It felt like everything had stilled and time had slowed in that moment, Aspen and his mother's gaze clashed and the tension was so thick it could be cut through with a knife. I knew Aspen was cold, I knew he was scary but this…the way he stared down at his mother with the obvious power and authority in his eyes was something completely different from what I was used to. I could literally feel the strength from his wolf, pressuring everyone around, making a few take steps back and look down at the ground in submission and reverence. But Catarina? She stood her ground, the only evidence that Aspen’s aura affected her was the sweat that beaded on her forehead. Her expression didn’t shift and those narrowed eyes of her looked just as menacing as ever. “How dare you…” Catarina began through gritted teeth, “…try to use your stolen authority to undermine MY decisions!”Her voice was so harsh, the look in her eyes so raw with hatred that it made me doubt if she was truly Aspen’s mo
We walked back to the cabin in silence. Though I had many questions, I chose to keep them to myself in that moment. So much had happened in the course of just a few minutes. He’d taken me out of the dungeon, proof or no proof he believed I didn’t poison him. And proof or no proof, his word in the pack is law, which he has made clear to everyone. I’ve never seen him act that way to his pack members before. Or maybe it was just me that got used to the gentle side I always saw whenever he was with Cole, or seeing his eyes closed for so long I feared they would never open. The closer we got to the cabin, the more eager my heart grew. I was elated to see that Aspen was awake but I also wanted to see my son, I wanted to be there before he came back from Sienna's. “Andrea?” I heard Aspen call out in a raspy voice when we were a few steps away from the cabin's front door. Eager as I was, my feet stopped when I heard that deep baritone, he had me rooted to the spot and had my heart pound
ASPENThere was something off, I’d always known. It wasn’t just how intoxicating her scent was for me or how I couldn’t go a day without thinking about it, it was something else entirely. And after we walked back to the cabin, I was left deeper in confusion. I had just woken up, I had no idea how long I’d been out, but I knew I needed to save her, now she was right in front of me and everything was suddenly clear. Not really. An alpha's scent?That would be impossible. Still I can’t forget how unsettled it made my wolf when we stood in front of my mother, everyone had created distance except for Andrea. It was but a whiff but I was certain it was from her. Looking into her vulnerable gray eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to ask the questions that lodged in my throat. She looked relieved to see me awake, that was mode emotion the woman has shown to me in a while and selfish as it was, I wanted to bask in it before reality would come knocking. “Are you sure you don’t feel an
ANDREAAspen was different. He seemed warmer, but more cautious, staying away from me like I was a plague. It shouldn’t have bothered me, I asked him for this distance yet getting it was a whole different feeling from what I’d expected. After two days, Aspen left the cabin and headed back to the pack house, in those two days we had the longest conversations I never thought we would. He told me much about his childhood and I begrudgingly told him snippets of mine, I’d never truly gotten over all the hurt…I never truly forgot. But it didn’t hurt to tell someone about it. It served to remind me the hurdles I’d conquered to get to where I was and how important it is for me to find a safe space for my son and I. This pack might be safe, but I don’t think I can stomach watching Aspen get married to another woman. Admitting it to myself was the hardest part, leaving will be easier. Still, I found myself listening to every word he said, soaking up on his knowledge and addicting sc
It was a conversation I didn’t want to have with anyone, but apparently I didn’t have a say in the matter. I was pissed, seriously pissed off that everyone felt the need to make these decisions for me, they all felt the need to tell Aspen because they knew about it. Lily, Enzo. They both acted like it wasn’t my secret but theirs. Still, I found myself gritting my teeth and nodding slowly. The second I confirmed it all, the way Aspen looked at me changed. But not in the way I expected. He looked like he was in awe. Then he turned to look at Enzo and gave him the strangest look like my friend had two heads. “How long have you two known each other?” Aspen asked, the question directed at Enzo, not me. “When I got adopted, that was years after I brought that prophecy to you Aspen, and I didn’t find out about it until Cole was born…neither of us did,” Enzo explained with a serious expression, and quite frankly I got lost. They were having a conversation inside our conversation. Wh
It was agreed that we would leave to see my family in two days. And I tried my best to seen neutral about the decision. Yes, I needed closure, I needed to know if my suspicions were true. Still, I had no intention of wanting to face them again. Not after the way we parted. They don’t love me. They never did, and going back now would only remind me of how unwanted I am. “What are you thinking about so intently?” Lily asked with a raised brow, covered in sweat as she held the bruised punching bag for me. I had completely forgotten about the training. I smiled sheepishly and apologized under my breath before I continued hitting. Using more strength than required. The more I thought about the oncoming trip, the harder my heart pounded and the more powerful the strength of my punches became. Not just going back to my old pack, but Aspen. I couldn’t read the man. Finally visiting the pack, I saw that majority of the decorations for his wedding had been taken down and the o
