Tamara's POV With one last glare, Reuben turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him. The moment he was gone, the tension in the room seemed to lift, but Dante was still visibly shaken, his fists trembling. He turned to me, his face softening. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to hear any of that. I never wanted him to treat you this way.” I managed a smile, reaching up to cup his face. “It’s okay, Dante. I’m fine. I know he doesn’t believe me, but that’s his problem, not ours.” Dante pulled me close, his arms wrapping around me as he buried his face in my hair, breathing in deeply. I felt the tension draining from him, slowly being replaced by the calm I hoped he’d find in my presence. We stood there in silence for a long moment, letting the weight of Reuben’s words dissipate, piece by piece.“You don’t deserve any of this,” he murmured finally, his voice thick with regret. “Reuben’s wrong, and he has no right to speak to you like that.” He pulled back just enough to loo
Tamara’s POV After Reuben stormed out, the air felt different, lighter somehow, but the tension still hung around us like a thick fog. Dante and I exchanged weary glances, both of us still processing the confrontation. I could see the resolve in his eyes, and it made me feel a little safer, even in the midst of all this chaos. That evening, we gathered in the hotel’s garden for what felt like our first real meeting since everything had blown up. The soft glow of lanterns illuminated the space, casting flickering shadows on the neatly trimmed hedges. The scent of blooming flowers filled the air, a stark contrast to the tumultuous emotions we were all grappling with. As I settled onto a bench, I couldn’t help but notice how much more relaxed Sophie and Violet seemed. Their cheeks had a healthy glow, and there was a brightness in their eyes that hadn’t been there before. I exchanged a glance with Dante, who raised an eyebrow, mirroring my surprise. “Looks like they’ve been pampered a
Tamara's POV The night wrapped around me like a heavy shroud, an uneasy silence that settled deep within my bones. I tossed and turned in bed, the sheets tangling around my legs as my mind raced through a thousand thoughts, each more troubling than the last. Just as I thought I might finally slip into sleep, I was plunged into a nightmare that felt all too real. Flames engulfed the world around me, the sky an angry red. The ground cracked beneath my feet as I stumbled through the chaos, desperately calling out for Dante. “Dante? Where are you?” My voice was swallowed by the roar of the fire, panic rising like bile in my throat. I needed him; I needed my friends. “Violet? Casper? George?” My calls echoed through the inferno, but all I could hear was the ominous crackling of burning wood and distant cries of despair. I pressed forward, heart pounding, feeling the heat of the flames licking at my skin. The air was thick with smoke, making it hard to breathe. Then, as if summoned by m
Tamara's POV The morning sun peeked through the curtains, but I felt anything but rested. The remnants of my nightmare clung to me like a heavy blanket, suffocating in their familiarity. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to shake off the unease that had settled in my chest.Just then, I felt the bed shift beside me, and I turned to see Dante, still groggy from sleep, pushing back the sheets. His hair was tousled, and for a moment, I couldn't help but smile at how effortlessly handsome he looked, even in his sleepiness.“Good morning, baby girl,” he murmured, voice deep and slightly rough from sleep. He blinked a few times, focusing on me, his brow furrowing slightly. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What’s wrong?”“Nothing,” I replied, a bit too quickly. I turned my gaze back to the ceiling, not wanting to burden him with my worries.Dante wasn’t fooled. “Liar. I can see it on your face. Did that nightmare come back again?”I sighed, remembering I had told him I had a ni
Tamara's POV “Dante…” I hesitated, the uncertainty swirling around me. My instincts screamed at me to be cautious, but I couldn’t bring myself to step away. What the hell was going on?? “This isn’t funny, Dante. You’re scaring me.” I stepped back instinctively, feeling the chill of uncertainty wash over me. “Seriously, where are you taking me?” He paused, taking a deliberate step toward me, his expression unreadable. The way he looked at me made my stomach twist. “Remember when you accused me of manipulating you into our marriage?” His voice was low, almost conspiratorial, as if we were sharing a secret, and my breath hitched. I forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood despite the flutter of nerves in my stomach. “That was in the past. I was wrong about you. You’re not... that kind of man.” His smile faded slightly, replaced by an intensity that made me uneasy. “You weren’t very wrong about me, Tamara.” “Wait, what are you talking about?” My heart raced even faster now
