Chapter 142
Chapter 142
Lucien POV
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This wasn’t just a celebration for my newborn pups. No, it was something much bigger than that. For the first time in generations, in centuries, the Shadowfang bloodline was free. The curse that had haunted my family–killed every woman who bore heirs–was gone. I could finally breathe without fear of losing Auren. I could hold my mate and know that she would live.
The day in the evening when the celebrations started, it was only joy everywhere. The full moon hung like a jewel in the sky. It was a new moon that cast its soft glow across my pack’s territory. The celebrations were going on at the clearing in my pack’s territory. Firepits were lit, long tables were stacked with roasted meat, spiced vegetables, fruits and warm bread. Overhead, lanterns were hanging from the branches of the trees. Laughter filled the air. Music rose from speakers. It wasn’t just a celebration. It was homecoming.
Our people weren’t just cheering for my twins. They were cheering for hope. For freedom that eluded us.
My heart, my love, stood beside me, her hand tucked in the crook of my arm.
Dressed in silk blue and silver gown, she held Tamara in her arms while Bradley rested in mine. Her scent was stronger, full of life. She had mentioned that the coppery scent in me that usually lingered, vanished. And I knew that the curse had disappeared from my soul.
My pack people couldn’t stop looking at her with awe. She wasn’t just their Luna, she had become their legend. She was a silent warrior, a bearer of new life and the mate of their Alpha who broke the curse. She was the woman I would worship forever.
As my pack members gathered around me, I said, “Shadowfang wolves, today is not just celebrating survival, it is about family, about faith and about the woman who carried me through the darkest times, who carried all of us through the dark times and emerged victorious.”
Cheers erupted.
I glanced at Auren, who was blushing. Her eyes shone and her lips curved with a soft smile.
I lifted Bradley slightly. “Our future. Shadowfang’s future!*
A unified how rose from the wolves. The Elders clapped as they looked at Auren, Vivi and other omegas dabbed their eyes, while many others smiled, watching Auren and me with reverence.
As the cheers faded, I asked them all to enjoy the night to the fullest. Once all of them were gone, I leaned down and whispered in Auren’s ear, “Once this is over, I am going to worship your body. And I’m not done spoiling you yet.”
She flushed and I chuckled. Even though the curse was broken, my obsession with her was not. I looked at my pack members. As Alpha, I had led them through storms. But Auren? She ended one. Tonight, every howl, every song and every fire that burned brightly… it was all for her. I knew it on instinct.
It was difficult to believe that a year ago, she had come to my pack as a trade deal, to be my breeder and to give heirs to the Shadowfang pack. And now she stood next to me like a queen. She fucking owned me. I loved her body and soul.
Vivi came to us for the babies. Auren had already fed them and so they were sleeping tight. I watched Tarian. He was looking happier than ever. Like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He glanced at me and nodded with a grin, and then went to talk to others.
As the evening matured, the fires thinned, glowing softly like sleepy eyes. The pack members danced slowly as they drank wine and talked in hushed tones.
Auren was sitting in between my legs as I watched them. I got up and wrapped my arms around her waist. Resting my chin on her shoulder, I murmured. “Tired?”
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Chapter 142
She placed her hands on arms. “Yes,” she whispered. “But I’d never been so happy.”
I pressed a soft kiss to her neck. “You’ve given the greatest gift of hope. And you have given me everything”
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She leaned away to give access to her neck. Like a greedy wolf, I kissed her more, licking and sucking my mark. She shivered in my arms. Under the stars and moon, I wanted to make love to her. Slow and long. “Care for a dance?” I asked.
When she nodded, I got up and pulled her up. We walked to the nearest firepit. I held her by her waist. We swayed together. Just us. No weight of the world. Just a man and his mate, holding forever.
I couldn’t stop myself anymore. I picked her up in my arms.
“Lucien!” she squealed.
I looked at her intensely as I carried her away.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Somewhere quiet. Somewhere I have you for myself.”
She tucked her head in the crook of my neck as I carried her to a hilltop, away from the celebrations. The moonlight bathed the hilltop in silver. It was quiet. I set her on her feet and intertwined my fingers with hers. From here, we could see the celebrations. It looked like a sea of flickering lanterns.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured.
