Chapter 18

Chapter

Eighteen

HEL

4 Weeks Later

I t's been four weeks since Sten died in the Gravewater pool up on the mountain and when Ghost took over as Alpha of the entire island. Now every shifter bows to him, and I still can't wrap my head around it. The man I'm falling for—okay, who am I kidding, the man I've already fallen for but was too stubborn to admit it—holds absolute power over this place. Yet somehow hasn't let it go to his head. Though the hungry way he looks at me sometimes makes me wonder if all that power finds… other outlets.

"Are you ready?" His voice comes from the doorway, and my heart is suddenly racing. He's leaning there like some kind of sinful god in low-hanging jeans and boots, a tight black T-shirt riding up just enough to show a strip of those abs that make me lose all brain function. One arm is propped against the door frame, muscles flexing in a way that should be illegal.

Meanwhile, I'm wrapped up in our bed, wearing his shirt that smells like him. Lately, I've been craving his scent like it's an addiction, to the point where I actually caught myself sniffing his laundry yesterday. Yes, I've officially become that Omega. Someone should just put me out of my misery now.

"You look so adorable nesting," he says, his good eye glinting with amusement. "Are you thinking of me in there with you? Touching yourself?"

"Ha, you wish." I'm a terrible liar because my inner thighs are soaked. "And don't say the nest word," I grumble, burrowing deeper into my blanket fortress. "I'm not nesting. I'm… strategically arranging comfort items."

His chuckle is dark honey as he shuts the door and strides into the room, all broad shoulders and predatory grace. He's not wearing his mask today, and lately, these maskless days have become more frequent. The scar tissue around his dead eye doesn't seem to bother him as much, or maybe he just cares less about the stares. Not that many people dare to stare anymore—not since they saw what he did in the Gravewater pool. Now they whisper that he's part ghost, which would be funny if it weren't partially close to the truth.

"Hard not to think you're nesting when you've literally wrapped yourself in our blankets and buried yourself in my clothes," he points out.

"Well, then you shouldn't have been away from me for so long." The words come out needier than I intend, but fuck it. Four weeks of this growing heat inside me has stripped away most of my pride anyway.

He crawls onto the bed, moving with the grace that reminds me he's all animal inside. My body reacts instantly, fire racing down my body, my pussy already tingling at the idea of him pleasing me, desire crackling along my skin like electricity. It's ridiculous how little control I have around him, but at least I'm not dealing with a psychotic Alpha. Instead, I've got one who looks at me like I'm both prey and goddess, who treats me like a queen while making it clear he could devour me at any moment.

His lips find mine, and I melt fast. My hands slide around his neck, pulling him closer, trying to crawl inside his skin. But before I can get too comfortable, his hands scoop under me and suddenly I'm airborne.

"No!" I protest laughingly as he lifts me out of my nest—damn it, now he's got me saying it.

"Do you know how impossible it is to resist you?" His tone is rough, hungry. "Your scent is driving me insane. It's like you were crafted specifically to torment me, and you haven't even hit full heat yet."

I glare at him for bringing that up again. I prefer ignorance. "Can we not discuss my impending hormone apocalypse?"

"My little flame," he growls, and the possessiveness in his voice makes my toes curl. "You can sass all you want, but we both know what's coming. I can smell it on you, can see it in the way you're surrounding yourself with my scent. You're getting ready to be claimed, to be bred."

"I am not—" I start to argue, but he cuts me off with a kiss that melts my bones.

"Come on," he says, unwrapping me from my blanket cocoon. "I have something to show you. It's urgent."

I blink up at him, trying to focus through the haze of desire. He grips my chin, tilting my face up, and licks my bottom lip in a way that makes me whimper.

"You're mine," he purrs against my mouth. "Every inch, every breath, every storm you create. And soon, everyone will know it."

His smile is all predator. "Now get dressed before I change my mind and keep you in this bed all day."

I scramble for clothes, very aware of his burning gaze on my skin. The way he watches me dress is almost as intimate as watching me undress—like he's memorizing every movement, every inch of skin before it's covered.

"I can't wait to see you pregnant," he murmurs darkly, making me freeze with my shirt half on. "To watch your belly swell with our child, your breasts grow heavy with milk. I'm going to worship every new curve, fuck you every moment I get, taste your milk."

