CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & FIGHTY FOUR
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY FOUR
Nolan’s POV
I woke to the sweet scent of roses.
Talia was still asleep in my arms. Her back pressed lightly against my chest. Her breathing was slow and even. The bond hummed low and steady beneath my skin.
‘She has fully accepted us,’ my wolf said. ‘We should mark her now.’
“No,” I snapped back. “Not yet.”
‘I am sick of waiting. She is OURS. Mark her,’ my wolf retorted.
“Yes, she is our mate,” I agreed. “That does not mean we get to rush her. We would be no better than that scum that betrayed
her.
My wolf grumbled, but he stayed quiet. I was not going to ruin what little trust I had earned because he was impatient.
I lowered my head and kissed her forehead. Then, her cheek and then the side of her neck. That got her attention and her eyes fluttered open in the middle of the kiss.
For a brief second, confusion crossed her face. Then awareness followed, and she blushed. Talia turned around to face me.
“Nolan,” she said quietly.
“Good morning,” I said.
“I fell asleep,” she murmured.
“You did,” I said. “You were comfortable.”
She tried to sit up but stopped as her hand brushed my upper body as she moved. Her fingers caught on the raised lines of my old scars. Talia traced one of the scars with her finger before looking back up at me.
“What happened to you?” she asked. I know she was confused as werewolves weren’t scared.
“They are from battles,” I replied. “They came from weapons tainted with wolfsbane.”
“Wolfsbane?” she repeated.
“Not enough to kill but it causes the wound to heal wrong and scar,” I continued.
Her expression softened. Talia leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to one of the scars. My breath caught as pleasure coursed through my body.
I expected her to pull back, but she didn’t. Talia kissed another, slower this time, like she was doing it on purpose. My wolf practically purred.
“Talia,” I said, “if you do not stop, neither of us will make it to the transfer ceremony.”
Her eyes widened. Heat rushed into her face. She pushed off the bed so fast she almost stumbled.
“I need to shower,” she said quickly, and then she went into the bathroom.
I sat there for a second, listening to the water start and forcing myself to stay where I was and not join her in the shower. My wolf laughed inside my head.
‘We are supposed to chase her,’ he said.
I ignored him as I got up and got dressed. Even though I would rather fulfill the mate bond and make sure Talia would never
כוו
STAVICONE TONEY & FIGHTY FOUR
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think of another male, today was not about that. I was here to support Talia taking over Shadowclaw.
After breakfast, we met with Marco and Della and headed to the square.
The pack members were gathered in groups. I could feel the hostility in the air before I saw it on their faces. Most of them looked angry and ready to fight. Then, I noticed Jason was in a holding cell nearby, but Henry was nowhere to be found.
I reached out to Marco through our mind link. “Stay close to Talia. They are up to something.”
Before Marco could move, Della was already close to Talia, slightly behind her but close enough that she could step in without being told. I couldn’t help but smile in approval.
Michael finally made his appearance. He walked onto the stage and raised his voice so the crowd could hear.
“Shadowclaw,” he called and pointed at Jason. “Look at what has been done to your Alpha. This is the proof of what happens when outsiders are allowed to invade our pack and rewrite our rules.”
“Michael, stop. You are twisting the truth,” Talia responded.
Michael scoffed. “Twisting?” he repeated. “You are the one twisting the truth, playing tricks. It is your fault our pack has fallen.”
A wave of voices rose immediately in agreement with Michael.
“It is Alpha Jason and your actions that have led us here,” Talia countered.
“Princess Talia, the ex-Luna, hid her identity in our pack. She fooled everyone. She played the role she wanted and let my son suffer for it,” Michael said.
Voices rose again.
“She lied!”
“She pretended to be omega!”
“Viki wouldn’t have suffered if she told the truth!”
I grit my teeth. This pack was a bunch of idiots. Even now, they would rather place the blame on Talia instead of accepting that their Alpha was a cheating fool.
Michael lifted his hands as if he was calming them, but his eyes gleamed like he enjoyed every second of their anger.
“She hid her true identity to fool everyone,” Michael continued, “and now she returns as the Alpha King’s princess, standing beside Bloodmoon’s Alpha like this was always the plan.”
“That is not true,” Talia said, louder this time. She sounded strained as she was attempting to keep her anger in check. “I am here because Alpha Jason and you need to be punished for what you both have done.”
Michael’s smile widened. “Punished?” he echoed. “My son is bound like an animal. He is silenced. He has done nothing wrong!”
“You are lying to them,” Talia snapped. “You know what your son did. He drugged me. He tried to force a mark on me!”
The crowd did not care. They shouted over her and became more agitated. We had to get a handle on this before we had an angry mob and then I would have no choice but to spill blood to protect Talia.
I stepped forward and yelled, “Quiet!”
My alpha aura slammed into everyone. The pack flinched. Some stepped back without thinking. The noise dropped fast, not because they suddenly agreed, but because instinct demanded they stop talking when a stronger Alpha forced silence.
“Princess Talia is telling the truth!” a familiar voice rang out.
2/3
WHAT ONE HONDED & Dray Form
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Henry pushed through the crowd to stand before everyone. He had a black eye and his face was bruised. The bastard Michael even harmed one of his own to continue the lie.
The pack recognized him immediately. There were murmurs amongst the pack.
“That is Beta Henry,” someone muttered.
“What happened to him?” another asked.
“Elder Michael did this to me to keep me from telling the truth, I almost died!” Henry said firmly.
Michael’s face contorted into a sneer as if he had not expected Henry to stand against him.
“That man is a traitor,” Michael snapped. “He abandoned Shadowclaw. He sided with outsiders, Seize him.”
A few guards hesitated and then moved like they were going to obey out of fear of Michael’s rank.
I moved quickly. I slammed the palm into the chest of one of the guards and sent him flying. Another I kicked hard in the stomach causing him to double over while the third backed away.
“I dare anyone to touch him,” I said. “He is under the protection of the Alpha King as a witness.”
“This is Shadowclaw territory. The Alpha King’s authority means nothing here,” Michael growled. “And no one will believe the words of a traitor!”
“Then, let your pack determine for themselves,” I said with a smirk.
“Henry,” Talia said, loud enough for the crowd to hear, “tell them the truth.”
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