CHAPTER ONE – My Father
Nathan’s POV
“What the fuck happened to you?!” Mark exclaimed as I entered my office.
He rushed toward me and helped me to sit down on the couch.
“Holy shit, Nathan,” he mumbled, tilting my head to look at my beaten and bruised face.
“Nothing I didn’t deserve,” I mumbled, making Mark furrow his eyebrows.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he asked.
I sighed and glanced at the liquor cabinet.
“Get me a glass of whiskey, will you?” I mumbled.
Mark sighed and walked to the cabinet. I watched him pour whiskey into two glasses.
He walked back toward me and handed me a glass.
I took it from him and poured the whiskey down my throat.
“I was the cursed mate,” I mumbled, looking into an empty glass.
“What?” Mark mumbled, shock evident in his voice.
I looked up at him and took a deep breath.
“She wasn’t mine,” I said. “I was the cursed one.”
Mark’s eyes widened. I could tell that he had a million questions to ask me, but I assumed that he didn’t know where to start.
“They let me go because I’m an Alpha,” I said. “They said they didn’t want to kill me and go to war with my crazy father.”
I understood them completely. My father was insane, and he would go to war with them.
“I am so fucking confused,” Mark mumbled as he sat beside me.
I sighed and looked at my friend.
“But she was supposed to be our Luna,” Mark mumbled. “Who will be our Luna? Do you have a true mate?”
I smiled a little.
“I do,” I said. “The Moon Goddess told me that I do.”
Mark’s eyes widened. He studied my face for a few seconds.
“How hard did they hit you?” he asked, narrowing his eyes and looking at the bruises on my head.
I sighed and rolled my eyes at him.
“Emma and I saw the Moon Goddess after she broke the curse,” I said. “Her magic knocked us out, and we woke up on some field. We got to talk to the Moon Goddess there. She told me that my true mate was waiting for me in my pack.”
Mark’s eyes widened even more.
“Who is she?” he asked.
I shrugged.
Mark wanted to ask me something else, but he was interrupted when the door to my office burst open.
“Where is your Luna?” my father asked.
His eyes widened as he looked me up and down.
“What the fuck happened to you?!” he yelled, closing my office door.
The rage inside of me started to boil.
The man in front of me was guilty of fucking everything. He was the one who filled my head with stories of the White Wolf. He was the one who told me that I was her Goddess-given mate. He was the one who made me believe that she belonged to me.
He killed my mother. He abused me. He completely destroyed our pack.
I was to blame too. I shouldn’t have listened to him.
Looking back, the curse trapped so much anger inside of me. The dark magic was eating my heart and my soul. My father only added fuel to the fire.
I wanted to kill him.
But I couldn’t.
No matter what, he was my father. I wouldn’t be able to live with the fact that I killed my own father.
“You are banished from the pack,” I said as I stood up. “You are no longer a member of the Blood Moon Pack. You will be escorted to the border. You are a rogue now. If I see you near my pack, I will kill you.”
I could feel my father’s link to the pack break.
His eyes widened as he fell to his knees. He gasped for air.
“What did you do?!” he screamed.
“You made my life a living hell,” I said, trying to remain calm. “You poisoned my mind and my soul. You destroyed our pack. You don’t deserve to be a part of it anymore. You don’t deserve to be a part of my life anymore.”
My warriors knocked on my office door. They could smell my father. He smelt like a rogue now.
“Come in,” I said.
The door opened, and my warriors walked inside.
“Take him to the border,” I ordered. “He is no longer a member of our pack.”
I could tell that my warriors were surprised, but they listened to me. They didn’t have any other choice.
“This isn’t over!” my father screamed. “I will get you back for this! I will make your life a living hell, Nathan!”
“You already did,” I said as the office door closed.
The last thing I saw was the murderous look in my father’s eyes.
“What the fuck?” Mark mumbled, making me look back at him.
“I promised Emma that I would cut all ties with him,” I said as I walked to the liquor cabinet and poured myself another drink. “I promised Emma that I would listen to my wolf more. She saved my life, and I will do everything I can to repay her.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that you finally got rid of your father, but exiling him?” Mark mumbled. “Was that smart?”
