Undeniable (Wolf Kings of Twilight, Book 3), page 1
Contents
Books by S.J. West
Acknowledgments
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
Author’s Note
Next from S.J. West
About the Author
COPYRIGHTS
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
© 2022 S.J. West. All rights reserved.
Proof Reader: Janelle Leonard.
Cover Design: Coversbyjuan.com
Interior Design & Formatting: Stephany Wallace @ S.W. Creative Publishing co, all rights reserved.
Published by Watchers Publishing Nov 24, 2022.
www.Sjwest.com
BOOKS IN THE WATCHER SERIES
The Watchers Trilogy
Cursed
Blessed
Forgiven
The Watcher Chronicles
Broken
Kindred
Oblivion
Ascension
Caylin’s Story
Timeless
Devoted
Aiden’s Story
The Alternate Earth Series
Cataclysm
Uprising
Judgment
The Redemption Series
Malcolm
Anna
Lucifer
Redemption
The Dominion Series
Awakening
Reckoning
Enduring
The Everlasting Fire Series
War Angel
Between Worlds
Shattered Souls
Lucifer and Amalie's Story
Surrendering the Dark
Descending into the Abyss
Guardians of the Void
Restoration
Atonement
Exodus
War Angel Academy
Harbinger
Nemesis
Champion
OTHER BOOKS BY S.J. WEST
The Harvester of Light Trilogy
Harvester
Hope
Dawn
The Vankara Saga
Vankara
Dragon Alliance
War of Atonement
Vampire Conclave Series
Moonshade
Sentinel
Conclave
Requiem
Circle of the Rose Chronicles
Cin D’Rella and the Water of Life
Cin D’Rella and the Golden Apple
Cin D’Rella and the Lonely Tower.
Cin d'Rella and the Messengers of Death.
Pandora’s Legacy
Pandora’s Gift
Wolf Kings of Twilight
Untouchable
Unwavering
Undeniable
MULTI-AUTHOR ANTHOLOGIES
The Monster Ball Year 3:
A Paranormal Romance Anthology
Second Chances
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who were with me throughout this creative process; to all those who provided support, talked things over, read, wrote, offered comments, allowed me to quote their remarks and assisted in the editing, proofreading and design.
I would like to thank Misti Monen, Andie Ryder, Nicoll Edwards, Erica Croyle, Barb Todaro, Lisa Fejeran, my beta readers, for helping me in the process with invaluable feedback.
Thanks to Janelle Leonard, my editor for helping me find typos, correct commas and tweak the little details that have help this book become my perfect vision.
Thank you to Stephany Wallace for creating the beautiful Interior Design for my books and formatting them.
Last but not least, I want to thank my family, who supported and encouraged me in this journey.
I apologize to those who have been with me over the course of the years and whose names I have failed to mention.
(Emily’s Point of View)
My life hasn’t turned out the way I planned it to. When I was a little girl, I imagined myself falling in love with a handsome guard and marrying him. Since the moment I was born, I’ve been destined to carry on my family’s legacy and lead our people into a brighter future. But life rarely works out the way you envision. After so many years of living with both my kind and the humans, I quickly figured out fortunes can change as quickly as the direction of the wind. The only thing you can do is prepare yourself for the gusts. One wrong step and you can find yourself careening off a cliff.
The distant howling of the wolf pack chasing us echoes in the ravine. In its makeshift carrier, I hold the box containing Earth 104. Within the sphere, my son and granddaughter are facing the trials within the wastelands, hoping to save what remains of humanity. One misstep on my part could cause me to lose the box, shattering my world forever. Losing my husband almost killed me but losing my son and granddaughter because of my own clumsiness would surely finish me off.
“Do they ever give up?” Oberon, king of the dark fae, asks as we slowly make our way through the rocky landscape. “It’s been at least two hours and we’re no closer to losing them than we were when we first landed in the pond.”
“My father designed them to be tenacious killers,” I say, slightly out of breath. “They’re smart and cunning. The more distance we can put between us and them, the better.”
“But that’s my point,” Oberon grunts as he pulls himself up between two large boulders, “they’re keeping up with us. We haven’t gained any ground on them.”
“Do you always complain this much?” If the situation wasn’t so dire, I would laugh at Oberon’s bellyaching. “I didn’t realize the dark fae were so delicate.”
“Woman,” irritation drenches the word as it comes out of Oberon’s mouth, “I am far from delicate, but even I have my limits. Aren’t you tired yet?”
