The Black Alder Series (Books 1-3)

3rd Person POV Adonis, Ares, and Ash woke up in a field of tall grass. The sky was beautiful and blue, but it looked funny. It was only then that they realized it had five suns in it. They knew they were not in the moon goddess’s realm. Where the fuck were they? They looked down and noticed they were dressed in a white shirt, white jeans, and no shoes.

“Even in the afterlife, they put us together,” Ash jokes, and Adonis rolls his eyes.

“This isn’t a part of the moon goddess realm,” Ares says.

“How do you know?” Adonis was questioned as he surveyed everything around him.

“Because I just left from there and did not see this place,” Ares says.

“When did you go to the moon goddess realm?” Ash asked, crossing his arms.

“When I passed out from building a portal,” he responds.

“So, what did she say?” Adonis asked as we started walking around. There was one tree in the middle of all this grass. It is tall and vibrant, with some sort of power radiating through it. We walked towards it, hoping to find some answers.

“She told me that we would all die, but not to worry, because it wouldn’t change anything. She said she made sure Bella’s wolf wasn’t going to let Bella channel her power, no matter what. It’s why Bella was unable to access her powers. I could feel Royal wanting to let her do it, but the moon goddess wanted some sort of ban on her. She also told me that…” Ares pauses as his gaze focuses ahead.

Ash and Adonis follow his gaze. They see three figures coming closer to them. They couldn’t feel their wolves due to them dying, which meant they were humans. Even as humans, they were still strong, so they walked towards the figures.

Once they got closer, they paused, all shocked at what they were seeing, but the figures walking towards them kept walking. Walking towards them were… The men walking towards them were a replica of each of them. They were dressed in all black, with black T-shirts and black jeans. The men kept walking until they stopped in front of their replicas. The lookalike smiled.

“Who are you?” Ares asked the one who looked like him. All at once, black wings shot out of the replicas. The wings were made up of a black fire that burned hot.

“We are your phoenix’s,” the lookalike Ares said, still looking at regular Ares.

“My name is Blaze, Ash’s look alike said, nodding his head.

“My name is Fiere,” Adonis looked alike and said, nodding his head.

“My name is Flame.” Ares looked alike and nodded his head as well.

“Why are you introducing yourselves to us all of a sudden? Why are we only just meeting you?” Ash asked, still looking at Blaze.

“You were not allowed to meet us until you died. With death comes life for our kind,” Fiere answered.

“It is a sacred right that to channel our powers, you must be reborn again,” Flame said.

“From the ashes, you will rise. Now that you have died, when you arise again, we will be able to communicate much more easily,” Fiere said.

“Much like your wolves, we will be something like a sort of consciousness in your minds. When you channel us, we will push forward and take control, but only halfway, so you can control what you do with your power,” Blaze said.

Happiness flowed through all three of them as Adonis, Ash, and Ares realized what they just said. They were going back. They were going back to her. Back to Bella.

“Before we go back, you need to be aware of the threat we are facing,” Ares said to them.

“We already know about the vampire you face. Our powers are not strong enough to kill him, but we feel you already know this,” Flame says, looking at Ares, who looks down uncomfortably.

“Stick to the plan; the rest will play itself out. Just get back to our mate, Arabella,” Fiere says. The boys feel their visions start to swirl.

“What plan?” Adonis asks Ares, but it’s too late. They have already been thrown into the blissful dark. Arabella Pov

I felt water getting splashed on my face, and I woke up. I am still in the main room, but I am tied up to the wall. The triplet’s dads are tied up on the opposite side of the wall. They looked beaten up pretty badly, but I can hear them breathing a little, which means they are still alive. I look towards the floor, my triplets. My heart breaks all over again. The blood from their deaths has gathered around them.

I am sorry, Arabella, but I could not let you access my powers, no matter how much I wanted to. We must keep him from fleeing. Royal tries to explain, but I block her. I can’t listen to her right now. It’s all too much. Fresh tears paint my tear-stained face.

Endymion is sitting on the throne, talking to Camilla and Briana.

“GET IN HERE NOW.” Endymion’s voice booms, and it is followed by hundreds of vampire soldiers entering the castle. Portals are opening, and vampires are coming through them. They are lining up in formation. He stands before them, giving them a speech.

