I awoke suddenly. The sun was still in the sky, albeit lower, and I stretched. Had my phone rang or something? But there was only silence. I reached over and unlocked it and smiled, seeing Alejandro had sent some pictures. In a few photos, Dante was in the river, clearly enjoying himself, and Kataleya was making something out of branches whilst Skyla was throwing rocks into the water.
They look so cute and clearly having fun. Did you have lunch?I tried to mind-link, but it seemed he was a little out of range, so I texted him instead.
My Love: All finished. They ate well. Did you get some rest?
Kia: Yes. I can’t mind-link, how far out are you?
I frowned. I had told them not to go too far, but maybe I was just being paranoid.
My Love: We went towards the waterfall; we will head back in an hour or two.
Kia: Perfect, but please be safe, Alejandro, I’m still worried… and have fun.
My Love: Don’t worry, I had the men do a thorough check.
I read his message and nodded to myself. Maybe I needed to calm down. I put my phone down and yawned, stretching as I stood up. Maybe I could have a bubble-
My heart thumped when my gaze fell on the black paper on the bedside drawer. My stomach was twisting as I reached for it before I froze. No, I needed to take a picture of it this time. I grabbed my phone, my heart thumping as I clicked the camera on and looked at the paper, unable to make out the letters. I gingerly reached for it, my camera at the ready. Yet the moment my hand made contact with it, I felt a strong surge of power. My phone slipped from my hand, clattering to the floor, and my eyes were stuck to the paper.
The orange words glowed on the paper, searing like embers.
A DEBT MUST ALWAYS BE REPAID BY BLOOD OR BY LIFE.
I dropped the paper as it caught flames and turned to ash. I stepped back, my heart thundering as I grabbed my phone, not caring about the cracked screen, and unlocked it, needing to call Alejandro. But just then, I felt something weigh over me. My vision blurred, and then there was darkness…
My Worst Nightmare
Alejandro
The kids were having a fucking blast, and as much as I wanted Kiara to have been there, I knew yesterday that whatever happened was on her mind, and she needed rest. I made sure the villa was surrounded by guards. The kids were safe with me, but I was not going to fucking risk leaving her alone.
This place was pretty fucking neat, with the mountain backdrop, the waterfall, and the clear river. The greenery and the trees were in full bloom, and the sound of birds chirping in the trees rang in the clear blue sky. I frowned, watching Dante take his shirt off, seemingly irritated, and I realised what he was about to do.
“Dante, don’t,” I warned, closing the gap between us and grabbing his hand as he was about to yank the necklace of concealment off.
“Dad, I just want to go in the water without this. I feel stronger without it.” He frowned.
A sliver of guilt rushed through me, knowing we were practically subduing him as a person, but without it, he had the aura of a full-fledged alpha… that was something I couldn’t risk anyone finding out. He had worn that necklace since birth; it had been given to us as a repayment gift by a witch when Kiara healed her.
“Dante, listen to me, son.” I crouched down, placing my hands on his shoulders. “I know you don’t want to keep it on, but it’s for your safety.” I hoped he understood. The annoyance in his eyes told me he did, but he didn’t like it.
“When I grow up, I’m never hiding who I am,” he said defiantly. I nodded, brushing his wet hair off his forehead.
“Got it, I just need you strong enough to protect your-”
Something was wrong. I could feel it, like a wave of darkness and unease washing over me. My heart thundered as I stood up, scanning the area – Sky and Kat. Where were they? Skyla’s heartbeat reached my ears.
“Girls!”
I turned sharply, seeing the tops of both their heads behind a large rock. Thank the fucking Goddess they were together. Kat’s ability to hide her heartbeat fucking messed with me. I grabbed Dante, despite his protests, and rushed over to the girls. Something was off, and I wasn’t going to stay in that opening when –
Suddenly, wolves burst from the trees from every fucking direction. There were far too many to count, their fur all similar shades of auburn and brown and their eyes burned a shade of crimson-orange that I had never seen before. But the thing that fucking threw me was that I hadn’t sensed, smelled, or heard them. At all.
“Stay with your sisters,” I told Dante as I shifted.
In a flash, I ripped the first wolf that reached us to shreds, turning my head to swipe another one away from my pups. Fuck, I couldn’t even mind-link anyone; I was out of range...
I heard Kat whimper and felt Skyla’s aura. We didn’t know what her ability was, but when emotional, she had an aura, although it was faint. I slammed another one away from them. One fucking wolf or a hundred, I would handle them all. The smell of blood, the menacing growls of the burning-eyed wolves and the beating hearts of my pups were filling my senses. My only thought was to protect them by all fucking means.
