ARIASlade joined me in the car many minutes later and we started the ride back to the penthouse. He’d come with his own vehicle but decided to go in the one I’d come with, saying that he’ll come back for his much later. His mood was way better than when I’d left him, but I knew better than to ask him what he discussed with his father.I was a fool to think he’d known about it all along. The way he looked at his father after the revelation had me feeling guilty. All along, I hated him for something he knew nothing about. I accused him, instead of telling him. I was mostly glad that it didn’t cause any disagreement between father and Son because his anger had completely deflated when he joined me in the vehicle. In fact, he was almost happy. My mind was still processing what the former alpha told me. He’d put me to test? I would never in my entire life have thought of it as a form of test. Even now that I think of it, it was still so hard to believe. Who would have thought that Alpha
I watched Slade’s car drive out of the parking lot, my eyes following the vehicle until it was out of sight. My arms were wrapped around me, my mind a jumble of thoughts. Many days have passed, and things were going well until he woke up this morning. He didn’t hug me as he used to before leaving, he didn’t kiss me, he barely said a complete sentence since he woke up, and it was obvious he was in a terrible mood. I felt the tension in the air as he dressed up, saw it in his rigid stance and cold eyes. Xaria felt it, and she whimpered continuously. Even the night before, he barely slept. I woke up many times to find him awake, but I didn’t need to ask him what the problem was because I knew. Tomorrow is his birthday.There’s still no news about Sapphire and Lennox. There was no sign of them or any possible attack from them. If Slade was worried about it, he didn’t show it. Was Sapphire waiting for him to die before taking his pack? Maybe she knew that if the alpha was gone, then the p
I heard his growl before I entered his office. Two men scurried out, half running, one of them almost bumping into me in his attempt to escape the Alpha’s anger. “Sorry Luna,” he mouthed without stopping as he scurried away. I pushed the half-open door fully open and stepped in. If he heard me come in, he didn’t act like he did. His hands were clasped tightly to his table and he had his back to me. I closed the door gently behind me, taking slow steps till I was just a few inches from him. He stood then, straightened his shoulders, and turned to me. His eyes were red, but I watched them slowly retract to their original grey color. I stared at him, and he stared back without saying any words. His eyes were those of a troubled man. Unsettled, with so much anger in them. Xaria needs to comfort her mate and to do that, I need physical contact, so I reached out, and took his left hand in my right, pushing closer to him as much as my bulging stomach could allow. “What’s wrong?” I asked w
SLADEShe didn’t say the words back. The words I desperately wanted to hear, words that Asher wanted to hear. I’d been a jerk to her so I deserved it. But could I really live with the thought of her never loving me? I ignored the heart wrenching pain I felt. She was here with me on a day like this and that is all that matters. I needed her, and she was here. Beside me. Throughout the day, she stayed next to me. We worked together, ate together, and her presence was what I needed to hold my beast in. The initial aggression I felt was slowly dying down even though I couldn’t help but glance at the clock occasionally as the time drew closer. My twenty-fifth birthday.I’d had a lot planned for this day in the past. I was to officially bid my pack members farewell and hand over my duties to the next in line, either my Luna or beta, pending when my child is of age. Since I’d not made her my Luna yet, the council wanted to make that decision for me. I had a meeting with them that I resolved
ARIANoise. It was dark already and Slade and I were getting ready to sleep when we heard it. The sounds of footsteps, people singing from a distance. He heard it first and said something about it, but I shrugged it off until I heard it myself. I stood up from the chair I was seated, Slade following behind till we were at the front porch. The sight before me almost had me in tears.The pack members were gathering in front of their Alpha’s house. All of them. They were trooping in, forming a long line. They came in their numbers, thousands of them, little pups and adults, male and female, each with a candle in one hand. They moved in unison, filling the line, their candles illuminating the night and their faces downcast.I pressed into Slade who looked surprised. No. Dazed. His hands found my waist and he held me close to him as the members of the pack continued to shuffle into lines in front of us. There were thousands of them, many I recognized, many I didn’t. The last time there was
The crowd dispersed in chaos, everyone running to shelter. Silver bullets, the type that’ll kill a werewolf in seconds. My wolf recognized the scent as it filled the air. The screams of women and children, men trying to protect their wives filled everywhere. “Sapphire,” I muttered under my breath. It could only be her. She chose the right time. “Take them inside and keep them safe, Marcel,” Slade turned to his beta, handing me and Audrey over to him. “No,” I and Audrey chorused at the same time. Many guards had surrounded us, protecting their alpha and his heir. “Aria, Listen to me. I don’t have time to argue with you. You are carrying my baby. You have to be safe,” “So you expect me to just sit inside and do nothing?” I asked. “I’m not pregnant, I can fight,” Audrey said stubbornly. Slade groaned. He glanced at the men around us, and next thing I know, I’m being lifted off my feet. Myself and Audrey were taken into the house, along with many orders. Slade was gone in seconds as
Of all the things Sapphire said, I knew she was right about one. Slade will not kill her if what she says is true, but then she isn’t going to walk out of Dark Wolf a free woman either. That much is certain. I stared at the phone in my hands many minutes after the call ended, pacing the living room and trying to calm my seething beast. There’s no way Slade expects me to sit here and not know what is going on out there, especially after the call I just received. The penthouse was full of members of the pack, young and old, and several warriors stationed inside and outside, and I know these guards will not let me out since Slade instructed it. I was getting frustrated as the sounds of gunshots continued outside. I was scared. I cursed when I felt a vibration again only to realize it was Slade’s phone this time. I picked up without hesitation, listening to hear the voice on the other end before speaking.“Alpha Slade, are you there?” A deep husky voice asked.“This is his mate. What’s
SLADEI clawed at the wolf in front of me while trying to shake off the one on my back. He fell to the floor and using my hind legs, I pinned him to the ground, making sure to finish off the first wolf before returning to him. Four others approached me with speed. My wolf was covered in blood, but I wasn’t tired. I took them down, one after the other but sustained an injury on my right side. I knew I had a lot of enemies, but Sapphire had gone overboard to bring them together. Even the warriors of Cross Shadow were involved, the pack I’d refused to join Dark Wolf. I wasn’t surprised, because I knew Sapphire was preparing herself and taking her time. What surprised me was that she’d sold us to the werewolf hunters.I felt a mind link coming through and I connected to Marcel while fighting off the last wolf.“We have another problem, Slade,” My beta tells me through mind link. I could hear him panting, his hard breath indicating he was fighting off an enemy.“What is it?” I asked him,