As the sun rose on a new day, Anna descended the stairs with a radiant smile on her face, accompanied by her partner. Her cheerful demeanor was a stark contrast to the gloomy expressions worn by the other occupants of the house. Hyde and his wife sauntered down with a palpable sense of tension between them, while Darius strode towards the breakfast table with a scowl, his gaze fixed on Kodiak. Despite the obvious tension in the air, Anna seemed unfazed by the negative energy emanating from the others. Normally, she would have been concerned about their emotional states, but today, she seemed indifferent to their moods. All she could focus on was her happiness and the person by her side. Kodiak's presence seemed to make things better for her when she went to make arrangements for her aunt's funeral. It was only remaining a day before the ceremony would commence so she did not have a lot of time. But his help lessened the burden for her so before she knew it, she was able to conclude
“My daughter-in-law?”Hyde leaned back in his chair in a sour mood as he faced the two people he wanted to kick out of his house. He had gotten beaten and scratched because he had shown them hospitality. The last thing he needed was to deal with another problem like this. “Yes, she came and threatened me to stay away from her husband.” Anna's eyes suddenly became teary when she cast a pitiful glance at her mate. She was not the type of person to use this underhanded method but she wanted to avoid her anger from that woman. She had walked out of that place with judgemental gazes following her, and that was something she had never experienced even when she rejected Kodiak back then. She had been able to hold her head high but today was a different case. Larissa had shamed her in front of so many people and she will have to pay for that. Kodiak's eyes hardened when he saw her so he turned to Hyde. “Is she fucking blind? Why would Anna go after that little boy when I'm here?”Hyde res
Anna organized her aunt's funeral on a weekend, with the help of Kodiak. The burial was attended by many guests, including her best friend and her aunt's acquaintances. However, Anna noticed that there were not many pack women around, as Larissa had likely made sure of that. She decided to ignore her and not create a disturbance about it since they had attended the funeral. Later, Anna felt a bit dizzy and well. Kodiak immediately took charge and sent her to rest while he took care of the guests. But when Anna arrived at the Lorcan family's mansion, she found Darius who had been present at the funeral, lying weakly on the ground, with an inhaler beside him. She gasped in fright at the sight, wondering what could have happened to him. "Darius." Anna's heart raced when she saw him struggling to breathe. She immediately picked up the inhaler and placed it into his mouth, pumping air into him as she dialed the pack physician's number. She stayed beside him until the physician arrived at
Anna returned to the inside of the house where she stayed by Darius's side, nursing him back to health. Larissa and the rest of the family found out about the earlier situation and thanked Anna sincerely this time. After all, Darius was the future of the pack. Although he was born with weak health, he was still Hyde's only legitimate child so he was highly favored and taken care of. Maybe that was the reason why they were so insistent on making sure that he saved a child before he eventually passed away. As the days passed, Anna and Darius grew even closer. Although Anna had completed her important business and moved out of the alpha's house, she remained with the pack to finalize some matters before her departure. One day, Darius took Anna to their usual secret hideout and handed her an envelope. "This is for you, Anna. Our pack will be hosting the Festival of the Moon Blessings soon, and I would like you to come with me. What do you think?"Anna was taken aback upon receiving the
On the night of the Festival of the Moon Blessings...Darius entered the festival which was in full swing dressed in a sharp black suit following his father and mother. His appearance brought the flirtatious looks from women around him but he ignored them all. It wasn't that he did not want to interact with them but he knew that his parents's eyes were on him ever since he lied about Larissa's absence due to her pregnancy. But as he mingled with his friends and indulged in drinks, he hoped that she wouldn't wake up from the sleeping pills he slipped into her tea that evening. This time, he didn't have any interruptions from anyone who would stop him from spending the night with Anna. He was going to make her his tonight, and then he would share those photos with that arrogant alpha to teach him a lesson. Just as he was enjoying himself with his friends, one of them tapped his shoulder to warn him of an incoming guest but he was too late. Darius turned around with wide eyes, watchin
AFor the first time in her life, Anna found that being the center of attention was not bad. As a submissive wolf, she had avoided people's eyes all her life but this time, she decided that she was not going to shy away from these nasty people anymore. Darius must have thought that she was still the same naive person she was in the past since Kodiak had abandoned her here and returned to the Dark Edge pack,Little did he know that that had been a ruse to lure him into her trap"Where do you think you are going? Come and explain this situation to me!"Darius grabbed her hand when she started to walk away, pulling her roughly to the previous spot she was before. He had gotten the gist that he had been played and he didn't like it. It seemed that his plans had not only failed but they had also gotten him into trouble.His face was graced with a menacing scowl, now that he had her in his grip. He said to her, "I showed you my sincere heart. I gave you my love, Anna. But this is what you do