“I don’t give a shit,” I said. “I will kill him if I see him here again.”
I poured another drink down my throat.
I took a deep breath after gulping down my drink.
I froze. Noel stirred.
The most beautiful scent made my knees buckle.
A knock on the door made me freeze.
“Come in,” Mark mumbled.
My mate was on the other side of that door. I knew it. I felt it.
The door opened, and the most wonderful woman walked inside my office.
Janet.
She was staring at me wide-eyed. I could hear her heart racing.
“What the hell is going on?” she mumbled, her voice trembling. “Why did my wolf just recognize you as my mate?”
Mark gasped.
Noel was going to explode with happiness.
“Mate,” I mumbled as I rushed toward her.
I closed the distance between us and pulled her into my arms.
Tingles and sparks exploded on my skin.
I had my mate with me all along. She was always next to me. She was always mine.
CHAPTER TWO – My Mate
Janet’s POV
I was so confused.
My heart was pounding in my chest. The tingles and sparks on my skin were pleasurable but weird.
What was going on?!
‘What is going on, Jess?’I asked my wolf.
‘I don’t know,’she whined.‘I can’t talk to Noel. He is too excited.’
Nathan finally let me go.
I saw tears on his bruised cheeks.
One of his eyes was swollen shut. The other was completely black and blue.
“Can you give us some privacy, Mark?” Nathan mumbled, keeping his eyes on mine.
Well, one of his eyes.
“Sure,” Mark mumbled, and I heard him leave Nathan’s office.
“You were right next to me all this time,” Nathan mumbled as he leaned his forehead on mine.
Why wasn’t he as surprised as I was? Why did it seem like he knew what was going on? Did he know?
“What is going on, Nathan?” I asked, trying to stop my voice from shaking.
Nathan lifted his head and took my hand in his. He pulled me to the couch, and we sat beside each other.
“There is no easy way to say this, Jenny,” he mumbled, calling me by my childhood nickname. “I will tell you my story, and I will let you decide what you want to do.”
I wasn’t sure if it was possible, but my heart raced even more.
“You know the legend of the White Wolf?” Nathan asked me.
“Of course,” I mumbled.
We grew up listening to stories about the White Wolf. Everyone from our pack knew the legend.
“The stories are true, Jenny,” Nathan said, tightening his grip on my hand. “Alpha Logan’s mate, Emma, is the White Wolf.”
My eyes widened. What?
“My father always told me that I was the White Wolf’s Goddess-given mate,” Nathan continued. “He told me that she would be my Luna. He told me that she would make me the strongest Alpha.”
Nathan took a deep breath and caressed my cheek.
The tingles made me shiver.
“When I found out about Emma, I knew that I had to go get her,” Nathan mumbled. “I was so fucking sure that she was mine. I left to the Crescent Moon Pack to bring her back here and make her my Luna.”
My heart broke. Jess howled quietly. I could feel her pain. I could feel her sadness.
Nathan tightened his jaw. He pulled me closer and placed an arm around my waist.
“I was wrong, Jenny,” Nathan continued. “I was the cursed mate. Emma was already with her Goddess-given mate. You and I couldn’t feel our bond because I was under a spell.”
I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.
“You left me to go get her?” I mumbled, feeling a sharp pain in my chest.
Everything was so much worse because I was…
“I did,” Nathan mumbled. “I am so fucking sorry. I didn’t know. If I knew, I wouldn’t leave. I wouldn’t leave you, Jenny.”
I felt a tear fall on my cheek.
“I was a complete idiot,” Nathan sighed as he leaned his forehead against mine. “The curse made me so fucking angry. My father made me angry. I made a huge mistake, and I hurt so many people because of it.”
I wiped the tears from my cheeks.
“Who did you hurt?” I asked quietly.
He lifted his head and looked at me. I could see the pain and regret in his eyes.
“You,” he said. “Emma, Logan, Emma’s brother, and his wife. The list goes on and on.”
I gulped and took a deep breath.
“What did you do?” I asked.
Nathan lowered his head and took a deep breath.
