ALPHA KADEN | A Fated Mates Forbidden Love Werewolf Romance Audiobook

Chapter 1.

It's so freaking cold. I blow on my freezing hands. I finally landed in New Zealand, Queenstown to see my best friend, Amanda from college, who has just recently given birth to a son with her longtime husband, Lucas. Traveling from London had been a no-fun roller coaster for me. I have never been so emotionally drained on a plane before. My boyfriend of 2 years broke up with me, left me in debt, and my apartment flooded, ruining all my artwork that was meant to be shipped by the end of the month to paying customers. This happened all but just last night. After apologizing and returning their money, the whole ordeal had left me emotionally exhausted. How the hell am I going to fix this? Stressed and exhausted, I glare at the sidewalk. I'm bloody cursed. I just know it, I mumbled to myself. Waiting for the dealership to deliver my car. I sit on my suitcases, all my belongings with me. What was supposed to be a weekend away turned into me being homeless and now in a predicament.

Amanda has been my best friend since our first year at college, and she is the only one with whom I have kept in contact since graduating. Since she met Lucas, her now husband, she moved to New Zealand in the middle of nowhere and is living in a fantastic gated community. Or so she told me. This would also be my first time visiting her and meeting her husband. I'm excited to see her after all these years finally. Of course, I couldn't say no to seeing her newborn son when she asked me to come and visit. With everything going on in my wreck of a life in London, I basically sold what I could and packed up and flew here a day early. Despite it all, it was perfect timing. I desperately needed to escape my situation and the disaster that has now ruined my financial situation, all caused by him. Amanda has no idea what's happened. We spoke pretty much once every week, always keeping in contact together. But I just can't let my pride down when she always admired me for having my [ __ ] together, but I'm far from having my [ __ ] together.

"Excuse me, miss, but the car you requested had been misplaced, and there are no available ones till next month," the man started rambling. How the hell do they misplace a car I already booked and paid for? What? That's impossible. I already bought it. I try not to let my frustration come off as anger. "You have none available." "I'm very sorry." He genuinely looked sorry, smiled weakly at me. "We can arrange for a taxi to take you?" he asked. I shook my head. I can't afford a taxi. Is he kidding me? The prices here are huge for a taxi. My luck keeps on getting better. "No, it's fine," I mumbled out and said goodbye to the man. Grabbing my stuff, I walk over to the nearest cafe that happens to be over the road. [ __ ] my life.

Putting the phone to my ear and tapping my leg nervously against the pavement, I was waiting for the call to come through. She is going to freak out. She never liked Tom. "Sariah. Hey, what's up?" "I was just about to text you." Her carefree giggles came through. She's going to freak out and make a big deal out of this. "Haha. So, listen. I'm in New Zealand." "Dash." "What? Now?" She screamed, making me wince. I sigh heavily and run my hand through my hair, utterly emotionally defeated. "I could really use a ride. Do you think you could?" I mumble out. This is so embarrassing. I hope the world swallows me whole. Her worried mama's voice comes out at times like this. "Oh my god, what happened? Of course, Lucas, come here. Wait one moment, Sariah. No, it's Sariah. Where are you, Sariah? Lucas is coming to pick you up." Her panicked, sweet voice rushed out. Relaxing, her concern for me has a lump stuck in my throat. When was the last time someone cared this much about me? Tom never acted like this with me, not even once. I give her the name of the street and cafe I'm at, nervous at how laid-back she is about me being here out of the blue, a day early, without a reason why. But Amanda knows something is up. She always does. I'm really lucky to have her in my life still. I don't know what I would do without her.

I've never met Lucas before, but from what I know, he makes her incredibly happy. Photos of them together were constantly sent to me from different occasions, from the wedding I couldn't make to birthdays I couldn't get time off, from painting to celebrate. I know where I failed as a best friend. Lucas was there to make her happy and she is happy. It was almost like they were made for each other. Meeting Lucas on summer vacation, marrying the guy a month later, and they're still happily married, and now with a son. I'm happy for her. She really deserves every piece of happiness she has.

A truck's honk startles me from where I sit outside. Glancing up, I see a man coming out of a big red truck. I recognize the man instantly. That's Lucas from the photos Amanda sent me. He's buff, huge, actually. So, this is Lucas. I'll admit I'm a little nervous. He had pulled back dirty blonde hair and light stubble on his chin. He was definitely working out lifting trucks or something. This guy was ripped. People around me in the cafe I met are staring at him in wonder, whispering amongst themselves as he comes and stands in front of me, grinning. "Sariah," he asks, and a shy, humorous smile spreads across his face. I nodded my head, but I didn't get a chance to say anything as he brought me into a hug. Huge, crushing me. "Oomph. Oh, sorry. It's just so nice to finally meet the famous Sarah. Amanda never stops talking about you and your college days." He releases me, grins at my luggage. "You sure packed a lot for a weekend," his eyebrows raised. "Um," I cough nervously and avoid eye contact with him. [ __ ] this is so awkward. I actually I um I I It's a long story," I mumble out trying not to let my emotions surface with all these people around. Damn it. I'm not crying in front of him. I was tired, too tired. But the small bit of pride I had left in me refused to fall around someone I didn't know, let alone Amanda's husband. He stares at me, worry plastered on his face. Before he could say anything, I interrupt him. "It's nice to meet you, too." I force a smile and laugh. "It's so nice and peaceful here." I try not to let my voice sound nervous. He is very intimidating with his build and looks. A freaking tree trunk of a man. What is he 6' 4"? Oh. He smiles widely at me and starts the truck. My suitcases are in the back and he starts the truck. He catches me looking around the empty, quiet town as I sit in the truck. "I know it's not much compared to the big city, but it's home." He grins as he hits the gas and pulls out from the side of the road.

I let out a long-awaited sigh. My phone has not stopped making noise. I look towards Lucas and smile apologetically to which he just smiles and nods. 42 missed calls. [ __ ] yread text messages. [ __ ] Yikes. I pressed the side button off to turn my phone off, then rubbed my forehead. I'm feeling a headache coming on. Why won't he just leave me alone? First, I found out he slept with a model I painted in our bed, used all of my savings, accused me of cheating, and dumped me over text, and now he has the audacity to beg me to forgive him. He has no remorse for what he did to me and is still doing to me. I never should have joined accounts with him. I once thought we'd get married and live a happy life together. I must have been out of my mind. He has ruined my life.

"Boyfriend trouble?" Lucas asks from the driver's seat as he takes a right turn on the road, heading towards the middle of nowhere, surrounded by huge trees. She did say they lived a bit away from the town. I didn't think it was in the middle of nowhere. "Not anymore," I sigh. "It's a long story." I simply say I don't feel comfortable spelling my heart and soul out to someone I don't know just yet. H he nods, not asking anymore. He turns the radio on and we sit in silence with nothing but the soft music from the radio for what seems like forever. He stops in front of a metal gate with the words "Deep Water" in the middle of the huge gate. Guards are on either side. They all look similar to Lucas's build. All muscle, all rough-looking, and all business. This is crazy for a gated community, right? I wouldn't know. I've spent my life in apartments in the city to ever experience something like this. Lucas nods towards both men, and they both lower their heads almost respectfully as they let us through. Lucas's voice startled me. "We like our privacy," he chuckles. He answered what I was thinking. Okay, that was weird and slightly creepy. Am I that obvious? I simply nod. "I understand that much. Privacy is hard to come by. They are lucky they have a community that respects that. We have over 4,000 people here. It's a very close community. We rarely get visitors unless you're family." He continues, "But you're family, so you are welcome anytime, of course." He smiles towards me and turns left into a dirt driveway. "It's actually special that you're here. The owner rarely lets anyone inside unless you're not family," he added, making me hum. He sounds fun. Not who would not allow friends to see friends unless they were family. Talk about paranoid. Or maybe the owner is just one of those crazy cabin laner types. Yeah, I'll be sure to avoid him at all costs during my stay.

As I approached their house, I was in complete awe when I laid eyes on it. It was huge, and it was simply one word, beautiful. The modern cabin/house is two stories high with freshly chopped wood out front and a lake can be seen from behind the house. This landmark looks like it belongs in a painting already making me itch to grab a paintbrush and some paint and get lost in its beauty. "She's dying to see you. It's all she's ever talked about for months now." He grins and nods towards the house. The front door swings open and without missing a beat, Amanda is waving her hands in the air like a crazy woman, making me grin and laugh at her antics. I've missed her so much. "Go. I've got the bags." Lucas smiles towards me, and I thank him quickly, then smile back and nod as I struggle to get down from his huge truck. Walking towards the house to Amanda had been unreal. She knew that if she cried, I would. We both look like I've come from the war and she's not seen me in years. She runs up to me, crashing into me. She wraps her arms around my neck and sobs into my long hair. We are both crying and laughing like idiots. It has been far too long since we last saw each other. "Oh my god, I can't believe you're here. And oh my god," her soft crying voice drifts out. "Look at you. You're so thin and these legs," she says, making me laugh. We walk into the house laughing and it's gorgeous with oak wood floors and walls and a modernly decorated interior. The whole place screams homey. It has Amanda's touch. "I missed you so much, Manny." I sigh. "I'm sorry. I I had nowhere else to go and my apartment." I try to avoid her worrying gaze. "I didn't mean to spring this on you, especially not now with you just giving birth." She reaches for my hand and lightly squeezes it. "Hey, no, no. You are always welcome here. We're family." Her smile is relaxing me a bit. "Let's talk. Tell me everything that's happened." She gestures towards the back door. We both sit down in front of the lake and it's beautiful. The lake can be seen going miles in both directions, crowded by trees. Her garden was filled with plants I've never seen before, and I'm speechless. It's so nice here. Birds are peacefully singing in the trees, and the sound of the water coming from the lake is relaxing.

"I have nothing left, Amanda. He's taken it all," I whisper out, avoiding her sad eyes. I rub my face, completely stressed from the long traveling and worrying. Lucas frowns at me, worried, then stares at Amanda, who simply shakes her head with a sad smile. Lucas sits beside Amanda and puts his arm around the back of her. And I can't help but want that for myself, too. "He's cheated on me. And he's stolen everything from our joint accounts. My paintings," I sob. My voice starts breaking. "The flood destroyed everything. All my work, everything is gone. I can't. It's gone." Tears are falling. And I can't make them stop. Seeing her is too much. And both of their worried faces are now comforting ones as they both glance at each other and nod unspoken agreement. "You're staying here." She grabs my hand and squeezes it. "Lucas, put her things in the guest room." Lucas nods and then looks at me. "We're happy you came to us, Sariah. You are family to us. Do not worry about anything." He smiles warmly and kisses Amanda on the cheek before he leaves through the back door to collect my bags from the trunk. "Everything is going to be fine, Sariah." Amanda grins through her glassy eyes, filling with tears. I knew invading their life wasn't going to be all right, but a few days away. That's all I needed. Then I'd have to figure out the mess that was now my life. Amanda stands up and clasps her hands together excitedly, then wipes her eyes. "Come, come meet your nephew. He's so cute with the most chubbiest of cheeks." with a big grin and drags me inside. Despite my life being in complete ruins, I have a good feeling about being here. It's been so long since I felt such warmth and acceptance or even been in a home that felt like it. It was quiet here, and that's all I needed right now.

Chapter 2.

Dismissed. I roar out in frustration at the teenage wolves who scurry away quickly. Incompetent, lazy, weak pups. They will soon have a rude awakening with the regime I have planned for them. No one in this pack slacks off. Everyone here pushes themselves or I shove them. I refuse for anyone training under me to be a warrior to be weak. Weakness is death. My chest is heaving from my pent-up anger. The veins on my forehead visible. My wolf Dex has been pining since this morning. The air shifted in the pack lands. A new scent perhaps? My wolf has not shut up since it. It's had us both on edge constantly. My wolf has no idea what it is, but he's nervous. He's never shown emotion. Not to me or anyone, and it's really starting to agitate me further. So irritating. "Just tell me what the hell you want me to do about it," I growl out in annoyance at my wolf. Something about today just felt different. It made me think more pent up than usual. "It's mate. I have a feeling mate is close. We must get close to mate. It has to be mate. I never smelt this before. It's her. She's here. Mate."

"What the hell did he say?" "Mate." Just as I was about to freak out, sniffing the air like a hound dog and banging on people's doors to show me proof, my beta's voice came through the mind link, making me halt as I almost went into meltdown. "I need to see you. It's about Amanda's friend." "Her friend? What is the problem now? This is precisely why I avoided letting anyone in other than family. I have no time to deal with the problems of strangers, especially outsiders. I'll be at the pack house in two," I say with annoyance. I already gave him and Amanda permission for her to enter through the border. My wolf's sudden interest in the thought of this human girl has him even more on edge. He has never made his opinion before on a weak human, so why now? I run back to the pack house in wolf form. I make it to the edge near the house, then transform back into my human form. I go to pick up the shorts I stashed near a tree and start putting them on when I see Lucas already here waiting for me at the forest edge close to the pack house. When I get closer to Lucas, I notice instantly that he smells good. Excellent, actually. I sniff the air and it's coming from around him, glancing around the pack house, then around outside. My wolf caught the scent, too, and began panting in my head. The strong scent coming from him was making our senses go on high alert and making us feel out of control. Could what Dex said be true? I have a mate in the pack right now. Does that mean she's younger? Is that why I couldn't find her? So many questions, but I couldn't speak. My thoughts were working in overdrive, and all I could think of was, "I need to see her now." My voice comes out quieter than I wanted it to, and I barely recognize it. "Whose smell is that?" Lucas's eyes widen slightly in shock. Then he looks happy when his eyes flicker with realization. "Sariah, Amanda's friend is a sheer dash." I interrupt him, losing control of my wolf. "Where is she?" I growl out. My wolf comes out forcefully, my eyes turning red. "Where is, mate?" Dex growled out into his face, making Lucas lower his eyes, submitting to the authority of me and my wolf. "Kaden, she's human. She got here this morning." Dash. I grabbed him by the neck and held him above the ground. My anger was coming off in waves. Dex had full control of my body and was making it hard for me to take it back. I couldn't help but growl at his comment. "She's human. Humans are weak." But as soon as the thought came to mind, I got a stabbing pain in my chest. Lucas is thrashing at my hold and I release him, cursing my wolf back, snapping at Dex for doing whatever the hell he wants. And because we've had no mate, he can freely do as he pleases. [ __ ] fantastic for my anger getting the best of me. I rub my hands down my face and squint my eyes. My senses are flooded by her heavenly scent, which is suffocating me at this moment. I needed to see her. I need proof. I need to know she's actually real with my own two eyes. "You need to calm down, Alpha. You will scare her if you show up like this," Lucas growls out at me, making me glance at him on the floor where I dropped him. Suddenly, I was annoyed by how I treated him. [ __ ] Lucas. [ __ ] Dex doing whatever the hell he wants since, and now a human mate. I ramble on, unable to stop. I clear my throat nervously to the question I'm about to ask. "Is she safe?" "Caden. She's with Amanda," he says, grinning as he walks over to me and pats me on the back. "She's a bit shaken up some. Her issues made her come a day early. She's staying with us. She's staying here in Deep Water. She's staying."

There was so much to learn, and the day had finally arrived. I was still trying to process the words coming out of Lucas's mouth. When did she get here? Where's she from? What things? I want to shout for all to hear me that I have a mate. But I just nod. So much was running through my head that I couldn't think straight. The only thing I wanted to do right now was to go to her. I have a mate. I have a human mate. She's real and she's here. I should feel sad. Some emotion that made me hate the fact she wasn't my species. But the thought never came. It washed away the moment I found out she's minutes from my reach. My gaze, [ __ ] "I want to meet her," I say confidently. My body was ready for this, itching to go to her, but my mind was in a complete freak out. I was nervous. I'm never nervous. I need to shower, dress nice. [ __ ] what do I wear? What color is her favorite? I feel my back sweat with how much I'm freaking out internally. Dex and I never thought this day would actually come. We've traveled everywhere to search for our mate. Turning 18, it was all I wanted to do. Find my mate. Roll the pack together as Alpha and Luna have pups. Many years went by and those around me whispering how I don't have a mate. At 30, I went into depression and stopped looking for her. It made me and my wolf distant, blaming each other for how we couldn't find our mate, hating everyone who found their soulmate. It left me bitter for years and I hated being around anyone who had a mate. They had theirs and I was running out of time to find mine. Eventually, making it hard for pack members to make eye contact with me. They feared me. I hated myself. I fought Pax. Ruling with an iron fist and an iron heart. And having no mate made things easier. Going to war with Pax meant I never had to worry about anyone but myself. But I always thought about her. Wondering who she was and what she was doing. Without a second thought, I held on to the dream of finding her one day and having what others around me had. Who knew she would be the one to find me?

"Let's go," I say towards Lucas, who nods with a grin on his face. "Let's go meet our mate." We take Lucas's red truck, both not wanting to show up in wolf forms and scare the living [ __ ] out of my human mate. This is going to be a lot more complicated than I thought. "She's a painter from London. Short little thing. A bit timid, but she is spark," Lucas says with a laugh. "She's shy. You're going to have to take it slow with her. Especially since she just got out of a relationship." Dash. "What?" My wolf and I are now growling. "She's my mate," I spit with dominance, hearing my blood pumping throughout my body as I feel myself grow protective of her, despite not even meeting her. She is mine. I will snap the neck of any man who dares to even look at her. Lucas laughs nervously. "Alpha, she's a human. She has no idea about wolves and about our customs, about Amanda or what a mate is. You will have to try not to scare her away." He grins out and I begin to panic all over again. How the hell am I going to do that? H Lucas. I clench my jaw and bite my tongue to not let my anger get the best of me. "She's human, Lucas," I say, not recognizing my voice. Lucas picks up on my tone. "She's a strong human, Caden. She is a fighter. She's made for you and you for her. You have to keep calm," he says as he turns the engine off. We made it to his part of the land and we are now outside his home. My hands were starting to sweat and I couldn't help but sniff myself to see if I smelled bad or good. And the moment I did it, I caught Lucas looking at me before turning his head away and clearing his throat with an obvious smile on his face. "This [ __ ] is enjoying this. Perhaps I'd no fighting. Not today, at least. Not now. I can smell her. Mate is here," Dex says drearily, smelling the air for her scent, which we both agree is our new favorite scent. There was a smell of cinnamon and pine coming from her, becoming our favorite scent. "I can't believe she's here," I mumbled to myself, still not believing it until I see her with my own two eyes. "She's out back with Amanda. It's probably best I introduce you as the owner of the land instead of Alpha. For now, Alpha," Lucas states. I nod, right? She's human. [ __ ] I'm so nervous. I think my back is now sweating along with my hands. "Honey, I'm home," Lucas tells us as we enter the house. Her smell was intoxicating inside the house. It was drowning me in the most pleasant way. I saw a bunch of suitcases down the hall, and I know those must be hers from her scent coming off of them. And now it's real. She's really here. I hear the sound of girly voices giggling from the back porch. And a voice I don't recognize sparks my interest. I wasted no time moving. I followed the voice as I walked behind Lucas. Her scent was now overwhelming me to the point where I could inhale it for the rest of my life. My little mate scent. "Babe, what took you so long?" Oh. Amanda's voice comes out demanding. Then she sees me and her nervousness is evident as she sits up straighter in her chair. She shifts and glances at the woman beside her. I ignore Amanda and stare at the woman who is now interested in what made Amanda be quiet for once. The first thing I notice is her eyes, big and round, almost innocent. They're the first I see, and then I feel as though I can't breathe. It's getting harder and harder to allow air to go to my brain as I look at the rest of her. She's everything. The perfect woman exists and she's my mate. "Sariah, this is Kaden, my best friend, also the owner." Lucas says with the biggest grin on his face and with a hand on my shoulder. "Kaden, this is Sia, Amanda's friend from college." He introduces us both, making my heart beat rapidly in my chest. I'm frozen in awe. "Sariah. So that's your name." I wanted to grab her and rub my scent all over her like a cat. But instead, I walk over to her, not waiting for any longer. I put myself in front of her and hold my hand out to introduce myself. "Kaden. Nice to meet you." She stares at my hand and then my face, not with fear, but curiosity, and I drink her up, her expressions, her body language, [ __ ] everything. She's so beautiful, I can't help but admire every inch of her. She clears her throat nervously. "I'm Sariah." Sariah shakes my hand for a second and then releases my hand as if she were burned. Tingles are shooting up my arm and traveling through my body despite barely touching her. The mate bond telling me she is the one. "As sorry, I am sorry. It's nice to meet you too." Her long eyelashes look up shyly to meet mine, which has not left hers for a second. She feels the pull. I sit next to her on the armchair as Lucas and Amanda are now talking amongst themselves, almost as if in their little world. I never tore my gaze away from Saras, afraid that if I looked away, she'd disappear in front of me. I want her, all of her. Dex is panting for us to mark her, and I almost growl, demanding him to submit and not scare our mate. I decide to save her from her shyness, which I must admit is turning me on. But it's quickly getting on my nerves as I want to hear more of her sweet angelic voice. I demand to hear more. I nod towards the notebook on the table, gaining her attention. "Do you draw?" I ask her. I'm genuinely curious. As Lucas mentioned, she was an artist. She peaks up at me from her lap, fidgeting with the edge of her shirt with her small fingers, which I find cute. I intimidate her. "Why, yes, I draw." My interest becomes overbearing, and I sense it in her stiffness around me and her lack of response. She looks young. She's in her early 20s at most. She is barely looking at me and I'm practically drooling over her. Lucas laughs through the mind link. "You're scaring her. Stop staring at her." I quickly look away from her, almost afraid that Lucas was right. I had been staring like some idiot for a while now. No wonder she's shy. "Uh, I know what can help with this mood we find ourselves in. Do you want a drink?" I nod towards the beers in the bucket of ice, a special kind of werewolf drink that my pack made. It was beer to humans, but for werewolves, it was the only type of alcohol that we could drink and not harm our wolves or pups if pregnant she-wolves were nursing. Of course, humans would never understand. It was a very popular drink for wolves to let loose. Her eyes light up and she nods. She still wasn't looking at me, but at nothing in particular. I can't help but grin at her, amused. If only she looked at me, then she'd see just how much she also affected me, too. "Oh, baby. We're going to work on that shyness of yours. Don't worry." I flick the bottle open using my thumb and she stares amazed. Raising my eyebrow, I hand her the bottle and she whispers a quiet thanks. Her lips wrap around the bottle and it takes everything in my body not to let out a groan as her little tongue is slightly out tasting the drink. She sees me staring at her, smiling shyly. "It's yummy. Yummy." Well, it was nice. I could tell she was nervous as she cringed as soon as the words left her mouth, making me almost break out laughing as I put the drink to my lips. What do I say to this beautiful woman who has me suddenly speechless.

The night went on as such. Lucas, Amanda, and I are talking about some stuff that happened in town, and Sariah excuses herself to use the restroom. My eyes followed her as her small body moved around me. I'm addicted to this little shy human who already has me wrapped around her tiny wrist, and she has no idea that I was hers and she was going to be mine. I can't believe she's your mate. I'm freaking out." Amanda's excited voice squeals out. "This is the best." She whispers so that Sariah doesn't hear us. "Shoo," I snap quietly. "Keep it down." "Damn, Kaden. I thought you would have dragged her back to your bed by now," Lucas says, his drunk snort laugh coming out as I rolled my eyes. The thought wasn't exactly lost on me. I had wanted to just leave with her multiple times during the night. Every time I looked at her, I wanted to put her over my shoulder and drag her home to our home where she belongs with me. Just the two of us. Yet, I knew I needed to take it slow. I want her to get comfortable with me. And so far, it feels like I have to take this one step at a time with her. She's not a wolf, and humans do this differently. Was I really that scary, though? I roll my eyes and snort. [ __ ] off. Seriously, what's stopping you? She's into you, man." Lucas nudges, and Amanda nods, her cheeks flushed. I growl out as a warning as I hear her close the bathroom door inside the house and start to walk her way back to the garden where we were sitting. Amanda was drunk and was now grabbing Sariah and dancing with her the moment they entered the garden. Sariah's eyes found me as Amanda swirled her around. She blushed a beautiful pink when she realized I was already looking at her. What I wouldn't give to make her blush like that underneath me. A small grin creeps on my face at the thought as I try not to drag her over my shoulder for the 100th time tonight. In my head, of course. This minx is driving me and my wolf insane. and she's not even doing anything to me. I finally lost it. "Okay, Amanda, time for bed." Lucas laughs and grabs his drunk mate as she whines for cuddles, which Lucas simply gives as he carries her inside. This left me and Sariah alone as they went inside. "Fuck it, I can't leave like this. I need more to calm myself down. Can I see you again?" I ask her, making her eyes widen as she slowly turns to face me. Sariah nods and I can tell she's getting more confident around me. She was looking me in the eye while I spoke to her. I was silently praising my girl for being strong where other wolves wouldn't dream of looking me in the eye. She was I couldn't stop the grin from escaping. "Could I get your number?" I nod towards her phone as I take mine out from my back jean pocket. She whispers a quiet sure that I barely heard and if not for my wolf hearing, I would have missed it. I moved to sit next to her. Our legs were touching each other out as I sat next to her. The sharp sparks from our connection were traveling up my legs than the rest of my body. And from the look on her face, they also affected her as she flinched out, but didn't move away like she did last time. She smiles as I give her my personal phone number. There were only four people who had my number, now five. I see her save my number as Caden, and my heart speeds up in excitement, even though it was such a small thing. I forcefully keep the satisfying growl from coming out as I go to put her number in my phone as I try to keep the grin off my face. But this girl is like the wind. She's knocking me on my ass faster than I can blink with a simple glance. I saved her number as mate when she wasn't looking under her actual name, Sarah Collins. Her name was so perfect. Sariah Black. Yes, I liked that more. It was perfect in every way. I glanced at my wristwatch for the time. 11:46. I growled out, annoyed that I had to leave, causing her eyes to snap to mine in surprise. "What the?" Her tiny voice comes out. I almost forgot she was human. Each second I was alone with her, I loved that she was human. Her reactions were interesting. She was like a baby fawn, startled by everything. "Did you know there are wolves in these parts?" I ask with a knowing smile. She laughs lightly and puts a long strand of hair behind her ear. "Why? Yeah, I think you might be one of them," she jokes shyly, her long eyelashes fluttering up at me. "Mm. Baby keeps looking at me like that. And if I was," I tease her, showing my teeth, my fangs are barely visible, but to humans it might seem like I have some by the shape of my teeth. She giggles, and it's the sexiest sound to grace my ears. "A modern-day wolf man," she says, and I sigh, just wanting to touch her again. Unfortunately, I had to leave. I had to get up early in the morning, and it broke my soul in half knowing that I couldn't just bring her home with me where she belonged. I had to leave her here. I knew she'd be safe with Lucas and Amanda, but the thought of leaving, [ __ ] I hated this. "I need to go," I say regretfully. "and I think you need to sleep." She nods slowly and I watch her throat as she swallows nervously, looking at me then at the time. "MHM, I think you're right," she said shyly, making me smile. "I'll see you tomorrow," I say, neither a question nor a statement, but as a promise. She walks with me to my car. 10 minutes after I arrived, I asked a pack member to drop it off here. I didn't want to run tonight, partly because I wasn't sure my wolf could get us home safely, and partly because I was worried about sleeping outside her window like some dog, which I wanted to do. But [ __ ] I don't want to scare her away once she notices my [ __ ] large wolf stalking her. Maybe later I can come back and sleep. No, [ __ ] stop. I'll have guards watching the house the moment I drive off. Only then can I relax my wolf and I. "Good night, Sariah." "Good night, Cadence." "Sweet dreams, my little mate."

Chapter 3.

Moaning awake from the smell of bacon in the air has to be the best smell to wake up to. Also, the incredibly attractive image of Kaden. I was not expecting to meet someone the day after my ex-boyfriend cheats on me. I leave the country and instantly feel so attracted to them. He was a walking god. No, scratch that. He is a freaking god walking on earth in human form. My skin jumped and tickled every time he moved, and I felt his gaze on me the whole night. He only ever took his eyes from me when Lucas said something. It was like I was the most interesting person in the room, and we had just met. Not to mention, he doesn't even know me, but his stares tell me exactly what he thinks of me. His stares made me feel strange things, but I didn't exactly hate it. Whoever the hell Kaden is, I know it's not the last time I'll be seeing him. He made that very clear last night. My heartbeat is speeding up at the thought of seeing him again. Oh god, he smelled like the forest. His rough hand felt huge in my much smaller one. His wide shoulders, those eyes. Oh my god, I am so screwed. Don't even get me started on his body. What kind of workout does he do to get that body? I thought Lucas was ripped, but this guy, it's like as soon as he entered the room, he controlled everything. Kaden was a force I would definitely not survive and I didn't want to. For some reason, I wanted him to dominate me in every single way, and that terrified me. I don't even know the man, and I'm already deeply attracted to him. I just met him after all, and I'm acting like a teenager in love. No, nope, not love. I just met the guy. I just got heartbroken. I can't go into something so fast again with a guy I don't know. I'm losing my mind. Yep, I've lost my mind. But damn, I want that bacon. Stretching my arms wide with a groan, I get myself out of bed and ready for the day, knowing that today I am surely going to run into this god of a man, and my legs weaken at the thought. I'm terrified and excited being near him. The combination is an odd feeling. I have no idea what he will do or say next, but whatever it is will surely leave me as a puddle on the floor. I'm getting warm just thinking about him. His voice. Ughai. How can a man have a voice that deep? It does somersaults in my belly and causes ground-shaking flutters between my legs.

