Alvara's Point of View
All the lights in the house were off when I woke up. Glowing moonlight sifted in from the open curtains. A cool breeze drifted over my bed. Yet I had woken up. No nightmares plagued me. No monsters hidden in shadows. My body had made peace with my surroundings, even if my mind was a bit slow to adjust.
There wasn't a sound to be heard. Barely a cricket chirping. But I was awake and it was hell. Maybe two in the morning. I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes once more. Sleep danced at the edge of my mind and I rolled back onto my back.
Then I heard it. The near-silent struggle in the room beside mine. Soft groans. Scraping of nails across flesh. Grunts of satisfaction. I covered my ears with a pillow. Eugene had a lady visitor over. As I had told Angelique, he would never change.
I willed myself to sleep until I realized that Teagan's room was beside mine. Cold dread settled into my spine. Blind panic
Ciaran's Point of ViewMaverick nearly crawled out of his skin the moment Alvara left. Her mind link had shut between us. Locked us out of her thoughts. But I could feel every tremor of fear. Every quickening of her pulse. The panic she felt. Her small feeling of pride. Like she was still with us. Yet, none of us could reach her. Speak to her mentally. It drove us insane. Made us bite our nails and down glasses of whiskey. This was hell.Our minds remained open at all times. We had a plan but plans could change at any moment. Alvara had to be able to reach us at a moment's notice. Thus, we played riddles and made jokes through the mind link. To keep it sharp and make sure it was open even whilst we were sleeping.Ozias wouldn't stop pacing. Dargan smoked more than he had ever before. We weren't far from her. Maybe 80 kilometers, tops. Maverick and Dargan were closer. Harland camped out on a farm close to the edge of Half-Moon. We were w
Dargan's Point of ViewMy feet ached from the pace I was setting. I dodged trees. Cleared ditches. Lungs screamed for me to slow down. Air came in short supply. I had to take it easier. But I refused. It had been years since I ran with such ferocity. With so much intent and purpose, it nearly drove me mad.Alvara sounded far beyond distressed. Her voice had pitched and fallen. The fear was tangible in my mind still. She needed us and she needed us now. Everything we had endured led up to this moment. I would not let her have the same fate as Savanah. Let her die in a pack that hated her deeply. Die beside a man that had used her all her life.Those revelations set my mind blazing. My legs pumped harder. Drove me further. I could see the lights of houses in the distance. Slowing down, I sniffed the air. Picked up the scent of several enemies. I lightened my steps and avoided the trail where the scent was strongest.Two secon
Maverick’s Point of ViewThe truck collided with the first of their cars. I lurched forward, gripping tightly onto the dashboard. My driver floored it. Scraped the road with their scrap metal. I braced as we hit another one. Men darted from their positions. Drew their guns and fired rapidly at the sides of the truck. Bullets peppered the steel but refused to go through. Thousands and thousands of rands were spent securing my people.The border patrol was thin tonight. Almost lax. According to Mason, we would have a hard time getting through, but this seemed almost too easy. Some of my men jumped from the rear. I heard their feet hit tar. Saw them run beside us. They opened fire. Some of Eugene’s men held up small flags with a diamond on it. I opened my window and craned my neck outside.“Don’t hurt the ones with the flags! They are on our side!” I screamed to my men. All of them nodded and proceeded to atta
Alvara’s Point of ViewJessebelle stood at the edge of the fighting. Kept a close eye on all of her men. Guns fired in rapid succession. Wolves tore men limb from limb. Blood coated the grass. Between it all, Ciaran had a standoff with Eugene.Both sides landed blows. Bones crunched beneath their combined strength. Ozias had run after the Beta. Maverick shot whoever got closest and Dargan was still passed out cold.For a moment before Ciaran had arrived, I was sure I would be dead by the end of this. I was sure that I wouldn’t see the morning. Yet, Jessebelle had pulled through. Made sure that the odds were fatly stacked against Eugene. With however many reinforcements he called, he still wouldn’t win. Money drove him. Drove his pack, which wasn’t a good motivator. Love and freedom drove ours.Mason had gotten away in the chaos Harland caused. Got hold of Jessebelle and convinced her that we needed h
Alvara’s Point of View “Aunty Adelia!” Aurelia screeched and ran to the front door. Adelia leaned against the frame, arms crossed over her chest, until she saw my daughter. Her face lit up like a thousand little lights. Her arms unfolded and reached forward. The little girl jumped full force into her. Nearly knocked her inside the house. Dargan came in behind me carrying the diaper bag. As he passed me, he kissed the side of my face. His wedding ring glinted in the afternoon sunlight. I swelled at the sight, still transfixed at the thought that I was a married woman. Married to the loves of my life. “My sweet girl!” Adelia exclaimed and threw Aurelia into the air. A giggle escaped the two-year old. Her dress puffed out around her. Hair fluttered in the wind. Dark golden blonde. Curly, like mine. The trees were a bright green. The grass neatly trimmed. Flowers bloomed all around us. Maverick was next to walk up. His hand settl
The first time I saw her I could see the cracks in her armor. I could see her eyes darting towards him as if seeking his constant approval. His small sneers her way told me that he noticed it too. But not because he was paying any attention to her. No, because he wanted her to obey. The tendrils of tenderness coming from her was cold, lacking. There was nothing welcoming about her when you searched deep enough. She wanted to flee more than I had ever seen in a person. Chainmail started slipping over her heart and I could see it all within her eyes. Internal wars were the ones fought hardest. But she was losing. A slip of her smile and another sneer her way had her picking up the corners of her mouth in that plastered-on kind of way. Hollowness flooded her being, almost vibrated off of her. Yet she wasn't hollow.Lowering my gaze, I took in her form. Took in every detail she so carefully constructed to keep others out. Or keep him at bay. Her eyes were turned do
Alvara's Point of ViewEugene had brought them here in hopes of trade. Alpha Stefan had dealt with them previously and only ever sang their praise. That was years ago, but nothing had prepared me for who had walked through our garden's gates. Four tall men, all with smiles that could seduce any woman. The Alpha radiated confidence, even more than Eugene. The other three, well they weren't far off. We needed this deal to go well, to see it through to the end. Angelique had given me the seventh degree. Nothing I hadn't heard already. Don't look at them too long. Keep your head down and your voice silent. Always stay close to Eugene and never question his authority. The words went down bitterly, but I had done just that. Until the Gamma had asked me how long Eugene and I were wed for.Dread had settled into me the moment the words had left his thin lips. But it was the statement he made afterwards that got to me the most. Women of lower class always wante
Ozias' Point of ViewYou couldn't miss the terror within Alvara when the head master had smiled at her. Or the vulgar look he gave her in return. Maverick had taken a step closer to her, to try and set her mind at ease. She had stiffened, but forced that fake smile to her lips. Savanah incarnate.I couldn't trust that Maverick wouldn't do something stupid. Couldn't trust that he had some self control. I barely had any control and that was before we had seen Alvara yesterday for the first time. Even Ciaran had paused long enough to take her in. Then last night we had heard Eugene preaching to her, telling her how dangerous we could be, then promptly gave her a list of things she shouldn't do around us. Dressing modestly was never mentioned, so I assumed that she always had to dress like she was in a convent.As I had predicted, Maverick couldn't contain himself. I had ushered the head master on, trying my best to distract him so that he didn't no