Chapter 44

The moment our lips met, something inside my body exploded. I couldn’t explain it, but for the first time, I felt complete. Nicholas did not hesitate and immediately responded to the kiss. His lips started to move against mine. His arms tightened around me, and a low growl vibrated from his chest. I wrapped my arms around Nicholas’s neck and pulled him closer.

Nicholas’s soft lips kissed me hungrily. Our lips moved in sync as our tongues fought for dominance. In the number of times I had thought about this moment in the last eight years; I never thought it would feel this good. The sparks between us were so intense it was like we had touched a live wire. My whole body felt alive. Nicholas licked my lips a little, and I gave in, letting him explore my mouth more. Eight years of resisting had finally ended, and neither of us could get enough of it. I ran my fingers through his hair and grabbed a fist full, gently tugging to tilt his head up to deepen the kiss.

Kona howled in my head and begged for me to put down the wall so she could smell Nicholas’s wolf. She whimpered and clawed on the wall I had put up. So much for trying to calm her down.

As much as I was enjoying this moment, I couldn’t get carried away. I slowly pulled away from the kiss and leaned my forehead against Nicholas’s. We were both breathing heavily and trying to catch our breath.

“I’m sorry,” I finally managed to say.

Nicholas moved his head back, so he was looking at me.

“What for?” He looked confused. He licked his lips and looked at mine. I could tell he wasn’t satisfied with our little make-out.

“I shouldn’t have just kissed you like that. I didn’t even ask. I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.”

Nicholas chuckled and cupped my face with both his hands.

“I’m definitely not sorry for kissing you back. If anything, I’m so glad you kissed me. You have no idea how long I’ve been dying to know how your lips felt against mine.” His eyes went down to my lips again, and he used his thumb to touch them gently.

“God, I’ve never felt this way before. It was like fireworks exploding in my mouth.”

He described it perfectly. It was like fireworks exploding in your mouth. As much as I was tricked into believing Erik and Clark could have been my mates, kissing Nicholas was exhilarating.

“I wonder why it felt so different.” I pushed myself back and leaned against the steering wheel.

“I think we both know why. We’re just afraid to think it.” Nicholas kept trying to find something in my face. I knew he was searching for answers, but I didn’t have any.

“We should get going. Sensei Gideon goes to sleep at 8 pm. I want to see him before he turns in” I got off Nicholas’s lap and climbed back into my seat.

“Alex, please don’t pretend like it was nothing. This kiss was proof that there is something between us. Why are you trying to hide it?” Nicholas turned towards me.

“I’m not hiding anything. Yes, you are right. There's definitely something there. But I don’t know what it is. Right now, I need to see Gideon. Please, Nicholas. Can we talk about this after we’ve seen him?”

“Did you not enjoy that kiss as much as I did? Did you feel anything? I thought you got your emotions back” he wasn’t letting it go.

“Nick.... please, I beg you. I know you are desperate for answers, and trust me, so am I. But there’s only one person that knows what is happening. Please! We’ve resisted for eight years. Few more hours won’t kill us. I’m sorry, I had a moment of weakness, but we can’t get carried away right now.”

Before Nicholas could say anything more, my phone started to ring.

I looked at the caller ID and scrunched my face.

“Alpha Cowan? Is everything okay?” I answered.

“Unfortunately, Alpha Cowan is no longer among us. May the Moon Goddess rest his soul in peace, that’s if she wants peace at all. ” an unfamiliar voice spoke.

“Next on my list of Alpha’s to kill is someone a little more important to you. But I have a trade for you.”

In the background, I could hear people screaming for help. Bloodcurdling screams of women and children. There was loud banging, crashing, and breaking of things.

“Who the fuck are you, and what do you want?!” I roared.

The voice chuckled.

“Let’s just say there is no longer a Silver Moon Pack for you to worry about. Now, do you want to hear my deal?”

“You son of a bitçh! I don’t know who you are or what you're up to, but when I get my hands on you, I swear you won’t be laughing!” My blood was boiling. Alpha Cowan and his pack didn’t deserve this. They had just recovered and now this!

