For days, Dante had been by my side and i was truly grateful for that because his presence was a comforting balm against the storm that had torn through my life just recently. The ache in my neck from Jack’s cruel release had finally faded, leaving me with an exhilarating feeling of freedom. Since that day Dante saw me in pain, Every morning, I would wake up to the sight of his worried face scanning me for any sign of discomfort. "I already told you I'm fine." I would often argue but he would never listen as he made sure to do everything for me, even going as far as to change my clothes at night like a baby. it was unexpected but very touching to see how he had taken it upon himself to care for me in every way possible. I definitely never expected him to b like that, but I was beginning to like it a little too much. “Are you feeling any better today?” he asked one morning, brushing his fingers against my cheek as I stirred awake. “I am,” I replied, a smile spreading
I'm not kidding when I say that I was still reeling from the council’s ultimatum when the doorbell rang. My heart sank as I glanced at Dante, who had been pacing the living room with a frown etched on his face. “Who could that be?” I asked, glancing toward the door. “I’ll check,” he replied, striding toward the entrance. My stomach knotted as I wondered if the council had sent someone to further torment us. I believe it wasn't an understatement to say that I had had more than enough from those fuckers today. But to our shock, when Dante opened the door, it was a stunning woman stepping inside, her beauty shining from her like a tiara under the moonlight. She had long, flowing hair that framed her face perfectly, and her outfit hugged her curves in all the right places. “Hello, Dante,” she said sweetly, her voice dripping with false charm. “I’m here as your new concubine.” My heart dropped, and I felt the air leave my lungs. I stood frozen in place, my eyes darting between
The days passed slowly, and I soon found myself missing Dante more than I cared to admit. Damn it! I knew I should talk to him, but pride held me back. What if things went wrong again? What if he didn’t want to see me? Each time I thought about reaching out, I pushed the idea away. I could handle this. I didn’t need him. But the longer we stayed apart, the more I realized just how much I craved his presence. One evening, I was sitting in the common room, lost in my thoughts, when a commotion erupted outside. The loud shouts and chaos pulled me from my reverie. I rushed to the door and stepped outside, my heart pounding. What on earth was happening? The sight that greeted me was shocking. A group of people had gathered around Lilly, who stood in the center, her face twisted in fury. “Someone scraped off my hair! Look at this!” she yelled, pulling her hair back to reveal patches where it had been brutally ripped out. “What? How could this happen?” someone asked, glancing aroun
I was lying in bed, when the moonlight streaming through my window cast soft pretty shadows across the room. it looked like I was in a fairy tale movie which was the literal OPPOSITE of how I felt when I was back with Jack. My mind flashed back to Dante and I had to swallow a girlish giggle as warmth filled my heart when I recalled my day with the tall, handsome hunk of a man. We’d laughed, flirted, and shared funny and embarrassing stories. His huge hand in mine felt right, as if it belonged there, which was surprising because I never thought I could feel this happy again after everything that had happened in my past life. I snuggled deeper into my blankets, letting a small smile creep across my face. “Maybe we can finally be okay,” I whispered to myself, as a bit of hope fluttered in my chest. My eyes finally lulled closed, and I let sleep take over me. Somewhere in the night, a sound jolted me awake. I frowned, straining to listen. What the heck? Was that… footsteps? My
Jack's POV I sat on the edge of the bed, watching Kate from a distance as she brushed her hair. She had this soft glow about her lately— I guessed that it was the pregnancy that was doing that. Her usually flat belly had grown more round, and soft, and with it came the tiny signs of a life I not should have been more excited about. But this was the problem, I was not, and I wasn't sure why. This was what I’d always wanted, wasn’t it? A family, a child to continue my family's legacy. Yet now, as I watched Kate, the woman who was supposed to be the mother of my children, all I could feel was this heavy sense of detachment. like I was watching someone else's life or a movie, not my reality. I tried to remind myself several times that this was real. Kate was carrying my child, our child, and I was supposed to be filled with joy, but I wasn’t. All I could think about was Tamara—where she was, what she was doing, and how much I had lost when she slipped through my fingers. My chest t
