My mother was a traitor. To my pack, I am no better. I'm used to being overlooked. I've been unwanted from the time I was born, and my pack, River Crest, made it abundantly clear every chance they could that I was not welcome. No one and nowhere was safe. I've spent my entire life alone, with no family, no friends, and now, no mate. At 24 years old, unmated and unwanted, I've accepted that I must be one of the mateless. Wretched, forsaken wolves who are cursed to live out their lives alone. Or worse. The legends and histories claim that being a mateless wolf is worse than death. They suggest choosing a mate and forming a bond before madness sets in or the pack rejects me. But I've been rejected. I'm used to the feeling. I thrive in it. Because the more they push me away, the less pain and humiliation I have to face. If I can make it another year unmated, I could face banishment, and I'll finally be free. That's my goal. And I'll be damned if I let anyone get in my way. Even my mate.
View More“B-Beta Nemora, I-I’m sorr-ry for stopping by like th-this—” Elluana’s pale cheeks tinge pink in embarrassment as she fumbles with her words. Impatient, a man steps between us, hiding her completely in his shadow. Elder Samual. One of the wolves responsible for bringing Elluana into the pack. As if that isn’t reason enough for me to hate him. He’s spent the last eight years doing everything I his power to undermine Reeve’s authority as Alpha. And when Reeve rejected Elluana, he was the loudest to protest. I’m not surprised to see him glowering here. He’s never more than fifteen feet away from the future Luna.“Beta Nemora, we request a minute of your time.” Samual doesn’t wait for me to respond, shoving past me into the Luna’s quarters, Elluana’s wrist tight in his grasp. “We understand you are quite busy with your duties within the pack, but this was an urgent matter.”“What is so urgent that you’ve dragged this poor woman here at this late hour?” I ask, taking hold of Elluana’
Nemora’s POVTwenty-Four Years AgoMy hands won’t stop shaking. It’s been thirty minutes, but the test result remains the same: the black plus sign glares at me from the bathroom counter. I’m pregnant.Tears well up in my eyes and my heart races, thumping hard in my chest. I’m supposed to be excited and happy and thrilled about all of this. I’m supposed to run to my beloved and throw myself in his arms to tell him the good news. But he’s not my mate. He’s hers.Dread sends ice through my veins.Reeve… Reeve was my everything. We grew up together, fought, and planned Io's future together. Equals. Partners. Alpha and Beta in name only, we moved through this place as one, interchangeable parts of an efficient machine.I walk through the large bathroom, running my fingers over the stone sinks, my bare feet hot against the beautiful tile. Reeve had the Luna quarters remodeled for me. He said he wanted to dress me in the finest and house me in the most luxurious quarters. He told me the pos
Christobel enter our bedroom carting several shopping bags filled with clothing, toiletries, any and everything I could need or want to make myself comfortable. She doesn’t say a word, but fills up the otherwise empty wardrobe and dresser with, what I assume, are my new belongings.When she finishes, Christobel approaches me with her head lowered. I can’t see her face clearly, but the tinge of pink on her nose and the puffiness of her eyes tells me she’s been crying.“My Luna—”“I’m not your Luna,” I correct her. “Not yet anyway. Speak to me like you did when you were pretending to care for me.”Her head snaps up, pain darkening her lovely hazel eyes. “I never pretended to care for you, Makayla. I do care for you. With my whole heart!”“I’m supposed to believe that you give your whole heart to a stranger so easily?” I shouldn’t be like this. I know it isn’t right, but I feel wronged by how she kept his secret from me. Of course, he’s her Alpha. He commanded her to not tell and to keep
“I won’t pressure you, Makayla. You don’t have to—”I pull Rafe tighter against me, kissing him again, desperately trying to prove just how much I want him. And when I’m done, we’re both breathless again.“Please don’t doubt me anymore. Please don’t make me wait,” I whisper, nuzzling against his nose with mine.His hands run up and down my back, leaving a trail of heat behind. I don’t know how much more my heart can take. I’m scared of how much I want him and how desperate I am to show him that this isn’t a trick. I’d crawl through broken glass and kneel at his feet to rebuild the trust my fear has broken.Rafe winces and squeezes me tight.“You don’t have to do that. Please don’t think such things,” he mutters, kissing my temple and stroking my hair. “I couldn’t bear to watch you hurt yourself for me.”“I forgot that you have full access,” I chuckle, trying to mask my embarrassment and failing.“There is nothing so broken between us that calls for your suffering to fix.” He kisses my
