ALLISON KEELERThere was a throbbing ache in my head as I stirred and turned in my sleep. It felt warm, it felt hard. My eyes flickered open and squinted at the sunlight. Instantly I sat up and darted my gaze painfully around to notice I was out here in the wild. My eyes dropped to the lark watching me from a few trees away. Then it hit me, the night before. My son. I didn't give the silver chain a second glance, I didn't remember how I got freed but all my heart was on was finding my son. I dust off the dirt on me ready to find him. It was strange how I could sniff his lovely soft scent. He smelt floral and I started towards the scent feeling more energetic than I ever felt in my entire life. I trailed the scent until I got to the back gate. I knocked lightly to alert the gate guard that I was out there. But no one answered nor did the gate go open and without wasting any more seconds I pushed open the gate. Strange. Strange how they left the gate unlocked but it was not of any
ALPHA COLTON "Write to the High King, I'm officially calling the deal off." I looked away from Karl's confused face to the array of pack defenders going about their routine. "The penalty for breaching the deal? What if the Northerners strike most crudely?" Karl's voice resonated with fear. "I don't work in fear. If they strike, we strike back. We have a greater advantage. The festival is far over and right now amongst other things I want to focus mostly on building a family." I appreciated how he chose to remain silent on the family subject. If I had brought this up a few months ago he would have jeered that I was too old-fashioned. But now, there was a gap in the relationship. I was sure as hell nothing could mend it soon. Vinny jogged to us, his body covered in sweat and a smile on the edges of his lips. "Have you checked your abilities?" He chuckled, "Eclisir was last night." "Thanks for the reminder," Karl sassed. "No defender lost their ability, no one so far in t
SHIRLEY HILTON "I don't want to have to deal with him," Jace insisted, "I was against coming from the start." "Don't be foolish, you have a plan, do you think you can achieve anything but living a million miles away from your adversary?" His calculating eyes met mine and his lips tugged at the edges. "Come here," he cheered, "You sly fox!" He pulled me into his arms and held me there. I broke the proximity when Owen, the nanny, came into the kitchen. "I'll have a glass of bourbon neat and extra ice." I instructed her, turning to Jace I smiled, "I've missed sunbathing. I'll just relax and have the time of my life." Owen started towards the kitchen door and my smile dropped. Jace must've caught my displeasure that's why he asked, "Where are you going?" Owen stopped in her tracks and regarded him with slightly rosy cheeks, "Lex's being fussy, I'll get someone else to get Ma'am the drink and ice while I make Lex's formula." "Looks like you can't handle these tasks," I strumm
ALLISON KEELERI spent the night watching my son sleep. I was afraid to close my eyes, the fear of having my son struggle for life while I was asleep kept the need to sleep away from me. I checked his breath and temperature at intervals and he seemed alright. Yolanda didn't reach out to me. She didn't bother to check in to see if my son was alright. Maybe she was after all as nice as I thought. Or maybe she had been encumbered with a lot of responsibility and I slipped her mind. The latter had to be the case here. Darlene didn't bring my meals but someone else did. I wondered where she was and why she didn't bring my lunch and dinner earlier.I didn't know I had dozed off until I came instantly awake at the sound of Fihl's wails. He wasn't loud enough to be heard outside the thick walls and doors but I still had to make him comfortable enough to stop wailing. I glanced at the time on the nightstand, two a.m. a few more hours before I began the day. I breastfed him and noticed he
ALLISON KEELER A screeching sound brought me abruptly awake. Blinking, I sat up from the floor glancing around, wondering where the deafening noise was piercing from. My first instinct was to check on Fihl. He was up and so unlike him to wait in his cot without being fussy. He was growing. A popping sound behind me made me duck as though trying to dodge a bullet, then I couldn't tune out the cacophony of chattering, laughter, the sloshing sound of feet, chewing, and slurping with every other sound around the mansion. The push on the door and how they pounced on the door made me realize it had to be Faye. Anger stirred in the pit of my soul. I opened the door. Karla stood by the door. "What do you want?" I asked her. She peered inside and tried to push past into the room but my hand on the doorframe restrained her. "Can you let me in, it's urgent." She tried to push in again and this time my restraint was stronger than the first. "I'm not going to let you anywhere near my son,
ALLISON KEELER "You can't keep living this way," Matt's eyes glittered with an unshared emotion, "You have to fight back." Matt was nuts. It's either that or he was trying to make a mockery out of me. "Fight? Fight who?" I almost scorned it. Grimsby was an Alpha with power enough to smash me to the ground before I could throw a punch, then Colton? I couldn't even think about what could happen if I started a war against him. Deviating from the terms of this deal was like waging war against the cruel Alpha. "Your son is too fragile, I know but you could get all the protection you see from this Pack." "Faye's father is in charge of the Pack, so it all balls back to them. I'm alone in this, I don't see my possibility of winning this battle." I didn't even understand what this battle was all about. My freedom? No, I doubted. All I cared about and wanted to focus on was raising my son. Matt got really close to me, his eyes on my face with that same indescribable emotion gl
ALLISON KEELER "Darlene?"I called out as though to make certain she really was the one. She turned around to meet me by the car. She pulled me into a sudden and unexpected hug. She held me a little longer in her arms. She felt warm and reassuring. "I'm glad you're alright. I heard about what happened. I'm glad you and Fihl are alright." She released me and went over to the backseat where Fihl was with a smile. "Let's get in, she'll be in the car with Fihl." Matt started towards the gate. I hesitated, unsure if to trust these people with my son. Phoebe had turned on me in ways I was yet to recover from making it hard to want to trust anyone ever again. Especially with my baby. I listened but couldn't hear their minds. I heightened my senses but couldn't hear anything alarming. But what if they worked for Faye? What if I returned and Darlene was gone with Fihl?"What are we doing here?" I asked, listening carefully to his mind. But I heard nothing. Did he shut me out or he simp
ALLISON KEELER Matt stopped by the Pack clinic and a doctor checked Fihl. I kept Fihl's heating-up experience to myself. With Matt's revelation, I didn't know if to trust anyone in this Pack. Darlene was with Fihl all the time we stopped for ice creams. It was one of the best experiences for me. It felt almost as nice as the first time I had an ice cream. "You're not going back there," Matt announced. "It's too risky." "You don't expect I'll live here on the streets with my son?" I quipped my interest and attention on the sundae cone in my hand. I forgot my entire being. Matt watched me lick my ice cream. "You're coming with us to our apartment." Darlene took my hand. "You're a part of our family." She kissed Fihl on the head, "He's now my son too." "Grimsby's going to strike out. I'm not prepared for such a war." I shook my head. "I don't want to get entangled in any war. It's why I'm returning to the mansion." "And what?" Matt snickered. "Pretend none of this happened.