Anna hated that she was in the Stark Pride pack now. Back then, she had always taken pride in being a part of one of the four largest packs in the Great Landmark but now, she didn't know why they were so arrogant about it. She now realized that the world was different than it seemed, and she had learned and experienced many things. These people here were the worst kind of people she had ever seen in her life. They had manipulated her, deceived her, and kicked her out of the pack in the end. She had promised herself not ever to return but she was back here again so she had to do her best to be vigilant and protect herself at all costs. Penelope's condescending voice broke through her deep thoughts, “Yes...you can stay in your aunt's house until the funeral is over. There is no need to attract unwanted attention since you are here for business. Right?”“Wait a moment!” Anna stopped the departing couple in their tracks. She was officially pissed now that she had confirmed that they had
Anna arrived at the alpha's house and went into her room to rest. She was very tired from the journey but just before she could lay on the bed, she heard a knock on the door. Anna was a bit hesitant to open the door, but her wolf instantly recognized the stranger's scent so she opened the door and smiled when she saw the stranger. “Ezra, is that you?”“Apologies, Ma'am. I am just here to do a routine security check for your room.” A huge man with bulging muscles peeking from his shirt stood in front of her with a stoic expression. “Oh, okay.” Anna stepped aside for him to pass through, watching him search the room thoroughly for hidden cameras and recorders. She waited for him to finish his work, and then she intercepted him just before he was about to leave. ”Do you want to tell me what is wrong, Ezra? Why are you ignoring me?”If it was someone else, she might not have been able to say those words but she had gotten quite close to the leader of the Dark Edge guards who was assigne
During dinner, Anna sat opposite her former Alpha who was at the head of the table in an uncomfortable silence that made her stomach churn. She struggled not to make a single mistake because she knew that could hurt her mate's dignity since she came with his badge this time. That was also one of the reasons she had been given the privilege of getting an alpha's seat at the table.As time passed by, Anna became more self-conscious about her presence because she could sense everyone's piercing gazes on her. A certain woman finally couldn't hold her silence and dropped her utensils to speak, “So, it's you. You are Anna Knightley, my husband's ex-girlfriend.”“I am?” Anna was puzzled by her words when she heard them. It was true that she had a crush on Darius and they had been friends for a while but she wasn't expecting the title of being Darius's girlfriend. Darius saw her glance at him and buried his head in his food. She was not surprised by his cowardly stance at the table, but she
The next day, Anna found herself busy with her aunt's funeral arrangements which was a lot of work for her alone. Taking responsibility for the planning and coordinating of the ceremony was no easy feat but she had managed to do it with the help of the men that Kodiak sent to accompany her. Later, she discovered that her aunt had registered some children from the pack orphanage under her family name, and left instructions that they were to participate in the ceremony. Anna was relieved to see that her aunt had already made provisions for herself and proceeded to send invitations to them, hoping they would respond positively to them. To her greatest surprise, all of them declined her invitation under different excuses. Anna was greatly disappointed by their reactions, especially since her aunt had always taken good care of them and even sent them gifts during holidays. Nevertheless, she was still determined to plan a good farewell ceremony for her aunt who had sheltered her since the
Anna stood tall and poised under the tree, her eyes fixed on her ex-crush as he struggled to find the right words to say. The cool breeze brushed past her face, ruffling her hair and adding to the feeling of confidence that coursed through her. She asked him, “Darius, is there anything you want to tell me?”“I-I..” Darius sighed wearily and confessed with a nervous voice. ”I just want to tell you that I'm happy that you are finally back in the pack. I know you are doing well with your business in the Dark Edge pack but if you ever decide to expand your business here, you have my full support.”“Thank you.” Anna responded curtly. She wanted to walk away but he reached out and grabbed her hand. As soon as his hand touched hers, she jerked back and glared at him, causing him to raise his hand as a sign of surrender. “I'm sorry, Anna. I just wanted to ask if you are free this evening.” He smiled at her, flashing his bright white teeth as he said, “We can catch up on each other's lives a
Anna came downstairs for breakfast and immediately sensed that something was amiss a few minutes later. She could feel some gazes directed at her but whenever she lifted her head, she couldn't catch anyone staring at her. It made her feel a bit uncomfortable so she contemplated leaving the table but then Larissa started conversing with her husband after she placed more bacon on his plate. Larissa smiled warmly at him and said to him, "There you go, that's what you deserve for your wonderful performance last night." "Larissa!" Darius looked embarrassed when he heard her words, his eyes darting to Anna who kept eating her food with a calm demeanor. Larissa gave him a clueless look, while Penelope smiled at the both of them. She and her husband shared a mysterious look because she had also experienced a pleasurable night with him. Penelope knew that her husband was having an affair with several women so he rarely touched her but it was different last night. He had shown her his soft an
In the Dark Edge pack, Kodiak Cardinal was having a pack meeting with his elders when he suddenly felt a sharp and intense pain in his chest. His body stiffened a bit, while his mind tried to discern the root cause of this unexpected problem. His wolf was able to discover that the pain was related to his mate, Anna within seconds. He instinctively reached out to the mating bond and was shocked to see when he saw the translucent bond between them glowing more than usual. As he tentatively touched the bond, he heard Anna's weak voice calling out to him, filling him with a sense of dread and urgency. "Kodiak...help me..." Kodiak jerked up from his seat abruptly, causing his pack elders to look at him. Mrs. Hoyles was the first one who saw him and noticed that something was wrong when she saw the dark red color in his eyes turn lighter. "Kodiak, what's wrong? Your eyes-" "This meeting is postponed until further notice. I have somewhere else to go." Kodiak announced calmly, hiding his se
Hyde's expression turned into a scowl as he listened to his Beta's words. But before he could utter a single word, a deafening thud echoed from the other end of the door, making him turn his head instinctively. Abruptly, the door swung open with a force that startled the two people in the room. A towering figure stood at the entrance taking in the sight of the two of them with a deep gaze. He suddenly darted towards Hyde with lightning speed and grabbed his neck. A pair of icy blue eyes gazed upon him coldly as he raised the Stark Pride alpha in the air with his bare grip. “You really must have some fucking guts, Hyde. You dare to lay your filthy hands on her?”“Z-Zayn...” Hyde choked and tried to struggle against his grip with all his might. His hands wrapped around his attacker's own as he pleaded. “Please allow me to explain...””Zayn, what are you doing here?”Anna's eyes were wide with shock when she saw the sudden appearance of her mate's brother. The alpha of the Frost Fang pa
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