Authors note I want to apologize for any inconsistencies or errors you might find in the next few chapters. I was a little pressed for time, but I promise to correct them all before the 5th of November 2024, so please bare with me, or feel free to pause until then. Thank you so much for giving my book a chance, and leaving comments, I'm learning to write better each day because of you. Lots of love 🥰🥰 Tamara's POV The guards had me by both arms, dragging me across the gravel toward the waiting car. My wrists ached from the handcuffs, cold steel biting into my skin, and the sound of my boots scraping against the ground made me grit my teeth. But that wasn’t what twisted a knot in my stomach—it was the fact that, all around, I saw no sign of Violet, Sophie, or anyone from my group. "Where are they?" I demanded, straining against the guards’ grip. “What did you do with my friends?” A low chuckle made me glance up, and there was the smug asshole Reuben smirking. “Oh, don’t
Tamara's POV Yea, I was pretty sure that fairness, was probably the last thing on Reuben's mind. I finally ealized then that the investigation was unavoidable; it was coming for us, whether we wanted it or not. We couldn’t run from it, and if we didn’t prepare ourselves, we’d only be more vulnerable. As much as I hated feeling cornered, I was beginning to see that the best we could do was be ready. I turned to Sophie, forcing myself to sound steady. “How exactly does the investigation process work, Sophie?” I asked. I didn’t know if I was ready to hear the answer, but I needed it anyway. Sophie sighed, clearly sharing my anxiety. “Well, they’re going to question all of us individually—our relationships, any connection with Adrian’s pack, and… they’ll want to know what we think about him.” Violet bit her lip. “So… what should we say?” Sophie glanced at her but didn’t respond directly. Instead, she looked back at me. “They’re going to ask about any interactions you had with A
Tamara's POV In the quiet that followed, I felt my thoughts drifting to Dante. I missed him, missed his steady presence, his reassurance. Did he even know where I was right now? And if he did, when would he come to me? These were the thoughts running through my mind as my brain finally shut down and I nodded off to sleep on the wall of the cold cell. I jerked awake on the cold stone floor of the cell, my body stiff and aching. My friends lay curled up around me, their breathing shallow, but it was the loud voices beyond the cell door that pulled me out of sleep completely. "Dante!" Reuben’s voice echoed down the hall, laced with barely controlled anger. "Stop attacking my warriors and let them go!" My heart hammered in my chest. Dante was here. He’d come for me. I struggled to my feet, pressing myself against the heavy cell door, desperate to hear every word. "How dare you!" Dante’s voice was lethal, filled with barely restrained fury. "You had the audacity to arrest my fiancée
Tamara's POV After Dante pulled me from that cold cell, he didn’t let go of me—not for a second. Even as we moved through the hallways and out into the fresh air, I kept whispering, “Dante, please. I’m fine, I can walk.” But he just tightened his hold, his expression hard and focused.We reached his car, and he finally set me down, but it was only so he could tuck me safely inside before slamming the door shut and circling to the driver’s side. I glanced back and saw my friends climbing into another vehicle, Casper giving me a small thumbs-up before they pulled away.The drive back to the hotel was tense and quiet. I could feel Dante’s anger radiating off him in waves. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, his jaw clenched, and his eyes focused on the road, barely blinking.Once we arrived, Dante parked and came around to my side. Before I could protest, he scooped me up again, ignoring my protests with a determined look. “Dante, really,” I said, my voic
Tamara's POV The next morning, Dante’s hands moved over my shoulders, his fingers easing out the tension that had taken root from everything I’d been through. I closed my eyes, letting out a quiet sigh, and for a moment, I felt safe. But just as I was sinking deeper into the comfort of his touch, a loud, insistent pounding at the door jolted us both back to reality. Dante’s hands froze, and I felt his entire posture shift, tense and alert. He glared at the door with a look that promised trouble. “Stay here,” he muttered to me as he went to answer, but I knew by the way his shoulders were squared that this wasn’t a friendly visit. The door hadn’t even fully opened before a familiar, angry voice barged in. “Dante,” Reuben’s voice was hard and demanding, “you can’t just keep ignoring this. You don’t get to hide her away here while the rest of us are trying to clean up her mess.” Dante’s jaw clenched, and he tried to shut the door again, but Reuben jammed his foot in, refusing to le
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
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
Adrian's POV I couldn’t stop grinning as I stood in front of the mirror, touching the marks on my neck from where Kayla had kissed me earlier. I turned to her.Every time I looked at her, it felt like my heart was about to burst. She was here, she was really here, and no amount of blood or bruises could ever change how happy I was to have her back. I didn’t even care how close I came to dying for it to happen. I was alive. She was alive. We were together. That was all that mattered. “You’re staring,” Kayla teased, her voice soft and full of that playful edge I loved. She stepped up to me, her hands brushing against my shoulders, making me shiver at the warmth of her touch. “I can’t help it. You’re back. You—” I took a deep breath, fighting back the overwhelming wave of emotion that threatened to drown me. “I thought I lost you forever.” Kayla’s hands moved to my chest, and she smiled that smile I’d missed so much. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” Her words were lik
Kayla's POV I frowned. “What do you mean, he doesn’t trust Hector?” Desmond smirked, his expression a mix of satisfaction and frustration. “Adrian’s always been protective of Kayla. And Hector has tried to be close to him by protecting Kayla, but there’s a crack there. We made sure that Adrian would start to suspect Hector has his own motives for taking Kayla. After the fake attack we planned, we made sure that Xavier would not buy Hector's loyalty anymore. So If we can push him to distrust Hector even more, it’ll create a bigger rift in their bond and Kayla would be in the middle of it.Adrian will have to deal with anyone he perceives as a traitor, and we can use that. We can Push him to attack Hector. The chaos will be perfect.” I thought about it, but something didn’t sit right. “Hector... He’s been nothing but protective of the southern pack. It seems like he’s too loyal to attack his own people. And Adrian? He’s no fool. He’s not just going to throw away a possible ally lik