Filed To Story: Claimed by the Alpha I Hate Book Read Free
“First, you need to master it. No point in running head-first into battle with this Blood Witch without knowing your stuff.” Grandma chimed in, on my side as always. Pride sparkled in her eyes, but it had always been there, even when I was nothing more than a werewolf living in her little cottage in the woods.
Dad side-eyed her, still grimacing. “Mom, we’re not sending my daughter up against an army of witches.”
“Don’t you look at me like that. I care about her just as much as you do, but even I can put aside my own feelings to see what’s best for this world.” She huffed, snapping her fingers. “This doesn’t just affect this pack. Maybe it did at first, but things have grown bigger than that. This fight can very well change things everywhere, and not for the better. Your daughter’s been given a special sort of power, and power like that demands to be used.”
“H**l, yeah! Tell him, Grandma.” Zeke’s whoop sounded from across the kitchen.
The messy-haired Alpha appeared in the entryway; a lopsided grin pasted onto his face. Dad skewered him with a look so vicious that Zeke held up his hands in surrender. The smile didn’t slip from his face, and after a moment Dad let out a deep sigh.
“I know you’re strong, Daisy. Stronger than half the wolves in this pack, but that doesn’t mean I still don’t worry about you. You’ve taken on so much so young, and everyone has their limits. I’m just afraid of what might happen once you reach yours.” He grunted.
Dad’s eyes carried a weight I’d noticed my entire life, but never fully understood. He’d been an incredible warrior in his prime, shot down during battle and grievously injured. In the span of one day, his entire life had been flipped on its head. I wondered if dad had reached his own limits that day, and if that was why he mentioned what might happen once I reached my own.
I slipped from Nolan’s arms and stepped into my dad’s, inhaling his woodsy scent, and smiling at the tobacco and leather notes of his cologne, a gift mom had gotten him a few years ago. Even though I wasn’t his daughter by blood, there was nothing but affection in his eyes.
“I know, dad, but I have to fight. I have so many people counting on me and letting them down isn’t an option. I’m trying my best not to go into this blind.”
His smile turned wry, and his eyes glistened with the emotion he fought to hide. “You’ve changed, you know that, kid? The old you would’ve charged in there and set the place on fire. You’re becoming a better ruler each and every day, making your old man proud. Just remember that you’re not in this alone, alright? You got so many people here wanting to help you, and you need to let them.”
I looked back at Nolan, my heart stuttering in my chest at the intimate smile that ghosted across his face. It would’ve looked out of place to anyone else, clashing with his sharp jawline and bottomless eyes, but not to me. He was confirming what my dad was saying without words, reminding me that no matter what was lost, he would always be here.
“I know, dad.” I replied, squeezing him one more time before returning to Nolan’s side, drawn by that invisible tether between us.
He chuckled, swiping beneath his eye before gesturing my way. “Now tell us about this magic of yours and how it healed my leg. It won’t wear off, will it?”
Settling into Nolan’s arms, I leaned against his chest and thought over my dad’s question. There wasn’t any way for me to test whether or not it would wear off, so I went with what my gut was telling me.
“I’m pretty sure it won’t wear off. If the doctors and Rowena said it’s fully healed, then it should stay that way.”
Flora glanced between my dad and I before speaking softly, stunning just about all of us in the room.
“When exactly did you heal him? If you don’t mind my asking, of course.” She said, toying with her fingers, drawing my attention to the pale pink nail polish she wore.
“It was at the wedding Claire hosted, when you two were dancing. I…1 saw dad scowling, and I felt awful. I could tell he was in pain, but he was doing his best to hide it.” I frowned, remembering the guilt like it were yesterday. There was nothing quite like the pain of watching your parent struggle, so close to having it all, but still weighed down by the past. I looked at dad, matching his gentle smile with one of my own. “All I know is that in that moment, I wanted you to be able to dance with her.”
Sean piped up, his mouth full and one of grandma’s lavender cookies in his hand.
“So wait a minute. You’re telling me you can ‘conjure’ things? Where does that kind of magic end? Like, are you restricted to just physical stuff, or can you make something appear out of thin air too?” He asked, moving from his place against the counter.
There was a look of excitement in his eyes that made me snort. I might’ve been the troublemaker growing up, but anytime Sean had that look in his eye, he’d quickly end up tangled in his own mess.
