Filed to story: Mated to the Alpha and His Beta Novel Free >>???
It was true that I no longer felt her inside me as strongly as I had before Lanie became the Luna, but the Goddess would never completely leave me. No matter how I strained now, though, I couldn’t feel her presence.
My wolf rose, pacing and growling under her breath She, too, was fiercely protective of the pups and Xander. She’d always been a little standoffish with about Lanie’s wolf, Lily, but I’d always thought it was simply because they hadn’t had much of a chance to run together. There’d always been a tiny bit of Luna rivalry, even though I had willingly abdicated my role when my son was mated.
Gabriela! Hellca 1 barely stopped moving when a voice called to me. It took me a few seconds to recognize it It belonged to Meliria Immediately, I tossed up a thought-shield. I’d begun learning to hide my thoughts behind a wall from Orion, long ago, without even realizing why. A sadness crept into me that I also hid behind the wall and the wide smile I put on my face as I turned to her.
“I’m on my way to pick up the children,’ I explained, keeping my voice light and calm.
Melina looked surprised. “Oh, but it’s so early! The school usually doesn’t release them until closer to the dinner break. I thought you and I might spend some time getting to know one another.”
“I miss them. I forced a laugh, trying to sound like a silly old woman. “I spent so much time with them when they were tiny. I’ve been the twins’ primary caregiver since they were born.”
“And little Stella, our Celestial wonder, Melina murmured, tilting her head.
“Yes. Lanie’s child.” Stella was special because her mother was, and I loved that little girl fiercely because she was my blood…
but there was no denying that I also feared what might be on the h ori zon for all of us because of her.
4
Melina’s eyes narrowed, and I strengthened my shield.
“Perhaps we could have tea another time?”
“Absolutely. Excuse me.” Without looking back, and without hurrying, I walked away with her gaze burning holes in my back.
hallway then I rounded a corner and took another hallway, then a flight of stairs. I cursed under my breath. I was lost.
Somehow, I’d gotten turned around in my haste to get away from Melina, and I was in a part of the enclave I’d never been in before.
“I smell her,” my wolf whispered in my mind.
Ahead of me at the far end of the corridor was a big set of double doors made of carved wood. From behind them, raised voices that became shouts.
My heart pounded as I let my wolf senses guide me toward the scent of my son and his mate. Mates. All of them were behind those doors. Their scents were overlaid with something stronger, Acrid Sweat and aggression Fear Fury I ran toward the doors and the sound of shouting Zane–
“Grey! No, you can’t!” The shout tore out of me before I could think twice. I was already running toward him, both hands out to grab the torch away before he could actually set fire to Charlotte.
She had her mouth open wide, but it looked like she was too shocked even to scream. I knew that Lanie was making him do it, but I was still pretty da mned shocked, myself. I dove at him just before he touched the torch to his mate’s sleeve.
In the same moment, Malachi intoned in a strong, cold tone, “Stop!”
Immediately, Greyson backed away. I thanked the Goddess he hadn’t set his mate aflame. I couldn’t stop my forward motion, so I ended up grabbing the torch out of his hand. I couldn’t figure out how to extinguish it, but I kept it held far away from my body. I kept my eye on Greyson, not sure if he was going to try anything else.
Greyson turned to Malachi. “Stop what?”
Charlotte let out a strangled, sobbing noise, and I heard another sound, too. It sounded like a gasp, but when I turned to see who else might be watching all of this play out, I only saw the empty doorway. If someone was watching us from there, they were long gone.
Lanie put her arm around Charlotte’s shoulders. Her expression was twisted and stricken. “I’m so sorry!”
But she didn’t sound sorry. Not exactly. She sounded gleeful and proud.
Mason and Xander had their heads together, muttering. I joined them, still holding the torch. I wasn’t sure what the f uck to do with it, but I knew I didn’t want it anywhere near Greyson just in case.
“Careful with that,” Xander bit out.
“You’re not afraid she’ll be able to make me try to hurt you with it, are you?” I shot at him through our mind link. I definitely didn’t want Lanie to hear me say it, but I also wasn’t sure if my shield was strong enough to keep her out.
She was still comforting Charlotte and didn’t even toss a glance our way, so I hoped it was okay. My heart had been pounding, but now it started to slow to its normal rhythm.
Mason looked like he wanted to punch a hole straight through something “What the f uck was that? He was actually going to light her on fire.”
It was hard to pulse out some Beta energy for him with my own emotions still in an uproar, but I did my best. I concentrated, sending some out to Xander as well. The two Alphas were visibly upset, looking like they wanted to pace or shift into their wolves.
“Malachi wanted Lanie to compel someone to do something they would never willingly do. I guess this proves she can,” Xander–
replied with an equally grim expression try, but it’s not like we didn’t already know that she’s powerful.”