“I was angry because Emma didn’t want me,” he said. “I tried to force her to come with me by threatening to hurt her sister-in-law and her unborn pup.”
I placed my hand on my lower belly automatically.
Nathan looked up at me. I saw how embarrassed he was.
“I can’t believe I did that,” he mumbled. “I can’t believe that they let me go. I was sure that they would kill me.”
A sharp pain in my chest almost made me gasp. If they had killed him…
“Emma saved my life,” Nathan said. “She made me promise that I would cut all ties with my father. She made me promise that I would listen to Noel more.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“I exiled my father from our pack,” Nathan said, making me gasp. “I am done being controlled by him. Emma saved my life, and I would repay her by being a better person. I am going to be a better person for you. I will do everything I need to do to deserve you.”
My head was spinning.
“You exiled your father?” I mumbled.
“I did,” Nathan nodded. “You know what kind of a man he is. You know what he did. The only reason I listened to him all this time was because he was fueling the anger inside of me. Now that the curse is gone, the anger is gone too. I don’t want that man around me anymore.”
Nathan was right. His father was a terrible man. He was cruel, and he made Nathan’s life a living hell. I was glad he got rid of him.
“I know it will take you some time to process everything I just told you,” Nathan said as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. “I know you well enough to know that you won’t accept me immediately.”
He was right. He did know me well.
“I need some time, Nathan,” I said.
He nodded and gave me a small smile.
“I will wait for you as long as I have to,” he said softly. “I want you to know that I am so fucking sorry. I want you to know that I love you.”
I gulped and took a deep breath.
“Nathan?” I called him quietly.
“Yes, Jenny?” he asked, giving me a small smile.
I had to tell him. I couldn’t keep it from him any longer. This news had nothing to do with our current problem. It was only a matter of time before he figured it out. I was surprised that he didn’t notice it yet.
“I am two and a half months pregnant,” I said quietly. “It’s a boy. You are going to be a dad.”
His one good eye widened, and a huge grin spread across his face. He looked down at my belly and sobbed.
“I am going to be a dad?” he asked, looking back up at me.
I nodded, and he pulled me into a hug immediately.
My heart skipped a beat. I was so happy that the news made him happy.
I still needed time, though. I needed time to process everything that happened. I needed time to accept it all.
CHAPTER THREE – Hunter
Nathan’s POV
I was looking at my beautiful little boy, who was sleeping peacefully in my arms.
He was perfect. He was a perfect combination of his mom and me.
“You are going to be the best Alpha one day,” I told him quietly. “I will be there for you every step of the way. I am not going to do what my father did, I promise. I will be better. I will do better.”
When my pup was born, one of my greatest fears was that I would be a bad father. I didn’t have the best role model growing up. I was so scared that I would turn out just like my father did.
But Jenny convinced me otherwise. She made me realize that I was different. She was there for me, and she supported me every step of the way.
Unfortunately for me, she was only there for me as a friend.
She said that she needed time. I understood it, and I tried to support her.
It was so fucking hard, though. I wanted my mate more than anything. I wanted to kiss her, and I wanted to hold her. I wanted to mark her. I wanted to make her mine.
But I knew she needed time. I knew that I fucked up.
“How is he?” I heard my mate’s voice.
I turned around and smiled.
“He is sleeping peacefully,” I said, looking back down at him.
I bent down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
“I can’t believe he is three months old today,” Jenny said quietly. “Time is going by so fast.”
My heart clenched.
She was right. Time was going by so fast, and I still didn’t have her. My family wasn’t complete yet.
Jenny approached us and smiled. She looked at our pup and caressed his little cheek.
“He is so cute,” she mumbled. “And I am not saying that just because he is our pup.”
I chuckled and kissed her temple.
“You aren’t biased at all,” I said teasingly, making her roll her eyes at me.
Goddess, she was beautiful.
I tightened my jaw and made a decision. I decided to talk to her today. I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed her. I needed to make her mine. I was going to go insane if I didn’t.
I would understand if she needed more time. I would find a way to deal with it, but I fucking needed to try.
