The Millennium Wolves Book 5
Autore
Sapir Englard
Letto da
đ„217M
Capitoli
31
In a world where werewolf packs navigate complex traditions and power struggles, Sienna Norwood's life is upended when her sister Selene is found dead under suspicious circumstances. As Sienna and her mate Aiden delve into the mystery, they face internal pack politics, media scrutiny, and supernatural challenges. With their son Rowan displaying unsettling abilities and a traitor within their ranks, Sienna and Aiden must uncover the truth before their pack is torn apart.
Five Years Later
âȘPreviously on The Millennium Wolves...âȘ
Siennaâs pregnancy was confirmed by Jocelyn, who was asked to leave the Healerâs Retreat as a result. Jealous, Michelle revealed to everyone that Sienna was pregnant, and insisted that she and Josh begin their family as well
Josh became obsessive in his pursuit of Konstantin and began involving Michelle. Michelle abandoned Sienna before their joint baby shower to join Josh on the hunt.
Josh and Michelle found a man who claims that he was attacked by Konstantin while working at an orphanage, and the vampire took the infant.
Nina and Jocelyn returned to the Pack House. When Aiden saw the former spy, he attacked her. Sienna shifted to try and intervene, but forgot that pregnant werewolves were not supposed to shift.
Sienna lost the baby.
She later learned that the reason for the miscarriage was not because she shifted, but due to her Deity powers. Deity-influenced people have been rendered infertile because they throw off the balance of nature
Josh and Michelle returned to support their friends. Joshâs search for Konstantin led them to believe that Konstantin was planning an attack on Raphael, the Alpha of the Millennium.
They left for Lumen, the capital of the West Coast Pack. During the confrontation with Konstantin, Nina rescued Raphael. Rowan, Siennaâs biological father, sacrificed himself to save Aiden.
Sienna found that she was able to use her new-found Deity powers to destroy Konstantin.
She and Aiden decided to adopt the Deity-influenced baby that Konstantin had kidnapped.
They named him Rowan, after Siennaâs biological father.
SEASON 5
SIENNA
The rhythmic burble of fresh water lapping over rocks and branches was hypnotic.
The continual flow was cool to my bare feet as I let the river swirl around each and every toe.
The fragrance of the forest filled me.
The musk of damp earth and fallen leaves. A hint of wild jasmine and honeysuckle. The rich aroma of Virginia pine.
The woodlands were alive.
This was the one place I could go to get away from it all. My own personal escape.
I let my hand freely dance around the parchment of my sketchbook, outlining a familiar face I knew all too well.
His chiseled jaw, muscular physique, and golden-greens would never be lost to me.
Aiden.
My mate.
Each stroke of my pencil brought him more into focus, unleashing an internal desire to run my hands all over him.
It was here where it all began.
Watching him from afar, I drew my first sketch of him eight years ago, just as I was doing now.
I could still remember how embarrassed I felt when he caught me in the act, his unwavering eyes locking with mine.
Even then, he knew we were destined to be together.
I wished he could be here with me now.
A tingly warmth beginning to churn throughout my body was the first sign that it was almost that time of year again.
The haze.
The cold water helped to suppress the rising heat from within, but soon, not even that would be able to extinguish my growing desire.
âMommy!â a childâs voice called out.
And in an instant, those carnal desires were no more, overwhelmed by a sensation far stronger than I ever imagined.
Motherhood.
A pair of feet ran through the grass as a caramel-skinned, curly-haired cherub took my hand and looked at me with wide eyes.
âWhat is it, Rowan?â I said fondly.
âLook!â he exclaimed, holding up a giant snail.
âWow! Thatâs so big! It almost doesnât fit in your hand!â
Unlike Michelle and the rest of the gang, I wasnât one to shy away from creepy crawlies.
âI named him Grandpa!â He said proudly.
âGrandpaâ the snail?â I laughed, âIâm sure your actual grandpa will be happy to hear it. You can tell him when you see him later today.â
It was hard to imagine that he was almost six-years-old. Itâs said that time flies watching your children grow.
More like warped speed.
âCan I take him home?â he asked with big puppy eyes.
âYou know, Iâm sure his own family is missing him. Why donât you put him back.â
A look of disappointment crossed his face, but he didnât argue and did as he was told.
He was such a bright and curious child. I loved him more and more with each passing day.
I had my concerns, at first, over whether or not I could love him like a child that was my own flesh and blood.
But the moment he first looked up and smiled, those fears instantly washed away.
âI see you met his new friend,â Selene said, as she approached from a nearby grove of trees with a picnic basket in hand. Vanessa and River, my only nieces, were right by her side.
âSorry weâre late. Someone refused to put on her shoes,â she said playfully toward River, who had just turned three.