“Powerful is one thing,” Xander thought. “But she was willing to let her friend get hurt as part of her test.”
We all turned to look at our mate and Charlotte. The two women were….laughing? And hugging. Charlotte reached out her hand to bring Greyson into the hug. He looked as confused as I felt.
“She doesn’t look like she’s upset about it,” I said aloud, but under my breath.
Malachi had moved closer to us without any of us three noticing. F ucking vamps and their sneak mode.
Mason and Xander didn’t jump, but I could tell they were as surprised by his sudden appearance as I was.
“My granddaughter did well, don’t you think?” Malachi said. He was practically preening.
Xander scowled. “This is b ullsh it, Malachi. I don’t want my mate-”
“Our mate,” Mason cut in.
Xander gave his brother a narrow-eyed glared but nodded. “We don’t want her actively hurting people.”
“She didn’t hurt anyone,” Malachi pointed out. Like he didn’t give two s hits about what Xander or Mason wanted. “If you’re worried about her capacity to cause harm, I’m afraid it’s really out of your hands. Wouldn’t you rather she be able to control her talents than be controlled by them?”
I knew I would, but I was still dealing with the shock of seeing the man I’d thought was becoming my friend about to set his mate on fire. Even knowing he wasn’t doing it out of his own desire didn’t do much to erase the memory of his blank face holding up that torch, If Lanie could make someone almost kill the person they loved beyond any other, what could she make someone do to a person they didn’t care about at all?
Mason–
Greyson stared down at his hands, holding them out in front of him like they belonged to someone else. He turned them over and over before looking to Zane, who still held the torch. When he crossed to us, I instinctively stepped between the Beta and the dragon shifter. Who knew what the f uck he was going to do?
“Sorry,” Greyson said, like he knew what I was thinking. “Thank you, Zane, for stepping in. If Malachi hadn’t stopped me, I’m sure you would have.”
Charlotte came up behind Greyson and wrapped her arms around his waist with a gleeful squeal. “My love, you almost burned me to cinders!”
Greyson frowned and turned to pull her against his chest. “This is not something I want to celebrate.”
“Not about you,” she said with a shake of her head. “It’s about Lanie. She was able to compel you. I know. you would never, not in a million moons, ever deliberately hurt me that way. The fact she was able to get you to obey is huge.”
I shared a look with the dragon shifter. He didn’t seem happy about Lanie’s obvious power, even if his mate was almost dancing with joy. Malachi, too, had a broad grin spreading across his face. He had pulled. Lanie into a half hug as he leaned to whisper in her ear. Lanie was radiating with obvious pleasure at her accomplishment.
When I looked at Xander and Zane, though, I was glad to see that my brother and our Beta seemed like they felt the way I did….which was not at all sure we liked our mate having the capacity to compel people into murder.
For one minute, I considered telling them all I wanted to leave the enclave. We could pack our sh it and gone from here in a few hours. Take our pups, our mate and just get the f uck out of Dodge. The three of us could protect our family, and if we couldn’t, what the hell good were we, anyway?
Zane must have sensed my wild train of thoughts, because he sent out another pulse of calming energy let it flow through me, even though I really wanted to fight it. He was doing his job.
I locked eyes with my brother and opened the mind link. “This is f u cked up, right? Like, I get that we should all be happy she’s got this power, but…”
“No. I’m with you, brother. I love our mate, and I’m super proud of her, but this feels like too much.”
“Same,” Zane thought.
Lanie pulled away from Malachi with a frown and stared straight at me.
Ah, sh it. She’d heard us.
Lanie–
[e)
J
stay private. I could overhear some of their words and sense the emotions behind them, but I hadn’t caught all of it.
They weren’t happy, that much I could tell.
And …didn’t…care?
My grandfather snaked an arm around my shoulders again, pulling me close again. “Pay them no mind. They’ll get used to it, even if it does bruise their egos. You were marvelous. Don’t let anyone make you feel otherwise.”
I wasn’t going to. I wasn’t sure I even could. I’d never felt like this before, such a strange combination of exhilaration and exhaustion.
“I feel like I could literally climb up those walls right now, but I’m also so drained I could fall over and sleep for a hundred years,” I told my grandfather with a small grin. “Is that normal?”
Malachi waved a hand. “What’s normal? Nobody’s normal. You’ll have to learn what is ‘normal’ for you, and it won’t be the same as for anyone else. You’re a hybrid, Lanie. You are unique unto yourself. I can tell you that it’s common to feel both tired and excited after a successful compelling. Does that help?”
“Yes,” I told him, because it did. “I guess I just have to accept the fact that I’m not normal. I won’t have a normal life.”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?