Dark Love (Sequel to The Last Alpha)

Book 02 Dark Love

To create a smoother reading experience, here we prepare a direct access to the second book of The Last Alpha series for you. Keep scrolling and you can enjoy the sequel Dark Love.

Blurb：

He is the most feared and powerful creature alive, a vampire and warlock hybrid. 

She is a werewolf. 

They are enemies. 

They say, enemies make the best lovers...

Madeline Damaris from the Blood Moon Pack is a broken woman. She lost her parents in a vampire attack as a teenager and her first love to his destined mate. She made mistakes but is ready to rebuild herself. But when she meets her true mate in the form of her nemesis, the new Vampire King and hybrid, Arius Romano she knows she is in trouble. Big trouble.

Arius Romano is the first hybrid of his kind. A tortured soul who has never felt love. After laying eyes on his soul mate, a wolf from his enemies pack, he becomes obsessed and will not stop until he makes her his. But can she accept him when all he can offer is dark love?

Madeline POV

The pulsing bodies thrust up against each other to the beat of the pounding music. The energy is loud and seductive as I weave my way through the crowds of people grinding on the dancefloor. The neon beams dart across the room like swords of light, illuminating people’s euphoric faces. I find a place that feels right and close my eyes, allowing my body to sway to the music. The feeling is freeing. I start to glide my hands up and down my body seductively as I feel my desire to be touched by someone. No, not just someone. Him. My thoughts fill with images of his strong hands, his tempting lips, his toned and muscular body. I feel arms around my waist, a man grinding his groin up against my ass, but my eyes didn’t open. I imagine it’s him. My body burns for more as I run the man’s hands up and down my body for stimulation. But then the music stops. Everyone stills as if they are frozen in time. My eyes fly open as I search the crowd of statues frantically. Then I lock eyes with those majestic irises that make my heart race. One ice blue, one deep brown. He stands still glaring at me with a heated gaze through the sea of bodies. I gulp. He takes slow, calculated steps towards me as his body towers over mine. I look up at him through my dark lashes. He smirks as he leans into me, whispering in his alluring, deep voice, “Ready to make a deal with the devil?”

I shoot upright in my bed, my body damp from sweat under my night clothes. It was just a dream. It is always just a dream. I take deep breaths as I rest my hand over my heart, trying to calm my heavy pants. I look down and catch sight of the gold bracelet with the magic ruby fastened in the middle still stuck on my wrist. This damn thing. This is the reason he can come to me every night in my dreams. To torment me.

I pull at the gold band forcefully and try to snap it off with all my might. It’s no use. It is too robust. A constant reminder that he is not going to leave me alone. I study the blood red ruby for the millionth time. It is so beautiful. Deep and enticing as black ink swirls around inside it. Anger rises in me at feeling so trapped. So helpless.

I contemplate rubbing it and saying his name so he would appear in front of me and I could give him hell for never letting me get a decent night’s sleep or better yet, reject him as my fated mate. I shake my head and fall back on my pillow as I huff out in frustration. No. I couldn’t put the pack’s lives in so much danger. He warned me what he would do if I ever tried to reject him again.

Suddenly a knock at my bedroom door startled me from my thoughts.

“Come in,” I call sitting up in my bed as the door opens and Sloane comes in and plonks herself down. She was starting to show and the little bump on her stomach makes my heart melt. I am so happy for Fredrik to have found such an amazing second-chance mate and to start his own little family. He deserves all the happiness in the world.

“What are you still doing in bed?” she raises her eyebrows at me and I look over at my alarm clock. I groan when I saw the time was already mid-morning.

“Sorry. I’ve not been sleeping very well. It was a rough night,” I yawn and she eyes me carefully.

“Perhaps, you should go and see the pack doctor. You don’t look too good,” she replies putting her hand on my forehead.

“I’m fine. Honestly, just weird dreams and I find it hard to switch my mind off at the moment,” I pull the covers off me and walk towards the bathroom. I wish so badly that I could tell someone what was really going on with me. But honestly, shame and fear stop me. How could I tell the people I was working so hard to rebuild relationships with after my wrong doings that I was mated to our enemy. To Lucius’ son. A vampire and warlock hybrid. They would never look at me the same way again. And who knows what chaos it would cause? I had to sort this mess out myself, but I didn’t have the first idea how. Suddenly, I really missed my best friend Emma. She would always be there to listen. I am starting to grow more and more concerned as I haven’t heard from her for over a month. She should be here with our pack.