âBeen there!â I laughed.
My brother-in-law came rushing up.
âHey! So I need to get going, or Iâll be lateâHi, Sienna!â Jeremy said out of breath. âIs there anything I can do before IâŠâ
âWe can manage.â
âI hate to have to bail.â
âNo worries!â I replied.
âI already told you, itâs fine,â Selene said. âGo do that lawyer-thing you do.â
She leaned in a kissed him tenderly on the lips, then planted a playful one on the nose. âJust donât be gone too longâŠI need you home at 7 oâclock, sharp.â
âMy meeting might run late, but Iâll do what I can.â
âPlease try, Jeremy,â she said, leaning in even closer, âI can already feel the haze beginning to rear its sexy head. And Iâve got something special in store for you tonight.â
He grinned. âI canât wait,â he said before he kissed Selene once more. âLove you.â
âLove you,â she replied. And Jeremy was off.
Despite how many years had passed, I still couldnât get used to the idea of those two getting freaky with each other, nor did I want to, but it made me smile knowing they were happy. Theyâd been together far longer than Aiden and me.
I loved seeing how, after all that time, they were still infatuated with one another.
âRowan ran off that way,â Selene pointed, directing her kids. âWhy donât you go play with him.â They enthusiastically did as they were told.
âIâm so ready for this yearâs haze!â she went on. âIâve got a bunch of Passion Party toys I canât wait to use. Hopefully, the kids wonât interrupt, as they have a habit of doing.â
âPrivacyâs a luxury these days,â I replied. âItâs why Rowanâs spending this weekend with the grandparents.â
âNot a bad idea,â she said, laying out a picnic blanket.
âIâm dropping him off after lunch. How about I bring Vanessa and River along too? You know mom and dad wonât mind.â
âOh my god! That would be great! Thank you! Thatâll give me more time to prepare for tonight,â she grinned.
I covered my ears. âI donât want to hear about it!â
Selene laughed. Then, much to my surprise, she took out a bottle of champagne from the basket.
âLook what I found!â She smiled mischievously.
âItâs not even noon!â
âThought we could celebrate early! Once Jeremy has the final paperwork signed, the Fertility Festival will officially be kaput,â she said, popping the cork, sending a fountain of champagne into the air.
She quickly filled two champagne flutes.
The Fertility Festival.
Just thinking about it made my skin crawl. It was hard to believe that it was once considered an honor for an Alpha to mount his mate in front of the entire pack.
It was beyond degrading.
Yours truly put an end to that years ago, but it still had to go through the proper bureaucratic channels for it to be signed out of law.
âTook long enough,â I replied.
âIf it werenât for all those âtraditionalistsâ throwing up roadblocks every step of the way, it would have been abolished years ago.â
âThereâs a difference between being a âtraditionalistâ and a chauvinistic asshole!â I said, taking a glass.
Selene laughed.
âIâll drink to that!â she said, as we toasted and took a drink.
But we didnât stop. Our eyes caught one another, and we chugged the entire glass in one gulp. We coughed and laughed when we both finished.
âHow about another?â Selene asked as she tried pouring me another.
âWhoa! Letâs pace ourselves! I donât want to stumble out of here.â
âFine, be a sour puss,â she grinned.
Just then, a cold shiver ran up my spine at the sound of a child screaming.
Both Selene and I jumped to our feet and moved toward the call of distress. Vanessa and River ran up and grabbed onto their mother's waist.
âWhat is it?â Selene asked. âWhatâs wrong?â They shook their heads and pointed back in the direction from which they came.
Out from a shaded thicket, Rowan emerged with something in his hands.
When I approached, I saw that he was holding a dead opossum. Its rotting carcass was covered in snails and maggots.
The smell was nauseating. I wanted to vomit.
âRowan! What are you doing with that!â I exclaimed, âPut that down!â
His look was that of confusion.
âHis color is gone. I donât see his colorâŠâ
He wasnât bothered by the insects crawling all over his hands.
***
AIDEN
âWhere do I sign?â I asked Jeremy over lunch at a newly opened Italian restaurant.
The pack lawyer handed me a Charles Dickens length document and pointed to the blank line on the last page.
I took pride in knowing that a single signature would officially repeal the Fertility Festival, the first of many archaic traditions.
I didn't agree with Sienna's hard stance against the ceremony, at first, but I eventually came around to her line of reasoning.
She could be very convincing.
In more ways than one.
I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead. Just thinking about Sienna sent a pulsating wave of heat throughout my body.
The haze was back. And earlier than expected.
Not that I was complaining. Imagining what I would do to Sienna the minute I got homeââ
âAlpha Aiden!â the piercing voice of Gregory Singh intoned as he approached my table.
FuckâŠ
My haze immediately subsided.
