no sign of him or Helena anywhere. People were saying that my grief made me believe he was still alive. I killed him. He wasn’t there anymore, so he couldn’t possibly be behind this. The werewolves had declared war on us and I had to strengthen our borders. I have to think about my people right now.“Son, they took her for a reason. She is more valuable to them alive than dead.” My father patted my shoulder and I sighed deeply, nodding. The werewolves were coming for my people and protecting them had to be my priority. We were fighting werewolves on all sides of our borders, and I was beginning to wonder where the hell all of them came from.We were stronger and faster, but they outnumbered us four to one. That didn’t stop my people from fighting. It was either that or die. The war had come right to our doorstep, and it was what I originally tried to avoid. I should have killed all of them. When Helena b
HelenaMy life as a slave and a single mother was hard most days, but the days that were good, it was so good I almost forgot about my circumstances. Almost. I feared the day my son would be old enough to work. I knew that most slave owners either put them to work or sold them and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing that I was the reason my son was suffering.I tried to make his little life as bearable as possible. I quickly figured out that escape would not be possible in this city. Slaves who tried to escape suffered the worst consequences and I couldn’t do that to my little boy. All I could do was to keep my head down and work and pray that Oliver finds us some day. As the years ticked by, my hope grew less and less, and I made peace with our lives as they were.I have been bought and sold a couple of times over the years. Some of the masters were cruel, and I carried the scars of their cruelty. They never healed completely because I wasn’t allowed to shift. As soon as o
OliverAccording to my host, there were no mated females being held as slaves. He knew very well that it was against the law, but I wouldn’t put it past him! I knew from experience that these people didn’t care where someone came from or that they had family! My fury was overwhelming, and I didn’t see where I was going. I stormed into my room and in the process, my shirt caught on something.I cringed at the sound of the material tearing. If it was any other shirt, I would just have thrown it away, but it was the only shirt Helena bought me. I was surprised when she returned from her shopping trip with my mother, and she had a gift for me. She was supposed to buy clothes for herself, and it was awfully endearing that she thought about getting me something as well.I took the shirt off and the tear wasn’t that big. It could be mended. Without thinking about it, I called the servant outside my door and requested that they find me a good seamstress. She offered to take it to the seamstre
HelenaI could step in and tell Oliver that I never told my master I was a mated wolf, but all my mercy was gone. I tried to tell them all those years ago. I wanted Oliver to be there all through Eli’s first years, but the masters denied me that happiness! Maybe not this specific one, but he was still a master. He had slaves. I knew there was no way we would ever be able to stop them completely, but I could let Oliver get rid of some of them.“Helena, please!” He pleaded, and my heart turned cold. I didn’t say a word as I glared at him and Oliver’s growl echoed through the room. “Helena, please! Please tell the king that I didn’t know!” The man looked panicked, and I turned my back on him. I didn’t want to see Oliver kill him. I clung to my son and closed my eyes and my heart. I was done showing mercy to those who didn’t deserve it.If I didn’t intervene on behalf of the werewolves all those years ago, Liam wouldn’t have survived, and he wouldn’t have been able to kidnap me in the fir
OliverMy parents were shocked when I told them how and where I had found Helena and Eli. They were excited about meeting their grandchild, and it took everything I had to stop them. I could just look at him forever. He was the most adorable little boy I had ever seen! He was clearly tough, and Helena had done an outstanding job with him so far. He clearly loved her, and would protect her with his little life.I let them sleep in since I could tell they were both tired and when they walked into the living room in the late morning, I beamed. I had my love back home. We hadn’t really talked since I found them, but there was more than enough time to talk. I just wanted to bring them home. I just wanted them here where I could protect them and help them forget everything that they might have gone through. I ordered some food for them, and we couldn’t help but laugh when Eli’s little nose pulled up at the smell of the food.“Helena, I don’t want to upset you, but what did you eat?” My moth
Helena“The day they turned on us and kidnapped me, they betrayed the kindness I showed when I begged for mercy.” My voice was barely a whisper as we broke apart. Oliver and the Lycans showed me more loyalty than any werewolf ever did! “You and Eli are my family now. The Lycans are my pack.” Deep down, I knew that I didn’t have to say it, but I still did. I needed to make sure he knew how I felt. If life taught me anything, it was that it could change on a dime and if you didn’t say anything, you would live with that regret for the rest of your life.“Well, I guess we have to introduce the future heir to his pack.” Oliver smiled. Up to that point, there was still some tension between us, but now it was all gone. It was almost as if I had never left his side. It was mind-blowing that someone loved me that much. I nodded, feeling nervous about introducing Eli to the pack. They weren’t all convinced that I was the right person to be their queen when I left.“Is there a ceremony or someth