I wake up to the scent of cinnamon and strawberries and a slow smile spreads on my face. With my eyes still closed, I pull the warm body towards me and breathe in her perfection, the heaviness leaving my heart as quickly as it sets in. Opening my eyes, I see that she’s asleep and I spot my healed mark on the nape of her neck just as I tilt my head to kiss her shoulder. That slow smile now grew into a triumphant one, knowing that I claimed the one person who loved me for me. I trace the mark with my tongue, tasting her distinctive scent, and the sound of her sleepy moan heads straight to my cock. “Niko…” she whimpers, tilting her head to offer more of her neck to me, but then she suddenly turns on her back and narrows her eyes at me. “No, we are not doing this right now!” Frowning, I brace myself on my elbow and raise my eyebrow at her. “Your reaction makes me think that you didn’t miss me one bit, little rabbit,” I say. She shakes her head, gets to her feet, walks over to my side

When the limo comes to a stop, Niko gets out first along with the five warriors following us, then he walks over and opens the door for me. Two warriors walk ahead and stand at the door, then he walks me inside the restaurant with three of them at our backs. I have never felt like a mafia queen as much as I do now. Another sliver of pain shoots up my belly and I breathe through it, making sure not to worry Niko or he’ll take me home. It’s normal…just normal.“Alpha Nikolaos, Luna Mia, welcome,” the beautiful blonde hostess greets us with a bow of her head. “I’ll lead you to your table, follow me.”The restaurant is fancy and in Mediterranean decor, not too fancy but not too cliche. Black, golds, and various shades of blue adorn the decor and it gives me a warm feeling instead of an out-of-place one. The hostess leads us to a private table in the back and Niko pulls out my chair for me before sitting down. “I’ll send Marta over shortly, she’ll be your server this evening,” she says

There’s warmth everywhere and I’m floating on a cloud of bliss. Sunlight touches my skin and it feels like it’s penetrating every inch of my skin, filling me up with nothing but contentment.I haven’t felt this happy since Niko told me he loves me, and the memory alone brings a smile to my face. Closing my eyes, I allow myself to drift some more, knowing that this happiness won’t leave me wherever I end up.Then I feel a shift in the air, and a crack of lightning splits the sky. That warmth is now replaced by a chill, and my blue skies are now tainted with black clouds. “Mira, wake up!” I hear a voice calling me, It sounds like a whisper, then it swells. “Mira, wake up! There’s danger! An enemy is close!”My eyes shoot open and I sit up in bed too quickly; a dizzy spell threatens to pull me under again and I blink the hazy feeling away. I take a few breaths, placing a hand on my heart to steady myself. What had woken me up? Oh, it was a voice, wasn’t it? Wait…was it Star’s voice? Da

“Kneel, dog.”Two words spoken in my mother’s voice and the dormant memories come hurtling toward me at full speed. I can clearly feel the lick of the whip on my back, the cigarettes put out on my skin, the way her dagger separated my flesh…And the guilt coursing through me when one of her clients brought my body to climax./“Get to your feet, Nikolaos! You cannot let her win!”/ Knox urges me, but his voice becomes fainter and fainter until I can see his mouth moving with no sound coming out.Shameful thoughts keep me prisoner even as I hear Mia call to me, begging me to get to my feet. But how do I tell her these thoughts are like silver chains holding me down and forcing my submission? How do I explain that I can clearly remember - no I FEEL everything I went through at her hands?I thought I was over the fear; I thought Mia’s love had pulled me out of the depths, but I was so, so wrong. My soul is still ruined and my mind is still trapped in the past. Right now, I am not the Alpha

I don’t know how long I’ve been laughing for, but I can no longer feel my cheeks. My sides ache from trying to breathe while laughing, one side of my face is smeared with frosting and the glitter bombs they shoot at me have my hair all tangled up. Doubled over, full of cake, and laughing at Niko looking confused at the sight in front of him. It’s the afternoon of the autumnal Equinox, and I along with the Pente brides have decided to get to know each other better. They’ve moved onto the pack lands and are staying in the mansion with us until they’re married to their partners. Maxim still hasn’t returned after going out to look for his missing bride, but Niko doesn’t seem worried about it. Me, on the other hand, I am not sure if I’m worried about the bride or Maxim himself. I get up and walk towards him, throwing my arms around his neck. “Hello, my love,” I greet him in a cheery voice. “I didn’t expect you back until later this evening.” “The meetings wrapped up sooner than expect