Kayla’s POVThe whole getting pregnant thing was scary, but I had a bigger issue.Avoiding Adrian was getting harder. Every time I saw him, he looked more and more hurt, and it made my chest tighten with guilt. But what was I supposed to do? I didn’t know how to face him after what happened between us. The kiss… the way he held me… the way I ran away like a coward. I knew I shouldn’t keep pushing him away. I knew it wasn’t fair to him. But I didn’t know how to deal with it. So I did the only thing I could—I kept avoiding him. That was until that traumatizing event happened. — I was walking back to our quarters late in the night when I felt it. A prickle at the back of my neck. The unmistakable feeling of being watched. I frowned, glancing around. The hallway was empty, and yet, something felt… off. My instincts were screaming at me that I wasn’t alone. I picked up my pace. I wasn’t supposed to be afraid here. I was in the palace, one of the safest places in the pack. But n
Adrian’s POV The attack on Kayla wasn’t a coincidence. Someone had planned it. Someone had sent those men after her. And I was going to find out who. I sat in my office with Connor and Logan, my fingers drumming against the wooden desk. The air in the room was thick with tension. Neither of them spoke, waiting for me to say something first. "Any leads?" I finally asked, my voice sharp. Logan leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed. "Not much. The men who attacked her didn’t have pack symbols or identifying marks. That means they were either rogues or hired mercenaries." "Rogues don’t usually work in such planned groups unless they’re getting paid well with food or something else," Connor added, his expression dark. I clenched my jaw. "So you're saying someone paid them?" "Exactly." There was silence for a moment as I processed the information. "And the only one who’d want to take Kayla instead of just kill her is—" Logan exchanged a look with Connor before finishing, "Alp
Adrian’s POVMy mind couldn't stop racing.Even after leaving Connor and Logan, my anger refused to settle. My wolf was restless, growling in the back of my mind, demanding answers, demanding Kayla."She’s still in love with him.""You don’t know that," I shot back at my wolf."Then why is she avoiding us? Why does she look guilty every time you’re near?"I gritted my teeth, refusing to give in to my own insecurities. It was ridiculous. Kayla was mine. Xavier had abandoned her. Thrown her away. There was no reason for her to still have feelings for him.And yet…The way she had been avoiding me after the kiss, the hesitation in her eyes whenever I got too close—it was driving me insane.I had tried to be patient. Tried to give her space before the attack. But patience wasn’t my strength, especially not when it came to her.I needed answers.I stormed out of my office and headed straight for our room where Kayla had been sleeping since the attack.The guards I had now stationed outside
Adrian’s POVI stared at Kayla, my back still pressed against the wall where she had thrown me.That wasn’t possible.I was an Alpha. Stronger than anyone in this pack. No one—not even a Beta—should have been able to push me back like that.And yet, she had.Kayla.The same woman who told me she had no wolf.The same woman who had claimed to be powerless.She was standing in front of me, her hands still trembling, her eyes filled with confusion and regret."I… I didn’t mean to do that," she stammered. "I don’t know how that happened."I didn’t say anything.I couldn’t.My mind was spinning, trying to make sense of it.Had she lied to me? Was she trying to manipulate me?Had she made up that whole story about losing her wolf just to gain my pity?"She tricked us," my wolf growled, angry and betrayed."Did you lie to me?" I asked coldly, my voice barely above a whisper.Kayla’s eyes widened. "What?"I took a step toward her, my fists clenched. "You told me you didn’t have a wolf anymore
Adrian’s POVKayla was keeping her distance again.I noticed it in the small things—the way she tried to leave the room whenever I entered, the way she avoided making eye contact, the hesitation in her voice whenever we spoke.And it pissed me off.I understood she had secrets. I understood that she was struggling with something she didn’t fully comprehend. But after everything that had happened, after all the times I had proven I would protect her, she still didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth.I should have been furious.But instead, all I felt was frustration laced with something I didn’t want to name.Because despite everything, I still couldn’t bring myself to push her away.So, I focused on what I could control—her safety.---I was in my office, reviewing patrol reports when I heard a soft knock on the door.I already sensed who it was before I looked up.Kayla stood in the doorway, her expression uncertain.I set my pen down and leaned back in my chair. “You’re avoidin
Kayla’s POVAfter that nightmare, I felt like a prisoner.The palace, once a place that had slowly started to feel like home, now felt like a cage with golden bars.Adrian had doubled security after the bloody warning note, and while I understood why… it didn’t make being constantly watched any easier.Guards followed me everywhere, inside and outside. I couldn’t take a walk without someone tailing me. I couldn’t breathe without Adrian knowing exactly where I was.I wanted to scream.Instead, I forced myself to keep my head down and obey—because that was what was expected of me.---"Adrian, please," I tried again.He didn’t even look up from the map spread across his desk. "No."I let out a frustrated breath. "I just want to go outside for five minutes.""You were outside yesterday," he said. "In the training yard. With three guards."I folded my arms. "That’s not the same thing, and you know it."He finally looked at me, his sharp gaze pinning me in place. "I'm not taking chances wi
Adrian’s POV No leads on how the traitor betrayed us. Not even a single damn clue about who the traitor was. Days of searching, interrogating, tearing through every possible lead—and still, nothing. It was infuriating. Someone had let those mercenaries in. Someone inside my palace, under my command, had betrayed me. And yet, whoever it was, they covered their tracks too well. Too carefully. That told me two things. One: They were smart. Two: They probably weren’t working alone or had some level of influence. I wasn’t letting this go. Because if they got in once, they could get in again. And I’d kill anyone who put Kayla in danger. --- I was in my office, pouring over reports, when Connor walked in. One look at his face, and I knew. “We found something?" I asked and he nodded. I stood immediately. “Tell me.” Connor tossed a file onto the desk. I flipped it open, scanning the details—then my body went rigid. A name and finally a familiar connection.
