Kayla’s POV I stared in shock, my hand still gripping the doorknob as I processed the sight in front of me. Alpha Adrian was standing in my doorway. Tall, handsome, imposing, and undeniably intimidating, yet somehow calm and casual, as if there was no place he'd rather be. “I’ve come to take you to dinner,” he said smoothly, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine. I blinked. Once. Twice. Had I heard that correctly? “…What?” I finally managed to say. “Ingrid said you didn't want to come to dinner,” Adrian said, stepping into my room as if he owned the place—which, to be fair, he did. “So, I came to get you.” I swallowed hard, my heart pounding for no reason. I quickly stepped back, putting space between us. “I—uh—I’m not hungry,” I lied quickly. At that exact moment, my stomach betrayed me with a loud, humiliating growl. Heat rushed to my face. Adrian arched an eyebrow, his lips twitching. “Not hungry, huh? Wanna try another excuse?" I blushed harder, pressing
Kayla’s POV “What the fuck is she doing here?” Candice spat, her voice laced with venom. The moment Candice walked into the dining hall, I felt my entire body tense. It was like stepping into ice-cold water—shocking, numbing, and sending a wave of dread through me. Of course, she was here. I should have known this dinner wouldn’t go smoothly. A scowl twisted her pretty face, clearly not expecting to see me here. Her gaze flickered to Adrian, as if demanding an explanation. When she didn’t get one, her lips pressed together tightly before she turned her glare back on me. Adrian, who had been relaxed beside me tensed and sighed. He slowly sat down, his expression darkening as he turned his piercing gaze on Candice. “She,” Adrian said smoothly, though there was a dangerous edge to his voice, “is my guest. And you will speak to her with respect.” A stunned silence fell over the room. Candice’s face turned bright red—part embarrassment, part fury. She clenched her fists, her nail
Kayla's POVI watched with a lump in my throat as Candice continued to stroke Alpha Adrian’s arm, her delicate fingers trailing up and down as if she had every right to touch him so intimately in front of everyone. My stomach twisted, and I had no idea why. It wasn’t jealousy—I had no reason to feel that way. But something about the way she clung to him like he was hers made my skin crawl.Candice batted her lashes at him even more. “So… does this mean I’m no longer banned from the boutique?” Her voice was sultry, dripping with fake sweetness. She tilted her head, pressing herself subtly against his side.I expected Adrian to give in, to let this go like most men would when a beautiful woman pouted at them. But instead, he shocked everyone.“No,” Adrian said firmly. “You’re still banned. You must be punished for lying about my guest.”Candice stiffened, her expression twisting from seductive to furious in an instant. Her nails dug into his sleeve before she yanked her hand back like
Kayla’s POV Darkness surrounded me, pulling me under like an deadly sea. But faint voices echoed in the distance, breaking through the void. “Kayla! Stay with me, damn it!” That voice. Deep, rough with panic. Alpha Adrian. I felt my body being lifted, strong arms holding me tightly. My head lolled against a firm chest as the sound of hurried footsteps and frantic voices filled the air. “She passed out from pain—get out of my way!” Adrian snarled. “Alpha—” “I don’t want one doctor—I want two! I want the best medical team working on her immediately,” he barked. “I don’t care what it takes. She needs the best treatment possible.” The desperation in his voice sent a dull ache through my chest. The best treatment. A cruel memory suddenly resurfaced—one I had buried deep inside. “Doctor, treat Mia first,” Xavier’s cold voice had rung through the hospital room. “She’s carrying my child.” I had been lying on the hospital bed, barely conscious, blood soaking through my gown. My bod
Kayla’s POVThe hospital air smelled sterile, the walls too white, the bedsheets too stiff. I should have been relieved to be leaving, but instead, my body felt heavier than it had ever been.The moment I stepped outside the hospital doors, the warm afternoon breeze touched my skin, but even that couldn’t lift the weight pressing down on my chest.Then I saw him.Alpha Adrian stood by a sleek black SUV, his sharp golden eyes locked onto me the second I appeared. He wasn’t just here to send someone to pick me up—he had come himself.He was leaning against the car, arms crossed, but as soon as he saw me, he straightened and strode forward. Without a word, he carefully lifted me into his arms.“Adrian, I can walk,” I muttered, my voice weak.“You don’t have to,” he said simply, carrying me as if I weighed nothing.I was too tired to argue.He gently placed me in the passenger seat, buckled my seatbelt himself, and only after making sure I was comfortable did he walk around to the driver’