My eyes were on her. “Yes,” I sighed. She looked at me with a question in her eyes. But before she could say it, my lips were on hers. The next I knew was that I was removing all her clothes. She looked ethereal in the moonlight. Her skin glowed under the moon. The curves in her body had become fuller. Both her ass and her breasts were rounder and heavier.
“You’re beautiful!” I said in a hoarse voice as I straddled her. I lowered my mouth to her breasts and suckled them, gently at first, and then hard. She cried as she buried her fingers in my hair, her body arching. I released her nipple with a pop sound and latched onto the other. Sweet goddess. She was so fucking sexy. I went lower to her belly where I kissed and sucked her skin, leaving my marks along the way.
When I reached her pussy, I just couldn’t stop myself. I latched onto her clit. She moaned. “Lucien…” Fuck. The way she said my name. It made me hard as a rock. I opened the zipper of my pants and removed it. Then I pulled out my shirt and sucked her pussy like a wolf gone thirsty.
I couldn’t hold myself. I was in a hurry to sink myself deep inside her. Positioning my cock at her entrance, I thrust inside roughly. “Ah!” she moaned. My eyes rolled in my head. She was divine. Her pussy was weeping for me. I started thrusting hard. It was like if I didn’t come inside her, I’d die. So I increased my pace. Harder, harder, and with a roar, I came inside her. Following my cue, her pussy fluttered around me and she also came.
“Fuck!” I rasped. “This will never get old!”
She chuckled as I rested my head over hers, lazily thrusting inside her. I had only just begun.
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Chapter 143
Auren POV
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Days passed fast and before I knew it, my twins were six months old. Lucien and I were planning on a quiet dinner to celebrate their six–month birthday. I had turned nineteen a few months ago. Summer had descended and there were blooms everywhere. The pack had beautiful meticulously crafted gardens with a variety of flowers. And the air was thick with the intoxicating fragrance of these flowers.
The morning light filtered through the windows of my bedroom. Tamara and Bradley were playing on the rug, I had placed a lot of cushions around them. Giggles echoed in the room as Tamara, who was dressed in a sky–blue romper, sat wobbly on the plush rug, and she was flapping her hands with delight after chewing a wooden wolf toy. Beside her, Bradley sat quietly, studying a wooden ring toy with intense concentration. He curled his fingers around it and flipped it to study it like it held answers to life.
I laughed. “Tam, don’t eat that,” I said as I picked up the drool–soaked toy from her mouth. Both my pups had started teething. And they were biting everything they could sink their teeth in, including my breasts. While Bradley was showing, signs of having wee fangs, Tamara wasn’t. She squealed in protest as I took her toy and wobbled forward. She toppled gently on the cushions. I laughed and lifted her into my lap, pressing a kiss to her soft golden curls. “You don’t need it, sweetheart,” But Tamara picked up another soft toy and started chewing it. Sigh…
Lucien entered the room shirtless. His hair was damp after a quick bath. He was holding two mismatched socks in his hands. “Our daughter has flung these across the hall, bedroom and garden. Did you know I found one in the kitchen as well?” Tamara loved to remove her socks when sitting anywhere. She would remove them and play with them. Often, the maids had pulled out the socks from her hands before they entered her mouth.
“She is testing her throwing arm. I do believe she is a warrior–in–training,” I replied with a grin.
He came to me and dropped on his knees. He leaned down to kiss me and then brushed his fingers against Brad’s cheek. “And this one? He looks like he is solving a riddle.”
I chuckled. “He is probably plotting how to overthrow his sister’s sock rebellion.”
We were both six months into parenthood, and nothing ever felt more complete. I had forgotten about my past in the Crimson Howl pack. Bram and Maris existed somewhere on this planet. I didn’t care.
All these months, there were moments of exhaustion, of confusion, of wailing cries in the middle of the night, of times when my breasts ached with milk overflowing, when I just wanted to wean my pups away. But then there was also laughter, warmth, a bond that grew stronger between Lucien and me. We loved every moment of spending time with pups. Every little action caused happiness.
Outside, the pack members had started treating my pups as treasures. Sometimes, they got gifts. The warriors bowed respectfully whenever I passed with my pups in my arms. At the heart of it, I no longer felt like the omega no one wanted. 1 felt like the Luna of my pack.