“Shut up bitch! This is all so much bigger than you. There’s nothing you can do to stop what’s going to happen. Now, if you don’t want my boys and me to visit your precious father and his cherished pack, you will do as I say. Understood?”

“fuck off. I will do no such thing. There’s no way you can get to my father” I looked up at Nicholas, and he was already pulling out his phone to call dad.

“See Queenie, that’s where you're so wrong. He's been captured already. You made a big mistake by leaving today. It gave us a perfect chance to do what we wanted”

I looked back up at Nicholas, and his face was pale. It had shock written all over it. He was on the phone with someone and whatever he had been told wasn’t pleasant.

“Alex.. your dad wants to talk to you” Nicholas held the phone out for me to take.

“I suggest you speak to your father, Queenie. I’ll hold” I could hear the snicker in the guy's voice. 

I felt the blood drain from my body. I took the phone from Nicholas.

“Dad?”

“Hunny, please don’t worry about us, okay. We are all fine. Keep going ahead with your plan. It’s vital!  We will manage her-.... Ahhh” before dad could finish, I heard him scream, and the call ended.

“Daddy!!” I screamed into the phone.

The laughter from my mystery caller made me drop Nicholas’s phone.

“You asshole! What have you done ?!” I yelled.

“Oh, I haven’t done anything just yet. But if you don’t do as I say, there is a lot of pain I can cause. Now, I hear you're going to find Sensei Gideon with your new boyfriend. I’m sure King Parker will happily abide by my rules to make sure your family doesn’t lose blood.”

I turned to Nicholas.

“I’ll play by your rules, asshole. What do you want?” Nicholas growled.

“That’s good. Very good. I would like you both to bring Sensei Gideon to me. King Parker, I hear you’ve got knowledge of that old man's whereabouts.”

How the hell did he know all this?!

“I may have some knowledge. What do you want with Gideon?”

“What I want with him is none of your business. You just need to bring me Sensei Gideon and our favorite Queen. I have very special plans for them.” The mystery caller snickered.

“Fine. I’ll bring him to you. But if I find a single hair out of place on any of my family members or pack members, you will die a very, very slow and painful death.” I was furious.

“You are in no position to bargain with me, Queenie. Now run along. Go fetch me a Sensei.” The call ended.

I quickly dialed Alpha Trent’s number. Alpha Trent’s Blue Lake pack was right next to Dad's. They had an alliance and a backup plan in case something like this ever happened.

“Queen Danton, May the goddess be with you. How are you?”

“Alpha Trent. I need your help.....”

\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nicholas drove into the Western Territory like a mad man. Nicholas’s territory was a little bigger than mine. However, he didn’t have as many packs as I did. His territory was more forest and snowy mountains.

We didn’t waste any more time trying to get to Gideon. I tried to call Matt, Ethan, and Ash. All phones were turned off, and my mind link wasn’t working. I really needed to know what had happened but not being able to reach anyone was giving me anxiety. In desperation, I called Clark even though I knew he was behind all this.

Clark’s phone kept ringing, but no one answered. Clark was in the packhouse with access to Roy and everyone I loved. Goddess only knew what he was doing.

Nicholas called Noah to see if he, too, was trapped with dad and the others. Luckily, Noah and the boys had gone into town to get themselves some supplies. When they tried getting back into the driveway leading to the packhouse, they couldn’t. According to Noah’s explanation, it felt like a giant invisible wall was blocking their way. They tried other ways of getting in, but that invisible wall blocked every path.

Nicholas ordered Noah and the boys to go see Alpha Trent. He then called his dad and explained the situation. Alpha Alex was gobsmacked. He said he would get a team ready to go back with Sensei Gideon and us. Nicholas also sent word for Sensei Gideon’s security to be increased. I send out a Code Black SOS signal ordering all my HQ warriors to go to Blue Lake Pack immediately. Alpha Trent knew what he had to do.

Nicholas had gone into full King mode. Watching him make phone calls and organize all sorts of things was turning me on. I knew it wasn’t the time for that, but I couldn’t help myself. It was hot seeing his dominance. I knew a lot of Alphas and two other Kings. However, Nicholas made it look powerful, graceful, and sexy at the same time.