Walking into the kitchen, I see a grouchy Amanda and grinning Lucas with baby Troy, their son. I haven't seen Troy much since I got here. He's been with Lucas's parents since this morning. And now he's happily playing with Lucas and his fingers. "Morning, Pisspot," I say and salute in my English accent as I tease Amanda like the old times from our days at college whenever she had a hangover. She groans and salutes back. "Morning. Why are you so fresh and I'm dying?" She puts the pillow on the table and puts her face into it and groans making me and Lucas laugh out loud. She can't handle alcohol at all. "I don't know why she bothers. Should you be drinking? What about Troy?" I ask, realizing her mistake. "Will he be all right?" Amanda and Lucas look at each other and things go silent. I know I didn't say something wrong or funny, but Amanda goes silent while Lucas holds back a grin. "Uh, the kind of alcohol we have here is special. It doesn't affect our pups, children. It's perfectly safe. I assure you, Sariah." "What? Is there alcohol out there that is safe for kids?" I was about to ask him what he meant, but he started speaking. "How did you sleep, Sariah? I hope Troy didn't wake you," Lucas asks me from the kitchen. I drop the subject and I shake my head. "No, he's a gem. It's the bacon that woke me," I say with a shy grin. His laugh booms. "Of course. Here, dig in," he hands me a bunch of bacon, eggs, and waffles. "Perfection," so Amanda says as she gets us from the sofa to sit with us at the kitchen table, making me look up to see that they are both staring at me, both smirking at me. I raise my brow. Huh? "Please don't bring it up. Kaden, what did you think of him?" Amanda asks me. She brought it up and instantly I feel my cheeks grow warmer. Why did she have to bring him up so early in the morning? Especially after that hot dream I had of him last night. I feel so awkward talking about him with her like this in front of Lucas, too. Uggh. So embarrassing. "He's pretty intense. Mm. But he's nice," I mumble out, avoiding eye contact with the two grinning idiots in front of me. "Oh my god, you like him," Amanda tries not to scream out. I pale. "And no. Wette. We barely spoke," I stutter out. "I mean, he kept staring at me and barely spoke to me," I keep stuttering. At this point, I want to hide and crawl into a hole and wait for death. This is so embarrassing, and she's loving this. Lucas joins in next to his wife. "You're both perfect for each other." He wiggles his eyebrows at me, which causes Amanda to nod her head in agreement. "Oh my god, stop it, guys. He doesn't. There's no way a guy like that will go for a girl like me," I let out a sigh. I really am not even in his league. That man definitely has a girlfriend, maybe a thousand. I get a throbbing pain in my chest at the thought of him with another woman. [ __ ] I'm jealous. I'm envious of women I don't even know exist. Lucas snorts. "He never even looks at women. You're the first for him to notice. Trust me." Amanda nods. "It's true. I've never seen him with a woman. He wouldn't do that, too. He is a good guy," she says softly, reassuring me.

I was about to reply when my phone beeps, causing all the eyes in the room to glance at my phone, to which we all see who it's from as Caden pops up on the front screen. Oh my god, he texted me. Holy [ __ ] why is my back sweating suddenly? Feeling uncomfortable with Amanda and Lucas's stares, I excuse myself. Their faces give it all away, showing me how happy they are that he messaged me, which makes me even shy. I head towards the guest bedroom I slept in last night, then sit down on the bed, taking a deep breath, I open his text, and I'm instantly excited and nervous as I read over what he says, reading it over again and again. "8 a.m. Good morning, Sarah. I hope I didn't wake you. I would like to see you today. It would be my pleasure to show you around the community if you would like that. Kaden." I reply with shaking hands. "Yes, yes, yes, yes." "8:05 a.m. Good morning, Kaden. I would love a tour if it's not too much trouble for you." I hit send and nervously wait for a reply. It comes almost instantly and my heart is racing. "8:06 a.m. I'm there in 5. Be ready for me, Caden." Holy [ __ ] 5 minutes. I glance at my hair and it's like a bird's nest. Panic sets in as I pull myself together, going with skinny jeans and a navy sweater and putting my hair up high into a ponytail, applying the small amounts of makeup to hide my tired eyes, brushing my teeth, and then putting some lip balm on. I hear car door slam shut outside and I'm frozen. He is here so fast. What the hell? I haven't even had the time to mentally prepare myself to meet him again. This man is driving me wild. I rush and grab my purse, phone, and handbag. Then, I quickly put boots on. I rush out the bedroom door and try not to look so flustered like I didn't just get ready in 5 minutes flat without warning or time to prepare myself to look remotely human. I walk into the living room to see him at the door talking quietly with Lucas, who has his back to me. As if they sense me, they both turned to look at me, one grinning and one with a very intense stare. He got here so fast. Did he sleep outside? I laughed to myself at the thought. It wouldn't shock me. He seems very certain of what he wants. "Hey, hi. You look beautiful," Cadence says to me, and my cheeks heat up. I can hear Amanda say, "Off from the kitchen," which causes me to blush. "Thank you," I whisper out. We say goodbye to Lucas and Amanda. Then Caden leads me to his car. How can this man be any sexier? He drove here in a completely different car than last night. Now it's a beautiful dark red Dodge Challenger GT. I'm in awe. This car must have cost him a fortune.

I like your car. I smile shyly at him as he gets in the driver's seat. He smells so good. He is dressed in dark blue jeans and a black shirt with combat boots. How is it that he can make even the simplest of outfits look freaking sexy?

"Thanks, sweetheart. I like your hair like that. I get to see your face." He smiles back, almost knocking the air out of me. I feel my cheeks get warm, and I'm instantly nervous and aroused being around him.

"Are you cold?" he asks, and I nod. His voice is so smooth and relaxing. I feel warmer just by him speaking to me. He turns the car heating on and I'm starting to relax a little even though now I don't need it anymore.

He clears his throat and I look at him to see that he is looking at me with something I can't quite place. "So where are you from, Sariah?" he asks as he begins to drive.

"London," I say. "But I lived in Paris for work until recently. Until my cheating, lying scumbag of an ex-boyfriend ruined my life." But I won't say that out loud.

He hums. "I like your voice. Your accent is cute." He winks over at me and turns right onto the road. I laugh at his comment and I start to feel more comfortable in his presence.

"Cute. Damn, I was hoping for sexy." The words came out without me thinking, and he looked over me with a smirk, as if I somehow challenged him. And the thought alone makes my legs clench as I feel flutters forming in my stomach. What is this man doing to me?

"We're here." He turns off the engine and I glance around. There's a huge lake surrounded by trees, much like the one at the back of Amanda's home, but this one is huge and surrounded by life. You can hear it in the trees and see it in the water. It's beautiful, like a painting coming to life.

Without realizing it, he opens the door for me, and I silently thank him as he nods with a small smile. He is so thoughtful and gentlemanly, who would have thought from a huge, muscled, rough guy. He grabs something from the back of the trunk and I notice he packed us food and just when I think I couldn't swoon over this man enough. This man I don't know, but he is treating me like I'm his queen. This is a scary, sexy, every woman's fantasy of a man. And he is looking at me with the same thoughts as I. They are clearly visible in his expression whenever he looks at me.

"I hope you like bacon," he suddenly asks, making me jump. I nod my head and he grabs my hand and almost instantly the sparks from last night shoot up my arm once again and nearly make me moan out as his strong, rough, larger hand takes hold of my much smaller one.

"Is this okay?" he hints towards the lake with the picnic basket in one hand, and his other hand is firmly intertwined with my hand. I nod my head and smile up at him. It feels like his hand was meant to be in mine. It felt right. We fit perfectly. I nod and he looks breathtaking as he gives me a smile. That smile he only seems to show around me. He barely smiled at Lucas or Amanda. I don't even think he shows emotion unless he is speaking to me.

"This place is beautiful. Thank you for showing me this." I smile as he smiles, then lean back, resting on my elbows.

"Tell me about yourself," he asks and I freeze.

"What would you like to know?" I ask nervously, trying not to fidget with my hands. Something I do when I'm nervous.

"Everything, anything. I want to know all about you," he says as he admires me, and I melt into a puddle. I freeze, unable to speak, and he interrupts my silent panic with a husky laugh.

"Shall I go first?" he offers, and I nod shyly, embarrassing myself again. "Great, Sarah. Well done." He hums and nods. "Okay. My full name is Kaden Locust Black. I was born and raised here. I'm 31, too close to 32. I'm an only child. My folks are still around. They live just half a mile from here, and I see them almost most Mondays for dinner." He hums. "I run this community, but before that, my old man ran things. I took over when he retired. It's a family business. When I have a son, he will take over from me. It's just how things are in my family." He pauses and looks at me. "My favorite color is your eyes, forest green."

He moves closer to me and I'm holding my breath from how close he is to me. "And I really want to kiss you," he whispers and I look up to him. I feel the burning in my cheeks as his eyes stare at my lips.

"Caden." I don't have time to react as his hands hold either side of my face as he leans in and captures my lips with his. He's holding my lips prisoner at an agonizingly slow but comfortable pace and it feels like I'm floating. His lips are soft against mine as I slowly move mine against his. I hear a small growl coming from his throat and it makes my insides do flips at the sound and how much I love it. What I wouldn't give to hear him growl between my legs as if he heard my lewd thoughts. He takes my mouth with such force and dominance that I feel like I'm being devoured by a beast. A beast that is starved and starving for me, and I'm his favorite meal. His growling is now a constant vibration in my mouth as I moan into his panting and hot.

We both back away slightly, and he rests his forehead against mine. I'm staring at his lips, which probably look like mine, red, puffy, and slightly bruised from the intensity of that kiss. His eyes are closed as he whispers a "What are you doing to me?" out.

"I can't stay away from you, Sariah. Please don't make me," he says breathlessly, staring at me with such need in his eyes and tone in his voice. He wants me as much as I want him.

"I won't," I whisper against his lips and he closes his eyes and his nostrils flare almost as if he is trying to control himself. "[ __ ] baby, you're mine." He groans out with his sexy, deep voice as he takes my lips urgently again in a fierce battle for dominance, which he wins. He will always win this battle. I'm not a match for this beast of a man. Quite frankly, I'm bloody done when it comes to this insanely mysterious, sexy, growling man. I'm utterly screwed when it comes to this beast. I'm completely doomed when it comes to Kaden.

Chapter 4.

Pulling up to my beta's house has been the highlight of my weekend. I get to see my beautiful mate, Sarah. Finally, after the fantastic day I had with my mate and finally being able to kiss her, making her laugh, and then talking about ourselves until there was some trouble at the borders with rogues, I had to leave. I had three wolves injured and one missing. So now I have to deal with what the hell is going on. It's the second time this month, and I'm losing my patience. Something is wrong, and neighboring packs are having the same issues, if not worse, from their lack of defense. I'm even more pissed because I just found my mate and there is no way any rogue mutt or otherwise is going to stop me from keeping her here. I need to end the threat before word gets around.

Upon entering my beta's house, I notice the party for baby Troy is in full swing. Pack members bow their heads in respect to me and greet me with "Alpha" as I walk past. Ignoring them, I follow my gorgeous mate's scent until I find her outside. I can't keep my eyes off her as I walk towards her. She hasn't seen me as she's speaking to some pack members. I stand behind her, bend down, and whisper, "Hi," in her ear, causing her to jump and me to grin.

"Holy foo! Hey, you startled me." She quietly yells at me, holding her now rapidly beating chest. I noticed it's now a bit quieter around us as pack members are watching this play out, but I don't give a damn. I'm completely focused on my girl.

"You just got here?" she asks me. I nod. "Yeah. I need to speak to her alone, away from all these eyes and ears. Can I borrow you for a sec?" I ask her. She glances apologetically at the pack members she was talking to. As I lead her to someplace quiet, "Is something wrong?" she asks me, worried.

I sigh. "I won't lie to you, Sariah. Yes." Her face drops. "There's a problem at work and I'll be busy for a while." I just wanted to let her know. She's now frowning and I want to kiss it away. "This is for the best. I need to keep her safe and I can't do that if problems with rogues or whatever are causing problems at the border don't go away."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks and I frown at her question. Do I? Yes, but can I? No, not yet. She's fragile. Suppose she knew the truth about me, about everyone here. I'm not sure how she will react around me and my pack members. I shake my head and drop the subject. I led her back to the party.

"Oh, Alp, Kaden, when did you get here?" Amanda smiles happily when she notices my hand in Sia's. I didn't miss how Sariah flinched and tried to gently tug her hand out of mine and failed. I intertwine our hands and tighten my hold. Maybe now she will get the message. "You're mine."

"Just now," I say, handing over the gift to her, and she happily accepts it. I get a mine link from one of my pack warriors at the borders, which makes me grimace with annoyance. "Alpha, rogues to the east. There are at least 20 of them." Perfect timing.

"Do you have a headache?" Sariah says beside me as she stares up at my face, her eyes worried. I kiss her forehead and shake my head. I mind link back, seething. "I have to leave my mate earlier than expected. On my way, I need to go," I tell her, disappointment now written on her face. I mind link Lucas and tell him we are under attack. And he gets a group of warriors to meet me at the border.

"Sariah, I need you to stay with Amanda today. Don't leave the house. Promise me," I tell her, no room for discussion. As my voice hardens with authority, she just nods with a frown. I kiss her forehead and take in her scent before I go. I leave her without looking back. Anger is now a part of my body as it comes off in waves. "I will kill them all for scaring mate," Dex snarls out. "I agree." Turning into my wolf form out of sight of the house and party as I let Dex take control while we run to the border. The smell of rogue mutts is strong, but my thirst for blood is stronger. Smelling the blood in the air has me and my wolf snarling, threatening, and warning those around us as we pick up on movement. Rogue wolves. We come into contact with 15 average-sized rogues, all growling, and moving slowly away from my much larger wolf form. Even with the numbers, they cower, no match for me. And they know it as they start to walk backwards to try and escape me.

"Weak," I step closer, teasing my prey. "How dare they set foot on my land and expect to live?" My wolf grins deadly at the now cowering rogues, taking a sudden leap for the closest, catching them all off guard. Instantly, ripping the rogue's throat out with a single bite from my wolf's jaw, I feel the life fade from his pathetic wolf's pulse. Then I take a deadly walk to my next prey, causing them to run away in terror.

"They're making the game a lot more interesting for Dex." "Let's finish this quick. I want to see our mate," I growl out as Dex agrees, and we catch up to the rogues within seconds. They're slow and weak and definitely not escaping me. Without mercy, we go for their throats, killing them instantly, not wasting any more time with Ferman. I extinguish them all and leave none alive in my path.

A minute later, I see my warriors and my beta Lucas turn up, blood on their teeth, evidence of their kill. I spit out rogue blood after I finish the last one off. My large paw now on the dead rogue's throat. "Clean up this mess," I snarl towards my men through mind link and walk past the dead rogues, not sparing them a single glance.

"Alpha, I got word that Red Crust Pack also had been attacked minutes before us. It seems like someone is sending a message. We just don't know who yet, but they managed to capture some rogues alive. They will keep us informed of what they learn," Lucas says through Mind Link.

"Keep me informed. Every movement on the border, I want to be the first to know," I snarl out. These rogues are getting on my last nerve. No matter how many times I kill them, they come back for more like rats. Pathetic weak mutts should just submit.

"Yes, Alpha." Running back to the pack house in my wolf form took me exactly 5 minutes. I need to make some calls to neighboring packs and see what they know. The fact that someone dares to attack my pack has me curious. They must be stupid to think I will not retaliate until I have sent them all to an early grave. No one escapes me. I send a quick text to Sarah. Then I get to work. "I will see you soon."

Kaden, it's been 3 days since the incident at the border with the rogues, and I finally managed to tighten security at the borders. I've made some adjustments to the pack training regime. Also, now I have the new recruits I deemed ready to scout the border and fill out daily reports. I've also gotten word from another alpha that this rogue attack was likely a plan to test the pack's defense. No doubt to look for weak spots in security. Someone is playing a game and I have no patience to play it. I will find whoever is doing this and snap their neck. I need to speak to Sariah. If rogues have taught me anything, it's that as much as I trust my pack, I'm the only one who can protect them. Being away from her for even a second has me on edge and constantly wanting to snap at whoever dared speak to me. I know she hasn't known me for long, but I can't wait much longer. Being away from her is too hard on me, and my wolf's pulling an alpha wolf makes the pull 10 times stronger than what she is feeling for me. For wolves, as soon as we find our mate, we start a family. But I know with Sariah being human, it's different. I'm going slow so I don't scare her away from me. I want to introduce her to my world slowly. A part of me wants to drag her to my bed and never let her leave until she bears my mark and is carrying my pups, but the other half. I want her to trust me, show her my world, and have her fall in love with me the human way. At this point, I will happily roll over onto my back in my wolf form and take whatever she will give me. Stretching my arms, I look at my phone and she hasn't texted me since she replied to my text 3 days ago. I want to see her. I look at the time and it's late, 11:37. I send a quick text.

11:37 p.m. Hey, Sia, are you awake?

Cadence sighing. I grab my car keys to head home, wishing I were heading home to my mate. Not long ago, I reminded myself soon she will live with me. I won't have it any other way.

11:40 p.m. Hey, I can't sleep. How was your day?

I get into my car and instantly relax seeing her emoji. My mate is so cute. I sent a text and started the car, heading towards home.

11:41 p.m. Better now. How was your day, sweetheart?

Caden pulling into my driveway. I stare at the dark, empty house and sigh. My phone pings and I instantly feel better.

11:42 p.m. It was good. I painted all day and now I'm sitting outside. The moon is so big tonight. It looks so beautiful.

Glancing up, I notice the moon is full and bigger tonight. I laugh and do something I've not done in a while. I send her a text and my heart is beating rapidly. She's already making me do crazy things.

11:43 p.m. Not as beautiful as you. Did you know that wolves would howl up to the moon to guide loved ones home? Listen.

Kate and I get out of my car and look at the moon. I start to howl up at the sky and pray she hears it. Causing a chain reaction of howling around me. I stared at my phone, waiting for her response, my heart still racing out of control.

11:45 p.m. What the hell? Do you hear that? That was so freaky. I've never moved inside from my chair so fast. You have to tell me how you did that. Backslash. D laughing at her emoji again.

The howling comes to a stop and I miss her so much. Knowing it's late, I sent her one last text.

11:46 p.m. It's a secret. You should sleep. It's getting late, sweetheart.

Cadence stripping naked for bed. I go to lie down and wait for her reply.

11:47 p.m. I will know your secret soon. Wolfman, good night, Caden, chuckling at her reply.

Wolfman, oh, sweetheart, you have no idea, but you will soon. My sweet little human mate.

Chapter 5.

I've been awake for hours, unable to sleep, replaying last night's events over and over. Sweetheart, I feel tingling every time he calls me sweetheart. Every time he looks at me, it's strange. It's odd how close I feel to him. And I just met the man. He's a bit older than me, but that doesn't bother me. Does it bother him? What has confused me is how normal it feels being around him. Texting him was another risky move. He checks up on me, asks me about my day and if I'm eating enough. Tom never did that. My absolute [ __ ] of an ex. Tom doesn't even come close to Kaden. Not one bit. His build. The power that radiates off him makes my knees go weak. I saw it as soon as he left Amanda's and Lucas's party. People noticed. I noticed. He controlled the whole room, but he didn't notice or care. When he left, it was like the room could breathe again. Were people scared of Kaden? He is intimidating, sure, but it was different. The vibe was strange and people were quiet around him. Perhaps he's into some shady stuff. I'll ask Amanda about him. I don't want to rush into things, but I should at least know who I'm talking to and what his deal is and maybe why I can't stay away from him, even if I tried. Sighing, I decide to get my ass up and go for a run, reminding myself I'll ask about him later. Changing into my running clothes quickly, I head into the living room where Amanda sits with her newborn son, Troy. She hasn't noticed me yet.

"Morning, Mama Mandy," I suddenly say to Amanda, who jumps slightly.

"Morning," she says with a groan. She looks exhausted. "Where are you off to?" she asks, smiling up tiredly at my attire.

"Just out for a run," I shrug. "Where's Lucas?" I ask.

"Ow, he is with Kaden working."

I raise a brow amusingly. "Are you sure?"

"That sounded like a question." She smiles apologetically. "Sorry, I've been up a while. This little guy is finally settling down," she sighs, hinting to her son, asleep in her arms.

"H okay, well, I'm heading out. I have my phone if you need anything." I smile towards them both and wave bye-bye. It's a beautiful day today. They're so blessed to be surrounded by so much nature, completely different from the busy streets of Paris. Everything is so quiet and peaceful.

Running down the trail, I notice a lot of houses. Lucas mentioned that 4,000 people are living here. How big is this place? Hearing a large group of men's voices and barking, I stop running and look around. No one is out here and the voices stop. Then I heard it, growling. Yep. No thank you. I turn around and run back the way I came. Are there dogs around here? Last night there were wolves. My stomach twists in dread as I try to study my heart rate. My fitness watch is beeping due to a high heart rate spike, and I take a quick stop to breathe, bending down to put my hands on my knees. Why is it suddenly getting warmer? Making it to the road again, I notice that the sounds have stopped, and I take a sigh of relief. I'm definitely not running in the woods again, the last thing I need to worry about is being eaten by a dog, or worse, a bloody huge wolf. This makes me think of him. Caden Wolfman. The most mysterious yet obvious man who I can't seem to figure out. He is good-looking. No, scratch that, he is possibly the most attractive man I've ever laid eyes on. And yet, he is surprisingly interested in me. I mean, he did kiss me, which was another experience altogether. It felt as if my body were a firework, and his lips were what set my body off.

I decide to walk into town and there are a few people walking around with their families. It's surprisingly amazing. There are so many stores and so much culture everywhere I look. I walk over to the fountain in the middle of the town and something catches my eye. A statue of a huge wolf. What an odd thing to do. I read the plaque and underneath it says "First Alpha of Deep Water Pack, Locust Black, 1504 to 1704." First Alpha. I read again and that would make this wolf 200 years old when it died. This confuses me more. Maybe someone has a sense of humor and decided to write that. But Deep Water, that's what this community is called. Why would they worship a wolf? I grab my phone and do a Google search. Curiosity eating my mind.

Google search. Locust Black, Deep Water, New Zealand, Queenstown. Enter. Results not found. That's odd. I sigh and decide to leave it for now. Maybe I'll ask a local about it. For now, I set my sights on a building that caught my attention. It's huge. A museum. I jog across the road and people are giving me weird side looks, some with curiosity. Do they not get visitors often? Or perhaps I just look weird. The stairs are starting to make me nervous. I was about to go inside when I heard my phone beeping in my back pocket. Someone texted me. I notice who it is when I grab my phone and my heartbeat speeds up instantly seeing his name.

11:10 a.m. Hey, are you free for lunch right now?

Kaden, am I free? I probably look like a mess right now. A sweaty mess. I reply and my hands suddenly start sweating.

11:12 a.m. Hello, I'm in town right now. I just went for a run. I'm all sweaty.

I hit send and groan when I realize what I just said. Did I have to tell him I'm all sweaty? He's not even near me, and I managed to embarrass myself. His reply comes instantly, making me jump.

11:13 a.m. I'm in town, too. Where are you, Kaden?

He's in town. I suddenly feel the need to hide behind this tree, which is precisely what I'm doing, and I don't know why. My heart rate is skyrocketing, and I'm nervous. [ __ ] I reply while glancing around nervously.

11:15 a.m. I'm near the center of town and I was going to check out the museum.

Hiding behind the tree, I wait for his reply, but minutes later, it doesn't come. Holy [ __ ] I'm nervous. Should I leave? I'm in my running gear. My hair is all over the place.

"And hey, there you are." A deep voice startled me, making me jump. I turn around and my chest is beating so fast when I see him. How he can look so amazing wearing simple colors baffles me.

"Hay," I squeak out nervously, trying not to stare at him much. Kill me now. He's looking down at me, and he looks a bit mad. Did I piss him off? I notice people glancing at us, or more like me. I shift nervously under his deep stare.

"Were you hiding?" he asks, his voice hard. I swallow the lump in my throat and try to play it off.

"No. And I was just catching my breath from the run." He just nods and glances at my clothes. And then his eyes meet mine. And I swear I just saw his eyes flash like headlights. Yellow headlights.

"You shouldn't be walking around alone, Sariah." I look up at him confused. Was I not allowed to go out? I wasn't aware I wasn't allowed to go for a run, I say confidently to him. But inside I'm shaking. His eyes harden and his frown deepens. He shakes his head.

"I didn't mean it like that," he says as he runs his long, rough, large hand through his hair, frustrated. "Let me treat you to lunch," he asks, but leaves no room for answers as he reaches for my hand and gently tugs me across the road.

"You know, people usually wait for an answer instead of dragging them," I say quietly with a frown, which just makes his eyebrows raise amusingly. We walk towards the statue and I decide to ask him about it. He owns this land, right? Surely he will know more about it than what I found out online. I have an odd feeling about this. It's just too weird. This place is weird. But most importantly, Caden, I'm just going to ask him.

"Um, do you know who Locust is?" I ask him and he stops walking and stares at me, eyes slightly wider.

"Where did you hear that name?" I point to the statue 10 ft away from us, and I see the panic on his face, which is instantly replaced by his regular expression. Okay, that's odd. He squeezes my hand. I can see he's trying to think of what to say, and his eyebrows are now causing creases in his forehead. Is it a touchy subject?

"It's better if I show you," he whispers so quietly that I barely hear him.

"Show me. Show? What do you mean? I'm sure this Locust Black is dead long by now," I joke and he nods, glancing at me, then back at the statue with a frown.

"He was my great-grandfather," he says with a stern voice. "He founded this community. He was a great man, the wolf. My community, it's it's a symbol of our goddess. The Black family crest is a wolf. I was named after him," he says almost out of breath, his eyes burning into mine. Slight panic swirling in his eyes. I stare at him slightly shocked. He was a man and the wolf is just a symbol. Such a rich history, but I couldn't find anything online. It all makes a little more sense. His family is known here. Kaden Locust Black. He was named after this man.

"He was my great-grandfather," Kaden said. "Sariah." Cadence says, and I jump, realizing that none of us are saying anything and the air is thick around us. [ __ ] I got lost in my thoughts and made it awkward. He stands in front of me and he looks nervous.

"I want to show you something, but I want you to keep an open mind. I I've never..." He pauses and clears his throat. "Please just keep an open mind," he says, and I nod. Suddenly, I'm curious and super nervous. He nods and takes my hand. We walk out of town and continue walking for another 15 minutes, both not saying anything. As neither is saying anything, I follow him into the forest silently. It looks like he knows where he's going, so perhaps I shouldn't be so nervous. If he were going to kill me, he would have by now, right? We've now been walking in the forest for 15 minutes when the sound of a water stream is louder. And finally, upon reaching the gorgeous waterfall I heard a while back, I noticed Caden has let go of my hand and is taking a few steps back from me. His eyes are watching me carefully, and he looks nervous, but he still looks so lethal. He starts undressing, starting with his shirt, and I turn so fast I couldn't see his facial expression anymore. As he just looks at me, I ask him nervously.

"Kaden, um, what are you doing?"

"Please don't scream." That's all he says before I start hearing the breaking of twigs. Then it sounds like the breaking of bones. I slowly turn to glance at where Kaden was. Suddenly so nervous I thought I was going to pass out or just throw up from the sounds coming from behind me. That's when I see it and I'm terrified. I don't even notice the shaking in my legs anymore. A wolf. A huge giant wolf with yellow eyes and jet black fur stands where Kaden was seconds ago undressing. His clothes are still on the floor. Kaden is gone and a wolf is staring at me with huge yellow eyes and then it hits me. The statue, the name, the secrecy of this place. Holy [ __ ] [ __ ] Kaden is a wolf.

Chapter 6.

Silence. My mate hasn't moved in for 5 minutes, and Dex and I are scared we might have traumatized our mate. What should we do?

"Did we scare you, mate?" Dex whines out loud, making our mate step back away from us. Was this a good idea? Was it too soon? I lower my head submissively to my mate to show her I would never harm her. Never in my lifetime would I harm her. She watches my large wolf and we can sense her fear. Her fingers are shaking and she's most likely trying to understand what's going on.