Once when Lucien had taken the pups to the training arena, some of the warriors and younger wolves took a break only to coo at them. I stood behind them, enjoying it in silence.
Sienna loved how things turned out. My lazy wolf sprawled and tossed around in my mind happily, wagging her tail. Sometimes, she went for a run with Remus and invariably, she would return riding on his back like a queen. And Remus- he loved to pamper her. He would proudly get her back home on his back.
I had put the pups to sleep in their cradles and gone down to have lunch with Lucien and Tarian. While we were talking about the pack business and that two alphas wanted to meet Lucien, Vivi interrupted us. “Alpha Lucien, someone is requesting an audience with you.”
“Who is it?” Lucien asked, swallowing down the pie.
“Tom’s nephew, Fred Danby,” Vivi said with a choked throat.
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I exchanged a glance with Lucien and nodded. He stood up, wiping his hands on a napkin “Ask him to meet me in the main ball
Tarian also got up and followed Lucien in the main hall. I finished my lunch and curious, I also followed them. A man stood waiting for us. Lean, with auburn hair and familiar green eyes that poked at my memory, Vred looked like a model walking out of a fashion magazine.
As soon as he saw us, he bowed. “Alpha Lucien,” he said, glancing at me. “I’m Fred Danby, Tom’s nephew
Lucien stared at him with surprise. He waved at the sofa behind him. “Please sit”
As we settled into our seats, I found Vivi watching Fred with a nervous expression.
“How’s Tom?” I asked. “I hope he is feeling well”
Fred’s eyebrows jumped to the hairline. “You didn’t know?” When he saw our puzzled faces, he added, “He died a few months ago. Didn’t Mirabelle say anything to you?”
Shock rippled through me as my eyes widened. “Died? Mirabelle? What are you talking about?” Goosebumps lined my skin. I whipped my head to look at Lucien who had narrowed his eyes as he stared at Fred.
He said through the mind link. ‘It was Tom who had recommended Mirabelle aka Sable!
Fred nodded gravely, “Yes, Luna. I’m sorry to come without notice, but I’ve been searching for someone. My uncle had put a girl instead of him as a chef in house, Mirabelle. Belle came here and just two days later my uncle died. I am looking for her,”
Vivi gulped audibly. “Tom died?”
I tried to search for a hint of maliciousness in Fred. There was none. What was going on?
Lucien leaned forward, and said, “Fred, can you tell me more about Mirabelle and Tom’s connection?” He looked lethal, like he would kill Fred in an instant.
Fred looked pretty flustered, but he revealed everything. Right from how Mirabelle met him to how she got in contact with Tom, who helped her join as our chef.
“After Uncle Tom died, I contacted her. I asked her to leave her job and come to live with me, but she said she had promised you that she would find a replacement and then she would come. I waited a few months. She didn’t call. I thought she moved on. But now I can’t shake the feeling that something bad happened to her. Since she was your cook, I thought… maybe you know where she is?”
My head reeled as my thoughts raced. Mirabelle. Belle. Sable. The mask. The disguise. Memories of that terrible night of fire and betrayal, of knives and blood, flooded my mind.
Fred continued, “I really can’t get over her. Please, if you know about her, tell me.” He was getting anxious.
Tarian took a deep breath in. “Fred… you may want to drink water.” He looked at Vivi who was already crying silently. She nod
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Chapter 144
Auren POV
Tarian stood and crossed the room to him. He sat down beside him. “Belle never told you who she was?”
Fred looked at him with a frown. “I met her at a stripper’s club in human town. After that we just hit it.”
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Tarian took a deep breath in as Lucien continued to watch Fred with suspicion in his eyes. Tarian said, “Belle… she wasn’t who she said she was.”
“What do you mean?” Fred asked sharply.
“She was someone dangerous, someone who tried to kill Alpha and Luna,” he said in a low voice. “Her real name was Sable, and she was the daughter of one of the councilors in Shadowfang pack, Rizv Brown. She wasn’t Mirabelle.”
Fred’s mouth dropped open.
“She used that name and that identity to get close to us.”
Fred’s face paled. “You mean she pretended to be Mirabelle?” He took his phone out and showed a photo of Mirabelle.
