Bonded beyond lies, p.1
Bonded Beyond Lies, page 1
Bonded Beyond Lies (Fighting Fate Series) by Ember Davis
Copyright © 2023 Ember Davis
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, organizations or locals is entirely coincidental. The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as an advertisement. Trademark names are used editorially with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
For permission requests, email Ember.A.Davis@gmail.com
Contains explicit love scenes and adult language. The suggested reading audience is 18 years or older.
Cover Design: Brynn Paulin
This book is available exclusively at Amazon.com. If you’ve obtained it anywhere else, you have an illegal copy.
For my readers who are willing to go on any adventure with me.
I hope you like this one!
Table of Contents
TRIGGER WARNING
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
EPILOGUE
FIGHTING FATE SERIES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
OTHER BOOKS BY EMBER
TRIGGER WARNING
This story has dark themes and there are depictions of abuse--both physically and psychologically. You’ll still find an insta-love story that is spicy and isn’t necessarily simple, but with darker themes and situations. There are descriptions and depictions of violence within this paranormal romance.
There is no cheating (not really, trust me!) and a guaranteed HEA, however, if you don’t like darker themes, then this book may not be for you.
PROLOGUE
SERENITY – AGE TEN
I look up at the back of the packhouse from where I’m playing with some of the other kids on the playground. This is my favorite place to play, especially when I can talk Mom or Dad into pushing me on the swings because I can’t get as high when I’m all by myself. I love the feeling of flying and what better place to feel that than on the swings?
Todd, the Alpha’s son who is a year older than me and the same age as my brother, Samuel, is over on the monkey bars getting frustrated because he gets almost all the way across, but then loses his grip. As I’ve been twirling back and forth on the swing I’m sitting on, I’ve watched him try it repeatedly. He doesn’t seem to want to give up, but every time he falls, his face gets redder. His frustration and embarrassment are becoming suffocating.
All the other kids have moved away from him, not wanting to be on the other end of his anger when he blows up. I’ve seen him do it before and it is kind of scary. Even though none of us have shifted into our wolves, which won’t happen until we’re 13, Todd’s alpha aura can get out of control when he’s mad.
I asked my mom, the pack’s Beta female, about it one time and she patted my hand gently before telling me, “Alphas need to learn how to control their emotions, even when they’re young and haven’t been blessed with their wolves yet. He has a lot of power inside of him.”
I nodded and wanted to ask her why all the other kids were afraid of him when he was mad or frustrated, but it didn’t seem to bother me in the same way. I knew, logically, I should be afraid and not approach him, but it wasn’t real fear.
Not the kind of fear I felt last summer when we were at a pack picnic and a group of four rogues came out of the tree line, snarling and itching for a fight. That was the first time I felt fear because I knew I wouldn’t be able to defend myself against them. Thankfully, those four rogues didn’t stand a chance against the Alpha and the rest of the high-ranking members and warriors who were at the picnic. Still, that feeling of fear, true fear, is one I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
Todd doesn’t scare me, but I can read the faces of the other kids. It’s clear they’re fighting against the need to submit to him. He doesn’t even realize the aura he’s giving off right now. All because he’s being stubborn about some stupid monkey bars.
When I can’t take it anymore and I can see the kids around us about to fall to their knees and bare their necks in submission, I huff as I stand up. I slowly make my way over to where Todd is glaring at the monkey bars like they ate the last cookie in the cookie jar. I feel eyes on me, but when I glance back at the packhouse, I don’t see anyone watching me and shake off the feeling.
“Todd,” I say softly, “how about we go inside and get something to drink? It’s awfully hot out here and I’m thirsty.”
Todd’s eyes remain hard when he looks at me, the same glare he was giving the playground equipment moments ago now leveled on me, but I don’t flinch away from him. He nods curtly before we walk side-by-side toward the back door of the packhouse. I can almost feel the breath of relief the kids on the playground let out as we walk away.
With my family being the Beta family and Todd’s being the Alpha family, we’ve grown up together and are good friends, but Sam takes the spot as Todd’s best friend. Todd’s sister, Kathy, who is my age and my best friend, said she wasn’t interested in coming out to play today.
I’m not surprised, she loves soaking up the attention of anyone and everyone. With visitors from the Blood Rising pack here today, it’s prime time for her preening. I’ve never been one to want the spotlight, which is one of the reasons we’re such good friends—we balance each other out.
Todd seems to calm down as we both drink some lemonade one of the Omegas who works in the kitchen made earlier today. I’m glad because getting that mad at some monkey bars is kind of pointless. He’ll be able to make it across eventually. He was already so close.
“Do you want to come back outside?” Todd’s question doesn’t surprise me, nor does the look of determination on his face. “I’m going to get all the way across this time.”
“I think I’m going to read for a little while and cool off,” I tell him with a smile and start to giggle a little when he’s out the back door from the kitchen almost before I finish speaking.