"Caden." My meat barely whispers and my wolf's ear perks up. "Oh my god, how is this possible? She mumbles. I'm going mad. I have to be. There's no damn way. No, I'm definitely having a nightmare right now." She suddenly stops speaking and slaps her face hard. My wolf yelps out to human ears. It would sound like a cry almost. "Holy [ __ ] This is happening. Can Can you understand me?" she asks us silently.

I gulp hard and nod my larger head. "Why you really are a werewolf? And do you understood me? How is this possible? You are a man and now a big wolf. This is insane," she says almost to herself.

"Mate is scared. Let me comfort mate," Dex says confidently.

"She will be more scared if we move. Dex, give her time," I say to him, and there is only silence. I take a deep breath and walk closer to Sariah, who's watching my movements like a hawk. Moving closer till I'm in front of her. She's much smaller than usual. My wolf is the size of a car, and she's already small as a human compared to my human size. She freezes completely, and I put my head lower underneath her hand, hoping she understands what I want her to do. My heart is racing. I've never shown a human my wolf before. And now my maid is seeing us for the first time. I've never felt fear until this moment. I can't lose her. Not when I just found her. Her shaking hands reach out to touch my fur, and it's unnerving to watch her face experience this for the first time. I want to comfort our little mate. I will never harm you. I try to tell her so badly through my actions.

"See, can I touch you?" she asks, her voice becoming clearer now. Keeping my head down, I nudge her hand, and the electricity from her touch sends tingling through my body, making my wolf purr at the feeling of having our mate touch us.

"So soft," she mumbles to herself. "Are you going to kill me?" she asks, her voice quieter now. Without realizing it, my wolf snarls at the thought of anyone harming our mate. I shake my head. I need to speak to her properly, Dex.

"I understand. I'm happy I got to feel mate," Dex says. "And I know it will take her some time, but we can get there. She will learn to accept us. She has to." I nudge her hand as she stops stroking my fur and I begin to walk behind a tree behind her as I start to change into my human form. Bones breaking around me and the sound of my mate's heartbeat is the only sound I hear besides the waterfall next to us. Finally adjusting and grabbing my pants from next to the tree, I put them on and come face to face with my mate. She has tears in her eyes and my heart breaks.

"Does it hurt?" Her voice breaks and I rush to her side. "No, no, please don't cry." I kneel beside her on the forest bed floor, trying not to touch her, but I desperately want to. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you so soon. Please don't cry." My heart clenches hard at the sight of my mate crying. Her long, beautiful, wet eyelashes look up at me. I get a pain in my chest at how beautiful my mate is. I'm so lucky she's my mate. She sniffles and I assure her. Sitting down next to her, "It doesn't hurt anymore. I promise," I tell her the truth. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't want any secrets between us, sweetheart." I touch her hand and she jumps slightly at my touch.

"Why?" Her voice cracks. "Why did you show me?" she says as she avoids my gaze. I swallow hard.

"You're my mate."

Silence. "What's a mate?" she asks me now looking at me. I look into her eyes and gently squeeze her hand.

"A soulmate. I stare at her face. We all have one. I mean, every wolf has one."

"There are more of you?" she asks quietly, still holding my hand. Here we go.

"Yes," I say confidently. "I'm the alpha of this pack community, whatever you want to call it. We We are all wolves, Sariah." Her eyes go wide and I can tell she finally connected the dots.

"Amanda, Lucas, even their baby?" she asks, panicking, to which I nod.

"Sariah, there is something else I need to tell you." I caress her cheek as she gasps at the tingling. Nodding, she swallows the lump in her throat. "You are Luna of this pack. If you accept me as your mate, breathe in. Exhale. I want you to give us a chance. I would never hurt you, Sariah. I would do everything in my power to protect you from my world, but it's not that simple. You are human. I know it's different for you than it is for me." I swallow hard. "I know you may not accept me. A and I will wait forever if I have to. Just please don't run away from this. You are it for me, sweetheart." I put my forehead against hers and close my eyes. I feel her taking in everything I said, and it's nerve-wracking to let someone see me with my walls down.

"Why you want to be together?" she whispers. I open my eyes and lean back so I can see her face.

"Yes," I say truthfully. "But I'm willing to take it slow also. I will wait forever," I rush out. She stands up and I stand up with her, still just wearing jeans. She frowns and glances at my chest, my rosy cheeks being more visible now, causing me to chuckle.

"Sorry," I mutter while I grab my shirt and boots behind me.

"I'm human," she says quietly, and I frown up at her as I tie my boots.

"Yes, I noticed. Is that a problem?" I ask. I know I had a problem before, but that was before I met her. I can't picture my life without her now. I've waited for this moment for too long already.

"I don't know. Backslash." She mumbles. "Is it a problem for you?" she frowns, still red in her cheeks. I grin up at my beautiful mate.

"Nope. I am lucky to have a beautiful human mate," I say proudly as I button up my shirt as she watches me with a shy gaze. I walk to her and pull her into my hard chest gently wrapping my arms around her protectively. At first, she freezes but begins to hug me back and our bodies are perfect together. With my chin on her head and her small, delicate hands around my waist, our scent mixing washes away all my worries about her accepting me.

"I accept you. Um, do you accept me?" she mutters into my shirt and I laugh, causing my chest to vibrate.

"Babe, I was yours the moment you looked at me," I say, kissing the top of her head, grinning. "Come, let's walk back. It's getting cold and I still haven't fed you," I say as I begin to walk with my maid in my hand. She timidly follows my lead.

"Good girl." I still can't believe this is real. "Do vampires exist?" she asks, and I put my head back, laughing. She has no idea about the world around her. Humans don't see what they don't believe.

"Sweetheart, you have no idea." I kiss her forehead. "I will tell you everything, but first I want to feed my girl." I smile at her cheeks, much redder than before. She hums and I love her voice. I want to hear it more. She's interested in our world. She's a part of it now, and I'm so proud she's gaining confidence to ask me.

"Your girl," she says, a hint of playful tone in her voice.

"Mine," I growl at her playfully. "You are stuck with me, human." I wink at her bashful face. I love teasing her.

"I love your smile, sweetheart," she hides her face with her free hand and I laugh louder at how shy she is around me.

"So mean," she mumbles shyly, glancing at me. My eyes never left her.

"That's me, big bad wolf," I grin as I go to lift her over my shoulder to which she shrieks out. "Oh my go Kaden. Put me down." She hits my back gently and I can't stop grinning.

"Nope, you're mine." I slap her bum playfully and she yelps.

"Kaden," she yells quietly. No doubt red as an apple by now. On second thought, "I'm taking you to our house," I say, and she stops, hitting my back.

"Our house," she mumbles. I grin. "Sweetheart, you didn't think I'd let you live apart from me, did you?" I pinch her butt and she laughs, trying to swap my hand away.

"Kaden, ug infuriating wolf man, put me down," she huffs out, hitting my back. It sends tingling every time she touches me. I laugh and put her down. Her whole face is red. I kiss her gently on her pouting lips.

"I'm sorry, little mate." I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I just want to be close to you, but living together," she says. "I've known you less than a week." She huffs out. I smile and nod. "Don't you think it's too soon? I mean, I just saw you turn into a giant wolf. Why? You don't even know me. I could be a mass murderer for all you know." Her hands are waving in the air as she says, "Giant wolf," making me laugh. I bet she couldn't even hurt an insect. I frown.

"You don't want to live with me?" Her face drops.

"That's not what I meant," she continues. "I just meant are you sure? Like, are you sure you want me? I mean, I'm me and you are you. We are total opposites." She frowns at the last part. I kneel in front of her and she freezes.

"Sweetheart, I promise to you now that you are the only woman for me. I have been with nobody else. I promise you." I kiss her small beautiful feminine hand still on my knees and look into her eyes. "You are forever for me, Sarah. You have my heart." Her face blushes.

"Heart," she whispers. I nod and put her hand to my chest above my heart. "Do you feel that?" I whisper. "It beats for you. You are my moon, my stars, my whole universe. I will show you every day that I am yours, mate." Her heart spikes up and I know she thinks this is soon. She had to know how I feel. I will say this every day until she believes me for the rest of my life.

"I like you, too," she mumbles, hiding her rosy face. I stand up and smile down at my mate.

"Let's go home and we will discuss it more over lunch. Okay." She nods and I begin walking her in the direction of our home. I'm finally taking my maid home. The house I built for her. The house I spent all my time on for when I finally find her to raise our pups and grow old together in. I want to tell her everything. Tell her how much control she has over me. Tell her how much I love her the very moment I laid my eyes on her. But I keep my mouth closed. I want her to be comfortable and telling her I can't live without her was hard to try and not panic her or run away from me.

"I will catch mate," Dex says happily.

"You would scare her, Dex. She needs time. We have to take it slow," I say sighing. "She accepts us as a mate. That is a start. Now I need to persuade her to live with me." I glance down at her hands. Her hand looks miniature in my larger one. She feels perfect, soft, and warm. Everything I'm not. She accepts us. That's enough for me. Mine.

Chapter 7.

Walking up to Caden's house with his large hand in mine had been like I was in a dream. Not only is this man my mate, but he's a werewolf and he turns into a massive wolf. Oh, and I'm his soulmate. I'm still processing all of this and I still can't believe werewolves are real and they aren't the only mythical creature that is real. His house is huge by the way. It's absolutely gorgeous, just like this man. No focus.

"I love your house," I say, admiring everything. As we walk in, the smell of pine is everywhere and I love it. Although there's not much stuff inside, it definitely needs a woman's touch.

"I'm happy you like it, mate." Caden gives me his drop-dead smile and gives me a tour of the house. "I actually built it. I finished it 2 years ago."

"You built it alone? But it's huge. It would have taken you years," I say amazed. He laughs and nods and looks at me with a look I can't place.

"I built it for us. I I needed something to do when I couldn't find you, so I built us a house for our family," he states with a small smile.

Our family? This is insane. He wants to have kids already. Is this moving too fast? I seriously do not deserve this. A wolf man is standing right in front of me. He built us a freaking mansion. This is crazy, I mutter quietly to myself. I feel like I have whiplash. Too much is happening too fast.

"I want to show you something before we eat," he says, leaving no room for a reply as he guides me up the spiral stairs.

"Is this where you handcuff me to your bed to stop me from running?" I tease him. He chuckles.

"No, not today, mate." I don't even think he is kidding either. The thought makes me shudder, but it makes me feel light in my stomach. I really wouldn't mind this guy holding me prisoner. We stop outside a door and he looks a little uneasy.

"I hope this isn't too forward," he says as he opens the door, and I am completely speechless. An art room. A top-of-the-line art room with everything I can think of inside. I don't even have words to express how I'm feeling. He is the best, and I do not deserve this man. I don't realize I'm crying until he looks at me with panic.

"Is it too much?" When I learn that you like to paint, "Please don't cry," he says as he wipes my tears away with a frown on his face as he silently whispers to himself. I shake my head and I feel a fist in my throat. I can't speak. I walk into the room and he thinks of literally everything, admiring the paint brushes and not to mention the large glass windows and the view. Holy cow, I could stay in this room for the rest of my life and paint. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.

"Sariah." Caden grabs my hand and I stare at him. I stare at this beautiful man in front of me whom I was terrified of moments ago. Terrified of how deep our connection is so soon and how everything is happening so fast. I'm terrified of falling in love again. His dark brown hair, beautiful green eyes with a splash of yellow. His perfect jawline and sharp eyebrows, not to mention how he could make a simple outfit look amazing. He could quite possibly crush me with his pinky finger. I love it. He grins in size, running his large tan hand through his hair. "Thank the moon goddess." I giggle at how this

Scary, intense, yet incredibly handsome man is worried about freaking me out. "Let's eat," he says, kissing me on the forehead. The kiss gives me butterflies in my stomach, and all I can do is nod.

His kitchen had everything. It was perfect, and I couldn't help but watch as he cooked me food. For once, someone is actually cooking me something. I can't remember the last time someone had done that.

"Tell me more about you, Sariah." He smiles at me as he chops onions. I shift as he gazes at me. "Um, okay. I'm not as interesting as you, though." I laugh nervously. He snorts. "No way."

I laugh and take a deep breath. "Well, my full name is Sariah Collins. I'm 24, born in London, and until recently, I lived in Paris for 3 years." I grimace, but continue. "I'm an only child. My parents passed when I was 14. I went to an all-girls boarding school and that's where I met Amanda." I smile at the memory. "I guess that's it," I say with a nervous smile as he listens quietly.

He hums. "Tell me about your parents." He says, and I freeze. He notices and frowns. "Sorry. How about you ask me something? And we take turns asking questions." He suggests, and I smile. "Sure, you go first." I shyly smile at how different he is acting right now. Free and relaxed.

"What's your favorite food?" He asks, and I grin widely. "Pasta Bolognese. Definitely," I say, and he nods, smiling. "What's yours?" I ask him as he tosses the steaks on the pan. "Easy, any meat," he says instantly, and I laugh. I watch him move around the stove and I'm mesmerized by how his back muscles flex each time he moves.

"Whoa. What's your favorite color?" I ask curiously. I always see him wearing the same colors, blue and white or black. He stares at me and smirks. "Your eyes are my favorite color," he says. And I feel my neck get hot. I thought he was joking the first time he said that. I groan at him. "You are such a flirt." I hide my face. How can he have such an effect on me so easily without even trying?

He shrugs. "Not really," he says, handing me a plate with a steak, salad, and chips, and my mouth starts to water. "I haven't flirted before," he says, and I snort. "Yeah, right." I nudge him playfully as he sits beside me with his plate. "I'm serious," he seriously states with a straight and deadly serious expression. I look at him. "No freaking way. How's that possible? Have you seen yourself?" I say without realizing I said that out loud. "I meant you are really good-looking and you are an alpha, which is good, isn't it? I mean, I don't know." I ramble on as he just looks at me, smiling.

"No one else mattered to me," he says with a shrug as he digs into his steak.

"Are you a virgin?" I blurt out. "Oh my god, Sariah. What did you just say?" Before he could reply, I interrupted him. "Oh my god, I didn't mean to say that out loud. I'm so embarrassed." I mumble as I groan into my hands. I hear his chest rumble with laughter at my rambling. "I am. Yes, it's an old tradition for wolves to wait for their mate. He smiles. I know it's different for humans, so I don't expect you to do the same. Not everyone respects the old ways." This man has to be the sexiest man alive, and he is untouched by any woman. I am suddenly in awe of this man in front of me. Who is this man and what did I do to deserve him?

"Does it bother you?" He asks me suddenly. He notices I haven't said anything. "Of course not. Sorry, it's just I feel bad for all the women you've turned down." I tease him. "I don't feel that bad. I'm only yours, sweetheart," he says possessively, causing me to blush.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask quietly, and he looks up at me curiously. "Of course." I'm suddenly nervous now. I was thinking this when I found out about his ancestor and I suddenly wanted to know for sure. "Um, how long do werewolves live, exactly?" I asked nervously.

"Locust Black was 200 years old." "No way that's normal." He frowns, and I feel my hands start to sweat. "It depends," he says while collecting our plates. "Meatless wolves will die young, most at 100." He says as he puts the plates in the dishwasher, then leans against the counter. "But mates live with their partner for many years. Sariah, it's very normal in our world to live a very long life," he says, and I'm gaping at him.

"How long exactly are we talking here?" I ask him. He shrugs. "Hundreds of years." My eyes are wide now, and I'm gobsmacked and speechless. He watches me with amusement swirling in his eyes.

"Are you really 31?" I ask him. "Seriously?" He grins at me amusingly. "What? You don't like older guys?" He says teasingly, and I gape at him. He shakes his head, smiling, and he comes to sit next to me with plates full of fry-up food. "Yes, I am really 31," he chuckles. "Too close to 32," he mutters quietly.

"Damn, my mate is an old man," I say while faking horror on my face, and his droop, making him look slightly scary, but still damn sexy. He doesn't say anything, but stands up, picks me up, and throws me over his shoulder again. "Oh, come on. I was kidding," I say, giggling, and he just spanks my butt, making me yelp out in surprise. "Damn, if that didn't feel good, I need to punish you for that, mate." He spanks my butt again, and I let out a slight sound which made his shoulder muscles tense.

He brought me to his room, and I don't have time to look around as he gently puts me down on the bed, and he is hovering over me. Holy cow. Please give me strength. His chiseled muscles are visibly outlined by his loose t-shirt, and his strong tan arms are on either side of my head, and he looks intense. Intense and insatiable. Without realizing it, I let out a small sound from the unnerving stare of his gaze, never moving from mine. His eyes are now a brighter yellow as I feel his strong body tense above me.

"Sariah, you are so beautiful," Kaden whispers, and I melt below him. I swallow and touch his chest, never leaving my eyes from his. "So are you," I whisper out. His eyes close briefly, and then his gaze turns hard. His once normal eyes are now glowing in the dimly lit room with a bright yellow, and he looks completely animalistic, as if I were a meal for this big bad wolf man. His lips capture mine in fierce dominance, causing me to groan out a whimper at how rough his lips are against mine, struggling to control this beast of a man on top of me as he devours my mouth, claiming them. I can feel his lips making mine his. His hard muscular body is now pressed against my chest as his arms support his weight. His lips claim victory as his tongue wins for dominance in my mouth, and I'm completely and utterly broken for all others. His animalistic growls and grunts have me closing my legs tightly.

"I can smell how much you want me, mate," he growls out between his fierce kisses. I can do nothing but submit to him and listen as he takes over all my senses. He stops his assault, and we are both gasping for air. That has to be the best kiss I've ever experienced in my life. Possibly the best thing to ever happen to me, and I can't even remember how we got here.

"I love you," he says softly as he leans in and kisses me on the lips with a slow and tender kiss. And I'm so happy hearing him say those three big words to me. I feel the tears blocking my vision. "I love you, too," I whisper out, my voice trembling at the raw emotion I can't seem to keep under control. He smiles lovingly down at me as if he can't believe I'm real and as if he can't believe I love him back.

"You make me so happy." His voice cracks. "Move in with me," he asks. His voice is confident. I nod. "Okay." I started to cry happily. "I will live with you," I say, laughing. My voice was shaky, and tears ran down my face. We hold each other in bed for so long, just to lie there and hold each other. Both of us just content in each other's company. We spent the whole night talking about everything and anything. Not once moving away from each other. And I have never felt more comfortable than I was in his arms. This man I have known for such a short time who has my heart, and I have his. It gets dark as the conversation starts to slow, and the warmth of his nice comfortable arms has me sleepy, as if he could sense it. He kisses me on the forehead and whispers, "Good night, mate." To which I mumble out a quiet, "Good night." Drifting off to sleep, I hear him faintly say something before I finally let sleep overcome me. Drifting off into a comfortable slumber, exhausted from the insane day I just had, ending in the arms of Kaden. "I love you, sweetheart."

Chapter 8. Waking up next to my little human. Mate has its moments. This was one of them. With Sariah curled into my chest with my arms protectively around her, I'm soaking in her warmth and inhaling her addictive scent. I could get lost in her scent for hours like this. I'm very proud of my mate. The way she handled our secret and accepted everything with an open mind. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous thinking she would run away from us. Humans are very unpredictable. Lucas was right about one thing, though. She's strong. I've been staring at my gorgeous girl in my arms for the past hour, and I can sense in her breathing that she's starting to wake up. Sariah starts stirring and groaning awake, and I react to the sounds. I decided to wake her up faster. My wolf, and I want her attention. I kiss her forehead and rub her arm gently, inhaling her delicious scent as I feel myself becoming more aware. holding back a groan as she rubs her body against mine.

"Good morning," Sariah says softly, rubbing her eyes. "Morning, my beautiful mate." I kiss her lips, and she shrieks back, causing me to laugh. "Sorry," she says shyly. "Morning breath," she mumbles, embarrassed. "I snort like I care," I say as I hover above her like last night, trapping her below me. I go to her neck, kissing and inhaling her. "You always smell so good, mate," I practically groan out, kissing her neck with affection. After I finish saying good morning to her neck and her lips, I lean back and glance at my mate. Breathtakingly stunning. She's red as a tomato and breathing heavily under me. Her lips parted, and her long brown hair is messy. I can't help my smile. I decide it's time to eat. As I get out of bed, I took my top off sometime during the night due to how warm I got. It's been a while since I slept fully clothed. I can't promise my mate that next time I will sleep with clothes on. I hate the feeling of wearing them, especially at night. "Bathroom is through there if you want to freshen up," I say towards the door as I grab a towel. I glance at her, and she's staring at me, more like gawking at my bare chest. I feel my ego getting bigger as I take my bottoms off, leaving me in boxers as she gasps, hiding under the covers, causing a laugh out of me. "Want to shower with me, babe?" I ask, half serious, waiting for her head to pop out of the covers. "Um, no, thank you," she mumbles back shyly, probably a little overheated. I chuckle, leaving my shy mate to wake up as I leave the door to the bathroom open slightly so I can see her without making it obvious I'm listening to her movements in the shower. It's a shame she didn't say yes. Quickly showering and washing my body, I turn the water off, and my mate has moved out of the bed and is knocking on the bathroom door. Wrapping the towel around my waist, I say, "Come in. I'm decent." My cute little nervous mate's head is the first thing I see as she enters the bathroom. I could probably gawk at her forever in amazement. Everything she does makes me want to compliment her for doing it. It's insane. Her tiny form is bending over as she looks for a toothbrush, and I have to focus to avoid staring. I decided to help her out and grab one from the top shelf. Standing behind her, I place the brush in her hand as I grab one for myself, adding paste. I don't move from behind her as I brush my teeth, my eyes never leaving my mate's in the mirror. I feel a bit guilty watching her squirm under my gaze, but I don't mind. Being so close to her feels right. It keeps me and my wolf happy. She clears her throat, and I smile at her watching me. Loving her uneasiness, I decide to drop the towel behind her, and her heartbeat picks up much faster than before. I can't help but smirk as her cheeks begin to turn pink. Moving her hair to the side, I keep my gaze on her as I kiss her shoulder, working my way up to her neck as she leans back into my chest. She feels amazing. Her smell and flushed cheeks are doing things to me I've never felt before. I want her, but my dominant side is worried about how fast her heart is beating. Afraid I might overwhelm my mate in this steamy bathroom with my presence. I stop and hide my smirk at how much I affect her. "Oh, baby, if you look down, you can see how much you affect me, too. As much as I want to take you, mate." I stare into her eyes through the mirror and press myself against her small body. And I really want to. I press against her back, and she gasps. "We have to feed my mate," I whisper as she simply nods, her face red. "I think I'm going to have to work on my mate until she can take me." I underestimated how small she really is. Leaving my hot mate alone in the bathroom to catch her breath, still watching me with wide eyes and rosy cheeks, I turn and leave. Still wearing the towel to my walk-in wardrobe with a smug grin on my face. I could get used to teasing her like this. She is so cute. After a few minutes, she comes out, hair up and less red. "Hey," I smile towards her as she enters the bedroom. "Hi." I threw on a plain white top with black jeans, and she's still in the clothes from last night. "Let's go out for breakfast. Then we'll go buy my betas for your things," I say as I grab my keys, phone, and wallet. "Beta? What is that?" she asks curiously as she simply nods. "Lucas, he is second in command of the pack. His job is to enforce the law in the pack." I state. "If I were to die without an heir, then the beta would be in charge. He would become alpha." I say simply, to which she frowns. "What does Aluna do?" she asks curiously. I start the car and glance at her, shrugging. "Aluna is a queen to the pack. She is the most important person in a pack. Without her or you, a pack is as weak as its alpha." "What do you mean by that?" I think about how to phrase it without sounding depressing. "An alpha will go crazy without their mate. Sariah, a pack can't survive without an alpha. I basically need you, or I will die." She frowns, her forehead creasing. "So, you would have died if we never found each other?" "Yes, eventually, with time," I shrug. "I was years away from going mad. Most wolves go crazy in their 50s without a mate. At 100, most don't survive as you become too weak. I'm confident to say that I felt the signs and how much I craved a fight, to feel something other than loneliness. Killing did that for me. I'm not proud of it." "That's crazy. So without me, you would have died?" She mutters quietly, almost not believing it. I smile to lighten the mood and lace our fingers together. We ride to the cafe quietly for breakfast, none of us speaking, both enjoying the silence and company of each other, our hands still intertwined in one another's.

Walking through my beta's house without knocking, I glance around and see no one here. I mind-linked Lucas on the way, letting him know I was dropping by. He and Amanda are taking their son for a checkup, leaving me alone with my mate as she leads me to the spare room to collect her things. She doesn't have much, a few suitcases. I will need to buy her more. She deserves to have everything she could have and more. I grab the last of the suitcases and load them in the back of my truck. I refuse to let her help as she is sitting on the steps sulking. "Is this everything, sweetheart?" I ask, nodding towards her stuff. She smiles sweetly, a hint of red on her cheeks, and nods. "Yeah," she says. "I sold everything before I came here. I brought what I needed." "That reminds me. May I ask what brought you to live here?" I ask her as I help her up off the steps. She dusts her pants off and grimaces. "It's kind of depressing," she says, avoiding my gaze. "Tell me, little one." She sighs, and I open the side door for her as she gets in, and I go towards the driver's seat. "I had the worst day of my life. Basically," she says silently. "My ex-boyfriend cheated on me," she says, and I growl at the thought of another man being with my mate. She laughs, breaking the tension. "I will break his neck with a flick of my finger if he dares speak to you again. I promise her." She giggles. "I bet you could easily do that." She smiles, and I relax. Stunning and all mine. "So, after I found out about him, I got a call from my bank." She groans out. "He swiped my cards and stole every cent I made for my paintings. We had joint accounts, and I couldn't do anything about it." She smiles weakly at me. "And I'm seriously thinking about finding this guy and breaking every bone in his body slowly until he begs me to kill him. Then I get a call from my landlord to inform me my place flooded." She says quietly, and I take everything she says in, listening patiently. "Every single piece I had left was ruined. Thousands of pounds of hard work just gone." A lone tear drops from her eye, and I'm seething with anger. Who the hell does this to someone? He left her with nothing and ruined her life. If I ever find out his name and location, he can only pray I don't kill him slowly. I comfort her with my hand on her leg and squeeze gently. "You have me now," I say confidently. "And what's mine is yours. Anything you need, you tell me," I demand with my tone as I stare at her. She smiles sadly and doesn't say anything. "What was his name?" I ask curiously. Her eyebrow raises slightly, and she watches me. "Why?" she asks. I shrug. "Let's call it curiosity." She laughs, amused. "Yeah, right." She squeezes my hand. "Promise me you won't do anything, Kaden," she asks seriously. I snort out, amused. "I will do nothing," I say, and she relaxes. "Unless I see him anywhere near you." I make every word sound deadly as each word is laced with promise. "Then I will gladly enjoy watching him die," I state with venom. She coughs uncomfortably, and I smile warmly at her to ease the tension. "I love you, Sarah, but every single wolf in this pack would gladly do the same for you as I would," I say gently to her. "No one will ever come close to hurting you again. I swear to you on my life. It's me and you now, baby," I say, turning off the engine as we park outside our home. I hold her gaze in mine as I promise her with each word I speak. "You are my Luna. I will happily die for you, Sariah. Make no mistake. I will prove my love for you every day for the rest of our lives." I peck her lips softly. "I love you, mate, so much. I only want you happy and safe," I say, laced with emotion, showing her how much she means to me, how much she means to my pack. She nods, crying quietly with a small smile. "I love you too," she cries out quietly. I smile. "No more crying, my sweet mate. You are so strong." I kiss her tears. "I'm so lucky to have met you, Sariah," I say honestly. "Come." I open her door for her. "Let's get you moved in," I say, grinning. She smiles happily back and nods. "Okay." And we both walk into our home, holding my mate's hand and both ready to take on the world together. Ready for our life together to finally begin as Alpha and Luna of Deep Water.

