ROWAN.It is the voices that lull me to consciousness.At first, they are just murmurs, indecipherable sounds that just hover over me and then they become clearer.“I think she is coming around.”“What? How do you know that?”“I saw her hand just twitch. There! It did it again. Did you see it?”“Really? hi! Hello, can you bear me? Can you try and open your eyes? Hello?”Several gentle taps on my face later and I manage to squint my eyes open.The first thing I notice is that I can see.Whatever it was that Dominic had Clarisse put in my food must have worn off. My eyes are so clear that I have to turn away from the shining rays of the sun.The second thing I notice is the pain.Turning my head from the direction of the sun causes shafts of immense pain to run through my body, ripping out a strangled groan from me.“Ugh,” I groan as I try to take in a deep but measured breath.“Hey, hey, hey. I wouldn't move if I were you,” one of the two voices cautions. “You have some pretty rough br
ROWAN“Well, who is talking?” the man demands.We are going to die.I am going to die.I may not know much about the outside world, but I do know this, the Vale pack are ruthless to outsiders.“Seize them!” The man orders and the wolves begin advancing on us.“Wait! Wait!” Lisa says as she gets to her feet. “There has been a misunderstanding and we can explain…”“When I say run you run,” Rina whispers to me .“What?”“Shh. Lisa is stalling for time, enough for us to get a moment. How do you feel about getting into the river again?”“A preferable choice to dying in the Vale pack,” I respond.“I knew I liked you.”We tune back to Lisa’s conversation, and even then I can't make sense of what she is saying.“...and then there were rabid wolves coming out of everywhere and Now!”My body reacts before my brain catches up, throwing myself back into the water and I begin swimming for dear life.I hear two other splashes join me in the water as well as the echoing screams of the wolves on th
ROWAN EIGHT MONTHS LATER.“I am telling you, she is about to pop!” “And I am telling you to be quiet! You are making her more nervous.”“She can't hear me, we are outside.”“You underestimate how annoyingly loud and irritating your voice is!”I can't help but chuckle at their banter, only for another lance of pain to cut it short.“Damn it!” I curse, wincing as another contraction rips through my body.This is hell.“Ro!” Rina exclaims as they both rush in. “Are you okay?”“Not really, where were you two?” I ask. “You weren't here when I woke up.”Here is a wooden cottage that we had come across a few weeks ago during our roaming.The girls as well as I, had been worried as to where we could stay, especially with what looks like my due date coming up.It was a well furnished home with all necessary appliances required for a comfortable living.Lisa had theorized that it belonged to some human who had probably migrated to the city for the winter.Either way, we thanked the goddess
ROWAN.FOUR YEARS AFTER.“Mama!”The shrieking voice of my daughter, Jhnelle, as she bursts into my office, a dazzling smile on her face followed by Lisa brings a fuzzy feeling over me.“Mama, save me. Aunty Lisa is going to eat me,” she shrieks as she heads for me only to be swept off her feet by Lisa.“Got you,” she crows as she lifts her up into the air. “Your mama can't save you now!” she announces before proceeding to pretend munch on her tummy.More shrieks of laughter fills the room, bringing a wide smile to my face and a respite from the documents before me.“Lisa, please don't eat my daughter,” I say as I get to my feet, heading over to them and placing a kiss on Jhnelle’s hair. “She is the only one I have.”“Very well,” she says mournfully before turning to the girl. “I will set you free on account of your mother who is working so hard for all of us here.”The all of us that she refers to are known as the Winter Wolf Coalition.It is a… large group of rogues who while not wi
ROWAN.It is a massacre.Limbs thrown all over the place ,blood soaking the ground, the trees.There is no sound.Not even the tweeting of the birds.“What the hell happened here?” I ask in horror.“It looks like some demon mauled all these wolves,” George, one of the permanent residents and fighters of our camp says.“They are not rogues,” Lisa says as she walks through the corpses. “But they are not from the same pack either.”“My question is how they managed to get this close to us without us knowing or hearing anything?” I growl out.There is no answer to that, and that in itself is worrying.We know how shaky our peace is.A bunch of rogues attacked a pack and won, taking over their territory .We are not friends to anyone.Still, it gave them pause and as long as we kept to ourselves, they left us alone.Mostly.So, who are these people and why are their corpses so close to us?“Spread out,” I command, my voice carrying in the silence and across the vast space. “Look for survivo
ROWAN.“Mate?” Lisa asks in confusion. “You are sure that is what she said. Mate?”“You repeating the word over and over again, is not going to change what I heard,” I drolly reply as I recline on the pillow. “She said mate.”“And did she say anything else?” she asks as she continues pacing the length of my bedroom.“No,” I answer as I close my eyes. “And can you stop pacing, you are making me dizzy.”“I think this is wonderful,” Rina pipes up as she strokes Jhenelle’s hair.She is sleeping on her lap, as we gathered in my room, our unofficial meeting room as Lisa likes to say.It is… rustic in a way. Nothing too over the top.It is a simple, charming room but with a touch of elegance. At one end of the wall, there is a sturdy, dark wood dresser with a mirror above it, reflecting the room back to me. Its surface is neat, with just a few essentials like a hairbrush, some makeup and a small jewelry box.Directly facing it is the bed whose headboard is a classic piece, with intricate ca
ROWAN .“Stop following me,” I snap at the two women as they chase after me, hot on my heels.“We are not following you, we are curious about your mate,” Lisa shoots back.“Stop calling him that, he is not my mate.”“Just because you don't accept it doesn't make it any less true,” Rina retorts. “Your wolf called him mate.”“And just because she called him that doesn't make it true!” I snap back.“Actually, it does. It is our wolves that recognize the mates, not the human, which means your feelings, thoughts and opinion on the matter has no bearing on the truth. Your wolf called him mate, he is your mate. End of discussion.”“Stop following me.”“No.”“Not a chance.”With an annoyed huff I quicken my footsteps as I head to the clinic, nodding and acknowledging the greetings of the people milling about as I pass by. “You know, we still have no idea as to why he was there in the first place,” I remark. “You two are so hell bent on making me accept him you are completely ignoring the fa
VIKTOR.Of all the places I thought I was ever going to find my mate, the Winter Wolf Coalition was not even on the list.Why would it be?They are made up of rogues, unknown rogues who came up from nowhere, took over a legitimate -abhorrent, useless, disgraceful but legitimate- pack and stayed in their territory.Never mind the fact that they haven't bothered anyone, yet, they are rogues. They are a threat.And their leader is my mate.What are the fucking chances of that happening?!“Louis. Louis what?” she asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.And there is that?The name just came out of nowhere. I couldn't exactly say, hi I am Viktor Thorn, Alpha of the Vale pack, one known to be ruthless to others especially rogues.I am not that stupid.“Hello. I asked you a question,” she repeats, her green eyes sparking with irritation.Beautiful green eyes.“Did he hit his head?” she mutters to herself as she eyes me with worry.“I… I can't remember,” I say, internally wincing at the lie.I