Tamara's POV As the ring sparkled on my finger, it felt surreal. I barely had time to process what had just happened when Sophie and Violet rushed over, their eyes wide with excitement. “Oh my God, Tamara! You said yes!" Sophie exclaimed, her voice a mix of disbelief and joy. I nodded, still a bit dazed. “Yeah, I did.” Violet practically squealed, “Let me see the ring!” She grabbed my hand, pulling it closer to her face. “It’s beautiful! The color is just like your eyes!” I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. “Thanks! But you guys saw all of that?” “Of course, we did! We were here the whole time!” Sophie chimed in, her grin wide enough to light up the dark room. “Dante didn’t want you to see us, so he made sure it was dark enough. But he got us these artificially enhanced goggles so we could see everything!” I couldn’t help but laugh at Dante’s overdramatic behavior. “Only Dante would think of something like that.” My heart swelled with affection. “It was a pretty romanti
Tamara's POV We made love until I passed out, and by the next morning, I wwas lost in the delicious warmth of Dante’s touch, the softness of the sheets wrapping us as the morning light began to seep through the curtains. The events of the previous day felt like a dream—full of surprises, revelations, and the promise of a future. But as I lay there, nestled against his chest, all I could think about was the way he looked at me and how he made me feel.Dante stirred beside me, his breath warm against my skin. I tilted my head up to meet his gaze, a smile creeping onto my lips. “Good morning,” I whispered, my heart fluttering at the sight of him.“Good morning, baby girl,” he replied, a teasing grin forming on his face. He leaned down, pressing his lips against mine in a soft, lingering kiss that quickly deepened.With a groan, he pulled me closer, his hands roaming my sides, igniting a fire within me. The world around us faded, and it was just us—wrapped up in each other, lost in the
Jack's POV"Damn it!" I groaned as the faint buzz of my phone jolted me awake in the early morning light, casting long shadows across the dark room.I blinked, trying to shake off the grogginess, but the persistent notification light blinked continuously. I reached over, snatched my phone off the nightstand and looked at it.When I read the contents, my eyes widened immediately and all trace of sleep disappeared.It was a message marked "EXTREMELY URGENT!! An emergency meeting… for all the alphas in the East?" I read our loud.What the hell?!That couldn't be good. They never gathered us together this suddenly unless something serious had happened. And that serious thing was never ever any good news.Worry ate at me, and a hint of suspicion crept in. I really wasn't in the mood for any more problems, but experience told me that this had to be more than just another minor skirmish or territory dispute. Whatever it was, it was big.I slid out of bed, took a shower and dressed up quick
Kayla's POV I really really didn't want to see Adrian, not because I was still mad at him about Candice, but because it felt like my heart barely survived seeing him yesterday.I thought that I could just turn off my feelings for him but I quickly realized how wrong I was when I laid my eyes on him. And walking away from him felt like a stab to my chest.Ingrid gave me an encouraging look as we left the library. “Luna, are you sure you want to do this alone? I can go in with you if you want.” She offered but I shook my head. “I have to do this myself,” I replied quietly. “Stay close though, just in case.” She nodded silently, worry clearly written in her eyes. Walking through the corridors to Adrian's office felt unbearably slow. Each step echoed through the hall, my anxiety growing with every passing moment. Finally, I stood before the heavy wooden doors. Taking a deep breath, I knocked softly. “Come in,” Adrian's voice called out, muffled slightly behind the thick doors. My s
Kayla's POV "Help me! Please help!" I woke up abruptly, my heart pounding in my chest. Sweat clung to my forehead, and the vivid images from the dream refused to fade away. I had seen Lady Rina’s frightened face flashing in front of me again, her pregnant belly was prominent as she ran frantically toward the familiar orphanage. She glanced over her shoulder with fear consuming her eyes. But who was she running from? I didn't know, and I couldn't see the threat.But lady Rina looked absolutely terrified for her life and I could sense that whoever was chasing her was very dark. I sat up in my bed and took a deep breath, my pulse slowing. The questions about Lady Rina had been haunting my mind for too long now.Ever since I first dreamt of her back in the Oracle's sanctuary, my mind kept replaying the same images over and over, urging me to uncover the truth about her.Whatever had happened back then—it was probably more significant to my life than I could imagine. I clenched th
Kayla's POV Adrian let go of my hand slowly, as if every inch of separation killed him. Every inch of the separation killed me too but I wasn't about to let him see that.I packed everything I had from the room and rushed past him.He barely moves and didn't even blink. it looked like he was in shock.My steps echoed down the corridor as I rushed into the guest wing, leaving Adrian standing frozen in the doorway. My new room felt empty and lifeless.And I knew that it was because it was Missing the warmth Adrian’s presence had always brought me. I slumped on the bed before burying my face in my hands while desperately trying to calm my shaking breaths. “Luna Kayla! You're really back!" The door suddenly burst open, and Ingrid rushed in with relief brightening her eyes. “Oh, thank the Goddess! I was so worried. Where have you been?” “I wasn't far, I just needed some space,” I admitted softly, barely looking up.I felt bad for leaving her in the dark when all she had wanted was fo
