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
The SUV pulled up once more in the underground garage of the skyscraper, and Marcus halted it in front of the elevator doors. Belinda got down from the car and proceeded to open up the back. Once she'd gotten her luggage out, she nodded politely at Marcus. "Thank you again." The auburn-haired man playfully saluted her as he drove to pack with the other cars. Belinda could tell he had softened towards her. Perhaps it was the pathetic mother-daughter squabble he'd witnessed that had done the trick. Anyhow, Belinda had a feeling he'd be useful to her in the future. The penthouse was empty when Belinda entered. She decided that that was good. While the sex with the Lycan was amazing, having him around all the time couldn't be good for her physical and mental health. She used her alone time to unpack, getting used to her new surroundings. Only after she was done did she realize how hungry she was. As she headed to the kitchen to see what she could find, her phone dinged in her pocket
Cecily clenched her teeth as she stared at the screen of her phone, her arms vibrating from anger. The family publicist had done his job and taken down all posts relating to the engagement party, but more just kept popping up. --She's such a slut. This one can't keep her legs closed to save her life.-- --Her sister's fiancé. Seriously? And on their engagement party too.-- --This is so funny. Do I feel bad that I'm happy someone I hate is in fact not a good person? Not. One. Bit.-- The comments were endless. These people just couldn't keep her out of their mouths. Even humans were talking. Absentmindedly biting her blue acrylic nails, Cecily moved to Instagram, only to confirm she'd lost thousands of followers. Why was everyone coming after her? What had she done so wrong? With her teeth, Cecily scrapped the color off her nails. This was all Belinda's fault. None of this would have happened if not for Belinda. "I said no one should bother me!" Swerving to face her
Draven was still not in when Belinda returned from her meeting with Lexie. Rather than the house being completely empty, however, when Belinda walked into the kitchen, she met Luisa packing groceries into the fridge. The Asian woman smiled on noticing her standing at the doorway. "You're back." Luisa slammed the fridge shut and moved to wash her hands in the sink. "How's your jaw?" Absentmindedly, Belinda brought her hand to her face. "It's fine." She hadn't witnessed its healing because she'd been unconscious. The medicine she'd been given had been strong. Only now did she wonder what had been in that drink. "Excuse me, but what did you feed me last night?" "You mean what was in the cup? It was diluted wolfsbane." Luisa answered. "It may be poisonous to werewolves, but just a little can relieve your pain. It wasn't supposed to knock you out, though. I was worried for a minute but the doctor said you were alright." Belinda nodded, taking in the fact that she'd literally been
Paul was feeling nervous, and that was something new. Ever since losing everything nearly two weeks ago, his confidence had been practically nonexistent. And now, a meeting with a bunch of old magicians was making him anxious. Ridiculous! He was standing in an empty hallway in front of wooden double doors, waiting for the people inside to decide it was time to let him in. When he was alpha, no one would have dared keep him waiting, but there was nothing he could do about it now. It pained him to admit it, but he needed their damn help. At last, the door opened and a woman in a plain black suit stepped out. "The High Council will see you now." She nodded curtly at him. The door was widened more, making space for him to enter. Paul was ushered into a very dimly lit room, dominated by a crescent-shaped table and chairs arranged around it. There were 11 in total, and a man or woman sat in those seats, all who turned to him once he walked in. Their gazes were eerie and unsettling, but h
Just as the phone call from one of Draven's men had specified, a woman who wished to see the Lycan's Luna, waited at the base floor. Usually, this kind of visitors were turned away—random people who thought they could reach the higher-ups just by asking. However, this particular woman had been damn persuasive, even going as far as to say that she possessed exclusive info that could determine the fate of the world. So, they'd let the Luna decide whether she wanted to see this wacko herself or not. Belinda spotted Lila the instant she stepped into the restaurant, and so did the latter, who couldn't stop waving. Her features icing over, Belinda walked over to the table, making sure to keep her pace slow. Lila waited patiently, the widest smile on her face as she watched the other woman approach. "Phew!" She blew out a dramatic breath as Belinda took the seat opposite her, wiping off imaginary sweat from her forehead. "I was almost afraid I wouldn't get to see you. Do you know how
Two days later, Belinda stood at the door of Lexie's apartment. As the latter had told her to just enter on arriving, she bunched the entry code on the keypad and went in. She caught Lexie bent over a table in the kitchen, sticking two candles in the shape of “2” and “5” into a cake covered by pink icing and colorful sprinkles. On noticing the presence behind her, Lexie turned. Her lips spreading into a broad smile, she carried the cake and presented it to her friend. "I know you aren't a huge fan of cakes, but I thought you should have one this year. Happy 25th birthday, bestie." Despite its small scale, the gesture warmed Belinda's heart. It was true that she wasn't particularly fond of birthday cakes, or cakes in general. As children, no one had ever bothered to mark her and Baron's birth. After he'd died, it had simply felt wrong to celebrate a day they had once shared. She no longer felt that way. Now, she understood that loss did not mean she couldn't accept happiness. "