Anna left the Stark Pride pack immediately after she was done since she did not have anything to do there anymore. She set out that night for the Dark Edge pack travelling in her wolf form along with the other bodyguards Kodiak had assigned for her. When she was nearing the pack territory, she felt a tingling feeling at the back of her neck which caused her movements to falter a bit. She glanced around her surroundings at first, but then she decided to pick up her speed towards the pack. What she failed to notice was the bright glowing pair of eyes watching her in the darkness of the forest. It was early dawn when she reached the Dark Edge pack boundary so she decided to revert to her early form and walk instead. Her heart raced when she saw a tall figure waiting for her from afar, his distinct features becoming clearer as she approached him. “Kodiak!” She ran to him and hugged him, wrapping her legs around his strong waist. Kodiak secured her safely in his arms before he twirled h
Anna spent the next few days avoiding Kodiak and Giselle even though they lived in the same house. She once thought of leaving but she didn't want to give her enemy the satisfaction of snatching her mate away. Her heart felt like it was breaking every day when she saw them together but she refused to show it. She would like to think that it was his wolf who was behind it but she knew the exact time they switched through the mating bond. Her mate really intended to go through the wedding and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her friends once advised her when they saw how depressed she was after coming from the house, "Why don't you try and seduce him again? He loves you so much, I am sure he will definitely react to you." If it was in the past, Anna would have rejected their advice but she was getting more desperate with each passing day. She kept praying to the moon goddess to give her some kind of help to stop her mate from leaving her but she didn't see it. She cast a hes
On a night of a full moon...Anna quietly watched the pack priestess performing a ritual in front of the entire pack. It was an important occasion that had drawn people from all four directions of the Great Landmark to witness. Her eyes followed her mate's every move as he assisted the priestess in her incantations but her iron-clad concentration was finally broken when she heard her friend arrive by her side. “Luna," Catherine placed a tray of fruits by her side and tipped her head towards the direction of the ritual taking place. “Is this really necessary? I thought Ryan had already welcomed your child to the pack already. Why did your mate suddenly summon everyone out of their houses for this impromptu ritual?”Anna shrugged innocently, laughing at the hint of complaint in her friend's voice when she replied, “You know how Kodiak is, Catherine. He wasn't happy about it when I told him last night and decided that he would hold another one.”“This is ridiculous!” Catherine mumbled q
Anna had taken countless fighting lessons from her husband when she had been kidnapped by a savage wolf and she had been honing her skills with Ryan and the other guards in the pack. But she had real-life battles neither had she expected it to be this fast and intense. She could barely keep her life with each punch and kick directed at her so she had been forced into a disadvantage from the start. Giselle swiped a claw near her face, her eyes reflecting the sharp edge which caused the crowd to gasp in fear and anticipation. Anna could sense the vicious determination in Giselle's lightning-fast attacks to end her there but she was not going to let herself be pushed around like that. Anna ducked under another attack and instantly struck out her leg to clear her opponent's own to gain the upper hand. When she succeeded in making Giselle lose her balance, she jumped and planted a punch in her jaw. The dominant female wolf immediately crashed to the ground with a wave of dizziness. When
The news of the duel quickly spread across the Dark Edge pack and beyond, but the mere news was more unbelievable when they heard that a submissive female wolf was going to fight with a dominant wolf. Many bets were already placed on the fight and everyone thought they could foresee the results. After all, Giselle's prowess and strength were well known across the Great Landmark but not many people knew about Anna Knightley. When Catherine and Vivian heard about the news, they immediately demanded to see their friend and came to see her. “Anna, you are not serious about going to fight with Giselle, right?” Vivian gave her a concerned look before adding, “Every woman in the pack knows her character very well, she is the type of person who will do anything to win. What if she tries to kill you there?”Anna shrugged helplessly, “Then I guess I will have to perish there.” She rolled her eyes seeing her friends' appalled looks and spoke, “Oh, don't give me that look, Vivian. Now that me a