I was breathing heavily as I watched his eyes rest on my lips. I grasped at the hem of my shirt and cleared my throat awkwardly. His gaze didn’t stray, his hot breath caressed my skin with the softest of warmth and I wanted him closer. His scent assailed my nostrils, making it all I could think about, making it all I wanted. “Aspen…” I breathed, I had nothing to say, I couldn’t find the right words to describe just how much his man affected me. How the sight of his perfect face always made me lose myself, how his close proximity drove me crazy. “You should…go back to Victoria,” I heard myself say through gritted teeth. It was the only sobering thought that stopped me from capturing his soft lips between my teeth. And it worked. Aspen's body that was coming closer stiffened and he looked into my eyes. His crystalline gaze the most breathtaking sight I’d ever seen. I was unable to read his unfathomable depths, unable to know what he was thinking. “Yes, I probably should,
There was no rush, there was no hesitation either. Aspen took his time, kissing down my throat to my hardened peaks, his warm breath fanning the small hairs on my skin the lower he went. Bringing on an onslaught of sensations that had me sinking my fingers into his scarred chest.Every thought about resisting flew out the window and all I could think about was how deftly his fingers worked, thrumming my body like I was a guitar tuned to his taste. Still, that unsettling feeling crept in, even as I lost my breath when his tongue circled a nipple. “Aspen…wait, wait…please,” I moaned out, it was torture saying words I didn’t want to. He stopped, his tongue leaving my nipple and he moved up to meet my eyes. The carnal desires in his eyes had my mine going blank, my reason for telling him to stop almost forgotten. “What are you so afraid of?” he asked suddenly, he didn’t let go of my body fully but he created a certain distance between us. I bit down on my bottom lip, raw and
ANDREA I woke up with a start. I jerked violently on the bed as I tried to gather my bearings. For a few moments, it reeked of that room, where Luke had kept me, it reeked of him and I could almost see his sinister blue eyes looking down at me, getting excited over the pain he inflicted. In a few seconds though, the haze cleared and I relaxed, realizing I was in my bedroom in the cabin. Safe. Right next to me was Cole. He was on the bed with me, his small fingers holding on to mine as he slept peacefully. I heaved a sigh of relief and my lips curled up as I watched my son sleep. Home. I gently pulled my fingers out if his grasp and caressed his hair gently as I watched his little chest rise and fall. We were safe. We were home. I looked around the room, feeling a it disappointed when I saw we were both alone. Aspen must be busy. I inhaled deeply once more, checking the state of my body. I seemed to be healing at a rather rapid pace but not fast enough, it stil
ASPENI gently brushed the messy strands of hair from Andrea’s face, my insides burning with anger as I took in the fading bruises and marks covering her delicate skin. My beautiful, strong mate, so tough yet almost broken by the horrible cruelty we had barely rescued her from.From my spoiled nephew who my mother had raised to be greedy and raised to hate everything that I am. The memory alone of finding her in that hellish basement cell, battered and almost dead…it made my blood boil with rage. If Enzo hadn’t held me back and reminded me she was more important, I might have torn the twitching remains of Luke limb from limb with my bare hands. Luke. Just thinking his name ignited a fresh wave of hatred and disgust towards the misguided kid who was once family. To think he had also dared lay his twisted hands on my mate…the idea was unforgivable. And he will pay for it. For every scratch, every bruise. Andrea’s breathing became slow and even as my fingertips stroked her brow soo
Countless emotions rushed through me as my eyes took in the sight that was in front of me. The cozy cabin’s living room came into view. The scent of fresh-brewed coffee mingling with the scent of breakfast, it made my stomach churn as I had no appetite for anything. There, in the middle where the coffee table was, sat Enzo and Lily, both watching with indulged grins as Cole enthusiastically showed off his prowess at a children’s board game, sweeping aside the pieces with gleeful abandon. Not a single hair was out of place on my beautiful son’s curls, not a mark or blemish on his beaming little face beyond the rosy flush of his excitement. He was safe. Whole. The relief I felt was so great my knees almost gave way. “My baby,” I breathed out in a shaky whisper. At the sound of my voice, three pairs of eyes swiveled in the direction of the staircase, taking in the sight of Aspen holding my admittedly worse-for-wear form. Enzo was the first to rise, hands held out in a placating mann