Chapter 9. It's been a month since I moved in with Kaden, and I have never been happier. At first, I was very uncomfortable around him, always with me, always making sure I don't get hurt. He wouldn't let me lift anything for a week until he thought I was capable of doing it myself. He is a very demanding man, so I didn't fight him on it. He looked very happy doing it for me, and I didn't want to take that away from him. I have spent a lot of time in the home studio he made for me, and I have made some insanely good progress. It's currently raining, and I'm again in the studio with a hot cup of green tea. Kaden had pack business come up and left early this morning, and I haven't heard from him since. I'm used to it now, but at first I was worried something would be wrong. It's quite dangerous being an alpha, as I heard from Amanda, who still worries about Lucas while he is out doing god knows what in the woods. Kaden has sheltered me from the pack for now until I feel ready. But I have met some of his pack members, and I'm really good friends with a lead warrior who is called Lex. He reminds me of an older brother if I ever had one, and he is on very good terms with Kaden. At first, Kaden did not like the thought of any unmated men around me, but he eventually gave in when I wouldn't speak to him. Now, Lex and I are very good friends. A lead warrior is in charge of all the warriors. They are guardians of the pack. Like an army for humans, but they mainly focus on night guarding and patrolling the borders. I did not know until Caden told me, but this is one of the strongest top five packs in the world with over 4,000 members and growing. It's very overwhelming that I am Luna. As I heard, my being Luna is a very important role in the pack. My main role to provide an heir for the alpha, meaning I had to give Cadence children up when I first found out I wanted to pack my stuff and run. We haven't even had sex yet. We have come close, but it feels as if he is holding back about something. I know lately it feels as if I am almost too obvious about wanting to have sex with him, and he ignores it. It's mainly because his family has a long history of keeping traditions, and he wants to respect it. The tradition: he has to mark me before we meet. He has to bite my neck. No biggie. Just let his huge wolf teeth out and bite into somewhere where it could literally kill me. I haven't wrapped my brain around it yet. So, because of my holding back on him, we have not had sex yet. I look at the time, and it's currently 5:00 in the morning. He should be home any minute now. I tidy up my workspace, paint brushes, and pencils. And then I head towards the bathroom to get ready for bed. Brushing my teeth, washing my face, and tidying up after myself. I then grab some pajamas to wear for bed. I sigh and lie down, staring at the ceiling. It's too quiet out here. I close my eyes to sleep and hope Caden comes home soon. I miss him when he's not here.

Slam! I jump awake at the noise. There are loud bangings coming from downstairs, and I get nervous. Are we being broken into? Oh my god. I look for my phone and grab it from the nightstand, going straight for Cadence's number. I notice it's currently 5:00 in the morning, and Caden still hasn't come home. I hit call. Damn it. I hear something coming from downstairs as I hear more crashing and slams. I hear glass being thrown. "Pick up, Caden. Pick up." The call goes to voicemail, and I panic. I get out of bed quietly, put my slippers on, and head towards the landing. My heart is beating out of my chest, and I feel incredibly stupid to be doing this. I hear a familiar, pissed-off growling coming from the kitchen downstairs, and familiar voices. That is definitely Caden. "Alpha ST. Is that Lucas's voice?" I walk down the stairs, and the door is wide open. There's blood on the floor, and the vase that once belonged to his ancestor that was once near the door has now been smashed into a million pieces. "Sit still. The healer is on her way," Lucas's frustrated voice comes out harsh. "Healer? What the hell is happening?" I quickly walk into the kitchen, and I feel like a fish out of water, gasping for air. Blood is everywhere. It's a slaughterhouse in the kitchen, and Caden is covered in blood from head to toe. "What the hell is going on?" I gasp, looking between Kaden and Lucas, who are both looking very guilty and shocked at me right now. "Whose blood is that?" I ask, horrified, as Kaden's face turns white, staring at me, shocked. "Lucas, get her out of here." Kaden's voice is unrecognizable. "Alpha dash. Get her away from me," he booms out, his voice laced with no room for discussion. I am speechless. Who is this man? He won't even look at me. "No. He promised not to hide anything from me." Lucas was about to move me from the kitchen as I heard one of the pack killers come in through the door. "No, I'm not moving," I shout at Lucas angrily. Caden's frustrated growl is now threatening and loud. He looks at me, and his eyes are bright yellow, cold, and empty, and he looks furious. This is not Caden. His wolf has taken over, which means something is wrong with Kaden. He was about to yell at me by the look of fire in his eyes as the pack healer entered the room. "Excuse me, Luna. I need to treat this wound before he loses consciousness," the pack healer says nervously. I glance at Caden, noticing he's very pale and he's trying to sit up straight as Lucas keeps him steady. I watch the pack doctor grab something with a needle and inject him with it in an area that is glowing purple. His veins are glowing. "What happened to him? This is all too much to wrap my head around. Someone tell me what is going on, Lucas?" I cry out, watching the scene unfold in front of me. Lucas looks at me, exhaustion written on his face. "We got ambushed," his voice hardens, his eyes glowing red like normal wolves' eyes do. "We need to get you someplace safe. The alpha would want this," he says. And I'm crying louder now. He nods to one of the pack warriors who escorted me out of the room. "By who? Please stop. Don't touch me, Lucas. Caden," I cry desperately, my eyes never leaving Cadence's closed ones. He passed out from whatever the healer injected him with, and she's abstracting the glowing purple substance from his veins. Could it be poison? "I'm so sorry, Sariah. He's alive. You can't see this. He wouldn't want you to see this," Lucas's worried voice rushes out as I'm being dragged out. I'm kicking and screaming for Caden, but my voice is going to deaf ears as they all avoid my gaze with regret written on their faces. "No." As I am being carried out of the house, I hear it. And I know it will haunt me. The sound of my big bad alpha mate yelling out, trying to hide the pain. The man who promised me there was nothing bad ever going to happen to him every time he left for pack duties. The man who promised he would come home safe. What the hell happened to you, Kaden? Please don't leave me.

The next day, Sariah. "Lex's voice startles me as I glance out the window, lost in my thoughts. "Lex, is he okay? Is he awake? Can I see him?" I rush out, almost begging him. I haven't slept all night. I couldn't. He chuckles and brings me in for a hug. I relax a little. "He's fine. Really pissed off, but he will be fine," he says, rolling his eyes. "He's more hurt by what he said to you than being stabbed by a shifter." His amused laugh booms out. I frown and push Lex away. "This is not funny, Lex. He could have died. No one was telling me anything," I yell out, pissed, glaring at him. His face looks guilty, then relaxes. "I'm sorry, Sarah. He sent me to take you to him, but really, he is fine. He cannot die that easy. The poison just stunned him and pissed him off, making his wolf seem out of control, as you put it," he says. "What about the blood? Whose blood was it?" I ask, not sure I will like the answer. He growls out as he glares daggers at nothing. "The filthy shifters. The alpha did worse to them than what they did to him." I swallow hard. "What did he do?" I ask as we drive to the pack clinic. Lex's eyes were hard. "Ripped every single limb off from their body before the poison took over. He managed to kill them all before he was stunned. Unable to move. All of them? How many are we talking about here?" I stare at him, horrified. "How many were there?" I ask. "At least a dozen," he says quietly. "A dozen." I'm getting incredibly pissed off by everything he has told me so far. "Where were you?" I ask quietly, anger in my voice. "Why weren't you there to protect him?" I yell at his face, not caring who hears me. "Luna, it was an ambush. None of us knew until we got there," he states. "The whole thing lasted minutes. When we got there, he slaughtered them all. It was a blood bath. None of the blood was his. He killed over 30 shifters in minutes," he says. And I'm horrified. "How's that possible? But he was alone. That doesn't make sense," I mutter to myself, not believing what I'm hearing. He should be dead. Going against that many shifters. My stomach drops in dread at the thought of losing him. "We don't know how backslash. He is shrugging it off as nothing happened," Lex scrimmages. "But Sariah, something is wrong. There is something he is not telling us," he says quietly as he parks the car. We arrived at the pack clinic, and it's quiet. "Go. He only wants to see you," Lex says, and I nod. "Thank you, and sorry for snapping at you. I... I will speak to you later," I ask him, slightly embarrassed at how I raised my voice. He nods and smiles warmly at me, then messes up my hair. "He's waiting for you. Try not to strangle him. He is feeling sorry for himself from the way you saw him last night," he says, shaking his head, slightly amused. I nod, feeling slightly better talking to Lex, knowing Kaden would be all right if Lex said so. "I still feel really scared to see him. Last night, he looked lethal and ready to hurt me if I didn't listen to his order to leave." I snorted at the thought of me defying him. That was a first for me. I smile at how far I've come since meeting him. I sigh and walk through the building, ready to see my invincible alpha mate, who is literally the most fearless, reckless, and stubborn man I know. Let's just hope I don't strangle him for being those things. Cuz so help me God, if it's not tempting.

Chapter 10. "Enough," I bark out. "I've had enough of being poked and fussed over by pack doctors who think I don't know my own body. I healed 10 minutes after the pack doctor got to my house and released all the fluid. Sneaky shifters. To think they would hide a dagger laced with silverweed venom. It doesn't kill, but it slows motor functions, which is why I couldn't move and made my wolf highly irritable. Dex hasn't shut up since. 'You are reckless. I wanted to go home to mate, but you wouldn't listen,' Dex growls out. 'Be quiet,' I growl louder, and he huffs, but listens. I get a mind link from Lex. 'Alpha. Luna is in the building and she's incredibly pissed.' I grumble out a thank you, and then it hits me. My mate's scent. Her addictive scent that I'm obsessed with. Ever since she moved in with me, it's like I'm constantly caught in euphoria from her smell. It might sound weird, but I don't care. Then I had to check the south border due to some suspicious activity, and I got jumped by shifters. They shifted into birds, and suddenly I was on my ass with a black silverweed-dipped dagger sticking out of my chest. Not before I ripped them all to shreds for daring to challenge me. I wouldn't be so pissed off if it weren't for Lucas. He hasn't stopped asking questions, and I'm livid. I'm torn between keeping my secret hidden and protecting my pack and my mate. My mate, who is opening the door looking as beautiful as the first moment I met her. 'Sword Dash, don't you dare,' she angrily tells me, pointing at me. I look at her and realize how exhausted she is. Her eyes are tired and red. She was crying, and her clothes are wrinkled. Her hair is messy. Plus, she's so angry at me, and it really turns me on. My little mate has grown more confident each passing day, and I couldn't be more proud. She's becoming herself around me, and I love it. She's becoming a Luna. She paces around, glaring at me. 'I can't believe you, Kaden. How could you make your men drag me out of our home last night when you were bleeding? May I say, gosh, I can't believe you. How could you be so reckless? You infuriating big-headed, stubborn wolf.' She screams out at me and lets out a frustrated, loud sigh, refusing to look at me. I let out a nervous laugh at how pissed she is. I bring her to me for a hug. 'I've missed my girl. Shh,' I whisper into her hair, smelling her, and she always sets me at ease. 'I'm so sorry for worrying you, baby.' I kiss her head and inhale her scent. 'I love it.' She snorts as she cries softly into my chest. 'I wasn't worried about you,' she says, her voice breaking slightly. I sigh and move so I can see her face. 'I suppose you know what happened then,' I say, and she nods, and I wipe away her tears. Frowning, I say, 'They tried to capture me. I have a lot of people who want me dead. Sia, I didn't want you to see me in that state last night. I have to keep you away from this. I will never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me,' I say softly to my girl, trying to explain the situation. She frowns and looks slightly mad. 'Kaden, I am your mate,' she says, frustrated. 'I am a grown woman. Why am I here if you don't trust me with this? I live with you, for God's sake.' She huffs out. She's right, but my overprotective nature won't let me show her the other side of me. The side that has done things for this pack, sometimes not for the pack, but to survive. I'm not proud of what I've done, but I would never change the past. It shaped me and taught me how to thrive and keep my pack safe. 'I'm sorry. You are right, baby.' I kiss her forehead, and she pulls back from me, causing me to growl in frustration. 'Sariah, I am trying for goodness sake. What do you want me to do?' I grit my teeth in frustration from lack of sleep. She jumps, and I feel guilty. 'I want you to keep your promise to me,' she whispers. 'No secrets, Kaden. I can't be with you if you keep things from me and push me away every time something happens,' she says softly to me, and I grunt. I mind link everyone in the building to my room. 'Leave. No one enters until I say.' Then I close the link so no one can disturb us. 'Okay, okay,' she says confused. 'Sit,' I instruct as I move from the bed, and she sits on the chair. Taking off my shirt, she looks confused until I sigh. This is where I don't know what to do. No one has seen this side of me but family. Not friends, not pack members. I let my horns come free and my claws come out. My chest, once bare except for the stab wound, now bears a sign shaped like a pentagram and my initials KB in the royal coding. The sign of demons, the sign that has haunted my family for generations because of him, led back to the revolution that once ruined our line until it passed to me. I kept this part of me hidden until I turned and found out from my father that I held the mark. At first, I didn't understand what it was until my anger got the best of me. There have only been three alphas in our family who have gotten the mark. I was named after one of them, Locust Black, who held the demon mark of Demonia. I am a demon wolf hybrid with royal blood, making me a monster to my kind. 'You have horns? I don't understand,' Sariah mumbles confusedly. And I frown. 'This is my curse, baby. This is why it scares me to let you see too far into my world. It's dangerous and unforgiving. Sariah, I have done things I regret, but I did what I could to protect my people. Just like my ancestors, who also bore the mark of Demonia Black.' I kneel in front of my beautiful, frowning, confused mate. 'Demonia Black was amazing. Insane, but amazing. He was a demon prince, and his mate was a wolf. The moon goddess blessed him with the gift to shift so he could protect his mate, but not everyone saw it as a gift.' I squeeze my mate's hand. 'He killed his mate,' I whisper out, and Sariah gasps. 'He lost control and killed her. The royal family of the underworld decided to lock him up for his crime. To kill your mate is unforgivable, and there is no trial. The punishment is a slow, painful death. The punishment is called the seven because that's the number of days it takes for you to lose your mind without your mate.' I sigh. 'He was beheaded on the seventh day, and the black name was tarnished for many years in the underworld. The royal line was frowned upon until their son Locust was born and showed signs of demonia. On his 18th birthday, it was passed to him, making him the second alpha of demon blood. It passed through his children until my father passed it to me. Skipping generations until it found me. And I have to live with that history. It terrifies me to think I could lose control and hurt you, Sarah.' I kiss her hands and focus on my hand and hers. 'I wanted a mate so badly. I searched for years. Nothing. I'm so happy I have you, sweetheart, but I cannot let you into this world. My family's history is royal knowledge, and not everyone knows it. If they found out about you, I'd be afraid,' I gently say. 'I don't want the throne, Sariah. I have no interest in it, but they will stop at nothing to get what they want if they feel threatened,' I say as I hide my appearance once again, returning to normal. I stand up and grab my shirt. 'I will protect you with my life, Sariah, even if it means war. I promise her, meaning every word. She pales, and I smile to release the tension in the room. Locust Black lived a very happy life with his mate, with his children by his side, and I will too. Demonia is nothing like me, and I would never hurt you.' I kiss her lips softly, and she sighs. 'I'm sorry for yelling at you, and thank you for showing me,' Sariah whispers softly. I nod, knowing it must be a lot to take in. She not long ago found out werewolves exist, and now I've rocked her world yet again. "Is this why you're so overprotective?" she asks teasingly with pink on her cheeks. I laugh and grin. "Hell no. That's because I'm an alpha and it's in my nature to keep you safe," I lift her up and kiss her nose. "Besides, I have a reputation to uphold. I can't be going soft now, can I?" I say teasingly. She giggles, and I melt at the sound. "You soft?" I grunt out and wrap her legs around my waist. I need to be alone with her now. "Trust me, baby. I'm anything but soft for you," I say in her ear, my voice hard. She freezes but nods slowly, and I feel her trust.

Chapter 11. I'm dead. Or dying. All I know is that I'm so sore, tired, and everything hurts. Who knew he could make me feel so overwhelmed? Oh, wait. He did. And it really hurt a lot. After yesterday, Caden telling me about his history, showing me his family secret, and then being marked by him for the first time. I am utterly exhausted both physically and emotionally. After the clinic, Caden practically carried me home, and we never left the bed. I tried, but he marked me again. I've just managed to catch some sleep after this amazing man decided to give me a break for a bit of while. I'm practically speechless when it comes to Caden Lucas Black. This man surprises me every damn time. Glancing at the dominant man sleeping soundly beside me is the most beautiful sight in the morning. His face is calm and peaceful. His long, dark eyelashes that I am insanely in love with, and his beautifully shaped tan face. How can he look irresistible while sleeping? And his energy is off the charts. He was so determined last night. It felt like he couldn't get enough since he marked me. Everything he did felt amplified. And when he touched me, it was like I was floating.

"Morning, baby," Cadence says roughly into my neck. "He fell asleep like this last night and hasn't moved. When I tried to move, he subconsciously held on to me so I couldn't." "Good morning, Alpha," I say sweetly. He grunts, then gets up and kisses me on the lips. "Luna," he says amusingly. "You have officially ruined me," I say, bewildered as I hear him chuckling. "Good. Now everyone knows you're mine," he says seriously. I raise an eyebrow. "How will they know?" I ask. He snorts. "Baby, you have my scent forever now, and you have my mark, and I have yours." He tilts his neck, and it's true. I see my initials on his neck with some sort of Crest logo. "It's my family crest," he says as he gets out of bed and stretches his arms. I can't help but stare. "Are you always this comfortable being naked?" I smile shyly as he grabs a towel. He raises a brow and smirks. "My kind are creatures of habit, babe," he says. "Join me," he hints towards the shower. I groan. "If you can carry me, sure." "I'm a bit sore, I admit," embarrassed that he wore me out so thoroughly. "Did I hurt you last night?" he asks with a frown as he lifts me, wrapping my legs around him as he moves toward the bathroom to turn the shower on. I giggle in all the best ways. I kiss his chest as he grins, his eyes so bright and happy. It makes me feel so warm that he's looking at me like I'm everything. "Come, let's make you human again." He laughs as we step into the shower. We showered and cleaned each other, stopping to sweat his hand away every now and then as he kept getting ideas, but I simply couldn't. I'm afraid that if we did anything right now, I wouldn't be able to move for a while. Getting out and dressing in a nice summer dress, Kaden goes for the simple yet sexy look with dark washed jeans and a black t-shirt. Damn him for looking so delicious without even trying. He walks over to me and gives me a smile that he only shows me. "You look gorgeous," he says as he kisses my lips and then checks me out. Feeling my cheeks getting a little hotter, I nod. "You too," I say, smiling, and he grins. His phone starts to ring, and he kisses me on the forehead. "Sorry, I need to take this," he says apologetically and answers the phone.

I don't listen to his conversation, not wanting to seem nosy. I go downstairs into the kitchen and everything is clean like nothing ever happened. Not a single drop of blood or a thing out of place. I'm going to make us some coffee and pancakes.

Humming to a random tune, Kaden comes in and watches me silently, to which I just playfully stare at him as if I'm saying, "So what?" "So, how would you feel about meeting my parents?" He asks with a smile. "Your parents?" I swallow nervously.

He comes up behind me and wraps his large arms around me, kissing the mark on my neck and inhaling my scent, something he does a lot. I don't question it. Must be a wolf thing. "They are dying to meet you. Haven't shut up about it really," he mutters out, still kissing my neck. I nod slowly and start fidgeting. "Do... do they know about me? Me being human?" I ask nervously.

He growls as a warning. Something he does that makes me doubt myself. "Of course they do, Sariah. It doesn't matter to us or any of my pack that you are human," he says as he grabs the coffee and sits at the table. "If anything, they're excited. We don't meet a lot of humans," he says.

I give him the plate full of pancakes and sit down with my coffee, overthinking about meeting them and possibly embarrassing myself. "How old are your parents?" I blurt out. He looks at me, amusement in his eyes. "My father is 198 this year and my mother is 188," he says simply. I gape at him. "Are you serious right now?" I ask horrified. He shrugs. "It's normal. We will also have a long life together. In our world, it's not unusual to live into your hundreds."

I pale. "But I'm human. Doesn't that mean I will die before you?" I say nervously. "Humans live to 100 at best." He shifts uncomfortably about that. "When I marked you, you became bound to me forever," he says. "So, I'm immortal. I can't die," I press on. "We can all die, Sariah. You just won't age like a normal human anymore." "Holy cow, this is insane," I mumble quietly. He chuckles knowingly. "Well, that's enough mind-blowing information for you today," he says as he gets up and kisses my head. I sit and shake my head as he watches me silently drinking his coffee. I made it black, just how he likes it. I laugh at the irony.

"Black. My parents are here," Cadence says out of the blue. My eyes widen. "What? How do you know?" I frown, trying not to panic. "Mind Link," he says, and I nod. "Of course, they already love you. Just be yourself," he says as he smiles widely at me. "I can do that. Sure, no biggie. I'm just going to meet his parents who are hundreds of years old and also happen to be wolves. His family is royalty. When did my life get so insane?"

He goes outside and he's right. I hear voices and they're... I hear what I wouldn't do to suddenly vanish. I'm sure I'm sweating and pale. I try to straighten my dress out more as I look in the mirror to see if my hair is okay. "Where is she? I am so excited." I hear a delicate feminine woman's voice and I hear Cadence's grunt. "Calm down, woman. You'll scare the girl," a man says, and all three enter the kitchen. I feel like a deer caught in headlights.

"Oh, Kaden. She's gorgeous. Look, Alfred, she's perfect for Arcaden. Oh my, I'm going to cry," the woman says hysterically, fanning her eyes, and I chuckle nervously, looking between his mom and his dad, who rolls his eyes. "Pleasure to meet you, Sariah. I'm Alfred, and this crazy woman is my wife, Claire," Alfred says politely, amusement in his voice. I shake his hand. "Nice to meet you, sir," I say nervously. "And nice to meet you, ma'am." I smile at her, grinning, looking at Kaden and me. "Oh, please call me Clare, dear. And we hug in this family," she says happily as she brings me in for a hug. And I laugh, looking at Kaden, who is watching silently with a knowing smile on his lips. "And please call me Alfred or Al. 'Sir' makes me feel old," Alfred says with a huff. "I'm so happy Kaden found you. Oh honey, I am so happy. I finally get to have grandchildren," she says drearily to her husband and I freeze. "Mother, please," Caden says with a warning. Clare looks at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, dear. I'm just so happy. Come, let's sit and please tell me all about you." "And in return, I'll show you baby photos of Kaden," she says with a smirk. "Mother," Kaden warns as his dad just booms with laughter and slaps Kaden on the back. "We're allowed to embarrass you, son," Clare says as she nudges me and shows me all of his baby photos. He looked so happy in every single one of them and incredibly adorable. He was a very happy boy, loved to hunt and build things. "He's always been determined and too stubborn to give up," Clare says happily as Alfred nods in agreement. "Did you know he built this house for you?" she says with a huge smile and I nod shily causing Caden to groan again. "Mother, she knows everything," he states. Clare and Alfred freeze and look at each other. Then Caden and then me. "Everything?" Alfred asks. Kaden nods. "Everything." "My... my," Clare says amazed. I shift uncomfortably at the awkwardness, but it doesn't last long. "It's all just talk, darling. The curse," Alfred says, beside me as I look at him. "It's a gift. Never mistake that we are blessed. The moon goddess chose our son to carry this gift," he says, and Clare nods and grabs my hand. "It's a lot to take in, but you are strong. Human or not, you are also a gift to us, Sariah. You will be a great Luna for this pack, and my husband and I are proud to welcome you to our family," Clare says softly. And I feel loved and welcomed by her words. My tears are threatening to escape, but I refuse to let them. Cadence stands up, and we all watch him as he smiles widely at me, shocking both of his parents. I'm sure they haven't seen him smile this much for a long time by their reaction. "Let's eat. I'm starving," Cadence says as he holds my hand to help me off the sofa, then leans in to kiss my forehead. "Steaks," Alfred says happily as Clare chuckles. Well, this first meeting went better than I expected. With Cadence's hand in mine, as he sneaks a look at me as we walk outside to the grill, outdoor table, and chairs, I feel genuinely at home with this incredible man. This is truly the happiest I've ever been in my life, and I'm so happy that his family is here and I met them. I'm feeling incredibly good right now, despite how sore my legs are and how much I feel him every time I walk. I know today is going to be a good day. "Let's eat," I say happily.

Chapter 12. Alpha.

"Alpha Brah is calling," my secretary's voice comes through my phone and I slump back in my seat. "Put him through," I say as I rub my forehead. This headache. All I want to do is leave and go to my mate, whom I like to think is still in bed, unable to move from how many times I claimed her last night. These past few weeks have been so good with my mate, but now it's back to running a pack. Long days and constant migraines at the incompetence of some people I deal with in and out of the packgrounds. "Alpha Brown, to what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected call?" I say sarcastically. "Alpha Black." "He makes my acquaintance. I heard you have a mate," he says quizzically, and I growl lowly. "What do you want, Brown?" I growl out. I knew there was a reason Braum would be calling me. He's so far up her ass that I'm sure he loves doing her dirty work. Pathetic excuse for an alpha. "Or should I ask, 'What does Liliana want?'" I add. He growls. "'That is your majesty to you, dog,'" he barks out and I laugh, amused. "Dog, she will never be my queen. She's weak, fragile, and relies on others to do her work for her. The royal family has really gone downhill since the black royals left the scene. Liliana is a child. Nonetheless, Braum's sudden call must be her making the first move. I knew it would come, but not this soon. I need to act wisely." I hide the venom in my voice as I glare at the phone, picturing my hand around his neck, squeezing as I watch the life fade from his pathetic, worthless body. "My apologies. Now, what can I do for you?" I say, hiding my hatred.

Lucas enters my office and he frowns and points to the phone and I nod. "Her majesty wants to meet you and your Luna for tea. Let's say tomorrow noon at the castle," he says, and I can feel my wolf and I get pissed off. How dare she think she can command us? Desperate to break this phone and smash this desk in half. I grip the bridge of my nose and control my breathing. "We will be there," I spit out and hang up the phone. Throwing it across the room caused it to break into pieces. I'm breathing heavily, needing to break more things to control the two beasts inside me. "I came at a bad time," Lucas speaks. I glare at him and he puts his hands up in surrender. "Wo, I come in peace," he says amusingly. "Are you sure that's wise to meet her?" Putting my hands through my hair for the 100th time today, I nod like I have a choice here. The word is out and it's only going to get worse if I ignore her. He nods with worry on his face. "This is not good then. What are you going to do?" he asks. I try to mask my sinister smile and knowing plan. I have thought about this scenario a million times. I knew Liliana would do this and she knew I would accept. I've had years to plan this out. I shrug. "You know me, Lucas. I do what I must." "That's what worries me," he says knowingly.

