As Belinda slipped her phone back into her purse, she asked, "How well can you make something go viral?" "What?" The sudden question surprised Lexie. "I'm asking how big is your social media presence. How many people listen when you talk?" "Well..." Lexie shrugged. "I've only got a few hundred followers on Instagram, but I'm a paparazzi. I have connections. If you want the internet in an uproar, I'm just the girl to call." "It's a good thing I have you then." For the second time that day, Belinda genuinely smiled. "I asked you to bring your camera today because I need photos of me of Derek shopping together taken. We have to make the picture of the perfect loved-up couple. Every pack on the continents, and even human blogs, needs to be talking about our engagement party. They must be expecting the wedding of the year." "You want people talking?" Lexie saluted, her straight face causing the action to appear even funnier. "I definitely am your girl." Belinda ga
Drinking out of his wine flute, Paul took a look around at the guests crowding the villa's ballroom. Damn it! More people had shown up than he'd expected. Werewolves from his pack laughed and chatted with the few prominent wolves from other packs, glasses of drinks in their hands. A few enjoyed the sweets and pastries from the buffet tables, and even fewer took pictures on their smartphones. Paul nearly choked on his wine as the one person he didn't want here walked in. All eyes immediately turned to the Lycan, in his sophisticated black suit, and his beta, who was just as eye-catching, behind him. Murmurs immediately erupted in the hall. People wondered who the two gorgeous men were, especially the one with the smothering gaze and the long hair tied in a ponytail. No one knew who they were, but everyone could tell they were important people. No riff-raff gave off that much class and swagger. As the host of a party would, Georgina went to greet the new guest, but this time, Paul and
Derek met Belinda at the end of the stairs, where she flashed him an appreciative smile and took the hand he offered. Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear, "You look beautiful." He got a wider smile as a reply. Hand in hand, the two joined the crowd, the entire ballroom as audience. Cecily gaped as she watched guests flock to the couple. Had they forgotten she was just Belinda? Had a stupid dress changed the fact she was a filthy omega? "Don't do anything dumb." Suddenly, Paul appeared beside Cecily, keeping his gaze straight ahead and his facial expression blank.The fact Belinda had intentionally drawn attention to herself instead of fading into the background did anger him. After all, he had arranged this party only to fulfill all righteousness, but he couldn't punish her for her insolence as the Lycan was in attendance. Paul would play along with this game his wretched stepsister was playing till they were alone. Cecily swerved to Paul, venom drawing lines on her fac
EARLIER Derek was horny. He didn't know why and he couldn't understand how, but his penis was as hard as stone. Tugging his suit's blazer, he tried to use the jacket to hide his erection, smiling and pretending he wasn't feeling so damn uncomfortable. He was standing in a group of men and women, but he only nodded as they talked, because he wasn't hearing a single word they said. All his attention was focused on the raging boner between his legs. "Excuse me for a second." Derek couldn't take it any longer. He had to find somewhere to at least give himself a hand job, or he would go insane. Cecily appeared in front of him then, and his gaze immediately fell to her breasts. His entire being was consumed by the rise and fall of the two creamy globes as she breathed. He wanted to place his tongue there and run it down her stomach till he came across the juicy V between her legs. Fuck! Derek's eyes popped out when he noticed Cecily's nipples were standing, the two peaks poking throu
No one else noticed. They were way too busy discussing the latest drama, but even if they had been paying attention, the drug was already ingested in the culprits' bodies. Draven's nose, however, was too powerful to not catch the faint scent of aphrodisiacs. He then easily figured out what had happened. Unknown to Belinda, he'd monitored her every move at the engagement party. He'd seen her feed both Derek and Cecily wine, then lock all doors except the one to the garden. When Belinda had led them through the glass doors, he'd guessed that she had more sinister intentions than sightseeing. The aphrodisiac had been the final piece of the puzzle. The omega had put a sex enhancer in the fiancé and stepsister's drinks to make them horny, and knowing they wouldn't be able to resist each other, had locked the doors so they'll be forced to fuck nowhere else but the garden. Then she brought an audience to enjoy the show. Draven smiled. He really did like this woman. She wasn't just smart...
