The Alpha’s Heir
Chapter 6

*** Alejandro ***

My Sal is feeling better about stuff now. She loved her little treat and took great pleasure in punishing that old hag before I chopped her head off and left our team to clean up. We are back to trying non-stop to get pregnant.

I am not complaining. Not one bit. She is a firecracker, she knows what she likes, and she is so giving. Satisfied is my usual condition and yet I constantly crave her too. I cannot get enough. I hope I never do.

Today, we are meeting with the Don of the Serrano family to get the information we need about Jose’s mistress, Dominga, and I know Sal is as eager as me. Torturing Carole only served to whet her whistle. My Chula is after b***d now.

Sal wants Dominga. She is adamant Dominga is the one who poisoned and murdered her papa, but I want her brother. He is all I think of, because Sal threatens his position and, therefore, she is his target. I will disembowel the fvcker and make him eat his own innards for threatening the safety of my wife.

When Sal comes out of the bedroom, she looks stunning. Her dark hair is swept up, she wears a dark grey business suit, and she looks exactly like the bad-as*s I know she is.

“I wanna f**k you senseless again, Chula, you look too goddamn hot to be going outside.” She stares at me disapprovingly but ends up laughing.

“Calm down, big boy, you can have me as soon as we get back. Business first, and then pleasure all night long.”

I don’t even have to make her promise. If Sal says we are f*****g all night long, we will. Even my father has commented and complained about the racket. I told him to shut it. We’re trying for a baby.

Willy drives us into the city centre. He has taken over all our transport now and I really like that he is a surrogate father figure for my Sal. She trusts him implicitly and that is very important in our line of work.

Today, I have to be a diplomat. The mob we are about to meet are superior in muscle, money, and influence. However, there is a code of conduct amongst the Mafia; etiquette, if you will. Therefore, the head of the Serrano family has agreed to meet us without hesitation. As long as we remain respectful, this meeting should be pretty straight forward.

The only snag I can envision is if they refuse to give us information on Dominga or, even worse, if they accept she murdered Jose but refuse to hand her over… that is grounds for war. Hopefully, that will not happen.

“Are we both straight about what we are doing?” Sal asks me again. She taps her foot and chews the inside of her cheek, and I raise her hand to my lips and k!ss it.

“We are straight. Don’t worry, mi amor, we’ve got this.”

We pull up outside a converted warehouse on the Thames. At one point, these buildings would have been ruins but now they are affluent and sought after.

The door is manned by heavies who frisk and search us, leaving Sal fuming when they take her Glock off her. I scowl at the man who takes my wife’s plaything from her, but inside I’m laughing because if looks could kill, they’d all be buried. Sal seriously takes no prisoners. I never have to guess what is going on with her, because if she hasn’t told me, her face, behaviour and mannerisms always will.

Tony Serrano is around fifty years old, he is fat and balding and has a massive bulbous nose with blackheads so big I bet flies could live in there. He is head of the Serrano Family and is a widely renowned and respected man.

I have only met him twice myself, but he welcomes us both as old friends. He sits back down behind his heavy oak desk and directs Sal and I to the seats on the other side.

Tony congratulates us both on our marriage and gives Sal his condolences for her papa passing away. When his minion returns with drinks for us all, he lights his cigar and asks us how he can help us.

“Tony, as you know, my papa was poisoned. We now know he was with a member of your family when he died. She was his mistress for many years. I would like to speak to her to establish her involvement. Out of respect to you and your family, I have approached you first, so you know what I want and why.”

“Tell me who your father’s mistress was and what evidence you have, please, Salma,” Tony replies calmly. I have to give the man his due: he has heard us out and remained calm. The rumours about him are true.

“The evidence we have is that my father was with his mistress when he died, and they had been together for two days prior. She called my mother when she found my father had died and coerced her into covering up for them.” Sal lays out all the evidence as she talks, the CCTV images, the bank statements and the pathology report.

“His mistress is called Dominga and she is the mother of his son too. We believe she killed my father to ensure her son gets the firm.”

Tony sits back in his seat, contemplating what we’ve said before answering us.