Kayla’s POV Something was about to go wrong. We could all feel it—lingering in the air, creeping in the shadows of my mind. Suspicious activity had just been detected again in the pack’s security system. That was the third time this week. Whoever was doing this was inside the pack. But tracking them led nowhere. It was like chasing a ghost. And that scared me more than I wanted to admit. Because if we couldn’t find them, that meant they were good. Too good. --- Despite the lingering unease, I had to admit—Adrian had changed. The suffocating overprotection was gone. He still worried, still kept guards around, but now he actually let me breathe. And I knew why.It was because he believed in my ability to protect myself now. Because I wasn’t some helpless prisoner anymore. I had fought for my life and I had survived. I wasn’t weak anymore, even though I wasn't sure why. And because of that, we were finally going back to how we used to be before the kiss.Kind of Close and
Kayla's POV Adrian sighed and my heart dropped, then he looked at me."No,” he said firmly. “I swear to you, Kayla. I would never hurt Adrian. Not even with all this… between us. I didn’t plan anything. I didn’t know anything. I had nothing to do with it.”I looked into his eyes for a long moment, then gave a slow nod. “Okay.”Because I believed him. He’d never lied to me before, and I didn’t think he would now. Not about something like this.The doctor came in shortly after, and I stood aside to let them work. Once Hector was bandaged and checked over, I thanked Connor quietly before slipping out.I didn’t go to Adrian’s room right away.I couldn’t.I felt… awful. For threatening to leave. For not telling him about the kiss. For letting things get this far. I hated what this was turning into—how everything good between us was cracking at the edges.So I avoided our room. I wandered the halls, spent time with Ingrid, helped the healer with some supplies, tried to pretend things were
Kayla's POV I didn’t even realize I’d said it until the words had already left my mouth.“If you banish Hector… I’ll leave with him too.”The room went silent.What the hell was I thinking when I said that? I hadn't even actually meant it. I was just desperate to not let Adrian make such a stupid mistake that he'd regret, so I continued talking until I had said my piece.When I was done, even Hector stopped breathing for a second, his face bruised and bloodied, but stunned all the same. Adrian looked like I’d slapped him—like the floor had just crumbled beneath him. His jaw twitched, and the rage in his eyes flickered into something else—something sharp and painful.Goddess, why did I have to say that? It sounded like Hector was more important than my relationship with Adrian.But I truly didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t threatening him. I just… I needed him to know that he was crossing a line. Hector was his stepbrother who had occasionally fucked up yesterday, but he didn’t des
Adrian's POV "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!” I roared, lunging at him again. But before I could land the hit, two sets of hands grabbed me. “Alpha stop! Alpha Adrian please stop! —fuck, Adrian, stop it!” Logan’s voice was right in my ear, struggling to pull me back.He had forgotten all courtesy and had began to call me by my real name which he and Connor only did when they were either desperate, pissed, frustrated, worried or scared.He sounded like he was all of the above in this moment but I couldn't give a damn about that right now. “Let go of me!” I growled, thrashing against him. “Calm the hell down Adrian!” Connor snapped, shoving me away from Hector. I threw them both off like they were nothing, shoving Logan into the wall and elbowing Connor in the ribs. They tried again, but I was a storm now. Wild. Unraveled. And then I heard her voice. “ADRIAN!” I froze at the familiar feminine voice."What the hell are you doing?!" she screamed with horror in her voice. Everything insid
Adrian’s POV My knuckles were bloodied by the time I realized how many times I’d punched him. My chest heaved and my heart was thundering like it was trying to beat its way out of my ribcage, and still Hector just stood there leaning against the wall with his bloody face.He was swaying slightly from the pain but the asshole was still not fighting back and it made me fucking furious! He wasn’t even trying to defend himself like he'd normally do when our father made us wrestle to prove who was better.Hector was often the winner when we were younger and that made me feel like he was just intentionally allowing me to beat him right now. That made it worse. "You love her?" I growled, my voice raw, trembling. "You love my Kayla?" Hector didn’t speak, didn’t meet my eyes—his jaw was bruised, blood trickling from his nose—but he didn’t take it back either. He’d said it. Out loud. Boldly. That he loved her. My fists clenched again. This fucking shameless asshole! It wasn’t just that