“Ok well, as long as you are sure? I came to get you because I realised you were going to be late,” she shouts from her position on the bed. My eyebrows furrow in confusion before I realise what day it is. s**t. Luna Alina’s birthday.

“Oh s**t! Of course, give me ten minutes and I will be down. Thanks Sloane,” I poke my head around the door and smile at our Beta before she leaves my room.

Hurriedly, I shower and dress casually in a pair of dark jeans and a black high-neck top before doing my make-up. Applying my foundation, bronzer and signature smoky eye to give me the confidence I really needed today. Just as I was about to leave my room, I look up at the calendar hanging on my wall. My heart drums in my chest. 3 weeks and 3 days. I cross today’s date off and hope rises in me. Perhaps, he isn’t coming for me after all.

***

I race down the stairs of the pack house to the ground floor. Hearing the laughter and happiness echo from my friends in the dining room, I take a deep breath before plastering a smile on my face. Logan has spared no expense to shower his mate and our Luna with a brunch banquet, decorations and presents as my eyes scan the lavishly decorated room. Everyone was already seated at the large table with the birthday girl at the top and Alpha Logan standing behind her chair.

"Madeline!" Alina beams as I walk towards her.

“Happy Birthday! You look amazing!” I smile genuinely as she blushes. If anyone would have told me three months ago that my then boyfriend’s destined mate would turn out to be one of my closest friends, I would have laughed in their face and told them they were mad. But here we are. I stand up straight and nod at Logan, the man I used to love. He grins back at me and I walk over to take a seat next to Fredrik at the table.

“Now that we are all here, I just wanted to make a quick toast,” Logan’s deep voice commands the room and we all gaze up at him. He picks up his glass of champagne. “To our Luna and my perfect mate, everyone here loves you more than you will ever know. Happy Birthday Alina!” he bends down and kisses her lips before raising his glass. We all pick ours up and cheers to our Luna. I can’t lie and say that sometimes being in the same room as your ex and his true love is a little overwhelming, but I am dealing with it. It actually helps to see them so happy together, knowing they belong together. And now they were expecting a child. It was like a fairy tale. Whereas my love life was more like a nightmare.

“Madeline, you will back me up on this… please can you tell Chloe that wearing matching outfits tonight is so…” Chloe lowers her knife and fork and glares at Darius as he tries to find the least offensive word. “…unnecessary.”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes before looking at me. “It is not matching, I just bought him a suit that is the same colour as my dress.” She explains and I try and hide my smile. That sounded pretty matchy to me. Chloe was the only one in the group who still seemed a little weary of me, so taking Darius’ side on this wasn’t the best idea.

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” I shrugged whilst digging my fork into a piece of fruit.

“See! So will you stop your moaning and trust me? I know fashion and you will look great!” she grins back at Darius, who glares at me for not having his back.

“We will look ridiculous! I bet Logan and Alina aren’t even matching!” he raises his voice so the top of the table hears him. Logan turns his head with a smirk.

“I am wearing the same colour and style masquerade mask as Alina,” he shoves a mouthful of his brunch in his mouth before smirking. He knows how to wind a situation up so well.

“Did you hear that? The same colour masquerade mask, not entire suit! They are practically married and weren’t not even…” he quickly stops as the whole table goes quiet and the atmosphere tenses.

“We’re not what?” Chloe hisses. “Not even together?” She throws her napkin onto the table and stands up abruptly. “Sorry Alina. I have suddenly lost my appetite. I will meet you in your room when you’re all done.” Before storming out of the room.

Darius leans back in his chair and rubs his hands through his messy auburn hair. “Just great,” he grits.

“Well, you handled that like a pro,” Logan chuckles and Alina hits his arm, tutting. Darius glares at him across the table as Alina stands up.

“It’s your birthday! Stay and enjoy your brunch and you have presents to open,” Logan holds onto her hand, keeping her at the table. She looks torn, wanting to stay and celebrate her birthday but also worrying about her best friend.