Cantor held open the door to the back seat of the SUV, and Draven promptly got in. Belinda, on the other hand, simply stood still, staring at the dark interior of the vehicle. For some reason, she was hesitating to follow the Lycan in. "I think you've already figured out by now he doesn't bite without a good reason. You'll be safe with him." Cantor's voice was surprisedly kind as he spoke to Belinda. Deciding going with them was a far better option than staying back here with her family, Belinda climbed into the car. Draven ignored her throughout the car ride, almost as if she was not literally sitting beside him. Although he did not so much as glance her way, Belinda found her gaze straying to his handsome profile every now and then. She couldn't help wondering what would have happened to her if he hadn't stepped in earlier. How far had Paul been willing to go? She didn't want to imagine. The SUV drove into the underground garage of a skyscraper in the heart of town. After hol
Arousal rushed through Belinda—arousal and anticipation. Her hands moving quickly, she pulled her sweater over her head and pushed down her jeans. Draven watched as she unhooked her bra and took off her panties, taking in her full brown-tipped breasts and her perfectly rounded hips. Now completely nude, Belinda lay her stomach on the desk, her feet on the floor and her ass pointed upward. Her face was only a few inches from Draven's chest. Looking up, she gazed into his smothering dark eyes. Taking his sweet time, Draven lifted a hand and ran it through Belinda's hair. His fingers weren't gentle, his nails scraping her scalp as they went. When he got up from his seat, his hands still gripped her skull tightly, bearing down on her neck as he rounded the table. He stood directly behind her, in the middle of her legs and in front of her bare pussy. Belinda stared straight ahead at the now empty chair, wondering what would come next. She moaned when she felt the thick head of his erecti
There were few things Belinda owned, and even fewer things she wanted to take to her new residence. So, as she climbed down the stairs, she carried only a suitcase and a smaller duffel bag. She was halfway to the front door when Cecily stormed towards her, a deadly glare on her face. Belinda stopped a smile from spreading across her lips. She'd almost been worried her bratty stepsister wouldn't show up. "You bitch!" Cecily screeched so loudly, that it shook the roof. "You witch! You devil! You did this!" "What are you talking about?" Belinda decided to play dumb. Grabbing both of Belinda's shoulders, Cecily violently shook her. "It's all your fault! You did it on purpose, didn't you? You were jealous Derek loved me more than he loved you, so you embarrassed me." A vein throbbed in Belinda's temple as her eyes darkened in anger. Just as violently, she shoved Cecily's hands off her shoulders. "How is it my fault you were sleeping with my mate? Did I force you to fuck him? If
For the next few days, Belinda and Draven stayed with each other, doing nothing in particular, never leaving the penthouse. Draven had made it clear he did not wish to be disturbed—on any grounds—so no one breached his privacy, even to discuss business. Food was brought up to them, and when they were done eating, the plates were taken away. During that period, they spent most of their time in the bedroom. Mostly, they were silent, cuddling under the covers of the large bed. They could go that way for hours, never saying a word, because the silence was comfortable, and just being in each other's presence was enough. Sometimes, they talked. The topics were usually light, enough to make Belinda giggle and draw a smile from Draven. Occasionally, they addressed more somber issues. Like the dark years that had seen the Sorcerer Clan war, and what it had been like for him to live so long, watching everyone else die and new people be born. They never discussed anything important. Not once d
Draven held Belinda close to himself, providing her comfort with his mere presence. He let her cuddle into him, waited till she stopped trembling, and eased into him. On the outside, he appeared calm and collected—powerful. On the inside though, his mind was whirling with questions, like for one... Why did Belinda smell strangely identical to Eudora? That had been the only difference. The one thing that had differentiated his mistress from the love of his life had been their distinct scents. However, as he'd made his way to Belinda, a burst of magic had exploded, the very same moment the scent he'd been following changed. He'd witnessed as the very scent that marked Belinda morphed, mixing with a subtle fragrance that turned her into someone entirely different. Someone who smelled like his Eudora. Her wolf had awakened, that much Draven could tell. Even in his arms, she still retained her werewolf form, her claws and fangs refusing to retract. But that didn't explain the electrifyin
The cold concrete came in contact with Belinda's palms and despite her feeble resistance, it pushed them backward, towards her chest. She gasped when there was nowhere left for her hands to go, the wall now touching her breasts. The pressure on her chest grew insistent, suffocating her lungs and making it hard to breathe. A strangled cry escaped her when a sharp pain shot through her, torching all her nerve endings. She heard the bones break, felt her ribs pierce her flesh. This was it, then, she thought. She really was going to die. Tears welled up deep inside Belinda, fighting to flow down her cheeks. Closing her eyes, she gave herself up to her fate. Despite going back in time, despite doing it all over again, she still died at the hands of her family. Even when given a second chance, she still lived a pathetic life. Derek was having a hard time looking for Belinda. He was beginning to wonder if hiding his scent was worth it, because he could hardly smell anything with the perfum