Kayla's POV "Dear goddess, please guide me in my endeavors." I prayed as I left the orphanage. My heart pounded violently as I carefully adjusted the hood over my head before pulling it lower over my eyes to hide my face from the palace guards that were patrolling the streets in search of me.I could hear them clearly— with boots crunching gravel, orders being barked urgently to find me, and my picture circulating among the crowd.These people were working day and night to find me.I almost barked out a dry laugh because the irony wasn’t lost on me. It seemed that Adrian had only realized my worth after I had already decided to leave. Just like Xavier had only wanted me after I was gone. Men. They only seemed to appreciate you when they were losing you. Taking a deep breath, I watched the guards carefully. I waited until one of them turned his back, distracted by a loud commotion from the nearby market, and then I quickly slipped past them, holding my breath until I reached the p
Kayla's POV The door creaked as I pushed it open with a little dust puffing into the air. It was obvious that not a lot of people used this room.The space was small and cluttered.It was more of a glorified storage room than a real Library or archive of history. Shelves sagged under the weight of worn-out books, and loose papers were scattered across tables and floors like autumn leaves.Nothing was arranged or labeled, but I was supposed to somehow be able to magically find the books I was looking for. Great. I rubbed my temples, trying to decide where to even start. Then I heard a rustle. My head snapped to the corner, where a stack of books shifted ever so slightly. I took a cautious step forward. Someone was hiding there.My heart began to race. Was it those shadowed rogues? Had they tracked me here?Had I put the orphans in danger with my presence? “Hello? Who's there?” I called while reaching for my necklace in preparation for a fight. "I know you're there so you bett
Kayla's POV I literally couldn’t stop staring at the photograph. The picture had frayed edges and timeworn colors, but the woman in it, standing close to Adrian's father… she looked like me. No.. she looked a little Too much like me to just be normal. And It wasn’t the kind of resemblance you could shrug off as coincidence. It was the same eyes. The same shape of the mouth. Even the same stubborn, haunted expression. And to make matters even more confusing was the fact that Standing beside her with one hand gently resting on hers, was the man Elara had just told me was Alpha Dominic. Adrian’s father. How was this possible? What did this mean? My legs suddenly felt too heavy to carry me so I sat in the corner of the common room with the photo clutched in my hands, trying to make sense of it. “Elara,” I called quietly. The tall, broad-shouldered woman glanced over from where she was searching through the drawers for other things. She came over and lowered herself be
Kayla's POV After breakfast, I insisted on helping the staff with chores—cleaning the tables, washing dishes, folding laundry. I needed to do something with my hands that would keep my thoughts from spiralling intodark thoughts.Plus I was eager to start helping the children as fast as possible. The funny thing was that the kids followed me around, asking questions about where I came from, if I had a wolf, if I’d ever seen the Alpha in real life. I smiled and answered as vaguely as I could, not ready to explain the chaos I’d run from. But for the first time in days, I felt a strange sense of peace.Like I was right where I should be. I was hanging laundry out back when one of the staff—Elara, a tall woman with sharp gray eyes and a strong build—approached me. “You’re quite the helper Miss Kayla,” she said, nodding with a basket on her hip. “I needed something to keep me busy,” I replied. She glanced around before adding, “You know, Lady Anna swears you’ve been here before.”
Kayla I ended up spending the night at the Orphanage and it was one of the most restful nights I've had in weeks.Sure, I might have had one or two night mares where I saw Adrian kissing Candice in her room while my body wrecked with painful sobs, but hey, it was better than the nightmares I usually had about the darkness that was trying to take control of me.I knew that I would finally be able to get rid of the problem when I finally get to the Oracle's sanctuary, but I just had to wait until the guards weren't searching for me so persistently.To be honest, I'm surprised that Adrian was putting that much effort into finding me now when he had been ignoring me for the last few days.Hadn't Candice satisfied him enough? Or was he so greedy that he wanted the two of us at the same time?Men! I should have known better than to let myself trust them again. Especially after how Xavier treated me.I had stupidly let myself become a fool for love again! How pathetic!I definitely won't le
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