As soon as we hit the border, a pack of 15 wolves appeared at the edge of the wood and started following the car. They knew their King was home. I could hear the howls coming out of the woods.

Nicholas had been holding my hand tightly the entire drive. I don’t know if he was comforting himself or me, but I was very grateful.

An hour after crossing the border, Nicholas finally turned off the highway and drove towards the mountains. He had said we were heading for a small town near the mountains. Gideon was staying there because they had a big training camp set up in that town, and it was filled with the best fighters and warriors.

It took another hour to get to the town. My anxiety was so high I felt like I was going to explode. The only thing giving me comfort right now was Nicholas’s firm grip on my hand.

We finally arrived at the town, and Nicholas drove up to the training camp. There were people already waiting for us outside. We got out, and two older men walked over to greet us.

“King Parker, Queen Danton. May the Goddess be with you both. It’s an honor to have both of you here tonight. I’m sorry it’s not under better circumstances.” Both the men bowed, and so did the six other people standing behind them.

“Thank you, Lowe. May the Goddess be with you too. Would you please show us to Sensei Gideon? We don’t have much time,” Nicholas ordered. You could tell the difference between when he ordered and when he asked by the time of his voice.

Lowe bowed again and motioned for us to follow him. All the people behind him moved aside to give us space.

Lowe guided us through the main house and out the back towards the barracks.

“We told Sensei Gideon you were coming. So he's awake waiting for you.” Lowe spoke over his shoulder.

I was glad to know he was awake. The Sensei’s had a strict schedule. Daily routines were timed, and everything was done precisely.

From a distance, you could tell which barrack was Sensei Gideon’s. There were four guards at the door and four on the roof. Everyone here was on high alert.

We stopped in front of the barrack, and Lowe motioned for us to go in. Nicholas turned towards me and nodded for me to go first. I opened the door and walked in.

The place was tiny. It was an open-planned small kitchen and living area. Off to the side, there were two doors, one of which was open. Lights in that room were on. I walked in and towards that room.

Sensei Gideon was sitting on the bed in his zen position. I knew he loved to meditate when he was stressed. I couldn’t even imagine how he felt about being wanted by a crazy man.

“Sensei Gideon?” I whispered.

The old man opened his eyes and smiled at me.

“Ahh, the trouble marker has returned. Come in, my child. How have you been?” He stayed in his position.

I walked over and bowed before him. He was my master, my teacher, my guide. No matter how high my rank was, he would always outrank me.  I sat on the edge of the bed facing him.

“I’ve been good, Sensei. How have you been?”

“Given the current circumstances. I’m okay. I knew you’d somehow get me caught up in big trouble like always. This day was meant to come. Now it’s about facing it,” he spoke in a low, calm voice.

“I’m sorry, Sensei. However, I don’t even know what this trouble exactly is and how I can fix it. That’s why we’re here. I was hoping you could tell me what’s going on?” I looked over to shoulders to see Nicholas standing behind me with his arms folded.

Sensei looked up at Nicholas.

“Your paths have finally crossed in the manner it was always meant to. I’m pleased to see this.” He smiled at Nicholas before getting up and picking up a big book from the dresser.

He sat back in front of me and opened the book. The suspense was killing me. We were running out of time.

“Sensei, tell me about the legend, please. You always said in time I would find out.”

Sensei Gideon sighed and nodded.

“Thousands of years ago, the Moon Goddess had placed a curse on a man that refused to abide by the rules that were created to protect your kind. He abused his wolf spirit for wrongdoing and abandoned his pack as well as the pledge to his loyalty. The cursed man was given the name rogue.”

I knew all this. What was he getting at?

“The first rogue allied with the vampires and started helping protect them instead of his kind. The vampires used the werewolf to help them invade packs and create chaos. The werewolf then formed his own pack by force and violence. He started to use this new power to destroy any packs that wanted to kill the vampires.”