Kayla’s POVEver since Adrian's mother, who I heard is called Lady Catherine told Adrian about his stepbrother’s visit, something about him had changed.He was still attentive—still the man who carried me to bed, still the man who wiped my face with a warm towel when I was too drained to do it myself. But now, there was an edge to him, a restlessness he couldn’t seem to shake.I caught it in the way his eyes darkened even more when he thought no one was looking, in the way his fingers drummed against the wooden desk when he sat with me during meals.A week had passed, and I had mostly recovered. My body was still adjusting, but I was strong enough to move around on my own now.And yet, Adrian still insisted on tending to me.The only thing he didn’t do was help me in the bathroom. That was the one thing he let Ingrid handle.Which gave me an idea.When Adrian was in the middle of brushing my hair—something he had stubbornly taken upon himself—I cleared my throat. “I need to use the re
Kayla’s POV“Ingrid, are you sure about this?” I asked, eyeing the dress she had just laid out for me.She sighed dramatically. “Luna Kayla, you’ve asked me that three times already.”I bit my lip. “I just… I want everything to go right. I don’t want to cause Adrian any more stress.”Ingrid turned to me, hands on her hips. “Adrian invited you to this. He wants you there. And you’re doing this for him, right?”I nodded. “Right.”“Then stop worrying.” She patted the dress. “Now, get changed. We don’t have much time.”With a deep breath, I took the dress and stepped behind the privacy screen.As I changed, I thought about Adrian—how he had been these past few days.Even after I recovered, he had still been… kind. Attentive. Caring.He still brought me meals, even though I was perfectly capable of getting them myself. He still tucked me in at night, as if making sure I was safe before he could sleep.And he never let me feel like a burden.I wanted to pay him back, even if it was just by
Kayla’s POV I couldn’t move. Adrian's brother was stunning. Ingrid had previously told me that his name was Hector. He had the same powerful presence as Adrian, but there was something more… polished about him. His sharp jawline and piercing blue eyes made it impossible to look away. But it wasn’t just his looks that shocked me—it was the way he carried himself. Confident. Effortless. Like he already knew he owned the room. it stunned me. Then, another figure emerged from the car behind him. A woman. And not just any woman—a stunningly beautiful older woman. Her golden-blonde hair was styled in perfect waves, and her soft features were enhanced by flawless makeup. She moved with the grace of royalty, her long emerald-green dress flowing behind her like liquid silk. She stepped up beside Adrian's brother, her hand rested lightly on his arm. It soon became clear that this was Hector’s mother. Lady Elizabeth. “Oh, how lovely,” Lady Catherine sneered, her voice drip
Kayla's POV I really didn’t know where I was going at first. Not really. My feet just kept moving, dragging me farther away from the palace, from the pack... from Adrian. Every step felt more gut wrenching than the last, like my body wanted to turn back even though my heart refused to. Where do I go? I paused in the shadow of an old bakery, pressing my back to the cold brick wall as I hugged the jacket tighter around me. My breath was beginning to puff visibly in the cold evening air, and the wind cut through my clothes like icy knives.I would go to mountain, I finally decided. It was the only place I knew where I would be accepted by someone.I obviously couldn't go back to Xavier's pack but it was the only other place I knew, so the Oracle's sanctuary was my best vet.Plus If there was any place I could find answers—or strength—it was with her. Maybe I could even finish my training. Maybe I could finally understand why I was… this. Why I couldn’t control my power or trust my
Kayla's POVI sat on the cold marble floor, clutching one of Adrian’s shirts to my chest, tears streaming down my face like a damn faucet I couldn’t turn off.How could he do this to me? After everything. After all his promises to always fight for me. To never let me feel alone again.He spent the night with her.Candice.It took one fight, one misunderstanding, and he ran straight to her. I didn’t even need to ask anyone. The moment Connor hesitantly told me the truth, I saw it. Clear as day. The shattered pieces of my heart lay scattered around the room like the vases I’d broken last night.The bed smelled like him. The sheets, the pillows — all of it haunted me. His scent, his warmth... gone. Just like that.“He was never going to choose you,” the necklace whispered in that low, silky voice that made my skin crawl. “Men like him choose women like Candice. Pretty, obedient. The kind that don’t challenge them.”“Shut up,” I muttered, dragging myself up to the bed to unzip the duffe
Adrian's POV I tried hard to remember last night but my head soon began to hurt from the effort and I still came up blankPanic was quickly beginning to seize me until I suddenly heard Candice's voice. "Relax Alpha," she said from across the room, her legs tucked under her in a chair by the window with a mug in her hand. "You don't need to try hard to remember what happened last night.""Huh?" I asked in confusion.Candice smiled. "I can read your emotions on your face, and what I meant to say was Nothing interesting happened." I blinked blearily at her. "What...?" "You passed out last night after drinking that extra bottle I told you not to drink," she said simply. "I didn’t want the entire palace gossiping about how their great Alpha can’t hold his liquor so I brought you to the guest room in my quarters. I just brought coffee for you this morning." She gestured to the tray on the table. I let out a breath of relief. I didn't betray Kayla because nothing had happened between us