âA word, please,â he said as he sat uninvited in an empty chair.
âWonât you sit downâŠâ I growled under my breath.
Singh, a towering figure of South Asian heritage, was my fatherâs Beta when he led the Pack.
He was also the self-appointed leader of the newly formed âtraditionalistsâ faction, who called themselves âValues Watch.â
His group, once on the outer fringes of the political spectrum, was now one of the loudest voices in the room.
âIâm here becauseââ
âI know very well why youâre here. Youâre not going to change my mind.â
âMr. Singh,â Jeremy interjected, âthe council voted on thisââ
âWell, the people whom I represent feel otherwise,â Singh interrupted. âThese institutions have gone back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. They canât be disregarded on a whim.â
âTaking five years to change a law hardly constitutes as a whim,â Aiden replied.
âBeside the point. Upholding such demeaning displays goes against what this Pack stands for,â I replied.
âWhat youâre doing is taking away our Packâs identity,â Singh said, coldly. âThis blatant disregard for tradition is a slap in the face to all those who came before us.â
âOur forefathers didnât want us living the same lives they had,â I continued, âThey wanted us to better ourselvesâto move forward, not backward. Kick and scream all you want, but itâs time this Pack gets with the 21st Century.â
I then took out my pen and signed the document. The Fertility Festival was no more.
âThere. Now itâs official,â I smirked.
Despite Singhâs stone face, I knew he was inwardly reeling. For a moment, his gaze held steadfast with mine, but he looked away just before it wouldâve been considered a threat.
âThis wonât be the end of this,â he said, standing up, unexpectedly composed.
âMy signature says otherwise. Good day.â
And on that note, he turned and left.
The issue of the Fertility Festival, and others like it, were becoming more troublesome than I imagined.
Never underestimate the power of stupidity in numbers.
***
SIENNA
After spending the better part of the day at the river, I dropped off all the kids with my parents and began making my way back to the Pack House.
All the while, I couldnât help but replay the scene that unfolded with Rowan.
It wasnât the first time heâd displayed unusual behaviorâmostly revolving around bringing home and playing with dead animals.
At least, thatâs what it appeared he was doing.
Where does he even get those things?
As I continued down the road, I felt my palms become clammy as I started breathing more rapidly.
My entire body was then struck with overwhelming sexual desires for Aiden.
Shit! Not now!
I was still in my car.
And haze driving could be just as dangerous as drunk driving, so I had to pull off to the side of the road until I could regain controlâat least long enough to get back to the Pack House.
There, my mate could ravage me in every way imaginable.
I took out my phone.
Sienna
Get your firm ass 2 the pack house.
Sienna
NOW.
Sienna
I need you inside me.
Sienna
And Iâm not asking.
Sienna
Im telling.
Aiden
Well Iâll have to check my scheduleâŠđ
Sienna
âŠ
Sienna
You want to fuck or not?
Aiden
Name the place and iâll be there.
Sienna
Take me in the pack house garden.
Aiden
Iâll be there in 20
Aiden
Donât finish yourself off without me.
Sienna
No promises đ
***
SIENNA
But I couldnât wait any longer. Still here in the car waiting for this feeling to abate was too much.
I wanted to tear at my skin.
My wolf was begging to be released.
Unable to refrain myself any longer, I burst out of the car, tore off all of my clothes, and let myself shift.
Once complete, I bolted through the forest toward the Pack House. The closer I got to Aiden, the more intense the feeling became.
It pushed me harder.
Trees and ground vegetation flew past.
I could sense other wolves around hazing too, but they knew better than to give chase.
By the time I arrived at the Pack House, the sun had set, and the moon was on full display. Passing the hedge-maze, water fountain and countless rows of tulips told me I had entered the garden.
But Aiden wasnât anywhere in sight.
I shifted back to human form, my naked body glistening under the moonlight.
As I continued the frantic search for my mate, soft earth turned into marble tile, and I found myself underneath the terrace overseeing the garden.
With feelings of sexual desire overwhelming my senses, I didnât see the obstruction lying in front of me, causing me to fall.
I winced in pain.
There was nearby scaffolding from a remodeling project, so at first, I assumed whatever I tripped over was related to that. But it was too soft.
When I took a closer look, I realized I was looking at the silhouette of a personâa woman.
âSorry! Are you okay?â
But the figure didnât move.
She was completely still.
When I placed my palm on her skin, it was cold to the touch.
I checked for vital signs but didn't find a pulse.
My jaw dropped when I noticed that the womanâs head was twisted behind her, completely broken. Her hair obstructed her face.
Oh my god. Who is it?
I didnât want to look.
My heart raced as I reached out and brushed back her hair.
A blood-curdling scream resonated from my throat when I realized who was lying at my feet.
Selene!