“TODAY I WILL BE ESCAPING FROM THIS PLACE. I HAVE BEEN HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS FOR FAR TOO LONG. ALL OF YOU HAVE SERVED ME WELL. YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH ENDLESS AMOUNTS OF BLOOD AS WE GO FROM PACK TO PACK AROUND THE WORLD, WIPING OUT MUTTS THAT MY EX HAS CREATED THAT DECIDE TO NOT JOIN US. WE WILL TERRORIZE HUMAN VILLAGES. WE WILL KILL THEIR MEN. We will rape their women. We will make their children our saviors. THE WORLD WILL BE OVERRUN BY OUR SPECIES. We have been hidden in the shadows since the dawn of time. HER BLOOD. He points at me. He will not only free me from this place. IT WILL GRANT THE ABILITY FOR EACH OF YOU TO WALK IN THE SUNLIGHT. Together, we will be strong. WE WILL FIND A WAY TO THE REALM OF THE MOON GODDESS. WE WILL KILL THE SPIRITS THERE. I WILL KILL THAT BITCH SELENE. SOON, I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE, AND YOU WILL HAVE YOUR FREEDOM!!!!!!!!

With the mention of their freedom, they all cheer, calling for the moon goddess’s death and my blood.

“BRING HER TO ME,” he commands. Camilla and Briana unchained me. I am still weak from the broken mate bond, and I am not able to fight them back. I let them drag my body, and they tossed me on the floor before the throne, where Endymion is seated again.

“You may have prevented yourself from tapping into your power, but unfortunately for you, I have found a witch who is more than happy to bring me what I need to make your wolf tap into her power. You will sit there, like a good dog, and wait. If you try to move, I will have you raped by every single man in here,” he threatens. “Do you understand?” He asks. I can’t answer. I can only nod and keep my head down.

YOUR DISMISSED, he says out loud, and the vampires scatter around the castle. I assume they are going to a room in the castle.

“Shawn and Allen, keep an eye on her and them,” he says, pointing to me, then Ethan and Aiden. The vampire nods his head and stands beside me with his arms behind his back.

Endymion leaves, followed by Camilla and Briana. They go outside the castle. I tried not to cry, as I didn’t want to anger the vampire named Allen next to me. I glanced up at him and almost wished I hadn’t. His eyes pierced mine. He looks incredibly dangerous. Most likely a general. I glanced back down. I hear Endymion’s steps fading until he is out of earshot.

Shawn walks over to Ethan and Aiden and puts some sort of pill in their mouths.

“Hurry, before he comes back,” he whispers, but I can hear him. They swallow the pill, and I hear their breathing pickup. Their hearts are coming back stronger as well. Allen bends down beside me, taking my face in his hand.

“How do you feel, Arabella?” he asked. His gray eyes are full of nothing but concern. It confuses me. I am still unable to talk, so all I do is nod my head. He pulls my hair out of my face.

“I know you must be confused, but Shawn and I mean you no harm. We were both sent here by a friend to get you out of here,” he explains. I still don’t trust him. This could be a trick. I also remember what the moon goddess said to me, though. Help will come when I least expect it.

“Shawn’s friend Elena, who is the moon goddess descendant, sent him here ahead of her. She knows about the death of her mate,” he says, looking at Roland sadly. “Our friend, however, is the reason I am here,” he says, still frowning.

“Our friend?” I asked.

“Clarissa,” he says, and I feel my heart clench. She did tell me she would send someone here to save me. Even in death, she is still trying to protect me.

“I am sorry,” I said to him. “I am the reason she was killed.” The reason they are all dead,” I said more to myself. He shakes his head and looks me in the eyes.

“She knew the risk she was taking when she helped you. She was dying slowly from a werewolf bite she had received. Endymion was giving her a potion to stop the spread as long as she served him, but I know of the agony her body had to endure daily because of the pain. You didn’t cause her death. You are the reason she now has peace,” he said to me, and the tears began to fall silently from my eyes.

I hadn’t known she was dying. She had a smile on her face each time I saw her. I never would have guessed.

“We are going to take you back to the Black Alder Packhouse,” he says, but I shake my head.

“I can’t. I can’t leave my mates,” I tell him. “I want to join my mates.” I look down at them again, grief washing all over me. I want my life to end.

