Stronger

“He’s finally cracked,” Grayson declared to me.

The wolf he’d been starving for weeks has finally cracked. Grayson had kept him alive but starved, healthy but ravenous, he finally broke after weeks of a meal just out reach.

I walked down to the cells with him. I would stay out sight but I wanted to listen, I wanted to know. If he was willing to talk and tell us how we could keep this life of ours together.

“Talk,” my mates voice was chilling as it echoed in the cell.

1 hugged the stone wall and turned my head to hear everything clearly.

“You,” the prisoners voice was so weak and strained. “You are truly smart I’ll give you that,”

“Talk.” Grayson repeated.

“He wants you to grieve. He loved his brother, you killed him now he wants you to be broken,” The man gave us a small shred of words.

“I’m well aware,” my mate was monotone bored that he was not getting anything new.

“But the son. The son wants more. He wants. Wants everything you’ve built, wants it all for himself,” the famished idiot gave it up.

“Even if you kill the alpha the son is. He’s. H–is gonna be the problem. No doubt he’s the smart here…” his voice falling over itself. D

“…that’s what I know,”

“Feed the man,” Grayson ordered. “Get him fluids. Get him well,”

The son was the brains, the father was the fury. Grayson would run with information. If this son was greedy he was foolish, and if the father was angry he was distracted.

I knew it was awful but this news did comfort me. They had shortcomings we could take advantage of, and with my heat soon coming (wanted the leg up on these men.

He turned the corner, grabbing my hand and walking briskly ahead.

“Grayson?” His hurried pace towards the direction of his office.

No response, he was stone faced moving ahead through the people. I couldn’t feel what was rumbling around inside of hun why he was so sure to get to his office.

He got me behind the door locking it and picking my up by my waist.

“Graysont” I gasped as he set me down on his desk hissing me as he cupped my face.

He was desperate, his fire heating me up and consuming me.

“G–Gray, Grayson.” I tried to talk to him but he pressed himself against me, k*ssing me deeper and deeper into this

sudden distraction.

“He can’t have this,” he whispered to me in between his l*ps on my skin.

“He wants all I have but this.” he looked down at me, flushed and needy, all due to him. “My woman here,” he pulled me by my legs against him. “All for me in pure bliss. This he will never have,” he grinned.

I let him enjoy his relief as he consumed me. His hands were so rough and touched me so delicately.

By the end we had found ourselves laughing on the floor exposed to the world.

“Weak men try to steal, stupid men take revenge against those in the right. We will survive this,” He told me rubbing

his thumb on my cheek.

“You know you may not feel as euphoric as this if you’d talk to me about your worries,”

“But I don’t want to worry you. You should have no worries, you’re about to bring our babe into this world. You need a clear head.” He grinned.

“Oh my!” I laughed. “For such a brooding man you certainly will be putty if we have a daughter,”

“I have no idea what you could mean,” he k*ssed me.

I hummed and laid my head on his chest soaking up this moment. This road we were on was not going to be smooth. but I knew he was right we’d survive it, we will be lying here again without anything hiding in the shadows.

Eventually though I had to do my duties as Luna especially today. Today that couple we blessed were having their binding.

Letting the people celebrate and enjoy themselves even when we knew we were being threatened was important. We couldn’t allow this enemy to keep us locked up here.

“I have to go and see Vivienne and prepare her for her binding,” I laughed as my mate grabbed me in a bear hug.

“She’s fine,” he growled. “She has her mother, sister and cousins and friends. Just give her a high five before the ceremony and she’ll be fine.”

“The man of duties and responsibilities says I should skimp on mine?” I have a falsely shocked and acquisitory tone.

“I knew what you would do to me keeping me tied to you with your magic b*dy. That’s why I kept you at arms length,”

he k*ssed my back.

*Oh so so romantic.”

“I was terrified I’d be utterly absorbed once I let my guard down,” he k*ssed my n*eck. “I was right,”

“Too bad muster. I have duties and so do you,” I wriggled out of his arms. “I’ll see you tonight at the binding.

3.44%

Vivienne was beaming as she got ready for her binding. I didn’t do much to help her prepare but did give advicecond helped braid her hair.

She looked very different from me on the morning of my binding. So sure of her mate and giddy to bewithlm, practically vibrating from her excitement.

I was doubtful, and scared. I was as silent as the grave and preparing myself to give my life to a man had only starred getting to know

We’d had a different kind of love story but the love was there. Nothing ever goes as planned but we’ve done pretty good from where we had begun.

She didn’t get all the ceremonies and rituals I did or the fighting and competitions all she had to do was bind to the man she loved. Wouldn’t it be easier if Grayson and I had been able to do things simply.

What if what if‘

I remember how I’d felt before I had left my home. I knew he was holding back and no matter what I do no matter how dedicated I appeared to be he wouldn’t budge.

To think of how far we’ve come in such a short time.

I left her to get ready myself putting on a black boat n*eck long sleeved dress with a circle skirt. My hair was half up and half down with large curls. I wore white gold jewelry and a sapphire head piece my mother hand gave me on my eighteenth birthday.

I like more classic and natural looks and I knew Grayson did too. He was waiting downstairs and I slowly walked down to him. His breath caught in his throat.

“It’s rude for a woman to outdo the bride,” he looked at me like I was the goddess herself.

