Rosette’s Tomb 🌶🌶🌶

EKON

The sky was overcast, and a gentle breeze blew across the compound. It was a chilly morning, but with Bambi at my side, I had enough warmth to press forward.

“We’re almost there,” I said.

Bambi’s hand squeezed mine as I led her to a far corner of the compound.

“I can’t believe I’ve never been here,” she said. “After all the time I’ve spent running around this place.”

My compound was large and, at times, daunting. But there was another reason Bambi had yet to see this area.

My mother was buried here…

We pushed through a grove of cottonwood trees and entered a small glade near the compound wall.

Bambi gasped.

I pulled her closer and listened to the quickened pace of her breathing.

Even without my sight, I knew how it looked.

This area had been allowed to grow freely, letting vines and ivy cover the concrete walls. I’d witnessed it in my wolf form, and it gave the area a wild feel as if it were part of the terrain.

But not everything was allowed to go untouched. The tomb of my mother was in the middle of the glade.

Her coffin was encased inside a crypt of marble, adorned with a statue of the Moon Goddess to watch over her resting soul.

My father’s tomb was located directly beside my mother’s, but we weren’t here to see him…

I’d made sure servants kept it as pristine as the moment she was buried.

I took in a deep breath and smelled the wildflowers mixed with cottonwood and pine.

“Rosette Vivian Jedrek,” Bambi said.

She pulled away from my body, and I heard her footsteps approach my mother’s grave. Her fingers reached out and traced the letters of her name etched on the marble.

“I had no idea she was buried here,” added Bambi. “This is…”

“This is something no one else has seen,” I replied. “At least, no one outside of my pack. And even then, only a chosen few ever knew where she was buried.”

I wanted to see her grave but was terrified of what might happen if I shifted. Last time, it had felt as though I’d never be released from my wolf.

I stepped forward and felt Bambi’s arms wrap around my waist.

“This place is beautiful,” she said softly. “It almost feels like we’ve stepped into a dream.”

“More like a nightmare.”

Bambi’s fingers gently stroked my face.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” I admitted. “I’m terrified of the thought of bringing my mother back from the dead.”

“Of course you’re scared,” Bambi responded. “This is a frightening and uncertain situation.”

I turned my head in the direction of her voice and felt her staring at me. I leaned down and kissed her, savoring the energy that passed between us.

“What should I do?” I asked.

It felt so ~odd~ to ask for help. But after everything we’d been through, I knew that trying to make this decision on my own was not an option.

Bambi had helped me through some of my darkest moments. I had faith that she would lead me in the right direction.

“I can’t tell you what you should do,” she said. “Only what I would do. And if I had the chance to ask my parents all the questions I’ve held onto, I’d take it. No hesitation.”

Bambi kissed my cheek, and another jolt of electricity shot through my body.

It was a hard choice, and I wouldn’t make it lightly.

Bambi’s words helped ease my conscience—if only a little. In the end, the decision would be mine.

~What will I choose?~

BAMBI

It’d been a few hours since Ekon had showed me his mother’s grave.

Already, my mind was spinning a thousand miles an hour as I thought about my own parents.

After a restless afternoon, I found myself leaving the compound with a group of guards to visit the pack house library.

I was excited to get another chance to explore the many shelves and comb the numerous volumes for answers…

Ekon’s personal library looked like a warzone because of the lockdown and teleportations. Not only that, but he still had a ban on all war books.

And my current mission required in-depth information about the war…

The pack house library was huge, spacious, and looked absolutely spotless. Fortunately, there was no one else besides the librarian to bother me.

There was still so much I wanted to learn about my parents. They had died during the war when I was still a young child, and Max had raised me well.

Unlike Ekon, I wasn’t able to remember much about my parents. And after all these years, Max even had trouble describing what they were like.

I knew there was a chance I wouldn’t find much. But that’s what I’d thought when Victoria, Ela, and even Holly had joined me to search for clues about Matthias and Devina.

That felt like ~ages~ ago.

So much had changed, but the struggles we experienced brought us closer together. If I needed their help, I knew they would do whatever they could.

But first, I needed a place to start…

My fingers traced the spines of the books as my eyes scanned the titles.

I found myself in the fiction section and couldn’t believe that I’d never seen some of these books!

~Werewolves in Heat.~

~Songs of the Sea-witch.~

~A Date with Decimus.~

Sooner or later, I’d need to come back and get lost in someone else’s fantasy…

I crossed over to the nonfiction side and made my way toward the historical books.

If there was any information to be found about my parents, I should probably start with books about the Great War...

A massive tome bound in leather caught my attention. I reached the highest shelf and pulled it off, using all my strength to not let its unexpected weight take me to the ground.

I laid it on a table and read the title:

~Werewolf Chronicles, Vol. 2.~

HUNTER

Ela sat across from me in the infirmary cafeteria, playing with the mashed potatoes on her tray.

It had been a reasonably normal day so far as I continued to recover from my injuries. My hips still ached, and there would be a hitch in my step for several more months.

But everything was always better when Ela visited…

“I’m joining Max on the Royal Council,” Ela said, searching my eyes for a reaction.

Her expression was filled with uncertainty, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Leaving me already?” I teased.

Ela shook her head.

“I don’t want to,” she explained. “But after all we’ve been through, there’s still no peace between our packs and the humans. I think we can change that.”