Entering the front door of our home, I instantly smell that Sariah is upstairs in her studio. It makes me and my wolf overjoyed that we did a good thing and she loves it. Unless she's in bed with me, she spends all her free time there. I don't knock as I go inside and I see her illuminated from the light outside. She's glowing and the sight takes my breath away every time I see her. Raw beauty. I glance at her painting and it's a painting of the waterfall I took her to in the woods of deep water. Also the first time I shifted in front of her. She hasn't noticed me yet as I lean down to her ear. "Beautiful," I say, startling her, making her jump and cuss out. "Kaden, you scared me," she says with a cute frown on her face. I capture her lips in a longing kiss. I never get tired of being with her and I never will. Being with her is all I want. "I need to tell you something," I say seriously with a sigh as I kiss her lips again and then sit on the sofa behind her. She glances at me with a frown. "What's wrong?" I smile at my mate. She always expects bad news and I feel guilty that I have no good news to share with her lately. She deserves to relax. "It's nothing bad, but I should prepare you." I sigh with a heavy sigh. I really hate it when she looks scared or worried at me. "For what?" she asks. I come right out and tell her, keeping my promise not to hide anything from her anymore. I promise to involve her in my world, which she is now a part of. "We were requested to meet the queen tomorrow at noon for lunch," I say simply, even though I'm seething at the thought of Liliana being in the same room as me and my mate. "The queen? As in the queen of your world? The supernatural?" she asks, confused. I nod, overseeing her reaction. She pales first, then frowns next. I grab her hand and caress it. "I will be there and Lex and Lucas. You have nothing to worry about," I say, assuring her. "But isn't this bad? Why aren't you more worried?" she asks nervously, her pulse quickening slightly. I smile reassuringly at her. "I have you. I fear nothing," I say simply. She gapes at me and I grin. "Caden, be serious." I stand by the window. "Looks like rain again." "Sariah, I won't lie to you." I turn to face her, my face hard. "Liliana is curious. I have a mate, and I could claim the throne if I wanted to. She is playing nice, but make no mistake. She is a snake, and she craves to keep the power her family stole from mine," I say. She nods, her eyes wide with panic. "Kaden, do you want to become king?" she asks quietly and I laugh, breaking the tension in the room that smells of paint and my beautiful mate. "I shake my head. I did not want that burden now," I say truthfully, but if she gave me no other choice, I would have to kill her and claim the throne. I sigh. She tenses up and I feel bad. "For now, we play nice and have tea with royalty. Look on the bright side, sweetheart. You will see where my family ruled for thousands of years in the veil," I say with a smile. It's been a long while since I visited, but the veil is a magic world where wolves have rarely visited since the war. Sariah relaxes and slumps back, putting her paint brushes away and goes to where I am near the window and stares outside. I raise an eyebrow and she sighs, looking at me. "Tell me about your world," she asks and I smile. "Of course," I said amused. She asked so politely. I lift up my mate as she smiles widely at me. I shake my head. "Uh-huh. Later." I wink at her and she blushes. I sit down on the sofa with her on my lap. She's cuddling into my chest and I inhale her scent. She's such an addictive little one without even trying. I sigh. "Where to start?" I mumble. "There are three families in the veil. Black, Aldine, and Grimmoir. As you know, my family are wolves, the first true royal family. Then there are Aline. They are vampires, and they are not so interested in politics, but money and status. They control the wealth of the crown and the treasury for thousands of years. Lastly, Grimmore, the current ruler of the Veil. The family had been the adviser and protector of the royal family for centuries until the war. Then they set their claws in the throne and have been in power since," grin fa but they aren't as sweet as they are in your human books," I spit out with hatred. "My ancestors ruled fair and lawful where trials were held if you were held in wrongdoing. The first king was Axel Black. He was my greatgrandfather. He was kind. Too kind. Much to his downfall. He trusted too easily, but not to the point where he wasn't stupid. He knew that Aldis Grimmore was planning to overthrow the throne which causes the great war. It lasted 50 years and Axel killed Aldis who was the queen's lover. Little did he know his own mate had plotted to murder him, blinded by false promises and more wealth. She succumbed to her death at the hands of Axel for her betrayal. Axel has abandoned the throne to his son Greger Black, a mere child at the time. Axel's last command was the trial of Aldis Grimmore, to which he won and was killed by impalement until death. Soon after the trial, Axel died, unable to live without his mate, and Greor was murdered soon after his coronation." I shrug. "The Veil succumbed to new leadership, and the realm continued. The people mourned. Nothing had been the same ever since in the Veil. My family left that world behind and we settled in the human world. Locust Black settled in New Zealand with the people who dared follow him and my ancestors." I look down at my mate to see if she has fallen asleep, but see that she is crying softly into my now wet shirt. "Mate," I stroked her face gently. She sniffs back her sobs. "I can't believe your family went through that," she cries out quietly, her voice croaky. I smile at how much I love this woman in my arms. "I love you." I kiss her on the head. "It was a long time ago, but as you can sense, our family and Grimmore are far from alliances. They fear a rebellion with me as alpha," I say, stroking my mate's hair. "I have quite the reputation in the veil," I say, amused. "Must be the countless number of times they've tried to assassinate me, only amounting to the large following I have who want me to overthrow and be the true king." "What reputation?" she asks, her beautiful face is wet and blotchy. I smile sadly and wipe away her tears. "I was not always the man you see in front of you, Sariah. I do not have people fear me for no reason," I state, ending the topic. "Let's eat and then sleep," I say as I carry my mate. She weighs nothing to me. "Kaden," Sariah whispers to me quietly. "H." I look down at her as I sit next to her at the table in the kitchen. She is overthinking again. She does not look at me. "Never mind." I nod and frown as she seems lost in her own thoughts. I drop the curiosity on my side. Surely this is not what she signed up for when she accepted me as her mate or even as a human boyfriend of sorts. Humans lives are mundane and straightforward. Humans know nothing of the veil. If they did, they would not be alive simply because they would not stand a chance against the forces that find this world pathetic. "Mate needs time," Dex says as I place the plates of food in front of me and my mate. She gives me a quiet thank you. "We don't have time. If tomorrow goes bad, I need you to accept the consequences of me using it again," I say to my wolf, "Dex, if it protects mate," that's all he says before he blocks me out. I sigh and watch my mate eat. It's quiet. The last time I used my ability was the day I lost control and wiped out an entire clan. I slaughtered children, women. I have no regrets, but I would be lying if I said I do not see their faces haunting me at night. What I did could have been avoided if not for the Grimmore family. I will never bow to that sniveling, pale, backstabbing, sick family. If this lunch is just simple formalities, I will play this game of theirs. But once they let sights and twist plots that involve my mate come clear, I would happily once again unleash my reign on their pathetic house. I am not Axel Black. These people do not bother me. I'm Kaden Locust Black. I do not bow to anyone. "Come, let's sleep," I say as I take my mate's hand. "I love you, Kaden," my mate says, looking at me finally. I relax and admire my mate, picking her up and carrying her to our bedroom as she giggles softly. I drop her on the bed as I rip my shirt off and stare down at my mate.

Chapter 13.

Caden woke me up at 5:00 a.m. to prepare for the dreaded day ahead of us. I did not sleep last night, and every time I think about lunch, I want to throw up. Kaden is acting as if there's nothing to worry about. His history proves otherwise. Humans may be weak against these mythical creatures we dreamed about in books, but we have had our fair share of wars. I'm terrified, not for me, but for Kaden. He has such a heavy burden on his shoulders and danger lurking on every corner, and he stares back at it, welcoming. I could never be as fearless as he truly is. Without him or Locust Black, I know many of his people would not be here today. But here they are, unafraid and supporting their alpha with their whole hearts. We are dressed in the finest clothes I have ever worn in my life. A beautiful gown laced with emerald green lace and silk. Someone did my makeup and hair, and I can't remember the last time I stared at myself in the mirror for so long. I look unrecognizable in such a short time. Caden is dressed and every single mateless sheolf here can do nothing but gawk drearily at him as he stands and talks to his men. He wears a black tux with a black shirt and his beard and hair are freshly cut and cleaned. To say he doesn't make me swoon from looking at him would be a huge lie. He is every woman's dream and damn it if I don't pass out from the way he looks at me dressed like the god of Allore. His confidence and dominance have captured the attention of every person we've met today, and it's truly magnificent to see. Kaden is speaking to Lex, the lead warrior, and his men. They are not dressed formally, but rather in masks that hide their face and black clothes. They look ready for battle, and they are. They are with us today as a precaution. I pray nothing happens, but I can't shake this dread in my stomach that something might happen. "Don't worry, Kaden would be damned if something happened to you," Amanda says beside me as she holds baby Troy. I nod nervously. "I'm just freaking out. Ignore me," I say, glancing at the men who are carrying weapons I have never seen before. These men look scary, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared just by looking at them. "Hey, look at me. Nothing is going to happen." She gives me her big, confident smile, and I believe her. But I have this feeling I can't shake. Caden comes to my side and Amanda gives me a hug as she goes to Lucas's side. "I have something for you," Kaden says as he hands me a beautiful black box with the black family crest on it. I open it to see a gorgeous silver necklace laced with jewels I have never seen before, which are glowing from the reflection of the light. In the middle sits a beautifully shaped emerald heart stone. "I want you to wear this at all times, Sarah," Cadence says, his voice stern and commanding. He has been on edge slightly all morning. I nod, "What is this for?" I ask he takes the necklace and begins to put it on me. His face is hard and emotionless. "It's been in my family for generations," he says as he clips it on behind me, then goes to look at me. "Never remove it. Promise me," he says, staring into my eyes hard. I nod nervously. "We are leaving. Never leave my side," he demands again and we both walk towards our ride. I gulp down and stare as the men begin to get onto horses who are covered in strange armor. My nerves are running wild as this is finally happening. I'm going to another realm. I adjust in my seat to get comfortable. Then Caden comes in. His eyes are serious and I've never seen him look so lethal before. He has dominance coming off him in waves. He grabs my hand and laces our fingers together, and I look at Caden to see him watching me. "We will enter the veil through a portal deep in the forest. We will arrive there shortly." I nod nervously, feeling my mouth go dry. He sees my nervousness and relaxes. He smiles at me for the first time today, and I melt. "I love you," he breathes out. "So much," he says, and I lock our lips in a fierce kiss, shocking him for a mere second before he returns my kiss. Both showing each other our emotions without saying them. "Alpha, we have arrived at the gate," the driver says, startling me and making Caden growl quietly. We both exit the vehicle. Lex holds out his hand for me as I whisper a thank you as I take it. He nods. I can't see his face due to the mask that he is wearing. It's a black ski mask made out of a material I can't identify, possibly leather or plastic, something much thicker. They're dressed as Navy Seals. I'm very scared of them at this moment. Kaden meets me at the gate, and it's beautiful. It's a gate that has deep water on it, surrounded by vines and ivy deep in the forest. Anyone seeking this would think it was just random that it was here in the middle of nowhere. But what they wouldn't see is what I am about to witness. A pack warrior kneels in front of the gate and whispers three words into the gate lock. "Nilthu Ivail." The gate with the large words "deep water" has now disappeared and is now replaced with a glowing light blue bright light. I can faintly see a street in the light with a castle on a hill in the distance. Kaden holds my hand and we walk towards the portal. Half of his men are going first. Next is me and Caden, then the rest of the men. 40 in total, plus me and Kaden. Caden gives me a confident smile as he leads me through his world. I close my eyes and silently pray to all the gods in the world that we make it out alive. I feel a slight tingle and shift in the air as I slowly open my eyes to see that we are in a completely different place than before. We are now outside a much larger portal, as I can tell, which is the town square. It's huge and glowing with so many images inside the light that I can make out only one from where we just came from. Kaden is holding on to my hand as we walk towards the awaiting carriage on the side of the road a few steps aside from the portal. The carriage is black and gold with a red interior laced with gold lace. It's beautiful and has the royal house of grim more welded into the sides of the carriage. Horses are with us for our guards to follow in front of them and behind as four are on either side of the carriage with me and Caden inside. I look outside and the sky is no longer blue. It's a crescent orange with a hint of red. There's no sun, but I notice large objects circling the sky. "Gargoyles," Cadence's voice mutters and I jump. I squint at the sky and see that they do indeed look like giant bats with wolf legs. "This is unbelievable," I say, my voice shaking slightly. "I'm so nervous. What if those things come to eat us?" I glance at where we are heading and I see it. The castle. It looks exactly how I would imagine. It's huge for starters, overlooking the city below it with more gargoyles swarming around the top of the castle. The air is thicker in fog as we go further up the hill towards the castle. And I can't seem to stop my heart from beating out of my chest. I touch the necklace Kaden gave me and I sit back into his embrace and I feel calm, overcome by me. The carriage stops at the gate and someone knocks on Kaden's side of the carriage, making me jump out of my bones, to which Kaden notices and smiles slightly before replacing it with a hard, cold stare as he opens the door window. A tall, hideous looking creature with a similar human figure with sharp piercing red eyes and pale skin speaks in a thick accent I do not recognize. "Alpha Caden Black," this creature says, and Caden grips my hand harder as I stop staring at the beast who is now staring at me. Caden moves in front of me in his seat, blocking its view. "Yes, a problem?" he says roughly. I can't see the creature anymore, but I can only assume that it is very intimidated by my mate as its voice gets slightly quieter and has more respect in it. "Queen Liliana is expecting you, Alpha. You have permission to enter." Caden does not respond as he shuts the window and growls out lowly. "Fucking dares to stare at my mate," Caden grits quietly out, causing a nervous laugh out of me. "What was that thing?" I ask. He straightens up, his eyes hard. "A grim," he says as he rubs his forehead. Something he does when he is getting angry. I frown and kiss his hand, causing him to sigh. "They are familiar of high society in the veil. The fact she sent one to greet us." He shakes his head angrily, eyes blazing, hatred coming off in waves. "Hey, hey, stop. We need to play nice," I say softly, and he groans. "Those were your words, Alpha Black," I say teasingly, huffing and leaning back. "I'm not known to play nice. But I will for you," he says as he looks at me. I can see how much that bothered him. Deciding to keep my mouth closed about it. I gently stroke his hands in a soothing manner that he enjoys, feeling the tingling erupting from each touch. The carriage comes to a stop and it's quiet. The doors open on both sides as we release our hands and exit the carriage. Caden helps me down yet again. I smile warmly at him and he looks down tenderly at me and then bows down to me. I glance at the massive castle in front of me and I start to feel my hands sweating as I nervously try not to wipe them or my dress. I need to not mess this up. Kaden and I are immediately interrupted by what we were doing as the large iron doors open and a pale man exits to bow politely to us as Kaden and I stand in front of him. "Alpha Caden, Luna Sariah, I am here to welcome you to Castle Black." The pale man smiles and I shudder. He bows then straightens. "I am Dasmund and I am your guide," he says politely towards us. "Her Royal Highness Liliana Grin more awaits your arrival. Please follow me, Alpha Luna." We step forward hand in hand with only Lex and four more soldiers behind us on high alert. "Remember what I said," Kaden says quietly to me as we enter through the main doors. I nod and touch the necklace. "I will," I say softly as I take a deep breath. With Caden by my side and Lex behind me with our men, I will be a Luna they are proud of. As I head into the belly of the beast with the man I love.

Chapter 14.

Waiting patiently with Sariah in what I suppose is the royalty-room. I look around and nothing has changed since the first time I came here many years ago. Paintings, pointless art pieces, the same dull red curtains I want to set on fire. Along with everything in this room, I was just about to glance at my watch. Pissed off when the doors open. I stand making my mate join me and then we see her. We watch as the queen enters her royal highness Liliana grin more of the veil. It is announced and then our eyes connect. She looks the same. Pale blonde hair, dull purple eyes, pale skin. Her very being makes me want to reach over and squeeze the life from her as I watch her choke to death on her own blood. "My, my, I apologize as I am a little late," she says as she looks me dead in the eye. Then to my mate and me, we grow tense. I hold my mate's hand and we sit when Liliana sits. "You're an hour late. But who's counting?" I say sarcastically. She laughs as she claps her hands excitedly, the sound making Sariah flinch. "Oh, how I've missed you, Kaden," she says with a devilish grin. "And this beautiful creature must be her," she asks me. Before I could open my mouth, Sarah spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness," my mate says sweetly. Liliana smiles amusingly, looking in my direction. "My, a human." She looks over to Sariah quizzically. "Tell me, human Sariah, how did you meet Kaden?" she asks my mate curiously. Sariah shifts in her seat uncomfortably. "Through a friend." Liliana hums. "How amusing. Let's have tea, shall we?" she says as she looks between us with curiosity. I sigh, trying not to glare at her for constantly staring at my mate. Servants enter the room as soon as she rings a bell with a horrible sound. The room is quiet, and I can only hear the sound of my mate's heartbeat, calming the beast and my wolf, listening to the steady rhythm. "Tell me, how long has it been since your last visit, Alpha?" I mask my hatred with a smile as I clench my fists. "Not long enough," Sariah tenses beside me. "Did you know he declined all my invitations, Luna? Very rude, this alpha," she says amusingly as she sips her tea, her pinky finger raised. She sighed dramatically. "But now I do love seeing you in a suit," she says towards me with a wink. I growl as a warning. She smirks and shrugs. "Let's get to the point, shall we?" she says seriously as she looks at me coldly. "There she is. I was wondering how long you would keep up the charade." Giggling. She puts a piece of paper on the gold table in front of me and sits back. I open it and sit back, watching her amusingly as she watches my emotions with interest. "It's a treaty," she says. I crumple the piece of paper and throw it in the pot of tea. Standing up, I stand in front of Liliana, my height intimidating her. "Tell me what you really brought us here for," I demand in my alpha tone. She shrinks behind my tone and is taken aback. No other can deny the command of the true king. She knows this as does everyone else who is following her in the veil. "No," I spat out as she flinched. Guards enter the room with silver spears and I glance down at their pathetic excuse for a queen. "You are no queen," I whisper with hatred. "I wanted to play nice with you, Kaden, to avoid bloodshed," she says with no emotion and dead eyes as she stands up and stands in front of her guards. "But it seems you do not care for such luxury," she says quietly. "Such a pity, really," she sighs. "Escort them to their carriage," she says towards the guards. I growl as they step towards my mate. "Touch her and I will rip your worthless head from your body," I snarl as the men nod and stand aside. I take my mate's hand as I leave the room. I lean in to whisper in Liliana's ear. "Thanks for the tea, queen," I say deadly silent as I leave, leaving behind a red-faced Liliana whose men just ignored a command. Not even her guards respect her. That confirms my suspicion. She is not behind this tea invitation. Someone else behind the scenes wanted me to make a move. My spies were right. Information has been coming in from the veil that the palace has been quiet recently. This is more of a mess than I thought. Liliana is a pawn. It has been a week since the invitation and things have gotten quiet again in the veil. My men bring no information and no one has seen Liliana. My spies inside the castle black reported that after my departure, Liliana had simply vanished. I have increased security around the border and inside the pack until I hear something indicating I can let my guard down. But I know I can't. There is a high chance Liliana is dead or has gone into hiding. And whoever is really in charge is planning something a lot more interesting than a tea party. I did see this coming. The Grimms are cunning and vicious, not afraid to kill their own to keep a grip on the power they have gained. I sigh and turn off my car engine as I tiredly walk into my house. My mate is watching TV on low volume with Amanda and Pup Troy, Lucas's son. "Hey babe," I say as she looks at me, grinning. "Beautiful mate." "Sh. He just went to sleep," she scolds me and I smile. I watch my mate as she cradles Troy and I can't wait for the day my mate holds our pups with so much love and gentleness. The more I see her around children, the more the dominant side of me wants to take her upstairs and start a family with her. I want nothing more than to have that with her. I go into the kitchen for some coffee. My wolf has been bugging me for a run since we made it home last week from the veil. Constantly on edge and has made me and my wolf crave some free time, but both are too stubborn to leave Sariah alone. I lean against the counter with a mug in my hand as Sariah comes in and kisses me. "And them tastes like coffee," she says as she licks her lips, making my body react. "Hi," she finally says shyly. "How was your day?" she asks. I click my neck as I let out a tired sigh. "Boring. I missed my mate," I say as I grab her by the waist and bring her into my chest. She laughs and strokes my face, causing me to close my eyes. The warmth of her hand relaxes me so much it's unreal. It's like her touch is magic. "When was the last time you shifted?" she asks, and I blink my eyes open. I give her a look, and she frowns. "Honestly, are all wolf men as stubborn as you?" she says, poking my chest. "Nope, I'm worse," I say, grinning lazily. I have an idea, but I'm not sure if she'll accept it. Amanda's voice interrupts me before I can open my mouth. "Hey, Kaden. Sariah. Lucas is here, so I'm heading home now. Troy here wanted to say bye-bye to Andy Sariah and Uncle Kaden. Didn't you, sweetie?" she says amusingly as Sariah gushes over the pup. "Of course. Be safe. Bye," she says as I watch her hug Amanda and kiss the pup on the forehead with interest and I have a burning desire to see her with my pups. When I hear the door close, I get my mate's attention. "Want to come with me?" I ask. "Where?" she asks with that smile. "I love for a run," she laughs as she just stares at me, gaping. "Kaden, in case you haven't noticed, I can barely keep up with you walking. Never mind you as a wolf," she says. I shrug. "You could ride me." Her eyes widen as she thinks about it. Before she can choose, I decide for her. My wolf and I would kill two birds with one stone. As humans like to say, solve a problem with a solution. I begin to strip as my mate watches me hungrily. And I hide my grin as I flex my sore muscles, ready to shift. I turn to my mate. "Hold on to me tight, okay?" I demand and she nods nervously as she steps back. I feel my bones start to break and my body start to take shape. Seeing my mate's face scrunch up at the sound but not hide as she watches my shift. She has changed a lot since the first time, making my wolf and me proud of how brave she is becoming. I trot towards my mate, fully transformed as I lean on my front legs. I bend down so she can get onto our back. She struggles to jump on until my head goes in between her legs to lift her up and she squeals with an eek, causing my wolf to snicker at her. She holds onto my furlike res, and I begin to run at a slow pace, worried my mate might fall off and not wanting to hurt her. We are large and if she fell off, I would never forgive myself for being so reckless. But I need her close to me, especially when I'm so wound up that only my mate can help with it. I'm clingy with Sariah and I think she's noticed. She begins giggling as I pick up the pace and jump over tree logs and big rocks in the forest. I run and unleash every built-up tension from running a pack to making plans. Listening to every sound around me to the wind to the birds and insects in the forest bed to my mate's hands on me. I soak it all in to forget my day. I run with my mate until I decide to stop at a small stream in the forest. I lay on my stomach so my mate can get down from my large body safely. She starts giggling. "That was so fun," she begins to say now laughing. "I feel a little dizzy," she says as she holds on to me, steadying herself, still laughing. And I watch her with worry and amusement as I nudge her, hinting towards sitting down on the floor. She looks at me confused. "You want me to sit?" she asks, and my large wolf head nods. She does as I suggest, and she lets out a sigh and looks at me lovingly, making me and my wolf happy. "I wonder what it would feel like to be a wolf," she says drearily. "I would be out here everyday," she says with a soft laugh. I sit beside her and listen to her as she begins to stroke my chest. "So soft," she whispers, and my wolf is purring, loving her hands all over us. She was about to say something, but a noise caught my attention from a distance away. Click crunch. Someone is out here with us. I stand on high alert, hiding my mate with my body, standing over her as she sits, my fur concealing her from danger. I growl out loudly, then snarl as a warning with dominance. As I command whoever is there to show themselves as I mind Link Lex, my location, he replies instantly that he and the men are on their way. I hear the sound of dead leaves being stepped on, getting closer, and I crouch down with my back up in fight position as I try to conceal Sariah as much as I can to protect her with my large body and black fur, hiding her. "It seems we meet again, Alpha." I stare off into the distance as I see who it is. Then I snarl, my teeth vicious and threatening. "Liliana Grimmore." "I come in peace," she says, holding her shaking hands up in the air as the people around her stand beside her, scared of me, also with their hands up. Liliana swallows hard. "I have nowhere else to go. Please," she whispers as tears fall on her face, and I growl as she steps closer. My mate no longer under me. "I do not wish to harm you or your pack. Please hear me then. You shall do what you wish with me after you give me a chance to explain," she pleads with me and my men show up and are now circling around her, snarling and snapping their teeth, causing those with Liliana to cower and lower their heads submissively. Lex mind links me as he stands beside me, glaring at Liliana and her people who are now on their knees, begging for an audience with me. "What should we do with her?" Lex asks. I move back to my mate as I lean down to nudge her to get back on me. She gets on me, shaking with nerves, and I can sense how scared she is from how deadly my wolf looks right now, making me and my wolf want to kiss her sadness away for causing her fear yet again. "Blindfold them and take them to the cells. I want the bars laced with magic until I decide what to do with them," I command as I don't look back at them as I begin to head back to the house with Sarai's arms wrapping around me as she holds on, ready for me to run. It's all coming together. It was sooner than I thought, but predictable nonetheless. Whoever is orchestrating this is surely going to be pissed when he finds out his main piece has fled from the veil to deep water and into my hands. This is getting interesting. I need to move Sariah faster than I thought to someplace safe. I have to keep her safe. Everything I guessed has so far unraveled and played out. Liliana being here means one thing and one thing only. War is coming.

Chapter 15.

"Pack a bag," Caden demands as he shifts from his wolf. I stand still watching him storm up the steps, veins popping on his neck, and I have never been scared of Caden, but right now I am a little terrified of this Caden. He notices me not following, and he is tense and rubbing his forehead. "Sariah, why?" I glare at him as he looks at me now, stone-faced and terrifying me. "She shows up and you [ __ ] me off at the first sign of something you can't control," I say to him and his shoulders tense as he walks into the house, ignoring me. I followed after him, angry and annoyed at him for treating me like a child. He storms upstairs and I hear rustling and banging. I know he's packing a bag for me and I know he's fighting himself not to yell at me, which makes me cry at how much he's scaring me. Sitting on the sofa, I wipe my eyes with my thick jumper and listen to him as he storms down the stairs holding a duffel bag. He sees me crying and stays distant and cold, turning away from me. "I can't lose you,"

"Sariah," he whispers. He turns to face me as his eyes are glossy and the lines in his face make him look like he is aged by 20 years. I listen to the cars pulling up outside and I whip my head to Caden as he rubs his face and goes outside, not looking at me. I follow him, noticing a woman I've never seen before, greeting Kaden. I glance towards the house, nod, and then watch as she hugs Kaden and they walk towards the house together as I go upstairs, ignoring him. I'm not in the mood for this right now. I'm getting real tired of him making decisions for me like he owns me and then saying it helps calm him and his wolf.

I go towards the bedroom as I hear him call my name. Sariah. He yells my name, his voice angry and hard. I swallow the lump in my throat, then slam the door, locking it. I get my phone out as I hear Cadence footsteps stomping up the stairs with loud bangs, and I'm trying not to cry as I look for the number I want to ring. "Sariah, open this door now." Cadence's voice booms from behind the door as he turns the handle. I hit call and they pick up. "Hi, can you come to get me?" I cry softly into the phone. Lex's worried voice comes through. "Sariah, are you crying? What's that noise?" he asks worriedly. "Sariah, you have 5 seconds before I break this door down," Caden promises. Deadly serious. His wolf has taken over as his voice is much rougher and scarier. "I'm on my way, Sariah," Lex says and hangs up. Caden breaks the door down, breaking it in half as I stare at what he has just done. He is breathing heavily like he's just run a marathon and his eyes are glowing, piercing yellow and deadly. His claws are out and he is looking at me and my phone with a very, very pissed-off expression. "Who are you speaking to?" he asks, glaring down at my phone. I grab my phone and a coat from the closet. "I'm staying with Lex for a few days," I say, not looking at this half man, half beast in front of me, who could easily kill me in seconds. "The [ __ ] you are?" he spits out and grabs my phone from my hand and throws it against the wall angrily, smashing it into pieces and leaving a hole in the wall. "You're mine," he growls at me. "What the f you CK Caden?" I yell at him. He growls out and tries to calm his breathing as he grabs the coat from my hands and throws it on the bed. "You've lost your mind," I say to him, and he laughs. Deadpan, he looks and then he shocks me and the sound of his knees hitting the hardwood floor startles me as he kneels in front of me and puts his arms around my waist and head on my stomach as I stand there, not sure what to do, scared of angering him any further. "I'm sorry," he says quietly. I say nothing, not moving, still confused about what is happening right now. He looks up at me and my heart drops. He's crying. This is the first time I've seen him cry. He has thousands of people terrified of him and most want to kill him and he is on his knees breaking in front of me crying into my stomach. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." "Sariah, please. Please do not leave me," his broken voice says. And I feel horrible about the way I've acted. He's under stress and I'm frustrated by how much is changing so soon. It's not his fault, but I can see that sometimes by the way he looks at me. He blames himself for this. "Everything I do is to protect you," he says as I wipe his eyes free of tears. "This is not healthy for me. I I can't have another man control my life. Kaden, I know it's your way of showing me you love me, but you are treating me like I'm made of glass. It's frustrating." I sigh as I rub the crease in his forehead from his eyebrows, frowning. "I'm going to stay with Lex. I won't go with a stranger," I say, hinting towards the woman who is downstairs. He nods slowly, and I stare at this stubborn man in front of me whom I love so much in such a short time. "I'm either with you 100% Caden, trust on both ends, or I don't know how this is ever going to work," I say. And he freezes and looks at me worried. He stands up and rubs his face. His claws are gone and his eyes are back to normal. He is a lot calmer than before. The broken in half door is proof of how stupid it was of me to even bother locking the door. "I feel guilty that I did it." "Okay," he says, leaning against the wall. It's quiet until I hear a car engine start and the sound of stones as the car drives away, leaving us in silence. "I am sorry, Sariah," he whispers. He crosses the room to sit beside me and I take his hand. "There's a high chance Liliana being here means very soon someone will come for our heads," he says, and I freeze, staring at him with confusion. "Liliana is in the dungeon. She's a pawn and whoever is really behind the attacks on my life. And the invitation is not going to stop until I'm dead," he says as he takes my face in his hands and stares deeply at me. "I want to give you the world, the moon, universe, and more." He leans his forehead on mine. "I wanted to do human things with you, take you on dates, do things you enjoy, and enjoy our life together without having to worry about who wants to kill me." He smiles at me, releasing the tension that people want to kill him as I try not to cry at his words. "Fuck, baby. You make me crazy. And I am so [ __ ] in love with you that I do not listen to what you want. And I'm so sorry." I hug him. "I love you, too," I say as my tears soak his two yet again. "I'm staying with you. No more hiding me or pushing me away." I lean back to look at his gorgeous face. "We will face whatever comes together," I say. and he smiles, nodding his head as he captures my lips. We've been in bed until it got dark outside, wrapped up in Caden's strong arms, talking about everything and anything. We've discussed our past, our hopes and dreams, and even how many children or pups Kaden wants. To which his answer was, "As many as you will give me." Somehow, we ended up falling asleep in each other's arms and waking up with Kaden gripping onto me in a bear hug behind me as I have been struggling to escape to pee for the past 5 minutes. Damn, his strength is insane. He is not even nudging at all. "Kate, I need to pee," I whisper as I nudge him. Nothing. "Kaden, come on. I'm seriously going to pee on your leg," I say, seriously, nothing. Time to bring the big guns out. I grab Kaden's phone from the bedside table and begin to play his morning alarm. Something he hates and definitely wakes him up. The horrible sound got louder and louder until I'm up. He groans out annoyed as he releases his grip, making me jump out of his hold and waddle to the bathroom, sighing as I sit down, pleased with myself. "What the [ __ ] Sariah? I don't need to be awake for another hour," he groans out as he walks into the bathroom as I wash my hands, failing to hide my grin. I shrug. "I had to pee," to which he just stares at me with total shock. "You're a monster," he says as his smile grows, shaking his head as he wraps his big muscled arms around me. As I grin at his gorgeous face, "A very sexy monster," he says as he grips my ass and squeezes. My stomach growls as I smile sheepishly. and he leans his head back, laughing. "Time to feed my monster, huh?" I glare at him playfully as I leave the bathroom with him following me. Stepping over the broken door, I look back at Caden to see that he's shrugging. "No locked doors ever," he simply says with mischief swirling in his eyes and walks past me, leaving me in shock. I won't lie and say I am not super turned on by how easily he broke that door or how firm and muscled his, but looks in those pants. seated and ready to taste Cadence's delicious breakfast as we sit and stare at each other playfully. I love this side of him. I wish I could see it every day, but I know Kaden only shows this side of him to me. There is a real threat, and Caden lost it last night at the thought of me being hurt. He broke down and lost it. We can't do this unless we do it together, and it will be tough for him, being an alpha male, but I refuse to let him carry this burden alone. A good Luna and Nate will stand her ground and not take any [ __ ] not even from an alpha male. And that's exactly what I'm going to do from now on. Breakfast is served.

