ACES INV
i dired wake, my neck aching from der proction I had slept in tead been awake the whole mahr, talking to her praying sw would open her eyes. I mire lieve finally drifted off in the early hours of the morning
My gaze went straight to Charlotte. She looked like she was only leeping I placed my hand on her forehead. Her buty wasn’t burning anyone, and the sweat was gone. Her breathing had evened out, her chest rising and falling inerty it saw small sign, but it meant she was still alive.
My phone chimed softly on the nightstand. It was Damien, his message said it was urgent. I carefully slid off the bed, moving slowly so I wouldn’t wake her. On my way out, I checkel jam’s room. He was sleeping peacefully, Leslie beside him, one hand resting close to him.
I stepped out onto the balcony where Damien was waiting, a folder tucked under his arm. “What is so urgent you had to call me out this morning despite knowing the situation,” I asked, sounding irritated.
“You look horrible,” he observed and I shot him a hard look. We were all awake last night and he doesn’t look any better either.
“Sorry. I’ll get straight to it.” He pulled out some papers and photos and placed them in my hands.
“What am I looking at?”
“There was an attack in a neighboring pack two weeks ago. The Downside pack. They thought it was something minor, something they could handle, but it got out of control.” He tapped the images lightly. “It led to this.”
I studied the pictures. Skeletal bodies stared back at me. Some still looked fresh, while others were missing parts, torn apart like they had been fed on.
“What kind of attack does this?” My brows pulled together as I looked up at him.
“At first, they believed it was rogues. But after it happened again and again, the pattern became clear. It wasn’t a simple rogues attack.” He paused. “Whatever has been attacking them feeds on wolf flesh and drinks their blood.”
“Are you saying…”
“Rougarou,” he cut in. “Yes. They’re being attacked by the same creatures. According to the old records, when Rougarou hunt like this, they’re preparing for war. And when they finally strike, they leave real damage behind.”
I gave him a cold stare. “You’re telling me they’re feeding on wolves from the Downside pack because they’re getting ready to attack us. My pack.” I shook my head. “That’s ridiculous.” I dropped the pictures on the chair beside me.
“I know that’s what it sounds like, but…” He pulled out more photos and held them out to me.
I took them, my eyes fixing on the new images. Dead bodies, they looked very fresh like a last night attack kind of fresh.
“These were taken this morning,” he went on, confirming my thoughts. “From our pack. Four wolves were killed. One of them is elder Dass’s daughter. Her father was killed weeks ago, and now they’ve taken her too. After our visit to the Northern border, we placed guards on all four borders. Even with that, they still got in and killed members of our pack.”
I dragged in a slow, angry breath. “They’re living among us. Those animals live inside my pack.” I ran a hand through my hair, frustration burning through me. “How are they able to hide their ugly stench? Rougarou smell rotten, anyone should be able to pick that up.”
“Through a witch, most likely.”
My jaw tightened. “And why didn’t the Downside pack report this when it started? We could have stepped in early, captured
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Chapter 40
few, forced them to talk. We would have known where the rest were hiding by now.”
“They didn’t get the chance,” he replied. “Sonicone approached them and promised help. Then suddenly, he pulled out
He looked like he was weighing his words, deciding whether to say it or not. “Gavin Eros approached them.”
Let out a bitter laugh. “Of course it’s him.“.
“He told them he could help locate the Rougarous ravaging the pack. He claimed he had a way of tracking them, something no pack has. But in exchange, he wanted something
My hands curled into fists. “What does he want?”
“That’s the problem, he doesn’t say, suddenly he walked out and he attack got worse.”
I swore loudly, the word tearing out of me before I could stop it “That bastard.”
Gavin Eros never did anything without something in return.
If they were using some kind of spell from a witch, then we had to find that witch. I told Damien to locate every witch around. There weren’t many left, but we had to find the few that were still hiding.
I went back to the room to take a shower. As I was about to turn away, I heard a soft moan coming from Charlotte and I rushed to her side.
Her eyes were halfway open. Her pink, soft lips looked dry and pale, yet seeing them still made something warm twist inside my chest. I leaned in and kissed them tenderly, like I had been waiting forever to do it.
I couldn’t explain the rush of emotions filling my chest. It came all at once and caught me off guard. A tear slipped down my left eye. I had been such a cry baby since last night. She did this to me. She made me this open, this soft, and I wasn’t ashamed. Not with her, I wanted her to see how much she meant to me, how deeply she had gotten under my skin.
She lifted her hand slowly and touched my cheek, wiping the tear away.
“I didn’t know Alphas cried,” she whispered, trying to make a small joke.
I held her hand and kissed it softly, pressing my lips to her skin like I was afraid she might disappear from me.
I kissed her hand slowly, moving up to her shoulder, then her neck. I brushed her cheek, taking my time, before my lips
found hers. They felt rough against mine, dry too, but I loved it all the same. If it was her, I would love everything.
“I’ll call Les for you. I know she’s worried about you,” I told her again, and she gave me a small nod.
Les was already awake when I called. She rushed in with me, and watching her break down did something to my chest. She cried quietly, holding Charlotte carefully, like she was afraid to hurt her.
Even with everything going on in my pack and the neighboring packs, nothing compared to this moment. Nothing made me happier than seeing my woman alive again.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