Her worried expression turned to relief when I reached across the table and held her hands.

“It’s going to be hard without you,” I said. “But I know Max needs you.”

Ela kissed each of my hands before returning her attention to the pile of cold potatoes.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “There’s still a lot of time left in your recovery.”

She was definitely right about that…

But I knew how important she was to the pack office. Even though she was only a legal assistant, she’d helped on several important cases already.

Including during our visit to Austria, when we’d tried to charm Fakari…

Images of his charred body flashed through my mind. His smoking remains turning to ash at the foot of the podium.

I broke away from my thoughts and returned my attention to the beautiful woman sitting across from me.

Her dark black hair and brown eyes perfectly complemented her caramel skin.

“I needed you in Austria,” I said. “I needed you in South America. And I’m the happiest man on Earth when you’re here with me. But the realm needs you more.”

Ela squeezed my hands again, and I could see the tension disappear from her body.

It would be hard to get along without her. But while she’s saving the world, I could finally start my rehabilitation.

And that would also require me to mend my ~image~.

If Ela and I were going to stand the test of time, I needed to be looked at in a different light.

No more ~cuntsniffer~. Not when I had someone as perfect as Ela by my side.

I looked once more into her eyes and saw a glimmer of excitement.

“What do you say we leave this tired meal and go someplace a little more—”

“Sexy?” I finished.

We were both out of our seats quickly and headed for the door. Ela beat me to it and watched as I limped toward her.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t wait,” she said.

Ela wrapped my arm around her shoulders and supported my weight.

She was nothing like her Gamma sister, more petite and athletic than strong and imposing.

But somehow she managed to help me down the hall, one step after another.

In that moment, she wasn’t just my mate… I realized that she was my ~everything~.

ELA

As I helped Hunter into the bedroom, I closed the door behind me.

“Be gentle,” he whispered jokingly.

I moved closer and placed my finger on his lips.

“Just shut up and fuck me,” I commanded.

Within seconds, Hunter was stripped of his clothes, and I climbed onto the bed, naked.

Hunter tried to reposition himself but cringed at the pain. It would be hard to have sex without hurting him, but it was obviously something we both wanted.

I gripped his shoulder gently and eased my hips onto his.

“Tell me if the pressure is too much,” I said.

Hunter pulled me toward him and kissed me so hard that it sucked the breath from my lungs.

I was already wet and could feel his cock growing hard beneath me.

My lips kissed his neck and worked their way down to his chest. Hunter moaned after every kiss, and it only made me feel hotter.

Finally, I grasped his member in my hand and guided it to my wet pussy.

“Oh, Goddess,” I gasped as his cock thrust inside me.

He was throbbing, and the sensation caused me to grip his body tighter. I hoped that I didn’t hurt him, but the feeling was too amazing to let the moment escape.

Slowly, carefully, I moved my hips back and forth.

Hunter stretched out on the bed, allowing me to lie on his chest.

I moved my hips in unison with his beating heart, easing into a rhythm that had me seeing spots in my vision as the sensation heightened.

“Just like that,” he whispered. “You feel so…damn…good.”

I kissed his chest and nibbled on his nipples, eliciting a few yelps in the process. Hunter looked into my eyes and smiled mischievously.

“I wish that I could be the one fucking you,” he said.

I shook my head.

“You are, baby,” I said lustily. “And you’re absolutely mind-blowing.”

My hips continued to work back and forth as Hunter gently squirmed beneath me.

I loved it when he would take control and fuck me with reckless abandon. But sometimes there was no connection…only cumming.

This time, I wanted him to feel how much I ~wanted~ him.

I wrapped my arms around his torso and hugged my hips tighter to his. My lips clenched tighter over his massive dick.

“Fuck,” I moaned. “You fit me so well.”

Hunter wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and we hugged one another as I continued to gently grind my hips toward a climax.

His breathing grew quick and shallow, letting me know he was close.

I could feel my own body growing warmer, the sensations more intoxicating with each new thrust.

“I’m gonna cum,” I moaned passionately.

Hunter joined my moans as I reached an earth-shattering orgasm. Hunter groaned and released inside me, filling me with his sticky warmth.

We continued to lie on top of one another, hugging our bodies close as we caught our breath.

Hunter moved a lock of hair out of my eyes and kissed my forehead.

“I want to be better to you,” he said. “I’m going to be better. I’m going to take control of my own narrative and make you proud to be my mate.”

I kissed him and then rested my head once more on his chest.

I wanted to believe him. And after our mind-blowing sex session, I felt like I could finally trust my mate.

~But how long will this new persona last?~

EKON

I tried to ignore it.

I pretended as if it were poison, and one sip would take my life.

I stood before the bottles of whiskey, gin, and scotch in my liquor cabinet.

Before the agents took over the compound, I’d been contemplating throwing out every ounce of alcohol.

Now, it was as if they held me in a trance. They were calling to me.

And today was as good as any to break my promise of sobriety…

Visiting my mother’s grave shouldn’t send me into a dark, alcohol-fueled bender. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t want a taste.

Just a little sip to wet my tongue…

It wasn’t just my mother’s tomb weighing on my conscience. Bambi had been asking about her parents again.

And if I knew anything about my mate, it was that when she had a question, she didn’t stop searching until she had an answer.

Eventually, Bambi would learn the truth about her parents.

And that would lead her back to me.