Chapter 16. "I need eyes on Brown and a team no one is to know. Is that understood?" I say, glancing up at Lex. "Yes, Alpha." Glancing back down at the paper in front of me with my handwritten order one last time before I sign and hand it over to my lead warrior, Lex. "Alpha BRUM order. SNC II, Alpha Caden Locust Black of Deep Water Pack. Declare the seas and capture of one Alpha Benjamin BRUM. Dead or alive. S and a Caden Locust Black." I sign the order and stamp it with my pack logo. "I want immediate report on every single movement of my operatives and tell Larsson I want to contact him," I command Lex. "Yes, Alpha." "Of course," he says, and I nod for him to leave. Going back to my work, I notice he is reluctant to move. "Yes?" I ask, glancing up at him from the stack of paperwork, tired and in no mood for chatter. "How is Sariah? I haven't heard from her since," I interrupt. "She is none of your concern right now," I snap. "What is of her concern is to deliver that we are on the verge of war. She's my mate and my concern, not yours," I say, glaring at him. He nods and bows before exiting through the double doors, closing them with a loud bang. I ask myself so many times, why couldn't Sariah be friends with anyone other than Lex? The guy is a pain in my ass, but he is undoubtedly one of my best wolves. Annoying as [ __ ] but he cares for Sariah, and she needs more like him in her life. Preferably, I prefer females. Sitting back in my chair, rubbing my eyes, I glance at the time. I've been here since 4:00 a.m. yesterday. Sariah brings me to lunch with her guards not far behind her. We sit and eat every day, and I share everything with her. She has shown me that she can handle the reality of everything happening, and that's very hard for me to grasp, but I cannot ignore that she's right. I snapped out of my thoughts when Lucas walked through the door. "She's ready for you." "Great." I make my way from my office and down to the interrogation room on ground zero underneath the pack house. I had this made the first time I came into contact with a shifter. Completely magic proof and soundproof. It's anyone's luck to escape this. Designed to only allow highranking wolves I approve of with access. Making my way to the room Liliana is currently sitting in, I open the door and peer down at her. She looks barely rested. "Good. Let's cut the crap, shall we?" Grin more. "I'm a busy guy and you are trespassing. But most importantly, why come to me now?" I ask as I lean against the wall facing her. She's chained in the middle of the room to the floor on her knees. Clothes were matted and dirty. It's been a week and I've restricted all food except water for her and her people. This makes prisoners more talkative. But of course, I have other tactics to make people talk, but I find it more effective to make them suffer before the real interrogation begins. She glared up at me wearily. "This was not necessary, Caden. I wanted to explain myself. My people do not deserve this treatment." I growl at her tone and she bows her head. "You talk when I say so. Is that clear?" I state and she nods her head in submission. "Tell me everything and I might let you live, depending on how good your story is." She gulps and nods, looking straight ahead into my eyes with her much defeated ones. "Orion," she whispers as a tear falls down her face. "Infamous covenant of dark magic. They supposedly all died in the war." I stare at her intrigued as I walk around her, slowly circling, purposely intimidating her as her body shakes. "They're all gone," she shakes her head, fear in her eyes. "Aon Grenmore. My uncle," she whispers deadly with hate and fear in her voice. "He had spies everywhere and they got me to a few months back. He forced me to obey him or he would harm my sister Lolita. 3 months ago, I was taken and tortured, but I was let go. The guards are part of it. Brah is his second. I I could not trust anyone but those people with me." She starts to sob. "Please don't hurt them. Do whatever you shall to me, but spare them. They are the only family I have left," she pleads and I stare down at her. "Tell me something, Liliana Grimmore. How did you escape?" I stopped in front of her, looking down with a stern glare. She closes her eyes momentarily and takes a deep breath. "Lolita," she whispers, her voice breaking. "We had planned to escape together, but they somehow knew of our plan. She stayed back to give us time to escape. She She did not meet us at our spot. And her shard has gone cold. She died so I could escape. So I could warn you and save the people with me. Also prisoners as I was," she says as tears fall. "The day you came to the palace was the day of our escape." I study her face and sigh. "Does not explain why Aon would want me dead," I say my voice hard. She looks at me confused. "your mate," she clarifies. "She is your claim to the throne." I growl and glare at Liliana at the mention of Sariah and grab the chains around her neck to make her look at me. "Tell me, Liliana," Ginmore. I snarl as my eyes shine bright yellow, deadly piercing into Liliana's as she cowers. "Why should I let you live?" I ask deadly seriously as my grip tightens. She stares at me more confidently, and the light that was gone in her eyes shines a little brighter. "Because you need me, I have information of wolves in your pack who are working against you. Also, information on locations where his allies reside, and there is no one alive who hates Aon more than I," she says, glaring at me. I release the heavy chains and mind link my beta. "Lucas, I want every single person who arrived with Liliana grin more questioned on Aon Grinmore." "Yes, Alpha." I closed the mind link and grabbed Liliana's neck to see the look in her eye. I thought I recognized it at the palace. Disturbed, hatred, lonely, conflicted. Fear. "Do you fear me?" I ask her. Her eyes swirl with confusion and her reply makes me smile slightly. "I do not." I nod. a sense of approval washing over me. Stepping away from her and releasing her neck, I go towards the exit to leave as I glance over my shoulder to study her one last time for today. "A pack member will come to question you for names. Then we'll escort you and your people once they pass our questions. You all shall move to a temporary location in the meantime. I hope for their sake you did not lie to me, Liliana," I say deadly, and she nods her head. "I promise on my sister Lolita's memory," she says with fear in her eyes. With that, I left the room, heading back upstairs to head home. It's currently 3:00 a.m. in the morning, and I have been working for 2 days straight on gathering information and last minute plans. I want nothing more than to sleep with my mate in a bed. Her scent and warmth are all I crave when I am away from her. Seeing her once for lunch is not enough, as my plan is about to take place. First things first, before I head home, names and locations of every trader in my pack, I mind link only those I trust. Lucas, my beta, and Emma, Larson's mate. Larson is my lead intellassin. I wanted to initially put Sariah in her care, but apparently my mate has me wrapped around her small, delicate finger. I wait for the names from a warrior who is interrogating Liliana on the names and whereabouts of these so-called traitors and give orders to Lex to be in charge of overseeing the rounding up of them. This is going to be a long morning and day for me as the first step in any war is to establish your standing and I do not stand for traitors who dare sleep soundly in the land I hold authority over. "Caden, we have the traitors. 23 died fighting and we captured the rest. 10 remains. What are your orders?" Lucas says through mind link. "I want to stare into the eyes of those who dare betray me and the pack as I send them to their afterlife of misery. On my way, inform Cole and have him there," I demand that they close the link. Cole will hear their last words to the moon goddess, begging for forgiveness before I lay out the punishment fit for the crime. Cole is our speaker and preacher. If these traitors have any last words, they will say them to Cole, the oldest wolf in my pack. As I approach the field of traders, I fix my gaze on each face, imprinting it into my memory and soul. What I am about to do will drive me to push harder, protecting and defending my people. I stand in front of the kneeling traitors as their eyes glow red as they look at me, fear and begging for a quick death with their eyes. I nod to Cole to begin. "I Cole of Deep Water, speaker of the moon goddess, shall now hear any final words before judgment in the law of our kind is judged upon you," he pleads to those kneeling. As silence drags on and no one speaks, I wait until 10 minutes pass. "Time is up." I stare glaringly down at the traitors beneath me, some of whom sob silently and some do not move. "I do not forgive you as easily as the moon goddess." I close my eyes as I calm my beast. "I am not the enemy, but today you are mine. As the alpha, it is my duty to give the punishment of the highest count, treason, and conspiracy to commit acts of violence to your pack and alpha. Let this be known to your conspirators that I will do what I must to protect my people always until the day I die. I promise." I step back as I hear the breaking and snapping of my bones as I shift into my wolf, hearing nothing for miles, but the cracking of my bones and the silent prayer and sobbing of those who are about to meet their end. Snapping my teeth viciously and circling the men and women, no longer pack members, but enemies, I do not think twice before I send them to their deaths. A single swipe and bite to the jugular. Painful but quick means of death. It takes all but a minute of torturous pain and longing before death finally grants their wish. I watch as life fades from their eyes, feeling their connection to the pack break like a leaf falling from a tree. A sensation I can never get used to and don't want to. This is the life of a pack. Those who show compassion for traders and lawb breakakers do not live long as alphas. The laws are sacred and passed down since the beginning and I respect them as do the alphas before me. I haul into the cold silent night as blood soaks the grass and the smell of death lingers in the air. I make a promise to my people to display my unbreakable dominance of leadership to show the others hearing this that I will never conceive, never submit and never forgive. I give a silent thought to the moon goddess. Then I turn and head towards home in my wolf form. My linking the wolves with me to bury the traitors in unmarked graves. Traitors do not get to rest peacefully. Unmarked graves are the highest dishonor our kind takes seriously. Unmarked is a never-ending hell for the spirit of your soul and a wolf to forever roam alone in the afterlife without a pack completely alone never finding peace. I cannot allow my enemies to see weakness. It could be hours, days, or months before Orion and Aon show their face. And when they do, the war for the veil will begin.

Chapter 17. "Today is the day that everyone in the supernatural world will remember as the day the world changed. Kadan had been a true leader when it came to protecting his pack family and me. Neighboring packs and packs from around the world had heard what had happened in the veil. The news spread like fire and everyone knew what was happening and who was in control. It wasn't Liliana Grinmore, but a not so new player. The pack has never been so tense yet lively, filled with packs and alphas. The testosterone in here right now is very uncomfortable. I hope they get him," Amanda snars from beside me. I sigh. "Me too. Lucas has not slept in weeks with all these packs and authority council members from the veil taking camp in deep water. It's like war is inevitable," Amanda says and I feel sick. I excuse myself and run for the bathroom. Shutting the door, I kneel and empty my stomach into the toilet. "Holy [ __ ] Sariah. Are you okay?" Amanda says, knocking on the door worried. "Yeah," I say before I throw up again more heavily. "I'm going to mind link Caden dash and Oo," I say quickly. "Please, it's just stress," I say as I sit against the wall on the floor and catch my breath. "Please, I beg." "Sariah, I can't. He is my alpha and I am looking after you." Dash, I tense on the floor. "You already called him?" I ask bewildered. "He is too busy for this. Amanda, I say glaring at the door. You have been throwing up for a week. I am starting to worry. You should have told him a week ago, Sariah," she says, and I groan. I have felt like [ __ ] for weeks, but only recently started throwing up. The pit in my stomach churns at what I already know. I'm pregnant. I found out a week ago, but I haven't told Kaden yet. He's too busy running multiple packs and training wolves for an unstoppable war, barely sleeping and managing everything. I definitely did not want to worry him when he has so much going on to protect me and his people from being slaughtered. Everyone has basically put their lives in his hands and that pressure alone makes me terrified for him. I could not do what he is doing with ease. He's on his way. "Sariah, you should talk to him. I will be back tonight," Amanda whispers against the door. I study my heartbeat and the urge to throw up at knowing Kaden is on his way and I will have to tell him. Oh [ __ ] Why am I so nervous about him knowing? Oh yeah, because of what is going on in the world right now. Backslash. A part of me is terrified. The other is excited to have a life growing inside me. A part of me and Caden. Not too long later, I am splashing my face with water and unlocking the door. I hear Cadence's voice before I see him. "Sariah." His concerned voice echoes from downstairs. I sigh. "Up here," I yell back and I hear his heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. And then I see him. He still makes my palm sweat and mouth water, but he is clearly visibly tense and tired. "Hey, are you okay? I hurried here. Amanda said you were sick," he says, frowning as he puts his large hand on my forehead. "You're warm." His frown deepens. My stomach churns and I feel sick again. "Can we sit?" I ask nervously. He stares at me concerned and nods. I walk downstairs and sit on the sofa in the living room and he sits beside me. "I'm not sick," I blurt out. He visibly relaxes and I feel my heartbeat quicken. "I'm pregnant." His facial expressions change to relaxation, confusion, and then to surprise. He blinks and stares at my stomach, bewildered. "Pregnant," he says sincerely, and I nod. His large hand touches my belly, and he closes his eyes and exhales. His eyes are glowing, his stunning alpha yellow when he opens them again, and my nerves are jumpy. "Fuck, babe. This is the best thing to ever happen to me," he says excitedly. He stands up and pulls me up with him as he wraps his large muscular arms around me protectively. "You're having our pup," he says with a goofy, wide grin as he puts his hands on either side of my face. "I love you so much, little mate," he states as he stares into my eyes with a big grin. I begin to feel my nerves go as I smile and laugh with him. "I love you, too." as my eyes begin to water. "Don't cry, baby. A part of us now grows inside you," he says gently as he kisses my forehead. He looks beyond happy, which only makes me happier to see him like this other than stressed. There's a knock on the door that startles me and makes Caden growl. "Who is it?" Cadence says as his eyes glare at the door, and his hold on me tightens slightly as he stands in front of me, as if in a sign of protection. "Alpha, it's Larsson." "Larsson." Caden tenses as he squeezes my hand, then goes to answer the door. He blocks the view of the wolfman, Larsson, and they begin to talk in a hushed tone. I began to feel uneasy as Cadence's back tensed and his voice began to become louder. It's scary seeing him switch moods this fast, but I know it's because he is an alpha, but not just any alpha, one with royal blood. It scares me to know he has this much power and authority in his tone, and he can command at will. The paranormal world is simply out of this world. "Sariah." Caden's voice brings me back from my thoughts as I look up to see him smiling down at me lovingly. "Sorry." "Yes," I say sheepishly. He rubs his temple and then turns to nod towards the man Larsson. "This is Larsson. He and his mate Emma will be staying here in the guest wing." "It's a pleasure to meet you, Luna," Lson says politely to me as he bows before me. I nod shily, still not used to the title. "Nice to meet you. Call me Sia," I say as I put my hand out to shake. He stares at my hand, confused, and Caden laughs. "Babe, no wolf would dare touch you," he says amusingly with a possessive glint in his eyes. I feel my face getting hotter. "Oh, did I insult you?" "I'm so sorry." I shudder. Larson's eyes go wide as he shakes his head. "Of course not, Luna. It's very rude to touch a mated female, even more so a Luna who is with pups." I look at Kaden, horrified, confused about how he knew. Cadence smirks and shrugs. "Your scent changes when carrying Babe. Soon everyone will know," he says with pride. "Oh," I mutter out embarrassed that he can literally smell me and others can. Caden brings me into his wide arms and kisses my forehead, then whispers in my ear. "Mine," which causes my whole body to get tingling. "The Luna and I have something to discuss. Inform Lucas that stage one is operational," Cadence says with authority towards Larsson. "What is stage one?" I look at Caden to see him giving nothing away as he does not look at me but at Larsson. "Yes, Alpha." "That is all he says before he is gone in the blink of an eye. I blink my eyes and look around bewildered by how fast he went. "Holy crap. Did he teleport or just go invisible?" When I think I know everything, something else surprises me and then I realize I don't know a single thing. "He is a trained shadow," Cadence says as he smiles at my shocked expression. His expression turns serious as he looks at my face. The wrinkles are beginning to form and I know what he says next is not going to be good. It never is when he gets that face. "Sariah, things are going to get dangerous. I know you are a strong woman and I respect and admire that about you so much. It's something I would never change," he says softly as he moves the hair from my face to behind my ear. "What's wrong? Why are you telling me this?" I ask him. "This war is going to affect not only my kind but yours. Do you understand what I'm saying?" he asks me, "What does that mean?" "What? But isn't this between the veil and Dash?" Caden interrupts me. "No," his voice is hard and cold. "Your leaders know of our kind, but not the veil. Not many know, but they have no way to protect themselves for what is about to come." He places his large hand on my belly. "Millions will die, Sariah. I fight not only for my kind, but for yours. I know I have kept some hidden from you, but it's time for me to tell you about stage one," he says as he goes into a folder that was inside his jacket and hands it to me. It's in English. I nod and grab the file with shaky hands. "Stage one classified." I stare at the big bold words and begin to get nervous. What the hell is going on? I thought this war was just a small thing. But now the whole damn world is a part of this. How dangerous are Aon Grimmore and Orion? The world is going to change. "Sariah, I am sorry that you and your kind are a part of this now. There is no running from this threat. My kind has prepared for this since the downfall of Axel Black and the overthrow of power in the veil," Cadence says as he turns the page and I suck in a breath at what I see. "Alpha Caden Locust Black of Deep Water Pack, recognized as the true king of the veil, hereby declared ruler. 10 days from now, we will join our alliance for the fight of our kind and yours to defeat this dangerous enemy which threatens our existence and the survival of the human race. Treaty effective immediately worldwide." It has every single leader of every single country's signature at the bottom in their handwriting and their own words. Photos of Kaden signing what seems to be proof of this with the president, kings, and queens of my world. Kaden is now the ruler. And [ __ ] just got real. Kadan is now the most important and powerful man to walk this earth. Having not only a supernatural forces, but also the human race that has put him in charge. In 10 days, the world is going to change forever. "Kaden, this is Does this mean, Dash, I am now king and ruler?" "You are my queen and we are at war." Kaden's eyes are a blinding yellow and I know it's his wolf. "Tomorrow, your former leaders will be in our territory and under my command." Caden stands and holds his hand out for me to grab. Caden holds my hands while staring intensely into my eyes as if he can see through me. "You are my life, Sariah, and I swear on the moon goddess, I will keep you and our pup safe. On my life, nothing will ever harm you. The rule of humans is no more. The time of werewolf is now, and this time it's staying that way. I swore on this day to protect and serve as the king." His blazing eyes and confidence in his words leave no question that he, Caden Locust Black, is now in charge and that a war is coming. The world that I know is no more and my life and his are going to change forever. The rule of humans is no more.

Chapter 18. Bodies. Blood. Exhaustion. It has been exactly 4 days since I found out my maid is pregnant. Exactly 4 days after I was made king of my kind and the human realm. Since then, a lot has changed. Human leaders joined forces with my kind, wolf, fay, vampire, and others who chose to stand up and fight back with me as their leader. At first, it was hard. Humans did not trust easily, and neither did my kind. Since human weapons did not work on our kind, they practically knelt before me and begged us to save them. Typical humans acted big when they had no clue what lurked in their shadows. And now they do. The weapons they had for protection are completely and utterly useless and will not work in the war. Fay uses swords laced with magic and poison. Many of our kind rely on those for protection when all we need to do is transform and use our iron skin, sharp teeth, and claws to defend our pack. But that's not all. I train my wolves the same way Locust Black did in the old times. We can shift and switch to hand-to-hand combat within a second of reshifting. Something that takes years to master, but I require nothing but the strongest of my kind. Maybe I knew this would happen. Or that I was just too stubborn and refused for our kind to perish and bow down to people like Aon Grimmore and Orion. I refuse to submit to such evil. I have so much to live for and to protect that it is all that drives me to do what I have to do to protect. Protect Sariah and our pup, our pack, my family's reputation. After fighting a sudden ambush deep in the forest where one of our camps was set up as a lookout post, I look around and see that this is only the beginning. And still so much death. I was used to it, but some were not. Humans proved their worth with our equipment and gained our trust. Vamps, Fay, and Wolves are now working together with the same goal in mind. "Alpha, we counted 982 dead. A few missing and a few dozen captives dash." "We leave none alive," I snarl out, peering down at the warrior who nods his head. "Yes, Alpha." The moment I begin to spare lives is the moment I lose. History would repeat itself, and all would fall. I must stay strong for my mate and my pack. The people in the human world and the veil are now looking to me to protect them as their king. As much as I wanted to stop all the bloodshed for my mate after finding her, I simply could not back down and watch this happen. I have to do the hard things so my kind has a future. I bent down over the dead body of a pack member and close his eyelids. His death will not be in vain. They will pay for this that I swear on the moon goddess. I will find him and make sure he answers for his actions. Aon, I will find you. If it's the last thing I do, the dead will get their revenge through me. "Alpha, the world has come to a war zone. Already captured and many dead. We need to be on the move now. We have the upper hand," General Pike says as he slams his palm on the war table. I growl in warning at his tone. "We will have the upper hand when I get word on Brown," I snarl out, fed up with this conversation. Brahm is the leading general for Aon. "You humans have seemed to forget what we are fighting against. Or would you like a reminder?" I say as I throw a headless Orion clan followers head across the table. Pale deathly creatures abuse dark magic until it consumed them and their bodies, minds, and souls. Eyes pitch black and haunting, teeth dark and sharp. They are the most ruthless, deathly creatures to be known in my world, and definitely should not be overlooked or ignored. They waited in the darkness for centuries for this time to come. We can't afford to play games, General, unless you want this to be your head on my table next," I glare at him as he pales and his Adam's apple gulps. He shakes his head slowly. "No, Alpha, of course not," he says as he stares at the bead in horror. The rest of the room turns silent. I stand at my full height and glare down at those before me. "Time will come, General. Get your teams ready and prepare for the gate. Make no mistake, you will get your revenge for today and the days to come. Leave. Spend what little time you have left with your families. In approximately 30 hours, we leave for the gate." With that, everyone leaves the room. Alphas, generals, and ex-world leaders are all under the same roof. I sense the fear in the room, and it is increased by the smell of burning bodies from the dead outside. Revenge has to be strategic and planned. Many of these men and women have not gone up against such forces before, so most lost their minds or simply became empty shells, craving for revenge, acting on impulse. Commanding such humans is exhausting. But I could not have done it without my mate. She has stopped me from killing them more than once. I have no patience for disobedience when it comes to this. I am good at this. War is all I know, and I am not putting the life of my unborn pup and mate along with my pack in danger for selfish reasons such as emotional compromise. "Caden." I hear my sweetmates's voice as she knocks on the door and slowly peaks her head through. I stand up, make my way to her angelic presence, in desperate need of her scent and body on mine. I close the door behind her with force and lock it. "Kaden, what are yo?" "Dash." I lift my mate and hold her against the door. "I need you," I interrupt her. I kiss her passionately, overwhelmed with a need I cannot ignore. We are consumed by the urgency and connection we share. My need for her is undeniable. I slowly remove my clothing and pull her close, feeling the depth of our bond in every touch. "Mine," I whisper, a protective growl rising from deep within. She responds, matching my intensity as we embrace. Afterwards, we rest together. I pull her close and press a soft kiss to her forehead, feeling a sense of fulfillment. I get dressed as I mind link for spare clothes for Sariah, knowing I need to prepare for what's ahead. "What are you thinking about?" Her voice breaks my focus. I smile softly, "how I wish I could always keep you close." She laughs softly and I can't help but be swept up in her joy. "You're insatiable." I stop what I'm doing, leaning over to give her a playful look. The connection between us is more than I could have ever imagined. "Prepare yourself, mate. There's much more ahead." I smile at her, knowing the journey we have ahead will only strengthen the bond we share. Only 29 hours to go.

Chapter 19. "No, no more. I'm serious. I can't even move," I whine out. Kaden laughs as he lies beside me on his side, smirking down at me. "I just can't get enough of my beautiful mate." He shrugs as his yellow eyes look at my body. I snort. "I feel like a wet puddle." He looks smug as he smiles at me. "A wet puddle I want to devour." I feel the feeling in my shaking legs come back and my breathing has begun to normalize. Thank God. I've been struggling with his stamina ever since last night when I realized he was wound up tight due to our involvement in a worldwide war with beings beyond my imagination. I don't know if he is letting off steam or if he hates me at this point. I won't lie, being with him is intense and magical. Every single thing he does sets my skin on fire and my toes curl with pleasure. There's a knock at the door, interrupting Caden as he starts rubbing my sore body. He growls out annoyed. Switching his mood from carefree to I will kill you. "What?" he yells out angrily. "Alpha Kinga, we have a problem." A muffled voice behind the door says. A rumble from Kaden's throat vibrates as he grunts. He grabs a pair of boxers and goes to open the door. I get out of bed, grab a towel, and make my way to the bathroom to get dressed. "What is it?" Kaden asks, annoyed in his harsh alpha tone at the pack warrior at the door. "Liliana grin more is dead alpha king. She dash." He doesn't get to finish his sentence as I hear a large thud, startling me as I rush to see what caused it. Kaden has the pack warrior by the neck against the wall as his eyes are fierce and deadly. "How did this happen?" he barks out at the man. "Kaden." I gasp in horror as the pack member begins to turn pale as Kaden's large hand chokes him. Caden drops the man as he hears me. He looks menacingly deadly right now. His muscles are tense and his wolf claws are out sharp and ready to kill. I rush to the man's side as he struggles to breathe and Caden begins to get ready, grabbing the nearest clothes as he rushes to get ready. "Oh my god. Are you okay, Kaden? Why did you do that?" I panic as I look at how much he did not care about his pack member. It terrifies me when he is like this, cold and distant. All bite and no bark. He grips his hair as he takes a deep breath. A look of guilt sweeps his face for a second, then it's gone. "I need to go. Do not leave this room. Promise me, Sariah," he demands as he tries to comfort me. I look at him in utter shock. Before I could open my mouth, he glared at the man near me, whom he had almost choked to death. "Protect your queen. She is to not leave under my command," he says in his alpha command, and the man croakkes out, "A yes, Alpha King." He kisses my head. "I love you," he says lovingly. "I'll be back soon. I promise." I stand there gobsmacked as he leaves the room in a rush. And like that, he is gone. I'm left in a room with a man who looks completely terrified and I have no idea what to say. What the heck? There's a silence before I realize I'm only half-dressed and I have no idea who this man is. But we both now share a traumatizing moment. I go into the bathroom and quickly put my hair into a ponytail and grab the first aid kit to treat his wound. Rushing around, I grab everything I can think of. Alcohol and a washcloth. Um, I head back into the bedroom and I take a good look at the man in front of me. He is young, maybe the same age as me. He is so young and he almost died delivering a message to his alpha, my mate. I sit next to him and begin to treat his neck. "I'm so sorry," I whispered as he flinched as the cotton pad of alcohol touched his skin. "Sorry," I say embarrassed. He shakes his head slightly amused. "Um, this is not necessary, my queen," he says. His voice is clearer now. I raised an eyebrow as I was about to speak and ask why his purple and blue marked neck with the fingerprints of my mate began to disappear. "Oh, I forgot." He stands up and shrugs. "We heal faster than humans alpha queen," he says, I grimace at the title. "Please don't call me that. Call me Sariah." He looks uncomfortable. "What's your name? Does he do that often, by the way?" I ask with a frown as I begin to tidy the room. I hate messes and right now it's too messy for my liking. "Jonas Miller, Alpha Queen, and uh he has never done that before. The news was not good. It was my fault." He shrugs and leans against the wall, uninterested in this conversation. I froze in what I was doing. "How can you say that?" I say, my voice slightly rising. "When he gets back, I'm going to choke him," I mutter quietly with a promise. Jonas laughs and gets a twinkle in his eye as he looks at me. "You are the only one who he would allow to choke him, Alpha Queen. Anyone else would die in the attempt," he says, amused. I snort to hide my smile. I sit down and recall what he said that set Kaden off in the first place. "How did she die?" I ask. He stares at me for a moment, reads my face, then sigh. "She killed herself, Alpha Queen, with a knife she had disguised as a hair clip." I take what he says all in, and it makes me angry. Why?

Why would she kill herself? It makes no sense. Did any of her people see her do it? I ask. I begin to look for my shoes.

"Yes, Alpha Queen. They all know why, but would not tell. They will only tell you," he says, and I halt in my step.

"Me? What do you mean they will only tell me?" I am confused. I had only spoken to Liliana for a short amount of time. The first time I met her, she treated me weirdly, sure, but she only did it to get under Caden's skin. It makes zero sense that her people would only tell me why and not Caden.

