***At exactly midnight, there was a loud whoosh sound. The portal that was to take Jeremy opened. Everyone gasped but the kissing couple. They were totally lost in each other. Jeremy knew it was time for him to go. Hell, he couldn’t have missed that dreadful sound. He gently broke off the kiss and hugged Ryan fiercely, practically suffocating him. But Ryan didn’t mind at all. He figured he could get away without breathing for a while. They both trembled, their cheeks wet with tears. They could hear sobbing from some of the people inside the suite but they didn’t let go of each other to see who it was. Both men felt as if their world had come to an end. And there was nothing they could do about it. Jeremy finally kissed Ryan lightly on the mouth…a final kiss. Then he stepped back from him.“I love you, Ryan.” Jeremy’s voice broke with emotion, his heart in his eyes for everyone to see. He heard the collective gasp that went up and also saw the shock in Ryan’s eyes and gave a tremulous
***Ryan stretched and turned his head to look at the clock on his bedside table. It was already half-past seven. He usually slept in on Saturdays but he had scripts to mark so he had to get out of bed. He reached out to pick up the framed photo of his and Jeremy’s wolves from the bedside table like he did every morning, and stared at it. It was a beautiful picture. Ryan smiled, remembering the day his and Jeremy’s wolves had spent the night in the suite. Though he’d been out most of the time thanks to their naughty wolves, that day had been special. Philip had brought him that framed photo the morning after Jeremy’s departure. He told Ryan that their wolves had looked so sweet cuddled up together when he entered Jeremy’s suite that morning after the arena combats, he hadn’t been able to resist taking the shot. Philip had captured it like a pro. It could easily win the national geographic picture of the year award. Ryan ran his fingers over the image of the red wolf in the shot…his ma
***Since Jeremy left, everyone who came to the suite to see Ryan made it a point to announce themselves first. Even after Clara alerted him, they would still announce themselves by pressing the bell at the entrance of the suite before they actually entered. When a surprised Ryan had asked them why the change, Philip had told him how Jeremy had left a strong warning the day he’d left, that no one was to barge into that suite without alerting him first. And that was the exact moment Ryan knew without a doubt that he’d lost his heart to his mate. That night he’d cried himself to sleep. He wished he’d been able to tell Jeremy that he loved him too when he’d told him the day he left. Maybe knowing that he loved him too would have made Jeremy’s pain more endurable. But he’d been so shocked at the words, he’d literally gone speechless. To know he was madly in love with his mate and his mate didn’t even know… How fucked up was that?With a sigh, Ryan left the bed and went to open the door. B
***“Is there a problem?” Ryan asked, taking in Paige’s demeanor.“I think so.” Paige started packing what was left of their breakfast, their conversation forgotten. “We’re all to converge in meeting room two in ten minutes.”“Who and who?”“You, me, Lip, Stan, Mama G, Dad, Deloris, George, Pete…you know George and Pete don’t you?”“George is the head hunter right?” At Paige’s nod, Ryan smiled smugly and added… “And Pete is the head assassin.”“Good job.” Paige moved towards the cute kitchen in the suite. “It’s an emergency meeting of sorts. All the other Betas will be there too.”“Whatever it is must be serious,” Ryan murmured, following Paige into the kitchen. “Why do I have to be part?”“You’re the alpha’s mate, Ryan. You need to know what’s going on.” Paige explained as she washed her hands.“Philip is the alpha, Paige.”“Lip is only acting.” Paige sighed. “When will you get it into that head of yours that being an alpha’s mate makes you an alpha too? Come on, let’s go.” Paige gra
***Not everyone around the table knew the exact whereabouts of Jeremy. He sometimes took unannounced trips since as second in command to the head of all alphas in the world, he had other duties. So no one questioned his absence. Besides, Philip always managed the affairs of the pack just fine so there was no problem at all. At Philip’s words, all eyes turned on Deloris.“Why haven’t you said anything till now Del?” Gloria gasped but the warlock didn’t even raise her head to acknowledge the question.“I’ll explain everything Mama G,” Philip said. “The Wyatt Clan kidnapped Camilla to blackmail Deloris. They wanted Jeremy but couldn’t find him anywhere. So they decided they needed an insider to help them. And what better person than a fellow warlock who knew all about how nasty they could be? She’s not supposed to tell anyone about the kidnap otherwise Camilla dies.”“Oh my god.” Gloria’s hand flew to her throat.“They’ve sorta tapped into her brain to ensure they’ll know immediately if
***“He has a point,” Stan said.“Shut up Stanislav,” Paige growled.“What? I think Ryan is exactly who we need for this battle.” Stan insisted. “You didn’t see what he did to Katie, Slip.” An admiring twinkle appeared in his eyes. “Having him on our side will be a big advantage if those people are as ruthless as Deloris says they are. What’s all this about anyway?” His eyes turned onto the warlock. “What does that clan need the blood and bone marrow of the top alphas for? Do you know why, Deloris?”Deloris looked at Stan helplessly and gestured for a pen. But even as she was being handed a pen and a writing pad, Ryan felt something push him. He suddenly felt suffused with so much energy. Was it because he was angry, Ryan wondered. He couldn’t help but observe that every time his power had manifested itself, it had been triggered by anger. Was that it? Did anger trigger whatever powers that he had? That wasn’t a good thing, he frowned. But at that very moment, he had an urge to do som
***“But we didn’t even go through the ceremony.” Ryan pointed out.“But you had sex, right?” The warlock shot back.“Oh, they so did.” Stan drawled, making Paige and Phillip burst into laughter despite their worry over Deloris’ news. “Everybody felt it too.” He added teasingly, making Ryan and Joel blush whilst Gloria squirmed in her seat.“That’s all that’s needed,” Deloris said. “They’re going to use your blood to scry for Jeremy. And of course, we all know they won’t be able to locate him since he’s nowhere on earth. They will probably give him some days to come after you. And if Jeremy doesn’t show up, they’re going to use you. Those people don’t play Ryan. Human sacrifice to them is like taking coffee in the morning. It’s not a big deal at all. And immediately they’re able to complete the potion, they can channel the life force of all werewolves whenever there’s a battle, in order to ensure their victory. Succeeding in completing that potion, therefore, means you guys become the
***Phillip, the acting alpha of Stanton Pack and his warriors stood at marked points around a large stretch of bare land. There were forty pack members, standing in groups of fives, with each group standing at a distance from the other. It was dawn and all was quiet. Apart from the alpha and his squad, there was no evidence of life on the land. After making sure that all the vantage points were covered, Alpha Philip raised a hand to signal someone in the group that was made up of four women and a man.Deloris saw Phillip’s signal and nodded. She had in her right palm eight coins, each representing a group. Their strategy was to first rescue Camilla, bring down the invisible barrier shielding the fortress, and then attack. Camilla had to be rescued first because should the clan see or sense any intruders, Camilla would be killed. Although they didn’t know the exact powers that Ryan had, the squad from Stanwood Pack hoped to use it to their advantage. Deloris had assured Ryan that she’