“I know Dominga and, without knowing anything more, I would definitely agree she is capable of doing this. She has gone underground since we discovered her association with werewolves. You know we police and tolerate them. Well, she has shacked up with one, a young one at that.” Chugging on his cigar which stinks like camel sh!t, he sits forward as he addresses us. “She refers to him as J.R. and we believe he is part of the Moon Stone Pack. The Alpha is called Xavier if you want to go and pay him a visit.”

My b***d runs cold as I look at Sal. This werewolf keeps coming up on our radar. However, this time, he will lose his throat if he has anything to do with Jose’s death.

“Do you have any current whereabouts for her? Anything we can follow-up? And what about her son? I think he might be involved and I want to question him too.” My voice trails off when I see a smirk forming on Tony’s face.

“Alejandro, I promise you if Dominga is found by my men, I will call both you and your wife back up here to interrogate her. However, her son is off limits. I can assure you he had nothing to do with this.”

The message is clear: he knows Jose’s son. He knows and he is protecting him.

Salma picks up on it too. “How can you be sure? I want to talk to him, Tony, I want to ask him as I look him in the eye if he killed our papa. He had the motive and the opportunity.” I put my hand on Sal’s arm in an attempt to calm her.

Tony stands. “I personally assure you that your half-brother, Enrique, had nothing to do with this. However, I will take you to him right now, so you may ask him questions.”

Finally, we are getting somewhere. We follow Tony out of his office into another room. The noises coming from inside sound familiar, like beeping.

“He prefers to be called Ricky. Be gentle.” Tony opens the door and steps aside. Taking Sal’s hand, we walk in confidently to confront the bastard son of Jose, my prime suspect for Jose’s murder.

The room itself throws me off my stride. It’s a games room. There is a large screen to the right and several games consoles below it. Directly in front of us is a corner suite with a hooded figure playing video games.

The thought that this fvcker is sitting here casually playing video games while my wife has been breaking her heart about her papa infuriates me. I say his name aloud but in a calm fashion to capture his attention.

I am floored when he turns around. There is a similarity between him, Sal and Jose. They have similar colouring and features.

However, Ricky scowls at me. “You made me lose my game,” he m***s and at my side, Sal gasps in realisation that her brother, the one who threatened her position, who we stupidly thought was involved in her father’s death and was plotting against us to take our firm away from us, is nothing more than a little boy.

“Oh my god, Ale, he’s a child. He’s a little boy,” Sal exclaims, her shock and denial both evident.

“Hey lady, I’m not that little, I’m almost eight years old now,” Ricky challenges in exasperation. “And who are you anyway? Where is Uncle Tony?”

Tony laughs from behind us. “It’s okay, boy, I’m right here. You play your game for a little while longer. I need to finish talking to my guests.”

Tony walks back out of the room and I go to follow but realise I will have to drag Sal, who is in deep shock at what she has discovered.

“Bye, then,” Ricky shouts to us.

“Bye, Ricky,” Sal squeaks out beside me.

Tony stands waiting for us and smirks. “Now will you accept why I know he wasn’t involved? He’s been with me for the past two months, since his mother abandoned him to be with her werewolf lover.”

Jose’s son has lost his papa and his mami ran off and left him. Jose will be turning in his grave. “We have to look after him, Sal, we have to protect him.”

The shock turns to joy on Sal’s face. “We will look after him. Ale, I have a little brother.”

Some of the grief and loss and suspicion seems to melt away from her eyes and I fall more in love with my wife as she delights in hearing she is a big sister to a seven-year-old boy.

*** Aiden ***

Rory returns our phones; however, he doesn’t return Amber’s knives and she hisses at him. It’s kind of cute. In another life, this man would have been our stepfather. The pain in his eyes shows me how much he loved my mother. He has been completely honest with us, even the painful truth of how our mother was cold and distant at times. I know I can trust him.

“We took your phones, but it was just as a formality. We are traditionalists here and we don’t have any signal at all, so they wouldn’t have worked anyway. You can have your knives when you leave, Amber. You could cut yourself on them.”