She was living at the packhouse, sleeping in the room next to mine. She was here. I saw her every day. She was the Luna of my pack.
But she still wasn’t my mate. I still couldn’t fucking touch her and bury myself inside of her.
I walked back to the crib and put my son down.
I needed to do it now.
I turned back around, approached my mate, and took her hand in mine. I started leading her toward her bedroom, which was adjacent to the nursery.
“Where are we going?” she asked, confused.
I didn’t answer. I was too focused on trying to calm my racing heart down.
I opened the door, walked into her room, and pulled her toward the bed. I sat down and made her sit beside me.
“What’s wrong, Nathan?” she asked softly.
I took a deep breath and cupped her cheeks. The tingles and sparks calmed me down a little.
“You are right, Jenny,” I said. “Time is going by so fast. Hunter is three months old. Soon, he is going to be all grown up, and he will run our pack.”
Jenny frowned.
“You missed a few steps there,” she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, shaking my head. “Important thing is that I don’t want to wait. I don’t want to lose any more time. I want my family to be complete. I want you, Jenny. I want to mark you and show you how fucking much I love you.”
Her eyes widened a little.
“I understand if you need more time,” I sighed. “But I needed to say something before I exploded. I needed to try. I didn’t want to waste more time.”
Jenny studied my face for a second before she placed her hands over mine.
“I don’t need more time, Nate,” she said, making my heart skip a beat. “I watched you become the best father and the best Alpha. I fell in love with you a little bit more every day. You are right. We shouldn’t waste any more time.”
I was going to explode with happiness.
I leaned in and captured her soft lips with mine. She tasted so fucking amazing. She tasted like cinnamon and apples.
“Emma would be proud of you,” Jenny said as I stopped kissing her.
I furrowed my eyebrows, and she gave me a small smile.
“You are a different man now,” Jenny said. “You are kind and loving. You listened to her and deepened your connection with Noel. She would be proud, I am sure of it. She would be glad she saved your life.”
I really hoped that she would. I had a long road of redemption ahead of me, but I was definitely on the right track.
‘You are,’ Noel told me. ‘Jenny is right. Emma would be glad.’
A warm feeling spread through my chest.
“It’s too bad that we will never know for sure,” I said to both Jenny and Noel.
They forbade me from ever coming back to their pack, and I would honor it. I didn’t want to cause even more damage to them.
“You never know,” Jenny said with a small smile. “You might see her again.”
I would love that. I would love to thank her for believing in me and giving me a second chance.
I smiled at my mate and placed another kiss on her lips.
“Jenny?” I mumbled as I started kissing her neck.
She moaned and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Yes?” she mumbled, already panting a little.
“Can I mark you?” I asked, sucking on her marking spot a little.
Just at that moment, our pup started crying.
“Fuck,” I mumbled, making Jenny laugh.
“Tonight,” she said as she placed a soft kiss on my neck.
I lifted my head and smiled at her.
I couldn’t wait to make her mine.
CHAPTER FOUR – Two Troublemakers
Janet’s POV
“Hunter, leave your brother alone!” I screamed for like a thousandth time today.
Hunter laughed, tickling Harry one more time before he ran away.
Harry laughed loudly and ran after him.
I sighed and turned around.
“I give up,” I mumbled as I opened the kitchen door.
My handsome mate was there. He was scrolling through his phone and sipping coffee.
“Still no luck?” he asked, looking up at me.
I saw a slight smirk on his face and rolled my eyes.
“They are driving me crazy,” I said as I poured myself some coffee.
I loved my two teenage boys so much, but sometimes I wanted them to return to being my babies. They were so calm and adorable when they were babies. Now they were teenagers who always found something to fight about and could destroy my entire house in just a few seconds.
“Maybe we should try for a girl,” Nate said, making me raise my eyebrows at him.
“I love you and our two troublemakers, but I do not want any more kids,” I said as I walked over to Nate.
He smiled and moved his arms so I could sit on his lap.
“I love you,” Nate mumbled as he placed a small kiss on my shoulder.
“I love you too,” I said, giving him a small smile.
“You stink!”
“You little shit!”
I heard screams approaching us, and I sighed.
