Chapter 91

Noah

Noah's mind had become a twisted labyrinth, a maelstrom of obsession and delusion. The light in the cellar flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls, illuminating Almara's pained expression. He hated seeing her like this. Perhaps he should have just ordered the C-section.

Noah had lost track of time, consumed by his manic pursuit of claiming the love of his life. His once well-kempt appearance had given way to wild, unkempt hair and sunken, bloodshot eyes. He had barely eaten or slept, sustained only by the fire of his obsession.

He could no longer hear that voice in his head. The one that told him something was wrong. It had been gone for days now. Noah was happy though. The voice has been annoying. Nothing was wrong. Everything was as it should be.

Almara was getting ready to give birth to their child. He would be meeting his daughter soon. He could scarcely believe it was finally happening. And then, only a mere day later, Almara would fully be his.

She was going to make a lovely vampire. And she would be his forever. Once they broke the mate bond she had with the alpha, a new bond would form between them. A sire bond. Noah would be Almara’s everything and she would do anything to make him happy.

He walked out of the cellar, leaving Almara in the nurse’s capable hands. He wondered if Arthur had found his present yet. He just wanted to go upstairs and take a look. He wouldn’t be up there for very long. Just long enough to take a peek.

The idea had come to him in the middle of the night. While Almara had slept, he’d gone into the house and entered every single room, leaving his scent on as many surfaces as possible. He knew Arthur would be back sooner or later.

Leaving the journal had been a stroke of genius on his part. He wanted Arthur to see how much he loved Almara, how far he was willing to go to make her his. He wanted Arthur to know the full depth of his plans. He wanted him to know that he had already won.

As Noah crept around in the shadows, careful to stay downwind, he could see the light in his study was on. A cruel smile spread over his lips. Arthur had definitely found his present and Noah wanted to see the look on his face.

Noah reveled in the twisted satisfaction that he could sense Arthur's presence so close, yet so far from the truth. If only the alpha knew that his wife was really only a stone’s throw away. All Arthur would have to do is look out the window and he’d be able to see the greenhouse.

However, if he went to the greenhouse, he’d never be able to find the cellar entrance. Noah had hidden it very well. He’d also made sure that all of the plants he was raising in the greenhouse were able to mask their scents. There would be no tracking them that way.

Noah made his way over to the window and crouched down, wanting to make sure he was out of sight. Slowly, he lifted himself until his eyeline was even with the windowsill. He could see Arthur clearly and he was reading the journal.

Noah’s smile got wider and his fangs descended. It would be so easy to leap through the window and attack. With Almara’s blood in his system, he was so much stronger than he usually was. Strong enough to take down the alpha of the Hurricane Pack by himself.

If he hadn’t given up his throne, he could have easily overpowered him. There was additional power that came with that title. He would have been able to steal Almara away before she ever fell in love with Arthur.

But back then he had had no interest in ruling over the vampires. He hadn’t seen the point. He was the only one of his kind. He would have never been accepted by the vampires. He also would have never been accepted into the wolf pack either.

Noah had truly thought he was on his own. Once his parents were dead, he’d given everything up. If he was going to live for an eternity, he might as well do it doing something he loved.

And so that’s what he had done. He had made a name for himself in the art world several times over. He’d obviously had to take up a new name, a new style of art, but that had been fine. And the vampire council had left him alone for the most part.

He had convinced himself that he was better off alone. He could take as many lovers as he wanted, but if he let them in, they would never actually want him. He was an abomination. And then Almara had appeared as if out of thin air.

She was his match in every way. They had the exact same passion for art that he had never found in anyone else. While it had been obvious that she came from nothing, he had never held it against her. In fact, it had been rather endearing.

He understood her and she understood him. If Arthur hadn’t been in the picture, there was no doubt in Noah’s mind that Almara would have fallen in love with him. That didn’t really matter anymore though.

They were so close to their happily ever after that Noah could almost taste it. All he had to do was change her and then take his throne back. And he would be able to do that with the Hurricane Pack at his beck and call.

He knew he had promised Almara that they council wouldn’t use their daughter that way, but he wasn’t the council. He would never treat his daughter like a pawn. She would always be the light of his life. However, he could admit that the power she wielded over the pack would be useful.

Once the vampire council was out of the way, they would be able to live their lives freely. He would rule the vampires and their daughter would rule the Hurricane Pack. Together, as a family, they would be unstoppable.

Noah cackled to himself and immediately dropped to the ground. He had forgotten himself. While he had been daydreaming, he’d forgotten what he was doing. He moved quickly, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Being a vampire had its advantages.

It was one of his favorite tricks. All he had to do was apply just a bit of pressure and he could move faster than the wind. Unseen and unheard. It was how he had gotten out of many sticky situations.

When he got to the greenhouse, he hid behind the plant that had the strongest smell. Even if Arthur was able to track him here, he wouldn’t be able to scent him through the plant. Noah would just have to wait until Arthur left to go back into the cellar.

The thought made him antsy. He didn’t like leaving Almara alone for very long. He needed to be with her at all times. It always killed him whenever he had to leave. But soon they would be together forever and he would never leave her side again.