Amber gasps in outrage, offended by Rory’s insinuation, but Rory’s face is full of laughter and mischief. “Your mother had a fiery temper too. It’s the red hair.” He tells us a couple of stories about her that make us laugh.

“We couldn’t have a pup. I mean, she died within a year of leaving you both. Her heart was shattered. My wolf told me that your mother’s wolf would not permit another pregnancy because the pain of losing her first two pups was too great to endure.” That was insightful, I didn’t know our wolves could intuit that deeply. I’ll be giving Roman a whole range of new tasks once we get home.

Once Rory tells us about the situation with the phones, he gives us access to a landline. I rush to call Eva to check in on her and to tell her how much I love her and accept her and Summer. I want to make it official; I am going to ask to adopt Summer properly, so she is mine. I am desperate to hear her voice but there is no answer. In frustration, I call my own office and Delta Billy answers.

“Hey boss, Beta Preston and Gamma Max have escorted future Luna Eva to the Moon Stone to visit her father. They should be back soon.” Geez, I have been away too long. Eva is now visiting her father. I want to support her with that and instead I’m on a merry chase in the Scottish highlands when my father could have saved us all this upset and told us years ago that our mother died.

I am going to kill him. That isn’t a mere wish or threat. I am going to kill the f*****g monster who destroyed our family.

“Tell her I rang, and I will call again when I can. There is no signal up here, but we are starting our journey back home tomorrow. I’m assuming everything is good with the pack?”

Billy assures me that everything is going well in my absence and wishes us a safe trip home. ,

The small box Rory said my mother had made for me is on my bed when I return to my room

Unsure of what I will replace, I open it warily. I know Rory said my mother was banished with nothing, so I am intrigued by my mother’s legacy to me. Inside, there is a scrapbook, a letter, a blanket, and a couple of small photographs.

The photographs are worn and faded, but it’s one of a baby and on the back, is my name and then there is one of me, holding Amber just after she was born. I remember that photograph. I think I have the same print at home.

In the scrap book are drawings and little annotations. The day I was born, my first smile, my first steps, my first words. The nursery rhymes and lullabies she would sing to and with us. It is a labour of love, a masterpiece of her memories of us. A huge lump forms in my throat. I can’t believe she is dead, and I won’t get to see her or talk to her. I have been so bitter and resentful of her all this time.

I wish Eva was here, I need her. I need us and I desperately want us to be formally mated in front of our pack and I want to be a family with her. A family that I have yearned for. I wish my little mate was here so I could show her my soul and she could k!ss away all the hurt. I would wrap her up in my strong arms and never let her go. I would never ever let her feel the way my mother did. Only a monster could do that.

The next day, as we make our way back home through the territories we came through on our way up here, both Amber and I are quiet. She also got a box, but her memory book is shorter than mine. She was just a babe in arms when our mother was banished and then died.

“Aiden, I am going to be executed or imprisoned for life anyway. I think I should be the one to kill Father so there is no comeback for you. All I ask is that I get to have one complete weekend with Preston when we return. And when I am gone, help him to move on. He deserves to be happy; I want him to be happy even if it can’t be with me.” She chokes on her last line.

I have just lost my mother; I cannot lose my sister too. “Amber, no. As Alpha, I have the authority to use appropriate punishment. He deserves to die for what he has done, and I will execute him after a fair trial so there are no repercussions. Do not give up, we are going to fight for your freedom and if they sentence you, I will get you out of the territory so you and Preston can flee before it comes to that.”

She snuggles into me. Sometimes I forget she isn’t a little girl anymore; she is a fully grown woman. But to me she will always be my little sister. Until Eva came into my life, Amber was the person I loved most in this world. She was everyone I cared about.

“I can’t wait to talk to Preston properly, it feels like an age has passed since we last spoke. I miss him. I don’t think I would have admitted that six months ago, Aidy, but I miss him so much.”

I know how she feels. This journey home is going to be torture.

*** Xavier ***

My daughter walks into my pack house, all guns blazing. I honestly feel a bit scared of her. She has a temper that is slow to ignite, but hell hath no fury like Eva once you’ve provoked her too many times. She walks up to the recently widowed Nikki and grabs her by the scruff of her neck, and I swear Eva’s eyes flash silver when she does it.