I stand up abruptly and nod at her. “It’s alright, you stay. I’ll go and check on her.”

Alina’s face creases with uncertainty, knowing Chloe and I are not particularly close, but she nods and sits back down all the same.

Darius gives me a thankful look as I leave the table and the dining room. Standing still in the lobby, using Nina’s wolf hearing to try and pinpoint exactly which way Chloe went. I get the faint sound of her footsteps and her heartbeat at the back of the house. I stroll out onto the veranda and see her sitting with her arms folded across her chest on the swinging bench. I cautiously approach and she looks up at me, surprised to see me.

“Mind if I join you?” I ask softly. She shrugs and I take that as an opportunity to sit down. We sit in silence for a few moments just looking out over the lawn and into the forest. We were now well into Autumn and the trees were beginning to look bare with only a splatter of vibrant orange and yellow leaves hanging on.

“Has he always been like this?” Chloe asks in a clipped tone. I turn to regard her pretty face as she continues to gaze ahead. I tried to think back to a time when Darius had had a meaningful relationship in his life but only one stood out. His mother. He was such a mummy’s boy growing up, always following her around, needing her attention. Logan used to tease him about it all the time but I always thought it was sweet. When we escaped the vampire attack on our territory all those years ago, he not only lost his mother that day but the only stable relationship he had. I think about all the string of short-lived affairs or one nights stands he had when we were in London. He even had a fling with Emma at one stage. That was weird. But he has never been committed.

“Like what?” I ask carefully, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

“So detached. So closed off… It’s like we take one step forward and two steps back on a daily basis. It’s exhausting,” she confesses and wraps her arms tighter around her body.

I look out across the lawn again. “Yes. I guess he has always found it difficult to form deeper connections with girls. Sorry, I know that’s probably not what you want to hear.”

She sighs, “Why though? What is he so afraid of?”

“Getting hurt,” I say without hesitation. I realised actually that was what I was most scared of.

She laughs in frustration, “Aren’t we all? But you can’t live your life in fear of getting hurt. You will never experience love that way.” She quickly turns to me with wide eyes, “I am not saying I love him! God, we barely even like each other!”

I chuckle, knowing that is a lie. “I think you like each other plenty!” I say and she gives me a small smile. “If it is any consolation, I have never seen Darius like this about anyone before. You push him and scare him, but it’s a good thing. He needs it. And yes, he can be a d**k sometimes, but if you have even the smallest feeling that it might be worth it, don’t give up on him.”

She looks at me and her face softens. “Thanks. The funny thing is…I am not even sure what I want from him myself. We fight like cat and dog, but my god, the passion. I have never experienced anything like it. But I’m scared…” She looks down at her hands and she suddenly seems so vulnerable and small.

“What are you scared of?” I ask gently.

She meets my gaze as she says, “Of letting him in. Getting close to him and then losing him. What if he finds his true mate?”

I see all the worry and fear in her eyes and it reminds me of my own when I first found out Alina was Logan’s destined mate. I sigh heavily, “I don’t know Chloe. I am probably the wrong person to ask.”

“No, you are the only person I can talk to about this. You have been there. It happened to you.” She says quietly and my heart drops as I see pity in her eyes.

“I suppose, but every situation is different. Logan and Alina are truly perfect together. I can see that now. Not all mates are though…” An image of my own mate enters my mind and I shake my head. The three weeks he had given me to ‘come to terms with the fact that I was his’ had only made me more certain that we could never be together. He is my enemy. Our species are at war. I could never love him.

“Do you think you will ever meet your own mate?” Chloe’s question surprises me and I gulp down my panic. But when I look into her eyes and see how vulnerable and open she has been with me today, I feel the urge to tell her. To reveal my secret. Could I trust her?

I push a lock of my icy blonde waves behind my ear. “I already have,” I mutter quietly. She gasps and her eyes bulge. “It is complicated, and I have struggled to understand why the Moon Goddess chose him for me. He is not a good person. It has been really hard to deal with and I need to find a way out of it. So please, can you keep this between us. You are the only person I have told.” My grey eyes plead with hers.

She grabs my hands and squeezes them with care. “Of course. I am so sorry Madeline. I always hoped you would find happiness one day with your true mate.”

I smile at her sadly, “So did I.”