“Of course, I’m tired,” I openly admit, “but if I stop, I know the wolves will tear me into teeny tiny pieces. It’s enough of an incentive to keep me going.”
Oberon scoffs. “I’m about ready to stop and start throwing some of these rocks at them.”
I glance over my shoulder at Oberon. His clothes are drenched in sweat and his long dark hair is so wet he looks like he just stepped out of a bath. Our eyes lock and I almost lose my footing.
“Are my good looks distracting you, Princess?” He laughs softly at my expense. “I often have that effect on women.”
“I assure you nothing could be further from the truth, you egotistical lout. I’m just getting tired. That’s all.”
Oberon grunts as he jogs to catch up with me over the rough terrain.
“You know,” he says, “there’s nothing wrong with being attracted to me. After all, we are to be wed. Our time in bed with each other would be far more enjoyable if you let yourself like me just a little.”
I stop in my tracks and look at him like he’s lost his mind. Oberon appears amused as he waits for me to speak.
“Just because we get married doesn’t mean I have to share a bed with you. Ever,” I inform him tartly.
“Oh, I fully agree with you.”
He seems genuine in his statement. Although, I sense a “but” coming.
“But,” he says as his lips stretch into a cocky grin and his eyes twinkle with barely concealed amusement. He takes two steps forward, bringing our bodies so close I can feel the heat radiating from his. “I would willingly bet a hefty wager that you and I will share a bed after we’re married and quite often.”
I can’t deny that Oberon is awakening certain parts of my libido that I had thought long gone. I haven’t been with a man since Mark. The thought of giving my heart to someone else always revolted me for some reason. I could never tell if it was because I couldn’t imagine loving anyone else as much or if losing myself to another person like that frightened me.
“You think a lot of yourself,” I quip, but my words lack the bite I had intended. For some reason, I can’t stop looking at Oberon’s lips. With his face flush from exertion, they stand out like plump red strawberries begging to be teased and tasted.
“If you want to kiss me,” his voice is husky as he leans in toward me, “all you have to do is take it, Emily.”
My stubbornness kicks in and I force my eyes up to meet his.
That was a mistake because I instantly become lost within the pools of his deep blue eyes. I see an ocean of memories and hopes, revealing his soul to me. There’s pain there too but also a silent promise that I can’t quite decipher.
A wolf howls in the distance, breaking our connection as worry enters Oberon’s eyes.
He peers ahead of us because that was the direction of the wolf’s call.
“That can’t be right,” he says. His body tenses. “They can’t be ahead of us.”
Another wolf howls but this time it’s directly behind us.
“Damnit!” Oberon looks at me. “They’ve been driving us to this spot all along.”
We both eye the narrow ravine we’re in, wondering how we could have been such fools.
“Just how smart did your father make these wolves of his?” he questions in disbelief.
“They’re just as smart as a human and as cunning as any wolf.”
Oberon bites his lip as he surveys our options, which aren’t many. When he finally does look at me, his expression is apprehensive.
“I can kill these wolves before they kill us,” he says but his words hold a note of warning, “but you won’t like the consequences and you’ll need to hold onto me tight, so you aren’t caught in the spell. Do you understand?”
“What are you going to do to them?”
Oberon scoffs as he pulls off his shirt, revealing a series of brands that run from his shoulders to halfway down his arms. They’re symbols I don’t recognize, and I can only assume they represent some sort of dark fae magic.
“You’ll see it for yourself soon enough. Now get behind me and hold onto my waist tightly. I haven’t performed this spell in years so I might be a bit rusty, but I’ll do my best to keep you out of its range.”
“That’s not very comforting,” I grumble while walking behind him. After I have my arms wrapped around his torso, he chuckles.
“You shouldn’t feel comforted because I’m not entirely sure what will happen. Either I’ll kill the wolves, or I’ll kill us all.”
“I would rather not die today,” I say tartly. “We still need to confront my father about disabling your ship.”
Oberon spreads his legs slightly apart and clasps his hands together.
“You’re sure it was Eldon who sabotaged my ship?” He begins to swirl his hands, rubbing his palms together. A faint red glow appears, growing brighter and bigger as he continues to weave his spell.
“Who else would be so arrogant? He was frightened you would go through with your threat to destroy us if I didn’t marry you.”
“Fear is the point of threats,” he says without an ounce of apology. “Your father thinks too much of himself, and a threat was the only way I could ensure his cooperation.”