“Get in there, now. You and I are going to have words. Who the f**k do you think you are coming on to my land and threatening my pack members? You do realise you have messed up the whole trial to replace the truth about your mate’s death by intimidating a witness and trying to bribe him. Are you completely stupid?”

My daughter throws Nikki into the hall and walks in after. She has a commanding presence. Her short stature only amplifies how strong she is because she doesn’t need brute strength to get what she wants; she commands respect.

She is my heir all right. I only wish her mate wasn’t also an Alpha. My land and legacy will be swallowed up into his now. However, I know that is a small price to pay since my pack will be led by the best person and my lands will be safe in her hands. She already has a child who will be our Heir Apparent. Our legacy will live on.

“What is the meaning of this, Nikki? Have you been intimidating and bribing witnesses?” Nikki openly cries, and I am sympathetic because of the pain I feel from my own mate bond severing. She is very young to lose her mate, and before they had pups too. It is a shame for her, but we must abide by the law; they are there for a reason and she broke them.

“I miss him, and I wanted that wh0re to pay for what she did. She butchered him; he was severed all the way from his shoulder down to his groin. I wanted vengeance. I wanted her mate and his pup so it would hurt her like she hurt me.”

Using my Alpha aura, I force her to submit. “That was why we informed the council when you made your complaint, so they could replace the truth and deal out the punishment as appropriate. You made the complaint… that was what you wanted, and now you’ve ruined it all. You have no authority here or anywhere to condemn someone, or to decide what their punishment should be.”

I look at my daughter, who seems to be calming down at least.

“I will inform the council straight away. And I am sorry on behalf of my pack member. I will ensure the council’s punishment is served.”

Eva nods back. “Thank you, Father. But first, I want to know how she got onto our land without detection and how she was to track him.”

It’s a good question, and I turn to look at the woman it concerns. Nikki has revealed her own secret now and she only has herself to blame.

*** Salma ***

My father’s son, my brother, is a child. In my head, I pictured a beast of a man who was involved in the murder of our papa. However, he is a child and he’s my little brother. He is so small with features uncannily like papa’s that it is unreal. When Mami told me that Dominga was papa’s only mistress for the last ten years, I assumed with time and age he had no need for a harem of lovers. I expected my brother to be a man, maybe a similar age as me, and my father had opted to keep his mother as his only mistress.

It’s always been something I thought about: why didn’t my parents have more children? Mafia families are usually huge. I wonder if mami couldn’t have more. Maybe papa kept Dominga as his only mistress so she would give him another child? I guess I will never know. Not fully.

Tony said Ricky’s mother abandoned him and ran off with a werewolf named JR. This werewolf and Dominga are now our prime suspects for my father’s murder, and our number one objective is to replace them. Although Mafia and Werewolf are not enemies as such, we certainly don’t mix, so, it is intriguing to see how this happened and why.

I think it’s time to visit my friend in her new home. Eva has been to visit me a few times, bringing Summer with her as well as an entourage of wolves that Aiden rightly insisted on sending ‘just in case.’ However, I think it’s time to visit her and her mate and see if they can help me. Alpha Aiden will have extensive knowledge of his pack and the packs surrounding his. He might know someone called JR. He might be able to point me to my father’s killer.

Tony names two other associates who may be able to give more insight into Dominga and her whereabouts. However, I want to hear his theory of why she would risk killing my father.

“She hated him, but she loved the power and status and having his son only increased that. The fact that she abandoned Ricky so quickly confirms to me that she had no real feeling for her son and he is a mere pawn in her game for power.”

Tony stubs out his cigar before continuing.

“I believe Jose training you to take over and the rumours of your marriage to Mr Suarez to solidify that probably pushed her to act because she would lose her power and status if her son wasn’t recognised as Jose’s true heir.”

He moves the paperweight on his desk, clearly deep in thought.

“She may have thought that killing your father would have killed your union too, thus weakening your claim to your firm. From what I heard, your father loved Dominga and he loved his son too, and I do believe he would have divulged all this to her.”

Tony sits back and regards us both as a couple, raising both hands to include us both.