Practically everyone knows that Adrian and Dante had been enemies for years, but Adrian had always been cautious to avoid any direct moves against him. So Why was he trying to go against him now? And how were we supposed to deal with Dante because I'm pretty sure he wasn't just going to let us casually walk out the with the woman he called his wife. “What about Dante? How do we handle him exactly? I asked, curiosity piqued. “well," Adrian sighed, I think It’s time we kill him, don't you think so?,” Adrian said quietly, his words deliberate. “We need to take him down if there's any hope of getting your woman, and I need your help to do it.” I blinked, as the wheels in mind raced. "Take him down? what the hell did he mean by take him down?Adrian had always been hesitant to go after Dante, worried about the consequences of open conflict. Dante was a brutal man that would never hesitate to kill Adrian and all his loved ones, so if he was suddenly confident about getting rid of Da
Tamara’s POVLater that night, I had Dante's arm wrapped lazily around me, his fingers gently stroking through my hair as he inhaled my scent softly.We were lying together in the warmth of his large bed and I snuggled deeper into his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat under my ear. Being in his arms always made me feel safe, like nothing else in the world mattered but the two of us, like Jack wasn’t trying to kill me and take my pack, like Ana, Lilly and other women weren’t trying to hurt me. It was perfect.“You know,” Dante’s deep voice finally broke the comfortable silence, “I’ve been thinking… I want you to meet my mother and, brother and sister. I think it’s about Time.”His words instantly sent a thrill of excitement through me, but that excitement was immediately followed by a wave of nerves. I tilted my head back slightly to look at him. “Really? You… you want me to meet them?”Dante chuckled softly, his hand continuing to run through my hair. “Of course. They’re the
Dante's POV I woke up with the morning light filtering through the curtains, casting a beautiful halo around Tamara’s face as she slept beside me. I smiled before giving into temptation and leaning over to press a kiss on her lips. Her eyes fluttered open with a smile, but then she paused and there was a hesitation in her gaze that was unmistakable. It was like she didn’t want to kiss me back right away, and it made my heart sink a little.“Good morning,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice light.“Morning,” she murmured, but there was a tightness to her smile.I leaned back, studying her for a moment. Ever since yesterday, when she accidentally bit me, something had shifted between us. I hadn’t thought much of it at the time—maybe she had just gotten a little too excited at the time and it didn’t bother me—but now, I could tell it must have been a problem to her. She kept withdrawing, pulling away whenever I tried to get close until I finally sighed.“You’re still thinking about
Adrian's POV I was waiting for Logan's answer but he was hesitant to look at me."Logan? Why shouldn't I talk to her?"“Because I don’t trust her,” he finally snapped. “You shouldn’t either.” I leaned back in the chair, watching him. “No that's not it... I think You hate her. But I what I want to know is why?” Logan crossed his arms, his whole body tense. “Because I don’t like women who choose power and money over love.” For a second, I just stared at him. That was… personal. Before I could ask more, he shook his head like he regretted saying anything and muttered, “Do what you want, Alpha. Permission to patrol the border sir!" He requested. I waved him off and called for a guard. “Send for Candice. Now.” Logan cursed under his breath but didn’t stop me. Candice arrived not long after, dressed too perfectly for the late hour, her blond hair in place and a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You called for me, Alpha?” she said sweetly, walking in with a little too much sway in
Adrian's POV I stormed down the hall with Logan right behind me, my fists clenching and unclenching at my sides. I didn’t even know where I was going—I just needed to move before I punched a wall or did something even dumber. She said she’d leave. She said she’d leave me for him. The words kept playing on a loop in my head, sharper than any knife. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. “Alpha Adrian, slow down—” Logan called after me, but I ignored him, pushing through the doors into one of the empty meeting rooms and slamming them behind us. I paced like a caged animal, my heart pounding in my ears. The image of Kayla standing there, choosing Hector over me, made my vision blur. “She threatened to leave,” I snapped, whirling on Logan. “For him.” Logan stayed by the door, arms crossed. “That’s not what she meant.” I scoffed. “You heard her. If you banish Hector, I’ll leave too. Sounds pretty fucking clear to me.” “She was trying to protect him,” Logan said calmly. “Because she bel
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’