The raw hunger in his voice makes me shiver. "Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we?"

He stalks toward me, backing me against the wall. "Am I? Your heat is coming, little flame. And when it does, I intend to make sure it takes." His hand splays possessively across my stomach. "I want to see you round with my pup, to know that everyone who looks at you will see that you're mine in every possible way."

"Ghost…" I whisper, caught between desire and surprise at the intensity of his words.

His smile is knowing, dangerous. "You have no idea how crazy your scent is making me."

"Deep breath," I tease him, and he's got me in his arms, his face in my neck, inhaling, licking me. He's relentless.

"What I'm going to show you will change a few things and will ensure that none of those Alphas out there can reach you when you're in full heat."

I smooth down my clothes, trying to regain some composure. "Okay, then let's do this." Anything to get him to calm down… For a moment there, I wasn't sure we were going to leave the room today. Not that I would have minded.

Ghost takes my hand, leading me out of the room. His fingers intertwine with mine, warm and callused. "This room is too small for both of us."

"Are you moving me out of your bedroom?" I tease, watching his face. Without the mask, I can see every micro-expression, the way his good eye darkens at my words. "Now that you're the big Alpha, you need your space?"

He drags me close, so fast I stumble against his chest. His arm locks around my waist like an iron band. "The opposite, little flame. I can't get enough of you and need to keep you all for myself." His lips brush my ear. "But we need change. Just like the pack has evolved, with new huts and better facilities, we need more too."

"I'm curious to see what you have for us, then."

His lips curl at the corners, that dangerous smile that makes my knees weak. We stroll down the corridor, his hand still claiming mine. He leads me toward the fourth floor—a mysterious level I've only recently discovered exists on one side of the mansion, watching Ghost and others disappear up there the last few weeks while I've been firmly prohibited from exploring. Until now, apparently.

At the base of the steps, he pauses. "Wait here for two seconds and I'll come get you." His excitement is adorable, though I'd never tell him that. "Don't go anywhere."

"Because there are so many other places I could go on this island?" I quip.

He growls playfully, nipping at my lower lip before darting up the stairs.

Moments later, Eve strolls past, bowing her head respectfully. The gesture toward me still throws me off. The world really has gone mad.

"How are you feeling?" she asks, smiling. "Any changes? Cravings? Mood swings?"

I groan. "Why is everyone so obsessed with my heat lately? The pack's acting like they're taking bets on when I'll pop out a pup."

Eve laughs, the sound lighter than I remember from when I first arrived. "You know that's what happens during heat, right? Especially a mating heat with a powerful Alpha."

"I'm choosing ignorance," I huff. "Because thinking about being a mother really terrifies me."

"You're not alone," she answers softly, smiling freely. More than I've seen since the whole debacle with Axel's betrayal. I've forgiven her for her part in almost getting me killed—fear makes people do desperate things. But forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting. I know exactly who I'm dealing with.

She heads off with a skip in her step, but I'm not fooled. We're still on Nightmare Island, still surrounded by dangerous Alphas who'd rip out throats. But at least I have the most dangerous one of all on my side.

Ghost returns, taking my hand and pressing his lips to my knuckles. "Are you ready?"

"Always, my dangerous ghost."

His answering smile makes my heart skip. He leads me up the stairs, and I can't help but wonder what he's been plotting these past weeks. Whatever it is, that gleam in his eye tells me my life is about to change again.

Then again, that's what I signed up for when I let myself fall for the Alpha of Nightmare Island. Boring was never in the cards.

Ghost guides me up the final steps, and my heart pounds with anticipation. We reach a wooden door, carved with intricate wolf designs.

He opens the door and I step inside, then my world stops.

The room is enormous, easily three times the size of our current bedroom. But it's not the size that steals my breath; it's the massive four-post bed that dominates one wall, the dark wood carved with running wolves. The posts spiral upward, treelike, their branches reaching toward a ceiling that takes my breath away. It's painted with constellations, so realistic I feel like I could fall up into that star-filled sky.

"Ghost," I whisper, but he squeezes my hand, urging me to look more.

The walls are covered in painted murals—scenes from the island. Wolves race along the shoreline, their forms caught mid-stride. The mountains rise majestically, and… "Is that us?" I point to two wolves, one white, one black, standing on the cliff where we first met.