“It’s common knowledge he handpicked Mr Suarez for you, Salma, and the fact that you resisted and fought against it is well known too and actually helped your take over. You are strong and we recognised that.”

I smile and look at Ale, it seems like an eternity ago I was resisting being his wife.

“My oldest is a girl too, and you have forced me to acknowledge that a woman can lead successfully. Dominga may have had delusional thoughts that she could lead in her son’s place until he came of age and received all his training. Maybe she saw herself as Donna Regent?”

Finally breaking eye contact, he looks for his cigar once again.

“Or maybe she found a new man to f**k and wanted an out? Maybe your papa’s balls started to sag, or he couldn’t get it up anymore. Maybe she didn’t do it at all and we are barking up the wrong tree completely.”

I smile at Tony; he is the first Don who continued to talk as he would if I was a man. He is also intelligently dissecting my problem for me, examining all the evidence we have so far in a clinical way. It is good to have an outside perspective that isn’t tainted by emotion.

“What I do know is that our laws are clear and if she did kill your papa, I will execute her. Unless you want the honours, of course?”

I raise my eyebrows at him. Of course, I want the honours and I know he is teasing me. “Can I take my brother? I’m sure papa would want me to look after him and raise him, especially seeing as his mother has run off and left him.” I hold my breath as he makes his decision.

Tony scrutinises me. “He’s a good kid, Sal, would you harm him?”

Rage starts to bubble up in me… how f*****g dare he ask me that? It infuriates me, but I realise he is trying to protect Ricky and I would have asked him the same thing if the scenario was the other way around.

“I am well aware of our laws, Tony; children are off limits, but I wouldn’t harm him anyway. I want to be a big sister, the one I’m supposed to be. He is my kin, my last link to my papa.”

A lump forms in my throat as I think of my papa, and his final gifts to me. They are priceless, better than any money could buy: My Alejandro and now my little brother, Ricky.

“I will look after him, protect him, train him and, when the time comes, he will have his rightful share of our empire. That is what is right and it’s what papa would have wanted.”

Tony addresses Alejandro. “Are you ready for this?”

My Ale smiles back at him. “Whatever she wants, I will give her anything… you know the score, Tony. She is my Queen. My Donna. Mi Amor.” A shiver of desire runs right through me that seems to ping on my clit. I am going to f**k his brains out later.

“First, I think we should tell Ricky who you are and let him decide.”

That sounds fair enough, but what will I do if he says he doesn’t want to come with me?

*** Melanie ***

I am feeling increasingly isolated and alone. Am I going crazy? I’m not sure. Visions of Ryan keep intruding on my peace and it’s terrifying me. While relaxing in the bath last night I opened my eyes and he was hanging in front of me, his face purple and eyes bulging. I can’t carry on like this.

I am too frightened to sleep, and I am exhausted from the hypervigilance. I wish I had a friend I could turn to.

I seek out my midwife, Sheila. I tell her what is going on. She is keen for me to get some mental health support and replaces me the phone number for the ante-natal psychiatric support team.

Sheila give me the details of support groups I could attend. All expectant mothers from all walks of life. I could go and make new friends in a similar phase of their lives, and we could support each other. It sounds perfect.

However, as with anything in my life, it is far from perfect. I attend the first support group later that evening. I walk in alone and everyone turns to look at me. The room falls silent. I am the only person without a partner. The perfect couples look me up and down and the imperfect ones seem happier that the scummy single mum has turned up, so they look more respectable in comparison.

At first, no one talks to me except the woman running the support group who offers me a drink before we both make awkward small talk about the weather and the latest political fiasco in the news.

We all sit in the support circle to introduce ourselves. There is the usual, “I am Tarquin, and this is my wife Audrey, and we are pregnant,” as well as a few other stuck ups. When it is my turn, I stand.

“Hi, my name is Melanie, I am pregnant with my third child. My first daughter. I am happy to meet you all.”

No one else is questioned, some people wave and say hi, but as I sit down, I am bombarded by questions.

“Where is the dad?”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Was it planned?”

“Will the dad be involved?”

“Who is your birthing partner?”