“Of course, you know all about it,” I laugh.I don’t know why I’m laughing. Maybe it’s the cruelty of it all. The burden I’ve carried my entire life, the fear I harbored when I met my mate and wanted to protect us both from the shame and disappointment. It was all for nothing. Rafael’s tone when he spoke was flippant and disinterested. As if my great sorrow was nothing but a trifle annoyance.“Have you known since the beginning?”“No. But I figured it out after a while,” Rafael shrugs.A shrug. That’s what it all amounts to. Years of suffering and shame condensed to a single, insignificant motion.“And it means nothing to you?” I ask, forcing my voice to remain still and calm. I cannot betray my feelings. I’ll swallow and bury them and pray they become the stone that will carry me to the depths of the ocean once I find my way there.“What should it mean?” Rafael steps closer.“What?”“What should your mother’s actions mean to m
“The water's ready, Makayla,” Christobel’s honeyed voice doesn’t sound nearly as sincere as before. Maybe because I know the truth now. She never really liked me. She was following her Alpha's orders to keep me in check. Probably spying on me for him, silently gaging if I was worthy enough to be by his side as his Luna.The sad smile on her face doesn’t fool me now. I was such an idiot to trust these people blindly. Of course, Alpha Thane would pledge to protect me. Wait, no… he's not an Alpha. Just another person commanded to keep watch.I step into the water and Christobel bows before leaving me in silence sinking beneath the surface, I let my eyes close as the water covers my head and my back presses against the floor deep in the bath tub.Memories dredge up from the depths of my mind. Moments I shared with Rafe. Tender, tragic, and everything in between. His smile, his kiss, his touch, his mannerisms, the way he nuzzles against me, burying his face in my hair. His eyes.Deep and d
Everything will make sense. Nothing makes sense. Christobel is acting skidding, there are children crying, I can still smell smoke hanging heavy in the air, and all I want is to lay my eyes on my mate and know that he’s safe. Once I know he’s okay, then I’ll get my questions answered. Please let him be safe.Time makes no sense in this office. I know it hasn’t been hours since they closed those doors. The incessant ticking of the large clock on the desk punctuated the stifled silence and sniffles. I know we haven’t been here long. But restlessness eats away at me.More worries, fears, doubts twist my thoughts into a frenzy. Why would rogues attack Io? How often do these attacks occur? Is Rafe safe? What if the rogues hurt my mate?!Milla snarls in my mind.“That will never happen. We won’t allow it!”“I want to fight. I need to get out there and fight. I'm stronger than ever; I can help him,” I reply.In a rare feat, Milla and I are on the same page. We have to get out of this safe ro
All the exhaustion drains from my body instantly and I’m up on my feet. Rafe slides his massive shirt over my head and scoops me into his arms, racing toward the door. The smoke intensifies as we near the entrance to the room and he pauses for a split second before kicking through the door, out into the hallway.Madness. Sheer chaos.My head’s spinning but my senses sharpen as Milla wakes and rises to the surface.“What’s happening?” she asks. “I think Io is under attack, but—” That’s as far as I can go before Christobel wraps her hand around my wrist and starts dragging me down the hall under Rafe’s orders.The little Gamma pulls me along with all her might, which is strangely greater than I gave her credit for. I can barely keep my feet under me as I stumble along behind her. The lush, deep red carpet lining the hallway starts to chafe and burn my toes and heel from our sheer speed.“W-Wait!” I shout, pulling against Christobel.I didn’t mean to, but I’ve lifted her off her feet an
My whole body is exhausted. But he’s not stopping. Why isn’t he stopping? Why isn’t he as tired as I am? Where does he get the energy to torment me like this?“Keep your eyes on me,” his gruff voice drags me back into my overwhelmed body and I do my best to obey his command. I know better than to protest now.My legs feel detatched from my body. The only reason I know they are still on me is because I see them draped over Rafe’s broad shoulders. His head of dark curls is nestled between my thighs and his eyes burn up at me.He nips at my thigh before kissing the same spot.“Pay attention. I want you to watch me make you cum,” he growls. “I want you to see how much I enjoy you. How much I adore you.”“Rafe—”I’m breathless. His mouth covers me and I lose focus, my head falling back against the pillows. He’s been doing this for at least thirty minutes. It’s so good. My entire body is buzzing from pleasure as he sucks and licks and strokes me with his tongue.“Eyes. On. Me.”I’m trying.
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