I put both of our glasses in the industrial dishwasher, not wanting to make more of a mess for the Omegas to clean up. They have enough work to do, and I try to always clean up after myself. With a book in my hands, I get comfortable on the window seat in one of the large lounge rooms available for anyone in the pack to use.
I feel eyes on me again as I’m reading and look up to find a young man staring at me from across the room. His eyes are a deep, dark green, the same color as the trees in the forest surrounding the pack’s territory. I’ve never seen him before, but that doesn’t mean much. He’s probably here with the visiting Alpha from Blood Rising and I don’t see the reason to get involved in pack politics. Still, I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from his.
At least not until a throat clearing has me looking over to see Dad and Mom along with another man who could be the green-eyed guy’s older twin. He must be the Alpha considering the power rolling off him. Oddly, I’m not intimidated by it, just like I’ve never been intimidated by my Alpha’s aura. Or Todd’s. Strange.
“Serenity,” there’s a hint of worry in Dad’s voice which has me wondering what is going on, “say hello to Alpha Nathan and his son, Tristan, who will be taking over as Alpha of the Blood Rising Pack soon.”
I give them both a smile, my gaze lingering on Tristan for a moment. “Hello,” I chirp. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
Both men give me small smiles, but there is a warmth in Tristan’s eyes which causes my heart to flip. Before I can analyze it too deeply, Alpha Nathan turns to my father and gives him a nod. “Thank you. We should be on our way now.”
Then they’re gone and a hollow feeling in my chest has me wondering what in the world just happened. I shake it off and get back to reading my book. It’s a good one, all about a young girl who finds herself after discovering most of her life was a lie.
I’m so engrossed in my book that the next time I look up, I’m surprised to find Alpha Thomas, Luna Lori, Mom, and Dad standing close to me and whispering furiously. Pain is etched on Mom’s face, but when she notices me looking, she hides it behind a stoic mask, one I’ve never seen on her before.
The whole thing has me narrowing my eyes as my gut twists painfully. I don’t know what has happened, but I have a bad feeling about it.
Alpha Thomas and Luna Lori glide from the room with an uncompromising air about them. They reek of superiority. I guess they’ve earned it since they are ranked highest in our pack. Still, it doesn’t sit right with me, not when I’ve always felt their warmth and love before.
Dad marches up to me, his mouth curled into a sneer, and I find myself recoiling. “What was with the look you gave Tristan? I didn’t raise my daughter to be a whore,” he shouts the insult at me, and I’m stunned.
My mind is spinning, trying to understand what the man in front of me, who barely holds a resemblance to the dad I’ve known and loved for as long as I can remember, is saying. I start shaking my head and my mouth opens to tell him he’s wrong, or to say anything to him about the accusation he’s hurled at me.
I don’t get the chance to say anything before the sound of his hand against my cheek fills the room, painful stinging on my skin registering a moment later.
Dad just slapped me.
Tears well up in my eyes as I look up at the man in front of me. I think I see regret in his eyes, but it’s replaced by fury and hatred far too quickly for me to be sure. Then he’s gone, pulling Mom behind him as he marches out of the room.
I don’t understand what just happened, but I know it’s not good. I have a dreadful feeling that this is only the beginning.
CHAPTER 1
SERENITY
Being able to spend the day avoiding most of my packmates is a miracle. My pack hates me. They’ve made my life a living hell for almost eight years.
I used to find solace at school, but since graduating a few months ago, I can’t hide there anymore. It’s not like I was entirely safe there, but it was better. Now, I feel like I’m always looking over my shoulder and trying to avoid being alone with anyone. When I’m caught alone by certain people, it always ends up with me in pain.
I’m so tired of feeling pain. I’m so tired of not knowing when the next beating is coming or when I’ll be yelled at or made to feel like trash.
I’m just so tired.
I turn 18 in two days and I’m trying so hard to keep my head down until then. The only thing I’ve looked forward to for years is turning 18 because then I’ll be able to find my mate. It’s been the only source of hope for me for so long, but my gut twists about finding my mate as well. If he’s in this pack, then I don’t know if he’ll accept me.
Everything got fucked up years ago and I can’t tell you why. It makes no sense to me.
One day I woke up, eight years old, with loving parents and a brother who would protect me from anything and everything. Then it was just gone. All the safety and security in my life. All the love I never once doubted. It was there and then…gone.
I used to have friends. I used to have a family I could rely on to be there for me. But it was like one day a switch flipped and everyone turned on me. I’ve tried, for years, to figure out what changed, but I have no idea. Maybe I’ve locked some memory away to protect myself, but I don’t think so.
There was a time when I was looking forward to growing up because I wanted to help my pack thrive. I wanted to be a part of making us grow and prosper in whatever way I could. I started training at eight with my father, the Beta of my pack, Waning Moon. I never cared about what position I held in the pack, I just wanted to find a way to help it.