The atmosphere in the pack was solemn and tense after the guests had departed, leaving behind only the pack residents in a state of anxiety and trepidation. The hostile takeover had left some people unconcerned since they believed that whoever would replace Kodiak wouldn't harm them, but others couldn't help but worry about the alpha's well-being and whereabouts, having witnessed his triumph in the duel arena.“How dare he do this to me? That bloody bastard!” Mrs. Hoyles, who had been locked up in her house like a caged animal, snarled in rage as she paced back and forth furiously. Conan LeWren, who had been sparing no efforts in suppressing his opponents and searching for the alpha, still couldn't locate him.Mrs. Hoyles felt relieved that she had contacted her grandson in time, urging him not to return to the pack in the meantime. She knew Knox's temper very well, and the last thing she wanted was to hold his dead body at the moment he discovered that something bad had happened to h
Anna lay on the crisp white sheets, her body contorting in pain as she released guttural sounds of pain that echoed throughout the brightly lit room. Sweat glistened on her forehead, the intensity of her pain etched on her face as she gripped the sheets tightly. The pack physician stood in front of her, whispering encouraging words to her with a calm expression that he had learned to master, “Please push, Anna. You're almost there.”“I can't.” Anna cried out in pain, tears blurring her vision. Her breath came out in ragged bursts as she asked him. “Where is Kodiak? Why isn't he here yet?”“He will come soon,” The nurse beside the physician reassured her but her eyes widened when she noticed that the lady was slowly slipping into an unconscious state. “Hey, ma'am! Please don't fall asleep, we need your strength to deliver this baby!”“I-I...need my mate...”Anna mumbled under her breath as her eyes dripped low. The only thing that had been stopping her from falling unconscious all this
After staying in the Frost Fang pack for two days, Alpha Kodiak stood in the room watching the Frost Fang pack physician examine his brother once more after he had transferred some of his wolf's energy to Zayn who weakly laid on the bed. The doctor checked him once more before he put away his stethoscope and informed them, "His condition has been stabilized now, but he will need lots of bed rest for his fractured bones to heal, and he shouldn't overexert himself working from home." "What about his scars?" Kodiak pointed at the long, jagged slash across his twin's face, frowning at the blemish that had now ruined his brother's handsome face. He couldn't help but blame himself for not being there when his brother needed him the most. Maybe it was because he had witnessed Zayn beating people up rather than getting beat up so he thought he would naturally pull through. The pack physician cast one more glance at the unconscious alpha on the bed and sighed. "I'm afraid it's going to take
Zayn's voice trailed off at the other end of the line, leaving a few seconds of silence before he asked his brother again with a hint of surprise in his tone. "You can still feel the bond between us?"Kodiak confirmed this, running his hand through his tousled hair with exhaustion. "Yes, the connection is faint, but it's still there."The Great Landmark was full of mysteries that could not be explained, one of which was the twin bond between their wolves. Kodiak and Zayn had grown up with a bond that was as strong as a mating bond, ever since they were young children. This bond had allowed Zayn to protect and heal his younger brother after their father died, but it had weakened over time when Zayn formed a mating bond with his former mate for the first time.“I didn't think you would be able to,” Zayn chuckled drily. “But if you visit me now, what will happen to your duel?”“I will return to the pack on time. Stay there and don't even think about running away.” Kodiak ended the call a
Anna couldn't believe how fast time had flown by. It was early dawn, and she was already pacing back and forth in her room, feeling anxious and restless. The sleepless nights had been getting worse ever since her mate left her alone in the house. As she started her morning exercise routine, she happened to glance at the calendar on the wall and realized that the duel was only three days away. Although the maids and guards had told her that he frequently asked about her well-being, she was still unsatisfied that he hadn't called her personally. She stopped in her tracks and looked at the wall clock, wondering if he was awake at this hour. She couldn't help but worry about him since no one knew Hunter's whereabouts which was why she had taken safety measures to protect herself and her baby by in the house despite her yearning to go outside. Anna couldn't hold back her anxious feelings any longer. She rushed to her bedside table and picked up her phone to dial her husband's number. Aft
Vivian sat on the bare floor of her room, amidst a pile of cardboard boxes. Her once beautiful face was now stained with tears that streamed down her cheeks, but she didn't let her emotions get in the way of her efficiency. With determined movements, she packed away her belongings, almost clearing the entire room in a short time.Ever since the day she broke up with Knox, the only man she had ever truly loved with all her heart, Vivian had secluded herself in her house, unable to face the outside world. She tried to bury her pain and suffering by cleaning the house and engaging in other activities, but nothing could ease the heartbreak she was going through right now.As she was about to stack the boxes she had gathered on top of one another, a sudden sound jolted her from her thoughts. The doorbell rang loudly, echoing throughout the living room. She wiped her tears and composed herself before coming out of the room to go and check who was at the door.Vivian was taken aback when she