“You haven’t seen her. The way a woman shines when she marries the man she was meant for, no one in the world compares,” I batted my lashes at him.

Him in his black shirt and black pants. It was his color of course with his dark hair and gray eyes. How could look any

better.

“You two are going to make me the most beautiful grandchild,” Amaria called to us from the kitchen.

She had been teasing us at our much more intimate manners with each other. I also had this feeling she knew I was

going to get pregnant.

I found her looking at me with this proud look and love in her eyes, once I swear I caught her looking at my stomach.

My heat was surely coming any day. There was a baby that would almost certainly come from it, and only my mother.

and Grayson knew.

We walked out to the pavilion greeting everyone with smiles and hugging our people.

This is what we’d needed. What our people deserved. They had taken on this war without second thought and bare the

duties of warriors, defenders, soldiers.

It felt so good to the children running around and playing, their parents laughing at them being so carefree. This is the pack I had fallen in love with, the one I had wanted to make my home.

We ate the roasted pig and Grayson and I sat next to the happy couple making conversation with them. Even Charlie and James were enjoying themselves as they spoke to Arron and Leon.

After a while we led the party to the ceremonial Arch where I had bound myself to Grayson. I looked at its old winding moss covered branches, the sensation I had experienced lingering on me.

Grayson held my hand and brought it slowly up to his l*ps giving me a long k*ss on my knuckles.

“My Netta,” he whispered. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Amaria cleared her throat as she took her place in front of the betrothed.

“We bring this pair that have found and chosen each other before you my lady,” She called above to the Goddess.

“They have discovered each other along their oaths and have promised to now walk their paths together,”

“They come here to make their souls one under you,”

The couple came closer and they bit into one another. Neither of them collapsed the way we did, neither showed signs of hearing the other, but their love was just as deep as ours.

We all started to filter back to the pavilion to dance and eat dessert to our hearts content. Grayson placed his hand on the small of my back as we walked and a dozen memories came to my mind and I leaned my head against him.

Charlie rushed up beside me disrupting our moment of peace.

“Charlie?” I gave him a bewildered look.

“How did it feel to bind?” He asked me..

“What?” I stoped in my tracks shaking my head at him.

“How did it feel when you knew you and Grayson were binding?” He continued his insane line of questioning.

There were two other female Alpha’s in our generation. One from another bloodline of Alphas but not as long as ours of course. The other was a blessed family who was surprised with a daughter. Charlie was expected to vie for both of

them and bind to one.

But my

mother would have called me the moment she knew he was ready to do so. Charlie would have come to my parents first. He was the man who walked the straight and narrow because he wanted nothing more than to be the best Alpha for my family’s pack.

“It’s as if you’ve found where you’re supposed to be, like you are at the center of it all, and it’s the best and most important thing you’ll ever do,” Grayson answered him.

“Why?” I grabbed his arm. “Are you interested in someone?”

Charlie huffed. “No,” before he walked away his brows knit together and his jaw grinding from side to side.

Grayson wrapped his arms around me before I could go after my brother. “He’s not ready to talk about it yet. When he

can question him to your heart’s content,” He told me his voice dancing on my ear making me shiver.

is

you

I shuffled my feet and slumped against him before we walked back to the crowd of blissful people.

“A dance sister mine?‘ James grabbed me from my husband.

I laughed at his instance. I loved this playful side of my baby brother. “You never dance, well, only for mama,

“Lets just say I’m homesick,” He smirked. “You know for a man I hate his people worship him. And you,” He looked me dead in the eyes..

“James don’t ha-,”

“He’s put you in danger that will possibly take your life and the life of your baby and you still defend him,” He growled

at me.

I gasped in a large breath and stumbled back as my littlest brother stomped away from me.

“I think if he’d wanted to avoid cleaning up the foulest smelling shit he shouldn’t insult you,” Grayson spit in the direction of my brother glaring down his fading figure.

“Dance with me?” I turned and wrapped my arms around his n*eck.

He wrapped his arm around my waist and glued me to him. I kept my one hand on the back of his n*eck and gazed up at him in complete adoration.

He swung and spun me around the dance floor and my dress displayed me in grace and elegance. Our pack clapped and awed at us as we glided around.

After a song or two we stepped out of the lights, but as we did the world started to spin.

“Hnngh,” I crumpled against Grayson who instantly caught my weight and kept me upright.

“Annette?”

“Don’t make a scene let them enjoy tonight, get me to the house,” I told him.

He got me down to hte path toward our house and that’s when I couldn’t keep myself upright. He scooped me up.

“Goddess be,” I grabbed him doing all I could to keep my claws in.

“NNgAhhhh,” I wailed as my muscles flared.

He got me upstairs and the first blood curdling scream left me. I wasn’t going to live through this. There is no way, no one can live through this.

“Shhh, shhh.” He got me into the tub and blasted me with cold water, it started evaporating on my skin. “I’m here

Netta,”

“Help me, help me, help me,” I cried as my b*dy curled up and jerked.

My heat had come.

Chapter Comments

Kimberly Rivera

why is there no mention of her wearing the ring he gave her

Tricia Huett

why can’t he get over himself? he acts like his opinions the only one that exists.

VIEW ALL 15 S

POST

43