Paul stood in the foyer of the mansion, feeling smug and confident in his own capabilities. He'd taken care of the root of his problems, snipped his troublesome sister right in the bud. Now, all that was left was to replenish his lost wealth. Ideas ran through his head. Yes, he could do that. By the end of the year, he would be out of bankruptcy, stable enough to chase more profitable business ventures. And in five years' time, he would have made enough to be counted as Chicago's youngest and richest billionaire once again. He was still daydreaming about his future riches when a henchman ran into the foyer. He, and the two guards at his sides, turned to face the man who had just entered the room. The man's anxious expression caught their attention, as they wondered what could make a grown man lose his cool that much. They didn't have to wait long to get an answer. "Sir, we've been compromised." The henchman panted, indicating that he'd run here. "The house is surrounded."Paul f
Belinda strained to see in the darkness, the only source of light being the small crack where the two walls met. Feeling the cold concrete, she searched for a way out, maybe a secret lever hidden on the inside. She found none, and not surprisingly. She suspected that the space had been designed to keep people in, not let them out. Giving up for the time being, she directed her gaze to the room. She already knew it was empty, from the time Paul had opened it. It was windowless, empty, and very small. Not for the first time, she wondered what it was for. The large smudges on both walls caught her eye. Squinting, she peered at one. The stain spanned most of the wall, several shades darker than the unpainted concrete. Belinda placed her hands on it and immediately recoiled. It had felt disgusting under her palms, its raised surface rough and dry. What had been smeared on these walls? The question was added to her long list about this place. As if to reply, a harsh and loud grating sound
Draven sat in the back of his SUV, the aura around him likable to a stormy night in the middle of an ocean. He was waiting, and he hated it. The longer his subordinates took to report back to him, the more restless he grew. His body vibrated with barely contained power, his gaze darker than the moonless sky. A moment later, his phone vibrated in his pocket and his expression never changing, he pulled it out. He swiped the screen, picking the call, and put the phone to his ear. "We've located Miss Knight, my lord." A deep voice droned into his ear an instant later. Draven listened to the address that came next, one he wasn't familiar with, then tilting his head towards his driver, repeated it. "How long is it from here?" The man behind the wheel hastily imputed the location into the car's GPS, and was provided with an answer soon after. "30 minutes, my lord. It's just on the outskirts of the city." Armed with information, Draven resumed the conversation with the one on the ph
Belinda's blacked-out mind gave way to consciousness, and the first thing she became aware of was the merciless throbbing In her forehead. Her entire body ached, as though her nerves were fighting a battle against her—and winning. Instinctively, she tried to find a position that was not so uncomfortable, but she felt like a log—too heavy and stiff to move. She realized then that despite her eyes being open, all she could see was pitch black. Her guess was that she was blindfolded, judging by the slight pressure around the diameter of her head, but she couldn't be sure. When she attempted to lower her hands to check, however, she met resistance. Without sight or mobility, Belinda had only intuition to use to assess her situation. She deduced that she was being pinned to a wall, both her hands held high above her head with handcuffs. Her bottom sat on a cold concrete floor, the dew on the surface seeping into her shorts and soaking it. She was alone, as far as she could tell, and in a
Draven never locked his doors, because every living being in the building knew to never disturb him without being summoned first. The only exclusion was his Beta, who he'd grown quite fond of over the decades. That privilege did not yet extend to his Beta's son and successor. The boy knew that, yet he walked through the front doors of the penthouse uninvited. And what was worse, he'd brought company. Dropping all he was doing, Draven leaned back into his chair, waiting for the trio to arrive. They found him soon enough, halting in front of his office's door. A soft knock sounded a second later, but the show of courtesy did little to lighten his mood. "May we come in, my lord?" Marcus' clear voice rang from behind the door. "You seem to have already come to a conclusion on that." The annoyance wasn't lost in Draven's reply. It should have been to scare them off, to give them the hint that he was not in the mood to entertain any guests. Yet, the wood swung open, ushering thr
Derek returned home well into the night, way past the customary 5 pm. He was newly discovering that a CEO working hard to revive his company was no easy job, and it often left him drained after a long day. Tonight, he heaved a sigh as he removed his suit blazer and pulled off his tie. As he stepped deeper into his apartment, however, he realized that his housemate's scent was way too faint, meaning she wasn't home. That made Derek frown, especially as to how late the hour was. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, absentmindedly strolling into his kitchen as he prepared to call her. That was when his eyes caught a piece of paper pinned onto his counter by a pan. He instinctively picked it up and went through it. “... wish for my own privacy...would appreciate if you respect my wishes.”Anger coursed through Derek at the words in the note. Like hell Belinda had moved out because she wanted “privacy”! She was simply locking him out again. Damn it, she hadn't even had the guts to