Adrian’s POVI'm an idiot, I know that. I'm an idiot who's hopelessly in love with a woman but still too scared of his feelings for her.These last few days have really wrecked my mental state and drinking with Candice made me forget my worries for just a few hours.But even that, didn't last long. Because once my eyes landed on Kayla, everything came flooding back.She had made lunch and brought it to me, which meant that she had been thinking of me and probably tried to reach me earlier but I had blocked her.I just wanted time to process thoughts without interruptions or guilt. But that turned out to be impossible because the second I saw the look on Kayla’s face when I refused the food she brought, a bitter knot formed in my stomach. Her smile faltered and was replaced by something smaller, tighter. Hurt. She held the tray down carefully, almost as if she were afraid it would shatter if she moved too quickly.Then she offered to make dinner but I turned it down too and I could
Kayla's POV "It's not any of your concern Kayla. I suggest you drop it... for your own good."What nonsense was he saying. Xavier was my ex husband and very obvious enemy of Adrian. What did he mean it was non of my concern?I was very confused now. Didn't Hector say he had nothing to do with Xavier? Didn't he say he was going to change his relationship with Adrian for the better? What was he hiding now? I pressed on. “You know meeting with him, especially after everything that happened, is only going to make things worse with Adrian. Do you really want to make things more complicated?” He turned his head toward me, his expression hardening slightly. “I don’t care anymore what Adrian thinks. He’s never cared about what I’ve done, and he never will. Besides, I don’t see the problem with talking to someone who actually listens to me.” I felt my heart twist in my chest. “I know you’re upset, Hector, but you promised me—even before I stopped Adrian from banishing you—that you’d stop w
Kayla's POV I couldn’t get Xavier’s smug face out of my mind as I stormed down the hall. I needed to get away from him. From all of it. Adrian, Candice, Xavier... everything felt like it was crashing down. But I still had something to do. I walked briskly toward the holding cells, tray of food in my hands, trying to ignore the flutter of doubt and anger in my chest. I had come this far. I wasn’t going to let Xavier’s words, or my own jealousy, ruin everything. When I reached Hector’s cell, I paused for a moment. The guards were standing nearby, looking bored as usual. They didn’t even seem to notice me at first, so I took the chance to slip past them. But then one of them suddenly stepped in my path, a scowl forming on his face. “Where do you think you’re going?” he sneered. I blinked. “Excuse me?” “You can’t bring food to him,” the guard snapped, his tone rude and dismissive. I frowned. “Actually, I can. And I will. I’m Lady Kayla the Alpha’s fiancée, and I’ll bring food to
Kayla's POV My heart sank at Adrian's words. He didn't even want to talk to me this morning but he was here laughing his ass off and eating with Candice.I forced a smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “Of course,” I muttered. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Candice beamed at me, clearly in a much better mood than I was. “It’s good to see you again. I’ve really missed you,” she said, taking another bite of her food. I stood there, frozen, trying to ignore the bitterness that crept into my thoughts. Why was she so comfortable here? Why was she eating with him like they did this every day? And why had Adrian invited her to his office when he wouldn't even talk to me?Candice noticed the awkwardness and tried to bridge the tension. "Come sit with us! We have so much to catch up on, but we also have all the time in the world since I'm back living at the palace now!"That made me freeze.“What?” I asked, voice a little higher than I intended.Candice beamed. “Alot happened when you were aw
Kayla's POV Adrian had left so early this morning that I didn’t even get a chance to really talk to him and find out if he was okay. He came back drunk last night so I was really beginning to worry.I calmed myself down by telling myself that maybe he just needed some time to cool off after last night, but when noon came and he still wasn’t back, a sick feeling started growing in my stomach.I paced around our room like a caged animal, glancing at the door every few seconds, hoping to hear his footsteps. Breakfast came and went. Then lunch. Still nothing.He wasn't even bothering to eat. Was he that hurt?Finally, I gave up waiting and tried to mind-link him."Adrian? Have you eaten yet?" I asked softly, sending the thought across our bond.Nothing.I tried again."Please answer me. I'm worried about you."This time, I could feel the block. Solid and cold, like a wall had been thrown up between us. I gasped quietly, clutching my chest. He never blocked me before. Not even during ou
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