Nate chuckled.
“Hey, at least they adore each other,” Nate chuckled.
He was right. Our boys fought all the time, but they absolutely adored each other. They were protective of each other. They were kind and loving. I was so proud of both of them.
Nate cupped my cheeks and kissed me.
I kissed him back and ran my fingers through his soft hair.
“Gross,” I heard my son’s voice.
I chuckled and stopped kissing my mate.
Harry and Hunter entered the kitchen with huge smiles on their faces.
“I thought that you were fighting,” I said.
“Not really,” Harry sighed. “We just have new nicknames for each other.”
I raised my eyebrows at them.
“Never mind, mom,” Hunter chuckled as he sat beside his brother.
It was hard for me to believe they were 15 and 13 years old. It felt like I gave birth to Hunter yesterday.
“Are you going to the Alpha gathering at The Full Moon Pack?” Hunter asked.
Nate glanced at me and took a deep breath.
I stood up and walked to the stove. I started preparing breakfast.
Nathan didn’t like those gatherings. He had to see Logan and Emma there, which always reminded him of what had happened.
Emma and Logan always kept their distance from us. They never spoke to us but were always very polite when we crossed paths. Logan glared at my mate the first few times but stopped after a while. Thankfully, there were always many people at Alpha gatherings, and nobody ever noticed the tension between them and us.
We still hadn’t told our kids what had happened all those years ago. Nathan was always putting it off, saying that the kids were too young to know.
I knew the real reason, though. He was ashamed. I told him repeatedly that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. He turned his life around. He became a fantastic father and mate. Our pack was one of the strongest ones now because of him. He wasn’t the same man he was all those years ago.
But he was still embarrassed. He feared his sons would see him differently after discovering the truth.
“I am, buddy,” Nathan said. “Why?”
“Can I come this year, dad?” Hunter asked excitedly. “I am 15. I will be Alpha soon. It’s time for me to start going to these things.”
I was so proud of my boy. He took his role as a future Alpha very seriously. He started training and learning when he was only ten years old. He said that he wanted to become the best Alpha he could be.
I could feel Nate’s nervousness.
You need to talk to him, Nate. I mind-linked him. He is right. He is going to be an Alpha soon. He needs to know what happened. He needs to know all the facts.
My son was an intelligent boy. He would notice that we aren’t allies with the strongest pack and would want to know why.
I know. Nathan sighed. I will talk to him. I will tell him.
I could sense the fear coming off of Nate.
There is nothing to be afraid of, my love. I said softly. He will admire and love you just as much and maybe even more after you tell him the truth.
Nathan took a deep breath and smiled at our son.
“You are right, bud,” Nate said. “It is time for you to learn about these things.”
A huge smile spread across Hunter’s face.
“Does that mean I can go this year?” he asked excitedly.
Nathan smiled and nodded.
“How about me, dad?” Harry asked.
“You are still too young, kid,” Nate said, making Harry frown. “You can come with us when you turn 15. I promise.”
Harry rolled his eyes, making me chuckle.
I approached him and hugged him from behind.
“Maybe I could stay home with you, and you and I can spend some time together,” I said, making him look up at me. “Just me and my little pup.”
Harry sighed and rolled his eyes.
“I am not little, mom,” he mumbled.
I chuckled and kissed his cheek.
“You will always be my little pup,” I said. “Even when you turn 50.”
Harry rolled his eyes again, making me chuckle.
“Fine,” he sighed. “Will you make cheesecake for us?”
He grinned at me, and I laughed.
“I will,” I said and winked at him.
“I kind of want to stay home now, too,” Hunter mumbled, making Nate and me laugh.
“No can do, Alpha,” Harry said. “I’m getting all the cheesecake while you go to work.”
I chuckled and shook my head.
I walked back to the stove to finish making breakfast.
I heard footsteps approaching me and felt two hands wrap around my waist.
“I love you, Jenny,” my mate mumbled as he placed a small kiss on my neck.
“I love you too,” I said softly.
Nate smiled at me, and I felt shivers up and down my body.
I would never get tired of this feeling. I would never get tired of the bond and the love we shared.