My brother, Samuel, was always going to be the next Beta since he’s older than me and best friends with the next Alpha, Todd. I never aspired for a position of power in the pack. Being a warrior and doing my best to help was good enough for me and I thought it was a future to be proud of.
Now, I can only hope my mate isn’t here in Waning Moon and I’ll be able to escape the hell that has been inflicted on me for the last eight years.
My father used to dote on me and praise me while training me. Now, he refuses to even look at me and my training stopped when everyone in my life changed. My loving brother no longer looks at me with soft eyes. He sneers at me and laughs when others hurt me. My best friend, Kathy, the Alpha’s daughter, was like a sister to me. She’s become someone who torments me for her own enjoyment.
The fact that Kathy and Samuel mated as of two weeks ago when Kathy turned 18 and they found out they were fated, has made me more fearful. The two of them working together sounds like one of my worst nightmares. The pain they would be able to inflict would be magnified to proportions I don’t want to think about.
I wish it was only physical pain, but it’s not. It’s the loss that cuts me deeply. The loss of what we once were. The loss of the bonds of friendship and family between us. The loss of the life I was supposed to have.
As I sneak in the backdoor of the packhouse, the hair on my arms stands up. Something is wrong. Something is going on and as much as I fear finding out what it is, I know I can’t run. They’ve probably already caught my scent and running would only cause them to chase me. I’m too weak to win against them—they’ve made sure of it.
There is only one way I can go and that’s forward. I step into the large pack kitchen from the back door and try and brace for whatever awaits me.
“Well, look who it is,” Todd’s voice is deep and dark like a nightmare skittering across your skin, one you can’t wake up from. “Have you been hiding from us?”
I know it’s a rhetorical question and tilt my head down so I’m looking at the floor instead of looking at anyone in the kitchen. Looking into their eyes only pisses them off. I learned my lesson on eye contact already.
Todd grips my shoulders with a punishing hold. I know it’ll leave bruises behind; he relishes his ability to leave his mark of pain behind on my body. Tears sting the back of my eyes, but it’s not from pain. It’s from the loss of the friendship which existed between us.
There was a time when I hoped Todd was my mate. I was the only one who could calm him down or help him to see reason and I thought it was a sign from the Moon Goddess. I don’t have the same feelings now. I no longer pray to the full moon to entwine our souls together and make us two halves of a whole.
Being tied to Todd for the rest of my life would shatter me. He would never accept me as his mate and he would use the bond, something which is supposed to be beautiful and magical, like a noose around my neck.
Then there’s the shame of how many she-wolves he’s been with in the pack. I feel bad for whoever Todd’s mate is and can only hope it’s not me. He’s fucked so many of the younger generation of females by using his charm to lure them into his clutches. I would feel bad for them, but they were willing participants in being swept up in his lopsided smile, disarming dimples, and sparkling eyes.
Hell, I’m not sure how Kathy was able to accept my brother considering he was just as bad at seducing the females of the pack. I guess the mate bond is a magical thing if she’s able to forget all about the years of him screwing around with others. Or, maybe, it doesn’t matter now because he’ll be faithful to his mate.
He doesn’t have to be, but it’s rare for a wolf to cheat on the bond. Not only will their mate feel excruciating pain when the bond is betrayed, but mates are tied together by their souls. That kind of connection doesn’t really allow for anything else.
It doesn’t matter why. It’s not my problem and I refuse to make it my problem.
The pain that blooms on my cheek from the force of Todd slapping me, causing me to fall to the kitchen floor, has my eyes snapping up to meet his gaze. The way he’s looking at me has my stomach cramping. He’s full of glee because he’s hurt me.
“I asked you a fucking question, Serenity,” he spits out my name like it’s a curse and it sends a shiver down my spine.
I cup my face and feel the way my cheek is swelling slightly. I won’t get my wolf until I turn 18 and the abuse that I’ve endured over the last eight years has ensured that my body is weaker than most which causes me to heal slowly. I hope my wolf won’t be negatively affected by my weakened state, but I’ve learned that hope is hard won in my life.
I swallow hard and, not wanting to speak too loudly because that is another lesson I’ve learned, I whisper, “I wasn’t avoiding you, Alpha.”
Todd isn’t the Alpha yet, but I remember the lessons he’s beat into me. I’m no longer allowed to use his name or anyone’s name. I lower my eyes again, unsure whether I can get up yet or not. I hate being on the floor when he stands above me. Laughter coming from Kathy and Samuel twists my heart in my chest and I can’t help but look over at the two of them.
I want to scream and ask what the fuck I did to them to make them hate me so much, but I know I can’t. I won’t. It’ll only end in more pain.
Samuel notices me looking at him and glares at me. He doesn’t say anything, but he’s not the only one who notices. Kathy does as well and her low growl at my disobedience fills the kitchen.