“Your mates are gone, Arabella. They would want you to get out of here and be safe. I know the pain of losing the one you love to these monsters,” he says, and I get the feeling he and Clarissa were more than just friends. “But you are not allowed to give up on what they died for. I don’t know much about you, but from what I recall and from what Clarissa told me, you still have people that love you waiting there for you,” he says.

He is right. I don’t have many people I would consider close, but I have Sam. Sam and I have been together since the beginning. She had Kyle, yes, but I knew she would never forgive me if I killed myself over my depression. She is all I have left now. With that thought in mind, I nodded. I stood up, with Allen’s help, and walked over to where Shawn, Ethan, and Aiden were. I couldn’t bring myself to look at the triplet’s fathers, as I felt as if I had failed them.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save them,” I whispered, but I know they heard it. They were out of their chains by now. I was not only referring to my mates but to Roland as well. I couldn’t save him, either. It was silent, and I glanced up at them, only to be met by teary blue and teary hazel eyes. They embraced me.

“It’s not your fault,” Ethan says, kissing my head. Aiden does the same.

“Our boys died the only way we would expect them to. Protecting their mate,” Ethan said, and I nodded.

“Our father died simply by being in the crossfire, and we will avenge his death, won’t we, brother?” he said, and Aiden nodded. I smiled a little. My mates were just like them.

“How are we getting out of here?” Ethan asked.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

“A portal is being created. It will stay open for a few seconds. While it is open, you need to rush through it. It will take you back to the Black Alder lands,” Shawn says.

I heard Endymion’s footsteps approaching. I backed away from the door. Ethan, Aiden, Shawn, and Allen surround me in a protective stance. Endymion opens the door, coming in, followed by Cami, Briana, and a few vampire soldiers. He takes in the surroundings before commanding to kill them, but leaves me unharmed,” and all hell breaks loose. His eyes are on me as the vampires start attacking. Ethan and Aiden have half shifted into their wolves and are fighting the vampires that are attacking them. Shawn and Allen stand in front of me, shielding me from the oncoming vampires.

Camilla and Briana are trying to get to me as well, but Shawn and Allen must be extremely well trained because they are barely landing any punches on them. Suddenly, I see the portal forming. Endymion is too focused on the fight to even notice.

“Arabella!” Allen yells. I understand. As weak as I am, I use my energy to run to the portal. I can feel people behind me as I do, and I almost reach the portal.

“NOOOOOOO!” I heard Endymion roar, and the whole place shook. Once I touch the portal, I’m grabbed on each arm by Camilla and Briana, but it’s too late. I am already soaring back to the packhouse as I see the portal close; only I have to deal with Camilla and Briana once I get there.

Once I tumble through the other side of the portal, I end up on the wet ground of the Black Alder Pack. It’s nighttime, and none of the warriors are back. Which means I can’t call for help. I stand up only to be tackled by Briana.

“You thought you would just get away, bitch,” she sneered, picking me up and tossing me back to the ground. I felt like my whole body was sore and weak. Royal tried to take over, but I wouldn’t let her. She had already done enough for me. I blocked her again as a kick was coming into my stomach.

Camilla made her way over to us. She picked me up by my leg and tossed me. I hit a tree, and I felt something pop. She dislocated my fucking shoulder. Great. I tried to stand up and get ready to defend myself from the two women. However, due to the pain in my shoulder, I couldn’t stop the punches that came from two directions. I ended up blocking one, but I felt the other, and I fell.

Briana and Camilla kicked me over and over. Behind them, I swear I saw the most beautiful light, and it was coming closer and closer. Before I knew it, the light was right behind them, or, should I say, a woman. She was beautiful, and I felt like I had seen her face before. She punched Briana hard, and Briana hit a tree a few yards away.

“Bitch!” Camilla spat at her and went to throw punches, but the lady simply grabbed her by the neck.

“You are not fucking welcome here,” the lady said in a silky voice. Before I knew it, Camilla’s body was disintegrated by a white light. It started from her feet and ran up to her head, so I know she felt every bit of it as she screamed before her whole body was in ashes. She bent down to me, and I could finally see her face more clearly now. It was my mate’s grandmother. Elena.