* * * Damian’s POV * * * The first of my senses to return is my hearing. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. ‘Piss off, it’s definitely not time to get up,’ I grumble to myself. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. ‘Fuck off’. The second of my senses to return is the sense of smell. The sanitary smell of cleaning disinfectant and lemon bleach – the air is pungent with it. Wherever I am, it’s silent, only the sound is the beep, beep, beep that’s already slowly driving me insane. And the sound of my own breathing. I listen closely for any other sounds and smell the air around me. There’s a lingering scent of jasmine and lemon grass that makes my heart rate pick up. My mate has been here. The beep, beep, beep sound increases to the same rhythm of my heart. It’s a heart rate monitor, which means I’m in a Hospital. I open my eyes slowly, in an attempt to sharpen the blurred images before me, and to also shield myself from the blinding light. I glance around and looked at the scarcely furnished room, which ha
* * * Eve’s POV * * *Racing back to the Nights Watch has been tedious and feels as though time has slowed down. One day, I’ll stroll through this land, taking my time to appreciate its beauty. However, the slow and tedious, soon change when we arrive. The next events happen so quickly I barely have any time to process them. We have run to where the sound of snarling wolves is coming from. As we exit from the tree line, there’s a tall man with a hulking physique, facing a smaller man lying on the floor. Whatever’s happening, Jake isn’t happy. He lets out a ferocious growl and then charges towards the man, repeatedly glancing at the man on the ground. It’s then that I notice Alpha Charles standing in the clearing, without a care in the world. He’s brought a small army with him, to get me. All my years of mistreatment, the beatings, being locked away in the institution and finding out that he murdered my parents, they fuel my anger and I charge towards Alpha Charles. The enormous man
* * * Eve’s POV * * *“Come with me” he tells me, standing from his Hospital bed. He holds out his hand towards me. He’s very tall, much taller than I had thought, but then most of the time I’ve seen him he’s been lying down. I place my petite hand within his, my hand fully enclosed by his large warm hand, and let him lead me. Together we walk through the Nights Watch. He seems to know where he’s going, I’ll have to ask him about that. It feels as though we have walked the entire length of the Nights Watch, when we come upon a spiral staircase made of stone. He never lets go of my hand as we walk up the winding staircase. He seems to feel when I get tired, and we pause briefly so that I can catch my breath. I really need to sleep soon. I nod to him, signalling that I’m ready to make the rest of the climb. There are occasional doors attached to the stairs, but we continue to climb until we reach the top. The staircase ends at a door. He opens the door and leads me to a windowless ho
* * * Eve’s POV * * *The sunrise over the bay and Max’s words were incredibly beautiful. Something out of a fairy-tale. I only wish that we had met under normal circumstances and that the moment could have lasted longer. My emotions are mixed, spiralling and making me feel nauseous as we descend the dark spiral staircase hand in hand. A part of me is on cloud nine to have found my mate and for him to be such a gentle and loving man. Everything about him screams that he will be my safe place, with the cherry on top being how handsome he is and how he sets my soul alight just looking at me. The other part of me carries a nervous energy. Will David give me the answers I need? Will his answers help me to understand my past? And can I find peace, once I hear what he has to say? And when I had gazed into my mate's eyes, I had remembered why he’d seemed so familiar to me. He’s the boy from my dreams, the one at the pool who had given me a flower. He had called to me then, before his fathe
* * * Max’s POV * * *I hadn’t expected the words that came out of David’s mouth. Eve’s mother is alive? I can’t help but wonder how and what physical and mental state she will be in. What has Alpha Charles done to her, these past 10 years?My shock is short-lived as Eve gasps and then falls to the side, her body limp and falling from her chair. Instinct has me jumping from my chair, breaking her fall and taking her limp and tiny frame in my arms. Once I have Eve safely in my arms, cradled against my chest, I’m able to process what he has said, “What do you mean her mother isn’t dead? And what do you mean her fate is worse than that?” I ask him, wondering if we can save her mother. Can I give my mate her mother back? A mother’s love can heal even the deepest of wounds. I should know, I’ve longed for it since I was eight years old, nothing has soothed my pain, like a hug from my mother had. “He knew of her gift, he ... ahhh... took her. He has his own private ... no ... prison within
* * * Eve’s POV * * *I can’t believe it; I had seen what I thought was the emaciated and dead body of my mother laid on the cot within the cell. And then, she’s not dead. I stand immobile, completely shocked, staring at the scene before me. I’m certain that my mouth is gaping open, my jaw dropped and staring like a deer in the headlights. Before me, Alpha Reece has my mama in his arms, rocking her, stroking her hair, and thanking the Moon Goddess for blessing him. What has seriously just happened? Alpha Reece is my mama’s second chance mate, and she is his fated mate. The shock of hearing her quiet whisper of “My mate”.Then seeing Alpha Reece run into the room, responding with his own, “My mate. The Moon Goddess blesses me, I can’t believe I’ve found my mate. Thank you, mighty Selene, I will cherish her and care for her as she deserves,” he speaks gently and the way he moves her hair from her face so tenderly. I haven’t had time to process it. Never mind my shock at finding out tha
* * * Eve’s POV * * *I’m still in shock that Max has put the fate of his pack in my hands. But it doesn’t sit right for me. After living in the Mountain View pack and seeing how Charles had run the pack, I don’t believe in a dictatorship. Not for something like this, this will affect so many people’s lives. I tell him that it should be the New Moon pack that should decide and that we should have a pack meeting and put it to a vote. And now here we are, awaiting his pack to arrive. There will be the remaining 38 members arriving within the next two hours. What impresses me is the fact that he doesn’t order them to come. He and Damian simply put out a group message informing them that a lot has happened, and they need an urgent pack meeting, here at the Mountain View pack. All his pack had responded that they will drop what they are doing, some will be here within the hour. Others within two hours. His pack respects him, and I’m fascinated that he’s never had to use an Alpha command,
* * * Max's POV * * *If I’m honest with myself, I’m a little scared. My nerves are totally shot. I know that we’d planned for eventually running a large pack, but that was 10 - 15 years away. Not right now and to have it thrust upon us in this way. What if I fail my current pack members? What if I fail the new pack members? What if I turn out like my father? Walking to the meeting room with Damian leading the way and holding Eve’s hand, I can’t stop thinking about her poor mother. Ten years in the dark, alone, grieving for her mate and not knowing if her daughter is alive. Ten years without shifting, her skin must be crawling, I know if I don’t let Nate shift for even a week, my skin itches as though he’s trying to burst free. She spent ten years locked away without any support to work through her grief. I’m about to enter our borrowed meeting room. It’s actually Charles’s private dining hall. But it’s perfect for the meeting, with my pack being so small. I feel Eve pull back as I’