Hector's POV I had to keep reminding myself that I truly hadn’t chosen this life. This life of constant competition for love from my father, and now from Kayla too. But I had been thrust into it anyway. Every day, it felt like I had to prove myself that I could be better, stronger, smarter than Adrian for the pack and for Kayla.And what did I get for it? Nothing except being called a Traitor and being imprisoned. Adrian would always get everything without lifting a finger. I see that now Maybe I should just accept it and accept my role as the villain, at least maybe I could get something from it, right?Because the rivalry my father had created between us, made it impossible for Adrian to see me as anything other than his enemy. Even when I tried to help him, tried to offer him something real, he only saw me as a threat.A bang on the door jerked me out of my thoughts.I looked up, my heart sinking as the door opened, and Adrian stormed into the cell, his expression livid."Hec
Hector's POV After Kayla ran after Adrian, I willingly let the guards to put me in chains and shove me in front of themThe chains clinked with every step as I was roughly escorted down the cold stone hallways toward the prison.The guards barely spared me a glance, their eyes hard and judgmental. They treated me like I was already guilty, as if my fate had already been sealed. It stung more than I cared to admit, but I kept my face neutral.I had never felt so disgusted with myself, or with Adrian. Betrayed wasn’t even the word for it. He had accused me—his own brother—of trying to kill him. We were rivals for the position of alpha yes, but we weren't enemies! I didn't hate him. I was a little envious of his life yes, but I would never actually raise my hand against him.Never!So this was my reward for protecting Kayla? For trying to turn over a new leaf? For doing what I thought was right?Adrian was the one who had always preached for us to stop fighting, to stop hating each oth
Kayla's POV I could feel my heart breaking. I couldn’t believe he was accusing me of something so terrible. After everything we’d been through, after everything we’d shared, why was he pushing me away like this? I turned back to Hector, my heart pounding in my chest. "I’m sorry, Hector. I’ll fix this. I swear." Hector gave me a soft, apologetic look. "It’s not your fault, Kayla. We both never wanted this to happen." "I know. But I have to make Adrian understand," I said, my voice shaky. "Can you just go with the guards for now? I’ll talk to him. Please, Hector." Hector hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I’ll go. But make sure you talk to him, Kayla. I'm innocent of all his accusations but he's refusing to see things clearly." I nodded, trying to hold back tears. As Hector followed the guards down the hall, I hurried after Adrian. He couldn’t just do this. He couldn’t throw everything away because of his own insecurities. He had to know I would never leave him. I wasn’
Kayla's POV I stood in the hallway, watching Adrian storm out of the room with his usual intense expression. He was furious—his fists clenched, his jaw set tight, and a fire burning in his eyes that I hadn’t seen in a long time. The moment he’d said the word traitor, my heart dropped into my stomach. I couldn't believe it. Hector, a traitor? No, that wasn’t right. Hector had been nothing but kind to me, helpful to the the wolf less women and then he’d apologized for kissing me and promised me that he’d stop the ridiculous rivalry between him and Adrian. I had just started to thank the goddess for some peace between them, and now Adrian wanted to arrest him? I couldn’t let this happen. I hurried after Adrian, calling his name as I caught up with him in the hallway. "Adrian! Wait please!" I grabbed his arm, trying to slow him down, but he just pulled away from me. "Kayla, stay out of this." His voice was cold, like it always got when he was angry. "I need to deal with this. It’
Adrian's POV I paused and tried to recall the memory of that day. The fight with Xavier was still fresh in my mind, but there was something... something else that happened. “I met someone who said they had information on how to find you,” I said slowly, “we had a fight, but then... something attacked me from behind. I can’t remember much after that.” Kayla looked at me, concern evident in her eyes. “Something attacked you from behind?” “Yeah,” I said, rubbing my temples as I recalled the foggy details. “The memory’s a little unclear. But there was definitely someone else involved. I’m just... not sure who.”I made sure I didn't mention to her that it was probably her ex husband who had intentionally set me up and invited his friends to help him get rid of me.But that didn't make sense. Why would Xavier simply poison me and not just kill me off immediately.How did he even get the audacity to attack me when he knew that I could have defeated him especially when I wake up.Plus