VALERIAN’S POV"Are they ready to leave?" Esperanza's words snapped him out of the reverie returning him to the present. I curled a brow at her but Esperanza had yet to lift her head from the file she was reading, one hand smoothing over the pages."They're just about to depart. Soon they'll be approaching the borders of Zayn's city." I said calmly refusing to fidget or show any impatience to her. She knew all this already. There was a reason she asked for me."Good. I expect a report every afternoon until this…. situation is handled. I want everything you can find on the bastards and how they managed to breach our security." She ordered, at last lifting her steely grey eyes to mine.I refused to show anything but calm indifference, my temper not having cooled over the years just easier to control. He could still remember that bitter summer morning he lost his temper almost fifteen years ago. It constantly haunted him over the years, the pain unbearable at first -raw- but he carried i
VALERIAN’S POV"Alpha?" This way please" Sophia gestured down the hall as she led the way, all three of them ignoring the sulky fool left at the entrance."Any problems?" I asked, shifting my duffel bag over my shoulder knowing she would understand what I meant. This place wasn't under our direct jurisdiction, it was headed by an alpha who had called out for help when the attacks became frequent, and with the recent one….well, I guessed he figured out he needed help dealing with it but still yet some alphas could be touchy about several things especially when there is a more powerful alpha on their turf, it gets them agitated. The last thing I needed was another Jared pacing behind him, long strides slowed as he kept an eye on the hall behind them. Colin could be cunning and sneaky, we didn't trust him not to do anything suspicious."None, sir. All team members are accounted for and no signs of trouble yet we have surveillance in place. Aso Alpha Hercules has supplied us with two add
VALERIAN'S POVHercules stared at him intently after his little speech in which during that period, everywhere was so quiet and tensed up you could cut the tension with a knife."Greetings Valerian of Red Sun Hill city." Hercules finally spoke up after a while, nodding to him in return, the action a vague movement and he waved to the table where the reminder of Valerian's team sat on one side and presumably the higher-ranking wolves of the Crescent pack on the other side. His voice was a deep rumble of sound and accented -I guess due to the British inflection from living in England- unlike most of the shifters I've met."Have a seat. Your people have been most helpful and I appreciate Red Sun Hill city's assistance on this matter."Hercules relaxed as well, and it was as if the lessening tension between the two alphas permitted everyone to breathe again. I could pick up murmurs of conversation as people began to talk softly. Jared took their bags and began piling them off to the side
VALERIAN’S POVWatching Hercules intently, I could sense his awe at my Second's extraordinary ability, but the Alpha quickly got himself under control.Mentally I felt a slight nudge from Hercules seeking permission to speak to me privately through the connection that Jared brokered.Relaxing my mental barriers from external access and I allowed him in."You should count yourself lucky for having such an extraordinary man on your team. If not that I could sense his unwavering loyalty to you, and I would challenge you for him. He is an asset, one I would love to have in my pack." I heard the private thought Hercules sent to me, and the truth under the slightly wry tone."If not for his deep love for you, I would not hesitate to take him from you."I internally scoffed at the audacity that Hercules had to say this to my face but I restrained myself from reacting outwardly. That he would take Jared from me because he regarded it as a tool to be used, a weapon...not a human being with fe
VALERIAN’S POVSophia leaped, halfway across the room before the door even hit the wall. I was in a blink of time behind her, leaping for the opposite corner. There was a large bed in the room, two thin and bloody bodies on it, and two shifters were on the other side, huddled in corners, guns in hand.I saw the male's fire, time slowed and the bright flash of a shotgun was aimed in my direction.I felt the silver shot graze my ribs but I ignored it, the pain negligible and I forgot about the minor injury as his clawed hands sank knuckle-deep into the man's torso and arms.My weight crushed the male under him, squishing him in the corner, the gun dropped to the floor as the man's arms broke.Valerian lifted the man and rotated on my heels, throwing the semi-naked man towards the door, the space there clear of any furniture. The man hit the wall hard, and lay limply, alive but badly injured. I sniffed at him scornfully and turned my head in time to see Sophia pinning her target to the
ELENA’S POVThe nightmares were getting worse. It was coming back to back every night now, I barely got any sleep anymore because I was afraid one more nightmare would come that fateful night.I got a reprieve a week after that horrible message from Zayn but since then every time I shut my eyes I'm plunged back into the world I tried to escape from Gosh, I was pathetic, I stood waiting in the living room mindlessly flicking through anything I could get my hands on while waiting for time to go by.Ever since I'd spoken to Jared about seeing Valerian, I hadn't seen either of them.For a while, I kept making excuses that he was busy, then I got worried, and now my worry has turned into anger.How dare he leave me here with no means to reach him? What sort of man does that?Then that little monster at the corner of my brain would taunt me...Do you think Valerian's better than Zayn because he saved you?Do you even think he likes you? Weak, pathetic you?I mean even if that gorgeous wom
VALERIAN'S POV"Sir, we have seven of the Crescent pack wolves. Others are still missing. Also, no signs of the people in charge." Valerian spoke to his father, the webcam image spotty enough to grant me some buffer between myself and what I was certain was a look of extreme displeasure on his father's face. The ultra-fast netbook was placed precariously on the center console of the SUV, and I tried holding it in place with one hand while placing the other on the wheel, watching over the screen as the Crescent pack picked over the scene."I told you to hold off until we had confirmation of who was in charge, Valerian." His father was seriously displeased, no getting around it. I tried to look contrite even though I wasn't feeling it but my energy was depleted and I was in no mood to get into another fight with him. I hoped the fuzzy signal was enough to mask his grimace as I would never admit that he had no intention of waiting once I got here and we were able to get the location of w
ELENA'S POV FUCK. I was in deep shit, and who told me to leave the mansion. I placed my hands out in an 'I mean you no harm' way."Look, I'm sorry for chasing you. You can have the paper, okay?" I said to the boy I chased, it seems he's their leader or so.I got no response from anyone instead they began to move toward me. My fists tightened as the boys shuffled closer, trying to cage me in. I spun, shooting my right leg out but the second boy caught my feet in his hand and twisted, using the force to throw me against the wall. Pain blossomed in my lower back where it'd connected with the wall. The boy who had taken the paper took something from another boy and began to walk closer. Shit.I scrambled back, trying to move away from him as fast as I could.In the fading evening light, I could see the glint of a knife in the boy's hand. He grabbed my leg as I was trying to move to the other side of the alley away from them, his grip was really strong, especially for a boy his age. My gu