Jonas doesn't say anything else after that. He left the room and stood outside the bedroom door as a guard. I want to make sure I don't leave now that I have this newfound information. If he knew this, then Caden no doubt has learned of this and he is not getting me involved.

Hours passed and I was too stressed from overthinking why Liliana would do this and why she would only want me to know. This drove me to bed where I fell asleep for what felt like an eternity. I wake up from the sound of the bedroom door closing and it startles me awake. I look around and see Kaden's back as he begins to take his jacket off, displaying his large, toned, muscled arms in his tight black t-shirt.

"You're back," I say sleepily as I begin to sit up. It's dark outside and I have no idea what time it is, probably late from how quiet it is and how quiet he was trying to be. But with me on edge and being a light sleeper, I wake easily. Kaden undresses down to his boxers and climbs into bed. He looks exhausted.

"I'm sorry for waking you, mate," he says with a frown as he kisses me on the forehead. "Fuck, I missed you," he says with a tired groan as he smells the air. I grab his hand and rub comforting circles around his palm, which he loves.

"Tell me what happened," Sariah dash. I interrupt him with a warning glare, which he looks taken back by. He huffs, then leans back against the headboard.

"Liliana killed herself," he says with an annoyed growl. "Left a note on the wall for me, and she left her people with a message for you," he says through gritted teeth.

I freeze in my actions. "What was the message?" I ask nervously as I look at Kaden, who looks dead mad.

"She wrote 'free' in blood on the wall." He pauses as I gasp, covering my mouth in shock. "Her people watched her do it. Her last message and words were for you."

I wait for him to speak, but when he doesn't, I see he is deep in thought. I curl up into his side, which he welcomes, and he puts his large arm around me proactively.

"I can't lose you, Sariah," he says, barely a whisper.

I hug him. "You won't." I reassure him.

"Tell me what she said," I ask quietly.

He sighs heavily as his hold on me slightly tightens. "What do all love more than life? Hate more than death or mortal strife that which contented men desire. The poor have. The rich require. The miser spends. The spendthrift saves. And all carry to their graves." He says slowly.

"Is that a riddle?" I ask. "How weird for her to use that specific riddle. I have not heard that since."

He nods. "Even in death, she annoys me," he grunts out. "The answer is nothing."

I feel my face run cold as I feel a shiver go through my entire body. That is the second time I have heard that riddle. I can't remember when or from whom, but the thought of those words makes me feel uneasy. I feel a tug as I snap out of my daze to see Kaden's worried face in front of me calling my name.

"Where did you go, love?" he says worryingly as he looks into my eyes as if for answers.

"I think about it hard and nothing comes. I I have heard that before. I just don't know where from. I swear it's familiar," I mumble out.

Kaden's large protective instinct kicks in and he covers my body with his as he pushes me down onto the bed, hovering above me. There's a wrinkle forming in his forehead as if what he says next is unbelievable to him.

"So have I."

"What? From who?" I finally ask. He closes his eyes and his muscles tense above me. I can see he is on edge and trying not to let any emotion slip, but I can read him. Whoever has said this is causing his protective instincts to take over. He opens his eyes and they are now glowing bright yellow. His wolf Dex is here with us.

"The moon goddess came to me in a dream before I had found you. It was nonsense to me as it is to everyone, but not anymore. It is a warning to us. Nothing is nothing and nothing doesn't always mean nothing," he says and I look at him confused. It sounds like drunk rambling.

"I know what you're thinking," he smirks down at me. I shrugged, exhausted and tired. He lies beside me and pulls me to his chest as we both let out a satisfying sigh.

"Nothing will ever happen to you. It was not a threat. She watches over you, Sariah. That was her message for you," he says sleepily as he drifts off to sleep slowly. "The riddle is nonsense. The answer is the answer," he says before he finally falls asleep and I feel him completely relax beside me.

Why would Liliana's last breath be nothing? And why would the moon goddess want me to know nothing? And why can't I remember her saying those words to me? I feel like there is more I am missing, but I can't remember. As I fade slowly to sleep with Caden and shut my eyes, I let sleep take me and I had one of the greatest nights sleep in a while. One with a dream I lost but never forgot.

Chapter 20

50,000 humans and over 20,000 wolves reported deaths had just been announced. More unaccountable, not just wolves and humans, other species, too have lost their lives due to the savagery of Orion. The world I've grown so attached to with the humans is in chaos and everyone looks to me to do something. I'm currently doing just that. Snapping the last neck of the thin dark creature whom I saved for last so he could witness the death of his fellow Orion followers' deaths. I watch as his lifeless dark orbs dull. I release the disgusting from my wolf's hold and leave the body with the rest.

"Kaden, today is a good day for us. Only five of our troops lost their lives today," Lucas says as he stands beside me. I nod as I take in his appearance. He looks exactly like me. Adrenaline consuming us. The thrill of the kill is our nature, and for true wolves, it drives us to go further. Lucas would make a fine alpha after all this is over. I look forward to the day he leads his own pack.

"Good work today," I say to him as he looks at me with a shocked expression.

"You feeling all right?" "You never complimented me before," he says with a grin and puffed out chest.

"Yeah, I have not." Until I met Sariah, I was distracted, even from Lucas, who has become a very good friend, possibly the only one I could speak openly to. Rolling my eyes, "Piss off."

I look over to the north, and my army is stationed throughout the hills, and I have never seen such a sight. Currently, I have 50,000 with me, many stationed throughout the world, all having a direct line with commands from me, and a few I have trusted to command on what to do and when.

"Word came that Aon is firmly pissed at you," Lucas says with amusement, to which I snort. "I'm sure Aon is. We have killed a lot more of his than he has of ours. It is only a matter of time until our paths cross and I bury him in the [ __ ] ground in an unmarked grave. I will take my sweet time breaking him until his inescapable death."

"When did you hear from Larsson?" I ask as we walk through the camp as everyone packs to leave the arena and go on to the next.

"An hour ago. He's in the veil, Caden. Aon is right where we want him."

I nod. "Yes, he is right where I want him to be. I could end this war tomorrow, but I can't. At least not yet. I want the location of that rat by the end of the week." I leave no room for. But as I turn and leave, today has been adequate to say the least. I would be more pleased to have Braum's lifeless corpse beneath me. But soon, soon I will have him. He can run, but he knows I will find him. And when I do, I would not be surprised when he kills himself. He has slaughtered families of all races in his path. My group and I are hot on his trail. But the slimy cockroach escapes each time. Many of those with me want him more than Aon. As much as Aon is a problem, Brahm is the real brain behind this takeover. Without him, Orion has no leader. They will go back to the darkness from which they came. Then I will find them all and rid this world of their dark magic.

Sariah can see how much the demon side of me comes out with the mention of his name. My beautiful, kind, and caring mate still sees so much good in a beast such as myself. I know she's upset with me over the pup I had by the throat, and I may have let my own and Dex's possessiveness get out of hand. But the feeling of other wolves looking at our mate sends a deadly thought through my wolf and me. And we see red. She's our mate. It has been 3 days since I've held my mate. My mate who is carrying our pup. I did not think this would happen to me. I had given up long ago. But now I have a chance at a future with my mate and pup. I will do the unspeakable to protect them. Even if it costs me my soul. I would do anything to keep them safe. The days are short and the nights are long. I can't remember the last time I slept. Oh yeah, 5 days now. With my tiny mate wrapped in my arms. Haunting visions of black eyes staring back at me as if they can see right inside me. It makes me even more pissed off each time I hunt and kill Aon's followers. The blood on my hands grows in days, and the effect of war is heavy on my warriors. My wolf's fur is sticky with dark crimson blood, and my paws are filthy pieces of flesh beneath me as I swallow hard and bite into the neck of a fay who had tried to run after I witnessed him killing a member of a neighboring pack. Today is the last day in these parts as we head back to the gate. Word has reached me that Orion followers are on the run back to base. Larsson has an insider who is feeding us intel. I cannot trust that intel completely, but I mustn't ignore it. Aon is going to surrender his life. Brown is nowhere to be found and the news does not sit well with me.

"What are you thinking about?" Lucas asks beside me as he walks beside me as I lead the group back home.

"Brown." Lucas hums. "Me too. Wherever he is. He will not go down without a fight. He is a coward, but I never underestimate his ability to show teeth." I snort then shrug. I glance at General Marcus Nooxenberg as he listens quietly beside me. For a human, I have come to trust his leadership.

"The [ __ ] spineless mut will soon feel my pistol down his throat," Marcus spits out as he grips his side weapon. I snort as Lucas cracks up in laughter.

"What can such a tiny thing do? Don't you humans carry anything bigger?" Lucas asks, amused. Marcus gives Lucas a look of disgust.

"It might look small, but it gives a kick." Lucas laughs out even more as I just sigh at his childish behavior while I hide my amusement in a skull.

"Enough," I bark out. "We are close to the border. Shift," I command through mind link to all wolves. "You know the drill. Stay the [ __ ] out of my way and keep your eyes on the lookout." I say to Marcus as he nods and eyes his men. Humans are particularly vulnerable to Orion creatures at night as dark magic is most effective in the darkness, leaving us open to attacks. I command a shift to protect the rest of our group, our supplies, and the injured. I command my scouts to spread as we reach the point. We call it moon crossing because of how bright the moon looks in this area. As each wolf shifted one by one, I watched them run in both directions into the forest trees, sensing the fear of some humans. Shifting into my much larger wolf, I growled towards my group as I stand on my four legs tall, intimidating, and deadly. Yes, they fear me, but trust me, that is enough for now. With each passing minute, we make our way through the moon crossing with no problems other than some sightings of humans who are looking for shelter. They join us as they follow me back to Deep Water.

"I miss mate," Dex whines as we get closer to Deep Water's border. "I miss her, too. I miss the smell of her scent, the small bump in her stomach, the way a hint of pink goes to her cheeks when she gets mad at me for something. I even miss her constantly moving in bed as we sleep. How I crave a [ __ ] bed that is not a folded one made for a human man's body."

"Alpha Lson is up ahead waiting at the gate. You are not going to believe this," a pack scout says through mind link. I don't reply as I take off in my wolf form, leaving the group with my beta. I make a quick run for the gates of deep water. What could it be now? I just want to [ __ ] see my mate and sleep. With the steel gates of deep water in my sight, I see the figures of the guards out front as I make my way towards them. They open the gate and bow to me as I ignore them and run straight to the pack grounds. Deep water has changed in the past month. The grounds are taken by my army and it is definitely more lively than it was before. Shifting back to my human form, I grab a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt as I make my way into the pack house.

"What the [ __ ] is going on?" Generals, leaders, and my maid are here. Everyone who is important is in this room, but I only focus on the image of the hunched over Fay who has weapons and snarling wolves surrounding him.

"Aon Grenmore, Alpha King. He arrived here not more than 10 minutes ago alone," Desmond says as he boasts to me. Desmond makes himself useful and steps aside before I shove him out of my way. I stand in front of Aon who looks terrified for his life as I glare down at him. My vision red and I know Dex, my wolf, wants to shred him apart if not for the intoxicating smell of my mate.

"I came here to talk truce," Aon's measly voice says to me as he looks up at me in fear.

I raise a brow. "Truce?" I say quietly. I glance at my mate and she looks at me in fear for what I am thinking of doing right now. I hold my hand out for my mate, which she gladly takes, her touch instantly calming my thoughts of ripping him apart. I hold my mate to my side as I glare at the pathetic excuse of a faye.

"I have won. There is no truce," I grin more. "You sealed your fate when you murdered thousands upon thousands of innocent lives for your own greed," I snarl out as my voice gets louder. He shakes as my voice booms around the room. I go to turn and leave with my mate before he goes out.

"W8. No, I have Braum," he screams as he begs. "My family's life for Braum. Please, I do not want any more bloodshed. Brah has made this go too far. I only wanted the crown. He please have mercy," he cries out.

I pause and then kiss my maid on the forehead. Her eyes tell me to listen to be calm that she is here. I kiss my maid on the lips. "I will see you in a minute," I whisper against her lips as she nods slowly, glancing at Aon as he cries and begs for my mercy. She swallows hard and nods her head as a guard and Lucas escort her to the room, leaving me with the rest of the others in the room.

"I say we just get it over with and kill them all," a leader from the north spits out in hatred. "Filthy inhuman creature."

"Another person in the crowd yells, 'Enough. Leave us.'" I fiercely growl out at the room as they become silent and begin to leave. I do not watch them leave as I kneel in front of Aon's pathetic body which is kneeling on the ground, shackles on his arms and legs.

"Today I watched a mother hold her child as she was burned to death by dark magic. She tried to shield her child from death," I say glaring at his face stained with tears. "Brahm knows he cannot escape me as do you so do share why I should give you mercy when you offered none to that mother and child." His eyes widen as he gulps down hard as I stand back up. I rip the locks that hold him down off and I grab hold of his neck as I walk him outside the pack house. A crowd has formed and they all call for his death for justice for loved ones he murdered. "Murderer, how could you? Burn son of the devil. Kill him. Kill him." The crowds get louder as I drag him through the crowd as he tries to make himself smaller, but it's impossible. He cannot escape what I have in store for him. Everyone in deep water now knows where I am going as I drag Aon up to the stage. On stage stand Cole, Lucas, and Marcus. I shove Aon to the floor as pack warriors tie him to the ground on the stage. A sort of house black is passed to me. As the crowd becomes silent, I step behind Aon as he shakes with dread. And by now he knows begging is useless. His crimes are not to be forgiven by anyone here or anywhere else.

"You are to die by beheading for your crimes of terror," I start addressing him. "Do you have any final words before I send you to your maker?" I say as I glare at the man before me. His family once aligned with mine, sworn to protect and serve the crown, only to soil and disgrace it. The years of terror from the Grimmore family will come to an end tonight.

"And no, I do not," Aon's weak, shaky voice calls out. I peer down at the man before me, and I take a deep breath as I look at the faces of my people. One of mixed emotions, dread, sorrow, loss, mourning, happiness. I lean down. "Brahm will be with you soon," I whisper in his ear. I stand up as I grip my sword and get into position. With a swift swing of my arm, the sound of his bone in his neck connecting with my sword can be the only sound heard for a mile. The crowd is silent and my heart is beating from the sound of the crack of his bone and the sound of his head falling from his body. I look up at the full moon and I drop my sword. My wolf takes over and we begin to howl to the moon. We howl for our lost family members who gave their all to protect their pack. I howl for the innocent and most importantly I howl for my people for showing strength in a time of sorrow. With the sound of my people joining me and the cheer of the crowds, I feel something I have not felt in a long time. Peace.

Chapter 21.

I feel a sickening chill run through my body and the color drains from my face as I drop the paintbrush from the shock of what I'm hearing. "Dead." Amanda nods with a frown as she cradles baby Troy. "Last night when you left, I stand there feeling sick at how normal Caden came home last night as if he had not just cut someone's head off. Sure, it was Aon, but still." He did not even tell me what happened or his plan. He just told me to leave and killed him without a trial.

"This is crazy," I mutter as I sit down and rub my face. "How can he act like everything is normal after killing someone so brutally? Manny, it's barbaric," I say as I look at her. She sighs and frowns.

"He probably had his reasons. You're pregnant, Sariah. He probably did it not to worry you," she gives me a reassuring smile.

I shake my head, but not even a trial. I stand up. "Don't you want to know why he did all this? What Braum's next move is? Am I the only one seeing the bigger picture?" I say, losing my temper. Amanda puts baby Troy on the sofa pillow and then comes over to me and wraps her arms around me.

"I know it's unfair and different and all so crazy right now, but you must be strong. You are a queen now with a child on the way. What happened last night had to be done, Sariah. It is our way of honoring those who died for our people at the hands of Aeon's people." I release myself from Amanda as I hold my stomach and sigh. This is all too unreal and it's all happening too fast. Will this little one be able to grow up in a world like this? Could I accept my child to grow up in such a harsh, cruel world? There has to be a way to make things better. I know. I just worry about Kaden. I know he is used to this. But the future of our child, Manny, they would be half human. I'm just scared," I mutter out.

"I'm not supposed to tell you, but they know where Brah is, Sariah." Amanda says quietly. I whip my head up and stare in shock.

"Where?" I whisper. She shrugs. "I just overheard Lucas last night. Events," she says in a hushed tone.

"How? How did they find him? And what is Kaden going to do next? If they find him, the war will end. Where is Kaden right now?" I ask her as I stand up. She frowns.

"Sariah, what you're thinking of doing, don't." I grab my coat and turn to Amanda holding Troy. "I'm thankful I have you, Manny," I say with a smile as I leave through the door. I hear her say something, but I'm too far away to listen to what.

I sent Kaden a text. 3:15 p.m. "Hi, where are you right now?" I walk down the street and there are so many people here. Men, women, children, creatures I've never seen before with wings and teeth so sharp. Things have certainly changed since I first arrived here. It feels like years since I've been here, when in reality, it's only been 2 months.

3:17 p.m. "I just finished training and I was about to leave to see my beautiful mate."

Kaden, I sigh, then smile. I text back instantly. 3:18 p.m. "I'm almost there. Meet me by the field." I press send, then turn my phone on silent. As I make my way towards the training ground, I see all the warriors currently being trained leaving through the gate to the grounds. As I enter, they all look exhausted and sweaty. Kaden must have worked them out to end up like that. As I pass through, I feel uncomfortable as men and women who pass me bow their heads in respect, calling me Luna, Highness, and my queen. It makes me feel shy. I can see Kaden from where I stand as he wields a sword and is practicing against another man who looks like Marcus. As I get closer, I see Kaden is shirtless and grinning as he swings his sword and it lands on Marcus' sword, shattering it into pieces as Marcus looks in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me?" Marcus mutters, annoyed. Cadence's deep, masculine laugh sends shivers down my body as he laughs at Marcus. I notice Cadence sniffing the air and he turns around swiftly, his eyes locking on me as I stand close by. His eyes grow intense and he struts his way towards me with his large, long muscled legs, still holding the sword in his large hand. I notice Marcus nod at me and then he turns to leave, holding a towel and his broken sword.

"Mate," Caden says breathlessly as he closes the space between us, wraps his large arms around me, and sniffs my neck. He groans as he smells me. "Mm, you smell divine," he says, and I wse. I groan as I lean back, blocking my nose with my fingers.

"And you smell," I say dramatically as I hold back a smile as his smile falters and he looks insulted. He laughs softly.

"That hurt, babe," he says as he puts his sword back on the stand. "You should be at home." He frowns. I groan and sit down.

"Kaden, I'm tired of being indoors. You can't keep me locked up in there all day," I say as I roll my eyes. He wipes the sweat from his face as his now frown turns to a scowl.

"It's for your own safety, Sariah. You are pregnant."

"I'm pregnant, not dying, Kaden." I sigh. He sighs heavily.

"I know. I just worry. How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?" He asks as he sits next to me and interlocks our fingers. I nod slowly and swallow the lump in my throat.

"Yeah."

"What are you thinking about?" He asks. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

"Aon." I feel him still beside me and his hand clutches mine harder as I open my eyes to look at him. He's pissed.

"What about him?" He spits out. I release my hand from his hand as I rub my hands nervously at how cold his tone is.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask him. He doesn't say anything. Does he still not want me to be involved? I thought we talked about this. Why aren't you saying anything?" I ask. I stare at his face. He frowns and sighs as he closes his eyes.

"Sariah, there is nothing to say." He stands up and grabs hold of his sword. "I did what any leader would do for their people," he says, his tone hard. I flinch, but you did not even hold a trial. I am in horror.

"Trial?" Caden growls out at me. He looks at me with an expression I can't place, but it terrifies me like he would snap and attack me. He laughs darkly as I freeze at the sound. His eyes turn crimson, and he looks deadly as he smiles darkly at the sword in his hands.

"Trial, you say?" He snorts angrily. "I wanted to rip him apart for what he did. Sariah, beheading was the easy way out," he snarls out. "I did what I had to. I show no mercy to those who kill innocents for mere greed." He grips the sword as his hands turn a pale shade. "I wanted to snap every bone in his worthless body," he growls out angrily as his piercing red eyes look at me. There is only anger on his face.

"I did what I had to to protect you," he snaps out. I close my eyes as I feel myself getting angry.

"I never asked for you to kill for me, Kaden," I yell out at him as I slam my hand against the bench. "You did not have to do that. You did it for yourself because you enjoy it." I glare at him as his crimson eyes glow at me, unwavering.

"You think I enjoy killing?" He stands there looking at me, slightly hurt. I nod slowly as I watch the veins in his strong arm enlarge as he grips the sword. "I was brought into this world just as you were. The only difference between us is that I am doing whatever it takes for my people to survive. I do not want to kill and I don't even [ __ ] care about the crown. And now you think I kill because I enjoy it." He frowns. He groans out loudly as he throws his sword across the field, causing me to jump slightly.

"I wanted to spend time with you, get to know you, introduce you to my world slowly, and take you on dates and show you the world," he runs his fingers through his hair, annoyed. "Damn it, Sariah, I would do anything for you, and if that means killing, I will [ __ ] do it," he says, his voice hard. "I can't hear any more of this."

I stand up and begin to walk away from Kaden. "Say," I feel Caden grab hold of my arm. I pull my arm from him.

"Do not touch me. I mean it," I say as I begin to walk away from him. The next thing I know is I'm upside down on his shoulder as I feel his large, strong arms hold on to me.

"Kaden, put me down," I say, horrified. There are now people watching us with curiosity and amusement as I try to hide my face in his back. I groan out as my head bobs with every step he makes. He is not saying anything as he leads us to the way home. Caden walks to the pack house instead of our home and leads us into his office. He holds on to me for a minute without saying anything or moving an inch before he drops me gently onto the sofa in his office. I'm super annoyed right now as I glance up at him and notice that part of his wolf and demon side has come out. His claws are enlarged and he is sprouting horns on his head. He looks so incredibly sexy with his hair messy, shirt open, and his heavy breathing as he looks at me. I shouldn't think that. Not when his looks could kill. Literally. [ __ ] Sariah. He groans out as he grips his hair.

"I know you know I found brown," he says suddenly. Amanda, of course, she told him. He takes his shirt off and throws it onto the floor.

"I leave for the veil tomorrow," he says, "Don't take your eyes off me." I don't say anything just so I don't say something that will only anger him or worse, anger me. I can't even look at him without feeling hurt and slightly ashamed. I find him so attractive when I'm so mad at him for manhandling me.

"Talk to me, please," he kneels in front of me, his large muscles flexing as he reaches for my hand and leaves a kiss on each of my fingers, never taking his eyes from mine.

"I'm upset at you, Kaden," I say slowly, hurt evident in my voice. He frowns and nods.

"I know," I look at him and then my hands, feeling the urge to cry, but I stop myself with every breath. "I need things to change the way you do. Things scare me, Kaden." His frown deepens as his eyes watch me.

"They will change," he promises. "How? All he has known is this way of life. I want things to change, Sariah. I really do. But until then, I need to get rid of the threat we face," he says as he strokes my cheek as Caden looks at me lovingly. "The moment I met you, I knew you were too good for me. I've hurt for fun and killed for sport, but I'd do it all again if it led me back to you." He kisses my lips gently. "I [ __ ] up royally these past weeks, and I'm so [ __ ] sorry," he says as he closes his eyes. He opens his eyes again slowly as his body begins to change. His horns on his forehead grow bigger and his eyes change to midnight black. His skin goes slightly paler than his usual tan skin tone and his wild fangs are visible.

"This is who I am, Sariah. I'm a monster," he says with a sad smile as I look up at him with glossy eyes.

"You're not a monster," I say as tears fall from my eyes.

"I'm not human either," he says as he wipes the tears from my eyes. He brings his wrist to his mouth and bites down hard as I watch in utter shock at what he is doing.

"W, what are you doing?" I yell out as blood drips from his mouth. His dark black eyes pierce into my worried ones as I see how relaxed he is. He retracts his fangs, looks at me, and holds his wrist out.

"Sariah, do you trust me?" He asks, and I freeze. Of course, I trust him. Yes, I love him so much it scares me, but I trust him with my life. He swallows hard as he moves his wrist in front of my mouth.

"My blood is special, baby. I can't bring you into battle with me, but I can give you something else." Caden moves a piece of hair from my face. "My blood will protect you. I will be able to feel you wherever in the world I am, and you will feel safer, stronger, and you will be one of us." I stare at him. My mouth gaping wide open. What does he mean by that? Only I, a king, can do this. He laughs nervously as we both notice the blood begins to drop onto the wood floor. I swallow hard.

"I will be a werewolf?" I ask him, my voice shaky. He smiles. "Yes, you will see how I see and how our child will see the world. Please, baby, trust me." I nod slowly as I grab his arm with my shaking one.

"Oh, okay. Will this hurt?" I ask nervously as I look at his wrist, then his face.

"No, mate. I would never allow you to get hurt or our child." I take his wrist to my mouth and I open my mouth. The next thing I know is a big shock as Cadence's blood drips into my mouth and slides down my throat. Caden covers my mouth with his wrist to allow more blood to go into my mouth.

"It's just the bond. Swallow it all, Sariah. Soon you will be one of us," Cadence says as he leans in and kisses my face as he shoves his wrist into my mouth, making me suck his blood out. I feel my eyes roll back as I physically feel the blood travel through my veins. What the [ __ ] is going on? My body is on fire and I can't see. I can't even see anything as all I can feel is Caden holding on to me, whispering comforting words to me as I thrash against him. I try to speak, but I can't talk.

"Sh. Little mate. It will be over soon," Cadence's soothing voice says, "Breathe, little mate. Breathe for me." The last thing I hear is Caden's voice in my head as I feel my body sink and my mind blank out as I fade into the darkness, surrounded by Cadence's voice. "Trust me."

Chapter 22.

My beautiful mate lies fast asleep on our bed, breathing steadily as the effects of my blood pass through her body, changing her. I feel a creeping sense of regret for being so selfish for putting this life upon her. She's a human being turned into a wolf. So, it will take some time. It's not unheard of. When my family was in power, we granted those with human mates the gift to join a run with their werewolf mate. It is the greatest gift to run with your mate. Being a human shouldn't stop that. Just this way, she has a fighting chance if the worst happens. Nothing will hurt mate. I protect her. Dex growls out. There will be attempts and my overprotective nature finally thought. What if I wasn't there? I couldn't dare to believe it. Yesterday had opened my eyes to the possibility. The death of air spread and word was that many Orion abandoned Braum. The war was coming to an end. Millions of humans around the world have lost their lives. They had no chance of surviving against dark magic. My people fought hard for innocence, but not everyone can be saved. My sweet mate sees hope in all. She's naive and kind, too kind and too good for this world. They may disapprove of my way of dealing with things, but she now understands why I approach things differently from her. She might even dislike me, but not once has she called me a monster. "You enjoy killing." My mate couldn't be more wrong. I hated death. The thrill and the feel, the sound and the screams. My demon half craves it while my wolf finds it dishonorable to enjoy. Killing is for providing, not pleasure. I'm constantly at [ __ ] war with myself. I watch my beautiful mate from the chair and wonder what she's dreaming of. Is it me? Is it the forest we will run through together? Our pup. Our pup. I still can't believe it. A quiet knock comes from the door and puts me and Dex on high alert as we get up and slowly open the door.

"Alpha King, I've brought pack Dr. Adams." A pack member says while bowing, "Alpha King, I come to check on the queen." He bows respectfully and I grunt, pissed he interrupted my thoughts. I open the door wide as I stare down, watching every movement of the pack doctor as he grows nervous around my presence as he bows and slowly walks to my mate.

"Tell me everything you do before doing it or I will snap your neck." I stare hard into his eyes as I stand over him. The doctor pales as he nods.

"Why, yes, of course." He bends over my mate as he goes for her arm. "I'm checking her pulse. Pulse is normal," he says as he writes notes. Glancing at me nervously, I nod as I listen tentatively.

"Alpha, may I check her mark?" He asks and I glare but nod. The [ __ ] does he want to check that for? I peer over him as I watch everything he does. Touching the queen's neck. "Yes. Yes. Her body is accepting the change. Quite remarkable," he says, amazed as he writes more notes.

"When will she wake?" He hums and his eyes go wide as he stares at my mate. "I believe the queen is awakening as we speak," he says and I move before he finishes speaking towards the side of the bed as I hold my mate's hand. Her hand twitches and my wolf and I are happy. She's waking up and trying to open her eyes, which now probably feel heavy.

"I'm here, baby. Go slow," I whisper comforting words as I stroke her hair. The doctor watches and takes notes as he studies her movements, much to my demand, before I called him here. I don't want anything to go wrong. Nothing should, but he is a precaution.

"Kaden," her raspy voice calls out. I kiss her forehead. "I'm here. I'm always here."

"I feel weird," she mumbles tiredly, and I glare dead at the pack doctor. He better start [ __ ] speaking before I bite his head off. He fumbles with his notes as he looks at me terrified.