Everything hurt despite me being at peace. I’d honestly thought I wouldn’t feel anything once I was dead. Why did I still feel? A feeling of grogginess overshadowed my thoughts and I became painfully aware of my whole body as I stirred and clawed my way out of unconsciousness. My whole body felt heavy and my chest felt constricted yet, I could tell I was somewhere safe. I was laying in a deliciously soft bed, the kind of plush comfort I’d missed dearly. The crisp scent of freshly washed linens intermingled with the woodsy, piney aroma that could only belong to one place, my cozy little cabin back at Aspen’s pack. Confusion flooded my senses. Wait…how did I end up here? My brain felt foggy until the memories came crashing back like a violent wave. Luke’s sadistic torment, the crushing certainty that I would never see my precious Cole or family again, the terrifying descent into blackness. But then, cutting through it all…Aspen’s intoxicating scent had washed over me. That earthy
Luke paused mid-swing, chest heaving with the exertion of his hits as his nostrils flared. "Your bastard? Don't fret, my most capable wolves are out watching him. But once he's been...properly raised under my guidance, you needn't concern yourself with the affairs of children any longer," Like said, sounding proud like he was doing me a favor. The images his words stirred in my mind caused me to cry out, a deep, anguish filled cry at the thought of my precious boy suffering at the hands of such a sadistic bastard. The sight of my tears seemed to invite him even more, his expression turned into one of animalistic excitement as he continued his assault, cursing repeatedly as he made each hit. My throat became clogged up with blood, my eyes almost swollen shut, my lungs burned and I couldn’t see anything I could not thinks or feel, all that remained was pain. Blood, my blood, painted the walls in thick runnels with each strike that landed. Still I remained stubbornly defiant in my
A throbbing pain pounded incessantly behind my eyes as consciousness grudgingly slipped through, my mind clearing and my body becoming aware of its state. My head lolled listlessly to the side, cheek grinding against the rough, unforgiving concrete beneath me, I could barely hold up my head. As my fuzzy vision gradually cleared, a new kind of pain blossomed in my chest, the sickening realization that I was chained and spread in what appeared to be some dank, long-forgotten basement cell. "Awake at last, are we my little alpha?" A deep, sneering voice like poisoned honey reached my ears.Luke's hulking form stepped into my rapidly clearing field of view, his lips twisted into a smug sneer of victory. Revulsion and hatred churned in the pit of my roiling stomach at the sight of the vicious gashes I'd managed to inflict on his cheek now scabbed over. An injury from an alpha would never close up, it gave me even greater satisfaction to see how easily he looked like what he was on the i
The heavy silence hung in the air like a suffocating blanket after Theo's passing. Tears streamed down Maria's face as she clutched her dead mate's limp hand, her body shaking with sobs. Viktor looked shell-shocked, staring blankly ahead, his usual stoic expression cracked by raw grief. I pulled Cole tighter against my chest, his small frame trembling from fear and the effort of his earlier wails. My own tears flowed freely as the devastating loss hit me in waves. Despite barely knowing him, Theo's dying words echoed through my mind, his belief in me, A profound sense of both peace responsibility settled on my shoulders.The doctor and Viktor lifted Theo's now cold body from the ground and lay him down on the bed and then the doctor covered Theo's body with a white sheet, his head bowed in somber silence. Just then, heavy foot steps sounded above us. We all tensed, braced for another attack in our fragile state.The door burst open and a large figure strode in, it was Luke, Theo's
The dining table soon turned rather chaotic as Theo's hacking only worsened by the second, his face turned blue and purple his lips became drained of colors they were as white as snow and everything was a symptom of poisoning. Damien held his father close while he shouted orders put to the maids to go get the pack doctors. I could hear just how fast my heart was beating, how the blood fished in my ears and made them ring. Through it all, Theo’s eyes somehow remained locked onto mine even as they started to glass over with sheer, anguished struggle. An eerie sense of acceptance seemed to emanate from their glassy depths, as if he knew…No. I shook my head. Before that unthinkable notion could fully take shape, a series of thunderous booms shook the foundations beneath our feet. Dishes clattered from the table as the heavy wooden chairs skittered across the stone floor, creating more chaos and confusion.I lost my balance and almost fell face first on the floor. “What the fuc
“Maria,” Theo’s low rumble brooked no argument from the corner where he loomed beside Damien and Viktor the two stony-faced brothers pointedly disincluding themselves from the impromptu family scene.I didn’t blame them, I tried my best to push their chilly attitudes to the back of my mind. If I can handle Aspen, I can definitely handle them. Laughing lightly, Maria rose and dusted off her apron with familiar fondness. “Yes, yes, you’re quite right. We’d best get dinner underway before someone’s stomach starts growling us all into submission,” she teased with an amused glint in her eyes. Beckoning me forward, she looped an arm through the crook of mine as if we were lifelong friend. “Come along, dear, and we’ll get you and the little one settled at the table. I want to hear all about your journey here,” she said, her voice filled with genuine curiosity. I wish I could say I was used to things not happening as I expected them to but quite frankly, I was taken aback by how easi