“And if he had called your bluff?”
Oberon’s hands slow and I feel him tense under my touch.
“I would have done exactly what I promised, Emily.” He turns his head and looks at me. “I don’t make threats lightly, and I always keep my word, even if the consequences mean destroying a whole world. None of us are safe while your father remains in power. It’s our time to rule the fae and bring the light and dark back together. We need each other. We can’t survive separated.”
He faces forward again and quickens the motions of his hands.
Wolves begin to howl all around us.
“They’re closer,” I whisper as the spell Oberon is preparing to cast begins to crackle as small bolts of lightning flash between his palms.
“You should close your eyes,” he warns before pulling his hands away from each other. A swirling red ball of light filled with lightning floats in between them. “I’m not exactly sure how powerful this spell will be. After encountering the source of magic on that planet we found, all of our spells have been supercharged. This spell was already dangerous in its primitive form. I have no idea what it will do now that it’s been given an upgrade.”
“Do you think this is the smartest thing you should be doing then?” I have to question his tactics because I’m rightfully scared now.
The whine of his spell raises to a new level, echoing off the walls of the ravine.
“We have no choice,” he yells to be heard over the cacophony. “Close your eyes, Emily, and pray that we survive this.”
I do more than close my eyes. I also bury my face in Oberon’s back and tighten my hold around his waist. I have no idea what’s about to happen, but I try to prepare myself for anything, even death.
Dying wouldn’t be that horrible of an outcome. In fact, a small part of me might even welcome it. I would finally be reunited with Mark in whatever afterlife awaits us. Will he remember me after so much time has passed? Will he still love me as I do him? Or can we still love others in death as we do in life? Passing over into the realm of the dead is one of life’s last mysteries that we can only solve when life slips out of our grasp. Not even those who are brought back remember what it was like to be dead. Those memories are lost once they’re reanimated, never to be regained until we leave this world for good.
The howling of the wolves has stopped to be replaced by guttural snarls. Although I’ve been told to keep my eyes closed, instinct makes me look, but I instantly wish I had heeded Oberon’s advice.
Surrounding us on all sides are at least twenty of the snowy white wolves my father created. Their primal blue eyes are filled with anger as they bare their teeth and viciously snap at us. The only thing that seems to be holding them at bay is Oberon’s spell.
“Come closer, you cowards,” he taunts. “Let me end the cursed lives you have once and for all.”
One wolf pads toward us in a low crouch. It must be the pack leader because all the wolves follow his lead. Once they get within five feet of us, Oberon lets out a guttural war cry and makes a quick swiping motion with his hands, releasing the spell like a tidal wave of magic. Now, I see why he had me hold onto him because the center of the spell acts as a calm focal point.
The air is instantly filled with cries of pure agony. The fur and skin of all twenty wolves begins to melt off their bodies and fall to the ground in putrid piles. Most of them collapse from the shock and pain caused by this mutilation, but a few manage to stumble back from where they came, only to succumb to their injuries a few feet away. The sound of their death throes makes my skin crawl. I let go of Oberon to cover my ears, but my hands only muffle the dissonance of their dying.
Without warning, Oberon sweeps me up into his arms and maneuvers us through the carnage his spell caused.
I don’t protest. I welcome his care and take advantage of it by burying my face in his shoulder so I don’t have to look at the death surrounding us.
A few minutes later, he sets me on my feet. We’ve cleared the ravine and now stand on the edge of a forest.
Tentatively, I lower my hands. Only the sound of crickets ring in my ears.
“That was horrible,” I declare, pressing my hands against my stomach to ease its queasiness. “Is that what the spell was meant to do?”
“No,” he admits, slightly confused. “It was supposed to shatter their brains inside their skulls, not melt the skin from their flesh. It’s not a spell I’ve used often because it’s hard to contain, but since we were inside the ravine, I knew it would be safe.”
“Oberon.” It’s one of the few times his name has passed over my lips in his presence. “This new source of magic you found on this other world. Was it tainted in some way?”
“Magic is simply energy,” he explains unnecessarily. “It’s not good or bad. That comes from the wielder of the spell.”
“I suppose that’s good to know.” I instinctively take a step back from him.
Does Oberon realize he just admitted he’s evil? The look of realization on his face indicates he does.
“I’m not evil,” he’s quick to correct.
“You were the caster of that spell,” I remind him. “I’ve never seen a better example of evil incarnate.”
