ALAIAThe sounds of beeping machines were all around me as I tried to focus. There was a constant throbbing in my head. “Elaine? Are you there?”She said nothing, but I could still feel her emotions. Her heart was heavy, making me feel just so. Something was wrong. I should be happy. Zira was gone. Victoria won’t be speaking any time soon or ever. I had Isaiah all to myself. We were going to have our own little family. So why was I feeling so…so empty right now? On cue, Doctor Callie walked into the room. “Luna, you’re up?” Doctor Callie walked in and sat near my bed. “What happened? How long have I been out? Where’s Isaiah? What’s this pain I’m feeling?” I kept throwing questions at her until she stopped me. “Luna, breathe and slow down. We’ve been over this every day now. A few days, you had a procedure and-” I pushed her away from me. “Procedure? What procedure? What happened?” Doctor Callie hesitated, and I was starting to get pissed off. Doctor Callie lowered her head. “Ma
ALAIA My heart beat so fast that I had to hide in a room before they noticed me. I smiled at the thought that James still made me feel this way. Granted, it wasn’t like the bond of a mate, but it was damn close. The night I saw him, I thought I was delirious from the pain and somehow dreamed him up, but no. He was there, and now he is here. So close. It wasn’t a coincidence that the moment I lost something was the moment he returned to my life. The moment I saw him, everything changed for me. I was reminded of what I really wanted. It was him. It had always been him, and no one would stand in my way this time. To change things, a person has to act, do something, and make certain sacrifices. I made the necessary sacrifices. Now, it is time to act. I could hear them talk about Victoria. They sounded hopeful, so I needed to act fast. I needed to find a way to get to Victoria alone. As much as I wanted to stay and see him one more time, I made my way back to the packhouse. There w
ISABELLA We left the dungeons in time to hear a small explosion. We all looked around to see where it was coming from. I looked at Isaiah with a horrified expression. “That was the pack’s hospital.” Victoria. I quickly went to the hospital, praying to the Goddess for Victoria’s safety. But, unfortunately, half the building had collapsed. Pack members were running out as I made my way through the crowd. Most of them crowded around Isaiah, looking for directions. “Isabella-” “Do what you have to do. I’ll go ahead.” I knew what the title Alpha entailed as I ran through the part of the building still standing. I could hear Isaiah yelling instructions to help anybody who was not injured to help those who were. Instead, I focused on making my way to Victoria’s room. I stopped at her door…well, the space her door used to be. There was a huge hole where her room was. My heart was pounding in my chest, thinking the worst. Then, as if to answer my thought, I felt a burning pai
ALAIA This was comical. Watching Isaiah try to distract me while his mother and sister flanked me was hilarious but motivating. I watched as Isabella and her mother attacked me, pinning me to the ground. How wonderful, I thought. The one time they worked together was against me. I should be thanked for this. I couldn’t help but laugh at this situation. Kill them. The voices spoke to me. You can do it. Of course, I could, but an idea popped into my head. I used my power to blast them off as I quickly grabbed the knife from the ground. “You’re right, Luna Bella. I might not be able to bring my daughter back, but at least I can show you how it feels to lose one.” I made the knife bigger in my hand and threw it toward Isabella. In the blink of an eye, a black wolf jumped in the way and instantly fell to the ground. “No!” Elaine screamed inside my head. Hearing her voice caught me off guard, but I didn’t let that stop me. I had a plan and wouldn’t let anyone get in my way. Not
ZIRAI was running through the woods. It was dark and quiet. Only the sounds of my feet crunching in the snow and my erratic breathing could be heard. Every once in a while, I would glance over my shoulders and see the shadows getting closer. I made it to an opening and instantly realized where I was. The cliff. I didn’t want to be here. This is where it happened. I turned to get away, but it was too late. They were here. The dark figure materialized into Isaiah. He strolled towards me, and I mirrored his steps, moving back. A creepy smile spread across his face, and his green eyes bore into mine. Wait, his eyes? My thoughts were interrupted when he started to laugh. “I’m starting to think you enjoy being thrown off this cliff,” Isaiah said, moving me toward the edge. I looked around for an escape but realized I was already near the cliff’s edge. I glanced over into the abyss. I figured staring into it might be able to wake me from this dream. I was wrong.The moment I turned a
ZIRATHREE MONTHS AGO I remember handing my baby to James. I was watching how careful he was being with him. I was happy and sad at the same time. Happy that my baby was alive, happy that I was alive, happy that I had found my mate, but sad that my family wasn’t here. My mom, dad, idiotic brother, rambunctious best friend, and even…even Isaiah. Even if he tried to murder me with his crazy mate. I lay back and closed my eyes. I was so tired and needed just a bit of rest. I heard someone scream my name, and my baby started crying. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t open. I tried to reach out to Nina, but I couldn’t. I started to panic until everything just stopped. I felt no pain, no sadness, no happiness. I felt nothing, not even thoughts passing through my mind. I stayed like this for a while, and it was okay until I felt something in my chest. The pain and panic were back. Then I felt another pain, this time on the side of my neck. Then, everything came rushing at me wit
JAMESI could barely look at her, knowing the following words out of my mouth would be hard for both of us to swallow. “I would love to be your mate, Zira, seriously, but…I…I…already have one.” “What!” I could immediately feel a pull on my heart. I knew this wouldn’t be easy, but I couldn’t prolong it to worsen it later. Zira looked at me, shocked, before quickly recovering to a blank expression. We stared at each other for a few more minutes, and I could see she was conversing with her wolf. “Just great, James. Why not just rip her heart from her chest while you’re at it?” Deacon growled. “Deacon-” He quickly shut me out. We’d been arguing for the past week when I brought it to his attention that we would have to reject them. I didn’t want to hurt Zira, but she needed to know the truth. When she returned, she looked at me confused, then walked to the bathroom. I had the urge to follow her, but I stayed put. Following any she-wolf after what I just said wouldn’t be wise. “
JAMES Alpha Fiona pulled me out the door while Trixie confronted Zira. That’s when I started to get irritated. “Of course you are. That should be us consoling our mate, numb nuts,” Deacon growled. “Shut up,” I snapped at him. She just needed a day or two to get over this. Some space might help both of us. “Let’s go for a run,” Alpha Fiona suggested while leaving the pack’s hospital. I nodded and blindly followed her into the woods. Deacon liked the idea of running off his frustration. So we both shifted and took the route that led to a little forest alcove some miles away from the pack. It’s the place I come to when I need to think out loud. The place where Alpha Fiona found me those years ago. I shifted and climbed one of my favorite trees. There was something peaceful about lying in a tree. Alpha Fiona took position near the base of the tree. Probably waiting for me to start. Well, it’s going to be a while. We stood like this for a minute before hearing her sigh down bel