I shrugged, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “I’m not sure. I still need to practice more. So far I’ve healed Dad’s leg, opened a trunk, and stole a book from Cordelia. I’m pretty sure I also turned Breyona into some kind of shadow wolf and opened a door back at the warehouse Tristan and I were escaping.
So, thinking back on it, I’m not sure conjuration has any limits.”
Sean made a sound of absolute wonder, his mouth stretching into a wide grin that actually had me snorting.
“A shadow wolf, are you serious?!” He hollered.
He then proceeded to lean in and lowered his voice, whispering even though everyone in the room could still hear him.
“Do you think you could work your magic and do something about my hair? I’m pretty sure I’m going through some kind of early male pattern baldness and the only thing worse than me being bald is having to wear baseball caps all of the time.” He groaned, clenching his eyes shut. “I’ll take a mullet at this point, just fix me!”
Grandma made a sound of disbelief, then swatted at Sean. He danced out of her reach, using dad and
Flora as cover. Flora held her hand over her lips to quiet her giggle, while dad scoffed at his son. Sean peeked over their shoulder and mouthed, “pretty please?”
“She is not using her magic to fix your silly hair problems.” Grandma scolded him, but there wasn’t any sternness in her voice.
Sean appeared around dad’s bulky frame, his face a mask of defiance.
“It is not silly! Male pattern baldness is a serious condition.” He shot back.
Zeke nodded, murmuring his agreement, then grinned when Grandma turned her sights to him. From behind, I could feel Nolan’s chest rumbling with amusement, watching the clusterfuck of a conversation the three of them were getting into.
“Who’s going bald?” A voice called out, one that made me whip around, a smile spawning across my face.
Breyona and Giovanni stood in the doorway, both glancing around the room with identical looks of confusion. The curly haired Vampire that towered over my best-friend gave her an intimate look as he slid past. His pitch-black eyes met mine as he set a couple of two-liter sodas on the counter.
“Breyona insisted on bringing something.” He chuckled smoothly, the sound oddly similar to melted chocolate. “I brought something a bit stronger.”
He pulled out a bottle of whiskey, one whose label was covered in thin cursive lettering. Nolan made a sound of surprise and with a chuckle, Giovanni handed him the bottle. The two men were so alike that
Breyona and I found it hilarious. Both were reserved in their own ways but had this viciousness hiding just under the surface.
“This is good s**t.” Nolan said, handing Giovanni back the bottle.
Giovanni nodded, a quick j**k of his sculpted jawline. “Some of the best.”
“Aw, they’re bonding.” Breyona whispered, a smile cloying at her lips as she slipped between the two of them and ended up at my side.
I didn’t hesitate to throw my arms around her, squeezing her hard enough to make her groan. Even with her fake sounds of pain, I could hear the laughter in her voice.
“I’m so glad you decided to come.” I told her.
She smirked down at me, tucking a wavy strand of her hair behind her ear. “You didn’t give me much of a choice, bribing me with information and whatnot. You were right, though. I needed to get out for a little bit. I’m still not alright, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be, but I’m not going to give up and check-out just because…you know.”
I took a moment to admire my best-friend, marveling at her strength and resilience. It made sense that someone as radiant would be mated to a force like Giovanni. Everything would’ve been different if we hadn’t started talking againif she hadn’t of forgiven me for ditching her for Scott and his s****y friends.
Looking back, I don’t know what I would’ve done without her.
I laced my arm through hers and gave her a small smile, “You don’t have to be alright. I think most people are a little bit broken, and that’s okay. No one gets through life unscathed; we all end up wounded one way or another. I’m lucky I have such strong people in my life to help me get through those moments.”
A few hours after the sun had set and the chill of night kicked in, the rest of our guests showed up.
Tristan and Holly stepped inside toting a cooler full of blood bags, which I eagerly took to the icebox in the garage. My reserved half-sister looked elegant as ever, wearing a midnight cocktail dress that somehow seemed to blend in perfectly. Her hair was identical to my own, falling down her back in long dark waves, only it was pinned back with a single crimson bow.
She smiled shyly at everyone, but was quickly swept away by Cassidy, who had no qualms striking up conversation with anyone. Kendrick followed her around like a lost puppy, but judging by the cheeky grin on his face, he was just happy to be here. Tristan remained by her side, a detail I quickly noticed, but he too could only stay quiet for so long with Cass launching question after question at him.
During their stay in Nolan’s family home, Dad and grandma had become good friends with his parents and wandered into the living room to chat. Sean tagged along, followed by Zeke, the two of them shoving one another and cracking jokes like old friends.
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?