"You omitted the blood. She will feel tired for a few hours. Oh, other than that, she is in perfect health, Alpha King," he stutters out.

"Who are you?" Sariah asks as she begins to sit up and I stop her before she can. "Don't. You need to rest," I plead with her as I stare at her worried.

"Hello, I'm Sariah." She ignores me and raises her hand to the pack doctor. I feel myself grow jealous and angry as he stares at me for approval to touch my mate. With Sarah staring at me with her eyes screaming, "Be nice." I nod hesitantly as I watch his every move.

"Pack Dr. Adams, Alpha Queen. It's a pleasure to meet you," he greets me with respect as he shakes my mate's hand. She giggles and it sends shivers throughout my body.

"You may leave now if that's all," I snap towards Dr. Adams. He jumps from my tone and nods. "Yes, Alpha King. I shall take my leave now," he says nervously. "Alpha queen," he boasts to my mate, then leaves the room faster than he entered it.

"That was really rude, Kaden," she says with a frown, looking at me. I shrug, not giving a [ __ ] as I sit on the edge of the bed holding my mate's hand. "I'll apologize later. Right now, I couldn't give a fuck." She glares at me and I grin at her.

"You better." She glares playfully at me and I bend down to capture her lips. [ __ ] I love when she glares at me.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her seriously as I study her eyes. She hums thinking as she shrugs like I've just been run over by a bus. She says with a giggle. I kiss her hand as I frown at her choice of words.

"When will I be able to turn?" She asks curiously. I sigh heavily.

"Soon. You're accepting my blood way too fast. By tonight, you will have a wolf." She raises her brows and smiles widely, and I just watch her. [ __ ] I love her.

"Really? Will I be able to talk to her? Like Dex," she asks happily. Dex gets happy as she says his name and wants us to come out, but I refuse as she needs her rest. Nodding, I smile at my happy, beautiful mate.

"Yes, and I can finally talk to you without this," I grumble as I hold my phone out to her. I [ __ ] despise phones. I was reluctant to get one, but once I found out my mate was human, it was surprisingly helpful. Now I can finally throw that [ __ ] away.

"Really? Like through the mind link?" She asks adorably. Yep. She grins as she looks up at me with love, and I look at her the same way.

"Let's rest. You will need strength for the first shift." I stayed as I pull the blanket over my mate and tuck her in.

"Join me," she asks shyly, and I nod, removing my boots. I climb into the bed behind my mate as I pull her gently towards my chest. I take in her scent like a drug as I stifle a loud groan. She's so intoxicating.

"I love you, mate," I whisper into her hair as I hold her tighter. She yawns as she hugs my large arm, hugging her stomach. "I love you more," she mumbles softly before her breathing studies. She fell asleep. I relax my body and mind as I join my mate and have a quick power nap. We are both going to need strength for what is coming. Damn, Dex and I can't wait to see her wolf and share her first shift and run together. We have come so far together from the first time I shifted in front of her. And now soon it will be her turn. Words cannot come to mind at how much I adore this tiny human. Closing my eyes, I let sleep take me as I hug my mate's small body. I dream of a tall forest in bloom in spring and my beautiful mate and her wolf beside me as we run through the trees.

Chapter 23.

I woke up suddenly from a loud snapping and immense pain throughout my whole body as I felt a body shift next to me. What is happening to me? Is this it? The shift. My whole body aches with pains I have never experienced before. So many new pains I can't put into words. I hear a voice, but by the time I hear it, I don't focus on that. But the bending and turning of my body without my will everywhere hurts. And all I want is Caden. I need Caden. My whole body screams for him.

"I'm here, Sarah. Feel me and listen to my voice." A voice in my head tells me, and I don't know how to think or feel about this new experience. As I lie in agony, nobody told me it would hurt this much. I feel my body being lifted and once I feel skin touching mine, I know it's Caden. He's with me, but I can't see him. I feel my eyes open, but I'm unable to see. I finally started to feel what Caden feels every time he is near or touching me. It's beautiful and amazing. The touch is like sparks that bring instant happiness and love throughout my body, and I'm instantly at peace. The pain is not as bad as it once was. Now that I know Kaden is here, he's sharing the plan with me. I just know and feel it in my mind and body. He is telling me it's all good and he won't let anything happen to me. I feel ready, confident in myself to join my mate and our people as their alpha female. I hear words of encouragement and a presence of family around me, giving me words of praise and confidence as I feel the soft texture of the grass beneath me. I feel at home when I smell the floor bed, the fresh air of deep water. All are welcoming me with open arms as I twist and turn, snapping and popping in my ears as I fight through the transformation of the shift. I feel exhausted. I try so hard to open my eyes to

Swallows back her fear, and she now has been in her grasp proactively. What a loving mother she is, letting me choke her son. I'm tired of playing this game with you. Do what I said now, or I will do this the hard way, I say. My voice, hard as Dex, creeps to the surface. My eyes turning a piercing hard yellow in the poorly lit dark room.

"He will kill us. Please, he doesn't care about us. Just please let us go," she cries out.

I growl as a warning. "Elizabeth, do you love your children?" I ask.

She nods her head as she holds on to her children, who hide their faces in fear, or pissing me off even more. "I can help you and your children. Elizabeth, Benjamin needs to be put down. I do not want to harm you, but he will die, and there is nothing I can do to stop that, nor will I," I say as I signal with my hand towards a guard outside the door.

The guard comes inside and hands me the vial I tracked down before coming here. I hold it in the air to the moonlight as it reflects from the vial. It swirls liquid white with green specks. "This is your freedom," I say as I stare at the liquid. "Take it, and you will no longer be mated to Benjamin," I say as I hold out the vial to the woman who watches it intensely.

She looks up to me with desperation and horror as she swallows hard, as her children turn and look hopefully towards their mother. "I am sorry, Elizabeth," I say truthfully to her as she closes her eyes and breathes out hard. "This will free you from the seven. And your children will grow up with a mother. This is the only offer I give you," I say as I place the vial into her hand.

I nod towards the guard as he leaves the room, and a grim comes into the room with a tray of food. "Eat before you take it. You have 1 hour, then the offer is off," I say as I stand up and lift the chair back to the desk. I turn to leave the room. And before I go, I hear her soft voice speak out. "I'm not a bad person. Alpha Kaden and I... I was a prisoner to the bond. He is a monster. My children and I did whatever we could to survive. Please understand," she says softly.

I turn and stare at the frail woman clutching her children. "We all are trying to survive, Elizabeth." I nod to the vial. "It will hurt," I say before I turn and leave the room past the broken door I didn't mean to break. "Send in Sylvial Aldine," I command a pack warrior as he nods and walks off as I make my way back to the office.

We are currently in one of Larsson's shadow safe houses. It has been exactly 3 days since we arrived here, and my people set up camp around the surrounding buildings to stay hidden from the spies of Brown and his followers. I miss Sariah with each passing second. My soon-to-be wife is the mother of my pup. The only reason I came here was to restore order and stop the killing, the unnecessary bloodshed of [ __ ] Brown. When I get my hands on him, a knock at the door pulls me from that dark thought, and I call out for them to enter.

"Alpha, Lady Aldine," I nod, dismissing the guard.

"Very nice place. Could have been worse," No, Sylvie says, amused.

I snort as I run my fingers through my hair. "Drop the friendlies. I'll dine. Did you get it?" I ask, frustrated as my eyes glare at her.

She slumps down into the chair opposite my desk with an ever-growing smirk. "Of course," she says with a snicker as she holds up the blade. "Real hard to find one of these after the fall of Axel Black. It seems the Grimmore family tried to destroy every single one, which makes me wonder, why does Kaden Locust Black want this?" She says as she dangles the blade in front of me.

I stare down at her. "That is none of your [ __ ] business," I snarl at her as I bear my teeth as a warning.

She shrugs. "Apologies. My family and I are conflicted, you see. Once Benjamin Brown is gone, one does wonder who will be next."

"Your family are none of my concern. All dine," I say slowly. But I mutter out as she stills in the chair, eyes wide and waiting. I stand up and walk towards her, sitting in the chair without a care in the world. But I see underneath that poker face. I stand behind her and bend down, my mouth towards her ear. "If I find out you've drunk from any more humans with me, I will personally drink you dry," I whisper harshly into her ear.

She freezes, and I feel her dead heartbeat a mile faster. I stand up from the chair. "Did you think I did not know?" I chuckle. Grabbing the blade, I examine it to make sure it is truly the one that I have been looking for. These markings, ancient language of the veil, engraved with a family crest. Yes, this is it. This is the last blade of Axel Black. Coaxed in the same power that Sariah wears around her neck. This is everything I need to stop Orion. Many centuries ago, these blades were made in numbers before the fall and chaos. This was a weapon of high magnitude. It was named Moonglade. It is lethal to every single creature created on this world and the next. Nothing can come between the moon blade and its target. One touch of the sharp blade. That's all it takes to do whatever you wish to that individual. Such things are dangerous and rare. And I hold the last one.

I put the blade down on my desk as Sylvia remains watching my every move carefully. "A deal is a deal. Your family has a fresh slate," I sigh as I lean back in my chair and watch her. The relief covers her pale face. She stands and bows in front of me with her pale and slender body as I watch, bored. "Thank you, my family, and I will forever be in debt to you, Alpha King." She glances at the sword one last time, and then she turns and leaves the room, closing the door behind her.

I peer down at the blade before me as it glows a soft orange. Its divine power, true. I just hope it still remembers me and my family. It's fine to correct the wrongs of the veil, and only I can fix the [ __ ] that Brahm has caused.

The door is open abruptly as Larsson stands there, breathing hard. His wolf visible as his eyes glow. "The girls," he breathes out heavily, and I sit up straight, more alert. His anger is visible as he growls out. "One of them got Emma. I felt it. I felt it touch her. That [ __ ] thing," he growls out angrily as he kicks a chair across the room.

I stand up, alarmed. "What the [ __ ] are you talking about?" I growl. "Lucas," I growl out loud, my voice vibrating the room. I pace the room as my wild eyes fixate on Larsson. "Tell me everything now," I grit it out.

His clenched fists turn white as he snarls. "On the road. That thing was waiting for them. For Sariah, my mate. My mate tried to defend them. She's injured, but she is alive," he says, his voice shaky.

I knock the vase from the desk with so much force it breaks into a million pieces. I feel my rage taking over as my fixation on revenge is crawling all over my skin, whispering to me to do what I must, to do it now.

"Backslash," Lucas comes barging into the room, sweat dripping from his brow. "They're safe," he breathes out heavily. "I just got word Miller made it in time, and he's with the girls. Emma is awake, and Sariah and Amanda are fine. They have been moved to a safe house," he says thankfully as he grips his head in frustration.

I feel my horns grow sharp and my teeth enlarge as my sight turns dark. My eyes now a pitch black. Fear in both of the men in front of me as they watch me consume the anger that holds me. "How [ __ ] dare Brown try [ __ ] like this, knowing how mad it will make me. He must truly wish for a painful death, one I will gladly deliver. Prepare the men now," I growl out. "He's going to wish he were dead. I will make sure of it," I gritted my teeth as the words dripped with promise. "I will kill all who dare harm me," Dex snarls out angrily. "Benjamin doesn't know now, but he will. I will make sure he knows what happens when you piss me off."

Grabbing the blade, I attach it to my side to prepare myself and try to calm down. I can't go like this. Not yet. I refuse to lose myself before I make it there. I need to hold on and wait. If I lose myself here, I don't know if I will ever recover from the damage I want to do.

A figure in the doorway makes me look up with piercing black eyes as a guard bows, then raises his head. His eyes show terror as he begins to speak. "Alpha King, Elizabeth has taken the vial and is undergoing the effects. The Legion is ready to go on your order. Escort Elizabeth and her children out of the veil. She is not to be harmed on my orders."

I stare down at the man who is cowering before me. "Yes, Alpha King."

I make my way out of the building as Larsson, Lucas, and Marcus stand waiting by the door. We are all prepared to end this once and for all. No more hiding in the shadow of the castle on top of us and the city. We will take Castle Black from the grasp of Orion, and Brown will die. My legion stands before me, ready as they all bow in sync, calling out Alpha King. Every step I take through the thousands of those with me. Every step I feel myself becoming more. Becoming the real me. The thing of horror stories wolves told their children about my curse. The very thing that makes me who I am. My wings unfold from my back, black as night and sharp as blades. They spring free, those beside me stepping back in fear at the sound of the whoosh of the blades as I stretch them wide and free. I crack my neck as I feel my body grow stronger, stronger than I can describe to a mere wolf. I feel my best and worst selves as I make my way to the front. Those behind me follow without fear or judgment, staying strong and loyal. My eyes fixated on the castle as a swarm of gargoyles and sil hover around the castle. The castle that Brown hides in like a coward. But not for long. I'm coming for him. And he knows from the movement of the creatures of the night making noise at my movement. The night is cold and silent. The streets are empty and the homes are abandoned for fear of death. The air is thick and the mist grows silently through the city. The moon is glowing a violent bloody orange as it sits perfectly in the sky behind the castle I march towards, leading the way for me and my legion. With each heavy step, I feel the rage deep within me burn as I glare at the sight in front of me. Every step igniting the furnace inside me hotter than I've ever experienced in my life before. Nothing and no one can stop me now. I'm taking back what is mine by any means [ __ ] necessary. The screech of the creatures in the sky tells me what I already know. It has begun.

Chapter 29.

The push into Castle Black was no easy task. Arriving here 7 hours ago and still here. We just finally breached the gates of Castle Black. We are finally inside, but the Legion and I have started phase 2. We are going to siege the castle and northern tower while I and a strike team head for the hidden cellar that leads into the main kitchen in the east wing of the castle. Brahm forgets I know this castle. I studied it for countless hours in my study when I was growing up. I was taught every single corner of this castle. My father, while he was alpha, had drilled into me the hope our family will return. And I couldn't be more thankful for those lessons. As I kneel knee-deep in the mud around the castle, my large hand lay on the foundation at which my ancestors helped build. My history is here, and I know every single secret that Brown does not, having all the archives from the castle passed through generation to generation. They landed on my desk, and I used that information. Who knew my father was right? Studying my breath, I signaled the strike team to pursue forward towards the east wing. So far, we have not come into contact with anyone in this area, but it doesn't last as we hear voices coming from the opposite wall where the strike team and I stand waiting. "Larsson and Bakra take the left. Rest with me," I mind link as we get into position. The takedown was successful, and no one got hurt in the process. We are moving slowly and stealthily without our wolf forms. I can't risk sounding giving away our position this close to the secret passage. As everyone else back at the gates holds off Orion, we head further in. I need to get as close as I can to Brown. No doubt he is very upset with me right now and very much in pain. His mate did leave him indefinitely. "Good, Kaden. The Northern Tower is secure, but not for long. You have a window of opportunity now," Lucas says through Mind Link. "Hold as long as you can give me. I'll handle the rest," Dex says as a deep rumble in my chest grows. I feel my limb shift, turn as if snapped as I begin to shift. Dex is less talkative about the demon blood in me that makes us both mutants in nature. Instead, he has welcomed it, as have I. Feeling the change in my senses and muscles. I know I have fully become my proper form. I signal the men with me to go with Carla, the strike team leader of Fay. I trust her ability with magic to do what she must to get to Brown. She shares my equal hatred for Benjamin. She joined me at the gates of black, demanding to be there when he falls. I can't deny a capable woman her wish, not one with a dark history such as ours. Carla Stonewall, cursed with dark magic from Orion, lost her entire family in the overthrow of the veil. Being cursed with dark magic is like waiting on death's door. It's a slow death spell only the truly ruthless Orion can cast upon a strong fay. She knows she hasn't got long left, and she knows what she does in her last moments. I will not deny a dying woman's revenge. I knew instantly looking into her eyes, she would not disappoint me. Making it to the secret passage, I feel the wall that holds a secret brick that will open the passage. But first, I have to find it. "Stand back," I call to the group as they wait in defense. As I close my eyes and feel for the spark, the spark only a black can feel. No one other than me can access it. It was built this way when the castle first came to be. No one knew why or even believed such a thing existed, but it does. The brick my hand hovers over is buzzing with life. As I press down with a touch, I feel the connection to access, and the magic that blocks the door begins to crack open. Old magic like this is all over this castle. If you're a black ancestor, you will find it. "Remember that eyes are everywhere and no sudden movements. It's just a so make a sound and you're dead," I whisper as I stare into every face that tells me they're ready. "I won't fail," Carla promises. Heading into the passage leads to a tunnel which leads to every secret passage hidden in the castle. Right now we are under and should be in the main hall. As we come to the crossing in the tunnel, I go my separate way as Carla leads the strike team to the opposite area. I need her there more than with me. I can take care of myself, but I need eyes in the area she goes to, and I need those inside dealt with before I get there. The blade begins to buzz as I come closer to the door. I need to get closer to Brown. This leads me to the old main bedroom of my ancestor, Demonia Black, and his mate, Lillian Black. Making it through the door without noise, I scan the dark, empty, and dusty room with glowing red eyes. My senses are on high alert as I hear voices outside the door. A language I haven't heard, but no Orion speaks as a barrier since not many practice that language anymore. Only knowing a few words, I instantly picked up on a few, and my suspicion was correct. He's in this wing. I sniff the air. The scent of enemies is everywhere in this wing. They will fall along with Brown. But I smelled him. I smell his fear and his pain from the loss of his mate. He is waiting for me. I won't make him wait any longer. I put weight on my back legs as I position myself, releasing the deafening howl of the Demonia. A loud and howling signal that will be heard from the city up here. My wolf and demon sides work together to signal all things living and dead that I'm here, alerting enemies around me and preparing those with me for the final stage. The breach of the front door can be heard throughout the castle as the door of the bedroom in which I currently wait patiently is broken down. I stand still and wait for them to enter. When I do, my wolf and I leap, going for the first neck I see, biting down hard with my snarling and snapping large teeth as I go to the next of my prey. Nothing but screams and growls can be heard throughout the castle as I take down a dark follower. Death is all around me in every room and hallway I pass through. My legion is scattered throughout the castle, many of them injured, and others finishing their kills as we take the castle. All it took was 9 hours and years of planning. The castle is mine.

"Kaden, we got him. He was cowering behind an old bookshelf in a library," Lucas nods down the hall where legion warriors stand with weapons. "We have rounded up the remaining followers. What would you like to do with them?" he asks. He is covered in blood, dark and light from head to toe. One should feel disgusted, but I feel proud. My eyes fixated on the guards. I began to walk towards where my heart beats. "Cells for now. I have someone waiting for me," I say over my shoulder as my heart beats excitedly in my chest.

Nearing the door, the guards bow and bang their spears on the floor in respect. I open the door with force, making it slam against the walls on each side. "Alpha Benjamin Brown." He stands protectively as he holds his chest in pain, one hand on a sword and the other on his chest. Brahm chuckles as he coughs blood and spits it out of his mouth. "Come to finish it, black," he spits.

I shake my head as I stalk closer to him with ease, making him watch my movement with caution. "I came to see it with my own eyes. You don't look so good, Benjamin," I say amused as I wipe the blood from my blade as it shines bright orange. He gulps. "How dare you?" I stop him as I grab him by the throat and squeeze. My large claws digging into his neck as my eyes pierce into his terrified ones. "That's it. Show," I say deadly as he thrashes in my hold and claws at my hand. "You think you deserve this?" I ask. I press the side of his face harshly into the glass. The city in view. "You are foolish to believe such a dream. You are not worthy. You are alone. Orion is dead, and your own mate left you," I snap my teeth at him as he whines. "You terrorize and murder for power. You are no leader and you never will be. Do you know why?" I ask, squeezing harder on his neck as he tries to shake his head. The blood in his eyes evident as it begins to drop from the corners.

"Stop," a voice calls out. Carla pushes her way through my guards as she walks into the room and kneels in front of me. "Please let me avenge my family," she begs as she keeps her head low, but a firm grip on the dagger she holds. I look at Braum, and he's almost dead as I've probably broken his vocal cords by now. His tears are blood, and his eyes are bloodshot. What a fate that he escapes if I hand him over. I calm my breathing as I close my eyes and throw Braum to the floor, releasing my hold. I retract my claws and step back. I look at Carla and nod my head as she stands and grips her weapon, staring deadly at Benjamin Brahm on the floor, gasping for breath. He tries to speak, but nothing comes out. I stare at the wolf I so much want to rip to shreds for what he has done, the damage he has caused. "This is for my sister and the millions of innocents," Carla whispers as a lone tear falls from her eye. Her eyes beam purple as she walks closer to Brown as he tries to crawl away, gasping for air as he claws at the floor. I watch every single motion almost in slow motion as I watch Carla take the dagger in her hand and stab Brown repeatedly in the chest as he tries to fight the inevitable. I walk towards her and grab hold of her hand to stop her. She stabbed him a good number of times, even after I heard his last breath. The stench of death coming from him and the amount of blood on the blood and her is too much to bear as I carry the woman away as she hits my back, kicking and screaming. All while the tears fall onto the floor. He's dead, and the innocent who are no more can rest peacefully knowing that the evil that helped murder millions is now dead, and his followers are entirely extinct. His reign of terror is over.

Since the fall of Brown, there had to be a lot to do before I could see my mate. My beautiful mate whom I crave to know. I hate that I put her through all of the madness and I left her. It's been 2 weeks since the fall of Orion. Lots had to be done, and order had to be restored. The dead had their day, and today we honor those who have fallen in battle to protect loved ones and fight for a better world. Two weeks ago, Brown fell at the hands of a child aged 21 in honor of her house to avenge the murder of her sister. A day later, Carla Stonewall died to the curse that had been slowly killing her. She died bravely with no regrets and with only one wish from me. "Do better." A wish I will grant without hesitation. The killing has stopped, and order is restored within the veil and the human world. Today is also the day I assign a governor in my name to protect the human world. I did not need to think of who to put in charge. Once the killing started, world leaders of each country hid and cowered in their fear, while those of lesser values showed up and did anything but cower. Those are the ones who show leadership. I stripped all power from these individuals and had them submit to the new order, mine. Nothing is the same anymore. Humans are not alone, and they know that without my latest order, chaos will erupt, and the war will break out once again. "Marcus Noxenberg, I hereby name you Keeper of Realm Earth," I say, laying my hand on his head as he kneels in front of me in front of millions of people. I say the words of the ancient as I bestow him with knowledge and power only I can give and take away any time I want. It is an old tradition. My family did it for the Grimmores, and it made them rise to power. But now, without any mistake, I know the Noxenberg name will do me proud.

Shortly after the battle for the veil at Castle Black, I made Lucas Alpha of Deep Water. Passing the title down was meant for my heir. But being king is much more complicated than I thought. My heir will now be the next king or queen of the veil. I never thought I'd stand on the steps with a crown on my head as the king. It's been thousands of years since the fall of Demonia. And now I make Locust Black, my family, and my mate proud today. My mate walks towards me dressed in a beautiful silver that shines from the moon and reflects her beauty in my eyes. I hold her close as I kiss her on the lips, and my palm rests on her larger stomach, blooming with life. "I love you," I whisper in my mate's hair. She gazes up at me with her forest green eyes as she smiles at me, making my heart skip a beat. "Forever," she breathes out. My mate, my queen, my savior. Together, we will rule and make the veil a better place for humans, wolves, and creatures alike, but most of all for my pup.

The end. Thanks for watching. Drop what you think in the comment section, and don't forget to like and subscribe.

Prologue:

A knock on the door makes my head snap up with a growl. "What? This better be important." After the night I've just had getting nowhere with the mess inside my office, I didn't want anyone to bother me. So, I made sure I was left alone until I was done with my pack business before anyone came to me with more problems and more paperwork. I see my beta step into the room, and I growl at his presence, pissing me off instantly, knowing it's probably not that important, and he's just come to annoy me like he usually does.

"That's no way to greet your best friend and beta, Kaden," he grins widely, much to my annoyance, as he strolls into my office like he owns it. I was in no mood for him today, nor anyone, and he had exactly 1 minute before I personally threw him out of my office. "This better be important, or get out of my sight," I snarl from my desk as I lean back, trying to calm my wolf, who has been on edge more than usual. Maybe I need a run, or I just needed sleep.

My beta laughs. "When was the last time you slept? You look like you haven't rested in days."

I pick up the book, Tales from the Veil, from my desk, and throw it at his head, which he dodges, making me growl out, disappointed that he saw it coming. I stand up, glaring at my beta, Lucas. "Did you interrupt me for a reason?" I snarl out. I really don't want to deal with his worrying like he's my mother.

Lucas's smile turns to a wide smirk. "Amanda gave birth. I have a son."

I exhale and I stare at my beta, and possibly the only person who can stand in my presence without terror written on their faces, giving a genuine smile. He is a good beta and friend, and I know he will be a good father. So that's why he's here now. I feel even worse. "Congratulations." I walk over and slap him on the back. He is grinning like a guy who has it all. And he does. Amanda and Lucas have a great relationship, when I yearned for myself. One day, this would be me. I had to believe it, or else I'd drive myself crazy.

Lucas beamed happily as I looked at him. Happy that one of my oldest friends had finally got everything he wanted in life. He deserved it, and I know his mate, Amanda, was perfect for him in every way. I was terrified. Amanda was amazing as usual. She kicked me out halfway due to my freaking out, then yelled at me throughout the delivery. I don't think I have ever been happier being called every cursed name under the moon.

He laughs out loud. I laugh with him. "Amanda is a quiet little thing around me most of the time, but since her pregnancy, she has been more vocal to Lucas and of course teasing him about how much she dislikes being worried over constantly by Lucas."

"The moon goddess blessed me truly," Lucas says happily, sitting in one of the armchairs in front of my desk.

I swallow back the lump in my throat. I was happy for him. I really was. But this feeling, it wouldn't go away. This emptiness, truly. We both remain quiet as I go and sit behind my desk, trying to hold back the irritation of my lack of sleep and the constant headache I've had for a month now. I needed to sleep and run. That's what usually helped me whenever I felt defeated.

"There's a party this weekend. Amanda has begged me every day for a week to ask you if her close friend could get a visitor pass for a few days," he scratched behind his ear, nervous as I stared at him. Interesting. Lucas is never nervous. I wonder who this friend is. "What's the catch?" I asked curiously.

"She's a human. She doesn't know about Amanda being a werewolf, but they've been friends since Amanda moved out here to be with me. Amanda swears that she's trustworthy, and I believe her. She won't be a problem. We take full responsibility while she's here," he added. Having a human in Packlands could cause problems. A problem I want to avoid, given how much I didn't trust humans. Amanda and Lucas knew my dislike for humans. Only a few trusted humans knew about the pack, and every single one of them knew what would happen if they put my pack in danger. But a stranger, I don't know. I wanted to say no and have that be the end of it. But given how Lucas has never taken responsibility for a human before, he must really want this girl to see his mate. I've hated all the humans I've met; they were greedy, weak, and whenever they spoke, I wanted to snap their necks with my teeth. I despised leaving the pack lands unless it was necessary. Yet, since Lucas and Amanda had never asked for a visitor pass before, and Amanda would surely annoy me if I said no, I decided that just this once, it would be fine. "Whatever, just keep her away from me," I huff out and go back to my work.

Lucas's laugh bounces off the walls as he stands up from his seat, shaking his head, which adds to my frown and glare, knowing what was most likely going to come out of his mouth next. "No way. You're coming to the party, Kaden." He grinned. "You need to meet your godson, after all." This headache was becoming a full-blown migraine. "Lucas, I swear to Dash, 10 minutes, that's all we ask." He quickly interrupts me. He's not going to give up. And I don't have time to talk about something so useless when I should be doing this [ __ ] done so I can sleep in an actual bed instead of this chair. "Fine," I run my hands through my messy hair. My wolf was getting more restless than usual and scratching to be let out for a run. "Just leave before I change my mind."

Lucas grins like a Cheshire cat as I huff out my annoyance at how happy he was at my discomfort. He bows respectfully before me and then he leaves behind the double dark brown oak doors, knowing he just won and I lost this little game of his. Exhausted and tired of seeing the papers on my desk, I let out a sigh and got up from my chair and walked out of my office, leaving the pile of mess behind me for another day. My office was inside the pack house, which was usually full of pack members playing around. However, that was when my old man ran the pack. Since I turned 18 and took over, the pack knew better than to slack off around me. I was nothing like my old man, the last alpha. The pack feared me, and I liked it that way. It made things simple.

Walking out of the pack house and towards the forest, I strip off my clothes. Then I feel my bones start to break and click as I begin to shift into my wolf. I cracked my neck once, fully transformed, desperate to release the built-up tension we couldn't seem to escape. I left my clothes on the forest bed, tired and frustrated from the things I had to deal with today. I closed my eyes and let my wolf take control. Needing a moment alone, if only for just a moment, I embraced the silence.