After a couple of minutes, I zone out, completely and utterly overwhelmed and feeling more alone than ever before.

My baby wasn’t planned, and it is the product of me cheating with another woman’s husband. I have no birthing partner and I am very f*****g scared. Oh and the baby’s dad will not be involved because he was a horrible bastard who told me he didn’t want it and to get rid of it, and then went and killed himself by accident.

Can you imagine their faces if I said all that? I am shunned already; I would be burned at the stake if they knew my child was the bastard of a dead man who was married to another. That I am a wh0re and a homewrecker.

When the circle starts, I excuse myself, saying I need to pee. But in reality, I run to my car, drive home and decide I’m going to stay in the house until the baby’s born.

Even the threat of Ryan’s ghost won’t keep me out.

*** Eva ***

Maintaining a civil manner is becoming increasingly hard. I am fuming that this Nikki has caused Preston all the upset and pain he has been in. He is not responsible for what happened, and Amber has submitted to the council and will accept their ruling. Nikki is completely and utterly out of order, and I am not standing for it.

As soon as Preston points her out, I grab her. She will not be getting away from me. I am here for an explanation. I want answers. What did she really think she would achieve? More importantly, how did she manage to avoid our border controls? I drag her by the scruff of her neck into my father’s main pack hall and launch her onto her knees in the middle of the room.

“I am Evangelina Smith-Jones, future Luna of The Onyx River and Alpha Heir to Xavier Woodward. Submit to me now and explain yourself.”

Lina is in my head now. She is in a rage that someone in our pack has been threatened and she is guiding me in my responses and reactions. I am struggling to maintain control over my wolf counterpart.

My father’s look of shock quickly turns to pride when I frog march Nikki into his hall. I know replaceing Aiden has made me stronger, but I also feel strength growing inside me from being here in my father’s lands too. It’s as though the land recognises me and welcomes me home. My strength as a werewolf is amplified here, as my birthright.

From what I have seen, Junior is not around and it’s a relief that he isn’t here. He still creeps me out and although Aiden tried to relay what is happening between Junior and the father Junior and I share, I told him to stop. Not yet. I wasn’t ready. I can barely believe I have a father; I’m struggling to accept that a loathsome leech is my half-brother.

I listen to what Nikki has to say for herself, looking at my father’s reactions. I want to know what type of man he is: will he protect her blindly or will he throw her under the bus or will he lead impartially, taking both sides into account? The way my father handles this will colour my opinion of him. He doesn’t know it yet, but he is on trial, and I am the judge and jury.

“How were you able to come onto my land without detection and how were you able to track Beta Preston?” Recognition flashes in my father’s eyes. He knows how and if he refuses to tell me, I know what sort of man he is.

“My father was a Red-Mage. A jack-of-all-trades. My mother was a werewolf of the Moon Stone. Alpha Xavier promised to protect me and my identity and my abilities. You promised my mother on her deathbed you would look out for me. You promised!”

Lina growls inside me, she knows that we are close to the truth too. My teeth buzz with a new kind of energy and a peculiar feeling starts to descend on me.

“Nikki, I cannot protect you, you went against my express instructions and used the powers you have to manipulate and intimidate. I will have to inform the council.” The power of an Alpha rolls off my father and a glimmer of pride glows inside me. He did the right thing. He is a good man after all. “The best you can hope for is that you apologise to my daughter and show some remorse for what you have done and get on your knees and beg for forgiveness for the wrongs you have committed against her and her pack.”

The temperature in the room decreases, a chill settles in my bones and my teeth start to chatter.

“I should apologise? It seems Junior was correct; our Alpha has grown weak since his little princess has returned.” Nikki clenches her jaw and narrows her eyes. “That WH0RE killed my mate. I will f*****g destroy her, I will ensure every hope and dream she ever had rots in the soil under her feet. I will destroy every f*****g werewolf who stands in front of her to protect her.”

She stands, her hands balled into fists.

“I will not stop until I avenge my lover. I will not stop until she screams for death because of the agony I inflict on her sorry, pathetic life. He was my mate, my only family and she took it away from me, she took everything from me, and I will take everything from her and burn it to the ground.”