“The Moon Goddess stepped in and cursed the werewolf. The curse stated that he was to be wild, just like wolves were meant to be. He would smell foul so that other wolves would know his presence even before they saw him. This smell was going to drive away others from his kind, and  he would never be able to be part of a pack, suffering for the rest of his life in loneliness and the pain of being banished.”

“Anyone that followed him got the same fate. Anyone that ever followed his path in the future was cursed with the same fate. The werewolf managed to go ahead and reproduce with a female rogue. However, the Moon Goddess made a mistake. She didn’t specify in the curse what a rogues offspring will be classified as since she hadn’t foreseen them being able to reproduce. Even though being a rogue was something that was brought upon by an individual, it didn’t mean an innocent child was born with bad intentions.”

“As the first rogue's offspring grew, so did the hatred for the Moon Goddess. They hated her for giving them a wolf spirit they couldn’t use for greatness. They hated her for letting the wolf spirit regenerate through generation without permission. They hated her for making rules. They hated her for cursing them. They just hated and blamed her for everything wrong that happened to them.”

“It is said that the first rogue's offspring vowed to take revenge of the Moon Goddess by becoming the most powerful being. He would become so powerful that even the Moon Goddess herself couldn’t stop him. However, he failed. In his attempts, he died a gruesome death. The White Wolf had made its first appearance to stop the chaos the rogue had helped the vampires create. With the White Wolf came the legends surrounding it. So research was done, and what they found was used to better the methods and spells so that it was ready to use when the time was right. All the successful methods and spells were passed down.”

“As years went by, more and more rogues were created, and they were all taught to hate the Moon Goddess. They were taught that they had to fight back to get the respect they deserved. That signaled the beginning of the uprising of the rogues. From territory Kings and Queen to mighty Alphas and Luna’s, they have all stood in the path of these plans. They killed anyone trying to attempt the methods and spells and hid the books and documents. However, it was prophesied that one would be born with the ability to achieve these powers.”

“The legend in question today is about the Fire Moon. The legend states that during the fourth reign of the White Wolf spirit, there would be a Fire Moon. During this Fire Moon, the moon would be so close to the sun; it would look like it’s on fire. This event would create a vortex that would enable someone to channel the spirits of all supernatural beings. If the right spell is cast, a single person can pose all the supernatural powers. They can become a spirit, a mage, a werewolf, a vampire, or all of them. Making them the most powerful hybrid to exist.”

“I’m the fourth White Wolf,” I whispered.

“I know my child. You are the key. For the vortex to open, a sacrifice must be made when the moon is at its highest. Since the White Wolf spirit will trigger the Fire Moon, it is the White Wolf itself that needs to be sacrificed.” Gideon was looking at me like I had run over his cat.

I felt a shiver go down my spine. Would they sacrifice me? I felt Nicholas’s hand on my shoulder. He squeezed it, trying to comfort me.

“Don’t worry. The Moon Goddess isn’t just going to let someone gain this kind of power and sacrifice her spirit. Once she realized the mistake, she had made with the curse. She put in place restrictions for the vortex to open. The first restriction was that the White Wolf had to be unmated. The second restriction was that the spell had to be cast by a direct descendant of the first Mages. The third restriction was the person opening the vortex had to be a direct descendant of the first rogue.”

“Now, as you know, Alex, you are the White Wolf. I am the direct descendant of the first Mages and Duke Johnson, his the direct descendant of the first rogue.”

I couldn’t help but let out a growl. That’s why they wanted Gideon. Just like me, they needed him to open the vortex.

“But then why did Duke want to mate with Alex? She needed to be unmated for the spell to work” Nicholas was pacing around the room.

“Duke didn’t want to mate with me. He just needed to keep me away from my real mate. He knew if I found my real mate, it would ruin his plans, so he was pretending to be my mate. Duke was never in a rush to complete the mating. He even waited for after the full moon to have intimacy with me so he could avoid it.” I growled. It was all making sense now. Duke really was using me, and he didn’t care what he had to do to make sure I stayed away from my mate.

“But that doesn’t explain the pull Alex, and I have. Is there meant to be something there?” Nicholas kneeled in front of Gideon.