The next morning, Belinda waited till the twins were done eating before approaching them. Nearly a day later, they were still the center of attraction at Mrs. Sutar's Home. The other children marveled at the fairy-like pair with the pale eyes, and the dark hair that contrasted drastically with their light skin. Lin Lin basked in the glory, completely comfortable with being in the spotlight. Baron on the other hand—the poor boy—looked like he didn't know what to do with all that attention. Lin Lin was the first to notice Belinda standing at a corner of the dining room, and she skipped over, a bright smile on her face. "Good morning, Miss Belinda!" She greeted as her brother joined at her side. Their joy was contagious, and Belinda couldn't help smiling back. "Good morning to you too. How was breakfast?" "It was delicious." Baron nodded his approval. Lin Lin had more enthusiastic opinions about their meal that morning. "Peanut butter sandwich has never tasted better!" She s
"Miss Belinda!" Belinda wondered what the kid was doing here at this time of the night, while his mates were indoors sound asleep. Dressed in plain pajamas, he looked like a raccoon who'd been caught going through the dumpster by a hound dog... Scared and utterly guilty. Once she'd gotten over her surprise at seeing him, her features squeezed into a stern scowl. "Why aren't you indoors?" Baron winced at her harsh tone. "Uh... Um..." He hesitated to reply, searching for words to put together an excuse. All the while, his eyes sneakily darted from place to place, as though he was looking for something but didn't want anyone to know. However, Belinda understood immediately. A groan escaping her, she twirled around and yelled to no one and nowhere in particular. "Come out, Belinda. I know you're there." The juvenile delinquent heard the call, and shyly slipped out from behind a bush, looking even more guilty than her brother. She appeared to be lacking her usual confidence to
That night, Belinda tossed and turned in her bed. Despite the open window and cool breeze blowing in, she was sweating, the nightdress she'd borrowed from Shoba clinging to her form. An unconscious frown twisted her features, her lips trembling as her teeth chattered. In her sleep, her mind was even more turbulent. The vision from that afternoon replayed in her dream, even more vivid now. She finally understood that the death she'd seen had been a devastating war, and that the blood was that of the various lives that it had taken. Chaos signified the destruction that was left behind. The dirty streets were littered with corpses left to rut. Those still alive fled on foot, leaving behind their lives and loved ones. The crumbling buildings were abandoned, humans betraying each other for any bit of advantage they could gain. There was no law, no order, no damage control unit working to contain the crisis. Just chaos. In the midst of the disaster, two siblings fought to stay together.
With each child at her side, Belinda stared up at what was supposed to be the Peach Valley Orphanage but wasn't. In place of the warm pink building she was familiar with was a gloomy brick house. Rather than a lush lawn and pretty flowers leading up to the house, the front yard was a boring graveled floor. The sign at the gate had it changed too. Mrs. Sutar's Home For Orphans, a name that definitely couldn't be mistaken for Ellie Compton. Masking her unease, Belinda smiled down at her left, then her right. The children in turn gazed up wide-eyed at her. "Let's head in, shall we?" She said cheerily. Despite having nothing in common with the orphanage she remembered, this Mrs. Sutar's home was still an orphanage. She would check it out, at least. If she wasn't satisfied with what she saw, or found it the least bit suspicious, she would take the twins away. Belinda offered both of the children, and they each took one. Together, they walked through the front gates of the building, down
Belinda watched as the children gobbled down their meal, like lions on a carcass. She'd intended to take them to a standard restaurant, because Lord knew they deserved that much. However, she'd discovered that her credit card didn't work here. In this time, Belinda Knight was only a child and didn't own a bank account. Therefore, she'd been forced to use the cash she had on her to get them something at the nearest McDonalds. Despite the downgrade, the children seemed delighted nonetheless. Everything else seemed to fade for them, their entire beings invested in the cheeseburgers, chicken wings, and french fries in front of them. They really did look starving. Belinda remember how rarely she'd eaten out as a child. The food at home hadn't been spectacular either—at least for her and her twin. Again, anger simmered within Belinda. How much they'd endured then. But what age was her age now? At what point of her suffering had this been? "How old are the both of you?" She dropped the
At her twin brother's scolding, Lin Lin scrambled to stand on the leaf pile she'd been lying in. Several orange leaves stuck out adorably from her bird nest of a hair, making her appear like a piece of nature. For a second, it seemed like she would heed her brother's advice. Then she plopped right back down, creating her biggest splash yet. "We swept it up. We can sweep it up again." She giggled girlishly. She must have mistaken autumn for winter, because she was making snow angels. Her jolly mood didn't quite rub off on Baron, who scowled even deeper. "We have other chores!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "We can't keep doing one thing over and over again." Lifting to her hands and knees, Lin Lin wrinkled her nose, the action clearly displaying her disgust. "Pish posh. Mrs Brown can do her own chores herself." And as though she'd summoned the devil. The overweight redhead marched into the garden like an army commander ready to shoot enemy soldiers. Strands of her curly