“Yes, that one,” Tarian sighed. He took his phone out and showed him the video of how he removed Sable’s mask that day. Fred was mortified.
“Goddess!”
Tarian put his phone back. “I’m sorry, Fred.”
There was an awkward silence as I tried to fit the puzzle pieces. It seemed like Sable had fooled him as well for her nefarious activities.
“How did Tom die?” Lucien asked him.
Fred hadn’t recovered. His hands were shaking. “She betrayed my trust,” he murmured. After a while, he looked up at Lucien and said, “He had a heart attack. It was bizarre because he was healthy one day and gone the next.”
“I’m sorry about your uncle,” Lucien replied. “If you want any help from us, let us know. We are here for you.”
He nodded slowly, his eyes glinting with unshed tears. “Thank you, Alpha. I’ll take my leave now.” He got up, still dazed, and I felt pity for him.
Tarian walked him out, murmuring something reassuring. I took a rough breath, staring out at him. Lucien came to me and held my hand, and took me back upstairs. “Really sad…” he murmured. I felt really sad for Fred. He was duped by Sable in so many ways that it was impossible to fathom his disappointment and how betrayed he must be feeling.
However, something pricked at the back of my mind. How did Tom die in just two days of Sable’s departure? I sighed, shaking my head. My mind was full of doubts when it came to Sable. Now that she was no more, I was still disbelieving her intentions.
Third POV
Bram hadn’t been able to sleep that night. He was avoiding Maris all the time. It was impossible for him to have sex with her. She tried to cajole him initially, but now she didn’t come after him. Perhaps she saw her worth now. She could go to hell for all he cared. She wanted power as the Luna. She got it, and she seemed happy.
Sitting in his library, he finished his bottle of whiskey and got up to go to his room. He knew Maris would be asleep. He would silently slide in the bed and sleep with his pillow on his head so that he didn’t smell her disgusting scent. In the
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Chapter 144
morning he would wake up before her and leave.
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It had been six months since he came to know about Auren’s twins. His rage was at an all–time high. He wanted to take revenge. It was time he acted on his plan. The problem was that he wasn’t finding a gap in Lucien’s security. So every day he sketched his plan in detail, hoping to find some lacuna in his security. His spies were in constant touch with him. He wanted to smell Auren, inhale her scent, be with her in some way. Even if he was able to inhale her scent once a week, it was enough for him. But it wasn’t happening. His mind was slipping into craziness. He was afraid that he would eventually become moon crazy. So what was the best way to keep him sane?
As he staggered to his room, he walked through the corridor. At the dead of the night, he was surprised to hear the giggles and murmurs filtering through one of the rooms. Maris’s scent was thick in the air. He followed the scent, and realized that it was mixed with a deeper, more masculine scent that wasn’t his. It was that of… Josh.
His hands curled into fists as fury blasted in his chest. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the door from where the smell was coming. He pushed the door open. It slammed against the wall.
Maris jumped off the bed, clutching the sheet against her body. Josh stood as well, looking pale. Bram’s eyes flicked between them. Maris’s hair was tousled and her cheeks flushed. Bram sniffed the air again and growled. “You were having sex!”
Josh’s chest was rising and falling like he had been caught sprinting.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Bram demanded.
Maris stammered, “It’s not what it looks like!”
“It looks like you were fucking my Beta!” Bram roared. Josh bared his neck instinctively. Even though Bram no longer had a wolf, his Alpha presence carried weight. But Bram knew the truth–if Josh ever challenged him now, he would lose. Shoving that fear aside, he hissed, “You forget your place, Josh. You’ve been fucking your Luna. Do you know what I can do? I’ll fucking throw you in the dungeons!”
Josh looked at Maris. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you, Alpha.”
“Get out,” Bram growled, a plan forming in his mind. “And wait for my orders.”
As soon as Josh left, Maris blurted. “It was a mistake. I was just… felt neglected.”
Bram strode to her and clutched her throat with his hand. “Neglected? You married me for power. Don’t act like you’re the victim.” Tears gathered in her eyes, but Bram shoved her on the bed and turned away. “If I tell this to my pack members, they will shred you two into pieces!”
“No!” she shrieked. But Bram slammed the door behind him and went to his bedroom. A satisfied smirk came on his lips. Maris had given him the opening he needed.