Nicholas was dying to know the truth. The truth behind his and my relationship.

Gideon looked up at me and then back at Nicholas.

Nicholas had mentioned that before he came to Angel Falls, he had told Gideon about Duke and his doings.

“The Moon Goddess knew the threat was dangerous. To help give the White Wolf more strength to defeat this evil, she asked for help from the Gods of darkness. They send the Black Wolf spirit as the embodiment of the Gods of darkness. The black and white wolf, the good and evil. Gods created the two wolf spirits to be each other’s support and strength. Once the black and white wolves are mated, they are the strongest pair to ever exist in the world of werewolves.” Gideon looked between Nicholas and me.

There was the answer we were looking for.

Nicholas’s head snapped up to look at me.

“I knew it! I knew she was my mate. But if she’s my mate, why don’t our wolves know it? Why can’t they sense each other?” Nicholas stood up and ran his hands through his hair.

“That’s a question only Alex can answer.” Gideon gave me a knowing smile.

I took a deep breath in and let the wall in my head collapse. Kona howled and inhaled Nicholas’s scent. She started jumping around happily, wanting out to meet her mate.

I stood up and smiled at Nicholas.

“I’m sorry. I did what I thought was best.”

He looked confused.

“What are yo-.....” he stopped mid-sentence. I watched as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

A loud growl escaped his lips, and when his eyes opened again, pitch-black orbs stared at me.

“You’ve been hiding your scent from me?!” He growled loudly.

“I needed to be sure first. I couldn’t go through with another fake mate. It would have broken me even more. I’m not saying I don’t trust you, Nicholas. I just needed to protect myself.”

“You didn’t once think to consult me?! I’ve been begging to know for eight years! Eight fucking years Alex, and you just decide yourself that you’ll hide your scent for your own protection! Did it occur to you that I would have supported you and actually agreed to bring you to Gideon for confirmation?” Nicholas was furious. He was shaking had his hands in a fist.  I could tell he was ready to burst into his wolf.

“Nicholas, Alexandria. If you two want to stop Duke, tonight is your last chance. It’s the last full moon before the Fire Moon. After this, you will have roughly 30 days to find another solution. I suggest you two patch up whatever it is you are fighting about, and mate.” Gideon got up and put the book back on the dresser.

“How’s that going to help? I can’t be thinking about mating at a time like this, Sensei. Have you lost your mind?” I snapped at Sensai.

“Alex, you stand a much better chance at defeating Duke if you two mate. Your powers combined could stop anything from happening. Besides, once you’re mated, you are of no use to Duke, and his plan would have failed immediately” Gideon was making a valid point.

But now wasn’t the time for Nicholas and me to be having sex under the moon.

Before I could say anything else, Nicholas grabbed me and threw me over his shoulders. 

“Nicholas, what the hell?!” I screamed.

“You’ve made enough decisions by yourself. It’s my turn,” he growled and walked out of the house.

Outside, all the people, including Lowe, were standing and waiting. When they saw us, they all moved aside. I was not happy about being carried like this. I raised my head and could see the shock on some faces and smirks on others.

“Nicholas, put me down! NOW!” I banged my fists on his back and wriggled, tried to escape.

“Lowe, make sure you have eyes on Gideon at all times. We will come back in the morning to get him. If anything happens, ring the siren and call me.” Nicholas said to Lowe as we walked past him.

Poor guy didn’t even know how to react, so he just nodded.

“Nicholas!” I screamed as I swayed back and forth through Nicholas’s long strides. I was starting to get nauseous.

Kona laughed inside me. She knew I was to blame for this situation. She had warned me not to hide this from Nicholas, but I didn’t listen.

Nicholas didn’t say a word. He continued to carry me as everyone at the campsite watched. Once we got to the car, he opened the passenger door and tossed me in, slamming the door shut behind me.

“Where are we going?” I demanded once he was in the car too. He couldn’t just push me around. I wasn’t one of his pack members that were scared of the big bad wolf.

“We’re going to do what Gideon said we should. It’s time, Aries and I finally claimed what’s rightfully ours” he started the car and hightailed it to the highway.