"Awa painted them," he says proudly. "She has many hidden talents."

A walk-in wardrobe is through one door, already filled with clothes. An ancient couch, reupholstered in rich fabric, sits near towering bookshelves that reach almost to the ceiling.

"Are those…" I move closer to the shelves, running my fingers along leather spines. Books. Dozens of them, hundreds maybe. Most are old, all precious on an island I had no idea books existed.

"I had them brought in from the old library in Wreckage," Ghost explains.

Around the bed, blankets in perfect disarray, surrounding bowls on a nearby table overflowing with island fruits, fresh-baked bread, and so many more baked goodies. The scents make my mouth water—coconut cakes, honey bread, even those little pastries Mara makes that I love so much.

"You did this for me?" My voice cracks, tears welling up. "All of this?"

Ghost's hand cups my face, his thumb catching a tear. "Everything I do is for you, little flame." His voice drops lower, darker. "Your heat's coming. I can smell it getting stronger every day. I want you to have somewhere that's just ours, where I can lock that door and take my time with you."

The tears won't stop now, and I blame my out-of-control hormones. He lifts me into his arms, licking the tears away with gentle swipes of his tongue. "Don't cry, little flame."

"These are happy tears," I choke out. "No one's ever… I never had anyone do something just for me. This shows me you truly care for me, that you?—"

"That I love you," he finishes. "I love you so fucking hard, Hel. More than I thought possible. More than is probably safe."

Now I'm really crying, cupping his scarred face in my hands as I kiss him. "I love you so much. Even if you are a dramatic, possessive Alpha who probably traumatized half the pack getting this room ready."

He grins against my lips. "Only half? I'm losing my touch." Then his expression softens. "I have something else to show you."

He sets me down, leading me to billowing white curtains that stir in the breeze. Beyond them, a massive balcony stretches out, overlooking the entire island. The beach curves down below, the ocean endless. There's seating and a lounge, and I already love it out here.

"Oh," I breathe, moving to the railing. From up here, the island almost looks peaceful. Almost looks like home.

He hugs me from behind, his chest solid and warm against my back. "This is just the start," he murmurs into my hair. "We may be on Nightmare Island, but we're making it ours. Creating something new from all this darkness."

His arms tighten. "And we'll find a way for you to see your brother. I swear it. I just need to figure out how to deal with my mark." He touches the brand on his inner arm that keeps him bound to the island.

I lean back against him, still crying, when something cold hits my nose. We both look up as white flakes drift down from the sky, getting heavier by the second.

"What is it?" Ghost asks as we both reach out to catch the falling pieces that melt instantly on our skin.

"Snow?" I laugh in disbelief. "I'm making it snow on a tropical island."

His deep chuckle rumbles against my back. "Looks like we've discovered another trigger for your powers, little flame. Happy crying equals snow. Should I be worried about blizzards during sex?"

I laugh and elbow him, but we're both staring at the snow that falls harder, dusting the balcony in white.

That's when it hits—a deep ache in my stomach that steals my breath, liquid heat flooding between my thighs. My laugh turns to a gasp as desire slams into me with the force of a tidal wave. Every nerve ending comes alive, my skin suddenly too tight for my body.

Ghost goes still behind me, his grip tightening until it's almost painful. "I smell you," he growls, his voice pure Alpha. "Your heat's starting." The words rumble through me.

"Ghost," I whimper, turning in his arms. "I need?—"

"I know exactly what you need." He sweeps me into his arms. "Time to bless our new bed, little flame. I'm going to make you forget there was ever anyone before me."

He carries me toward our bed, snow still falling outside, and the moment is perfect. In Ghost's arms is the only place I want to be.

And as his lips meet mine, I realize something. Home isn't a place. It's a feeling. It's this—his arms around me, his heart beating against mine, and the knowledge that no matter what comes next, we'll face it together.

Even if it means making it snow in paradise.

Read the 2 BONUS scenes for Nightmare Island.

Click here , for:

- What's in the Locked Basement in Wreckage?

- Hel goes into full heat

Thanks for reading Nightmare Island

Curious about what happened to some of the other Omegas?

Check out their stories below:

Venom Island (Caja's story) by Lexi C. Foss

Outcast Island (Guerún's story) by Jennifer Thorn

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