Nikki spits as she rants, and a gust of mist and electricity flows in the air around her, giving her a mystical and otherworldly look.

“You could have had some semblance of a future with me, Beta Preston, if you had just submitted and done as I asked, but now you will all pay. Any pups born into your pack from this moment on will be subject to my curse. A curse to avenge my lost lover. Your pups will never replace their mates, they will not feel the bond. This is the cost your mate will pay for killing mine. I place a curse upon every member of the Onyx River Pack and your offspring. May you all know what it truly is to be alone.”

Lina growls and pounces and before I know what is happening, pain completely overwhelms me. My bones crack, snap, and transform. My back elongates and stoops, my arms become front paws and fur sprouts out from my forehead. As I shift into my wolf form, into Lina, Eva screams in agony and fear.

As the pain subsides, Lina howls and then pounces, attempting to attack Nikki. However, Nikki anticipates this and before Lina lands, Nikki throws something to the ground and a puff of red smoke fills the room. When it clears, Nikki is nowhere to be found.

The reaction of the others in the room is perplexing. They all look at me curiously and I start to feel paranoid. Have I shifted wrong? Am I a cat instead of a wolf? What if I can’t shift back? I needn’t have worried; my body transforms back and as I take my human form once more, a cloak is quickly placed around me.

“I shifted. I finally shifted!” I say, filled with excitement, but the look on their faces makes me reassess my joy. Why do they look at me like that? Maybe it’s because Nikki escaped. “Where did she go? We can still catch her if we rush.” Preston catches me as I scramble to my feet to go after her until my legs give way and I fall almost to the ground.

“Eva, take it easy, she’s gone, we won’t replace her now. You need to rest… that was terrifying and intense.” Preston looks at me with concern, but there is something more there. Is it fear? Or intrigue?

“I don’t understand. Why do I need to rest? Did I do something wrong? Why are you all acting weird?” Panic rises within me. I have been concentrating so much on shifting and being able to complete the full mating ritual with Aiden, I never once thought there may be an issue once I actually did it.

“Luna. Eva. You did shift, but… you didn’t become a wolf,” Max, my Gamma tells me gently. In shock, I try to process what he is telling me. If I am not a werewolf… What did I transform into? Did I really become a cat or a dog?

My father kneels down in front of me and takes my hand in his. “Evangelina… You have a Dire Wolf.”

What the hell is a Dire Wolf and why are they all acting like I am something that should be feared? Where did Nikki disappear to? What the hell is a Red-Mage?

I came here for answers and ended up with even more questions.

*** Aiden ***

An overpowering sense of foreboding fills me. Eva. Something is wrong with Eva. Roman challenges me for control, but I resist his arguments. I need to simply call and ask.

Amber rushes to me. “You felt that too, right? Something is wrong, Aidy. We need to head home. NOW.”

If Amber felt it too, then this is bigger than Eva. This is Preston. This is the pack.

“Get our car now, we need to leave right away and we will not be stopping. We need to get home as soon as possible,” I tell our guards who rush to do our bidding.

Both Amber and I keep trying for a signal on our phones so we can make contact with our mates. I alternate between feeling angry and then terrified.

The feeling doesn’t leave us. It is a dark and heavy feeling of no hope that seems to drain the life out of us both.

As we hit the border between Scotland and England, our phones spring to life. It has been over six hours since the incident happened.

I call Eva straight away. Please be safe, please be safe. I am relieved when she answers, but when I hear how upset she is, anxiety floods me once more.

“Aiden, please come home. Please come back as soon as possible.” As she cries down the phone, I try to work out what has happened.

“Lina is a Dire Wolf. I have a Dire Wolf.”

Holy sh!t. Dire Wolves are extremely rare. They are huge, powerful beasts that are harder to control. How the hell has Eva ended up with one?

“Shortie, please calm down. Everything is going to be okay.”

I say the words, but I am scared for my love. I am worried about the implications of her having a Dire Wolf instead of a regular wolf. They are so powerful that this could kill my little delicate mate.

I can’t let that happen. I need to go home and protect what is mine.