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Going back to the hospital felt like I was embarking on a dangerous journey, my breath was caught up in my throat as I sat at the back of the taxi, my eyes closed as I tried to control my breathing, my heart pounding so fast in my chest that it hurt. The adrenaline I had walked into the Vincenzo manor with had faded away and all that was left was all the pent-up fear I managed not to show in front of him. Aspen. His presence was almost suffocating, and talking to him felt like speaking to a brick wall on fire, nothing was getting through to him and I couldn’t get any closer either. I had expected to see sympathy in his eyes, a hint of attraction. But I guess that was just selfishness on my part, hoping the man would be different from what I expected, hoping there would be a semblance of the man I had spent a night with. But. Nothing. Now I was on my way back to the hospital because Enzo had sent me a text saying he had something urgent to attend to and he had to leave Cole's sid
The past three years, away from my pack and my parents have been the best years of my life, I enrolled in a part-time college while I did some freelancing jobs that enabled me to stay home with my son on the days I had no classes, when I wasn’t available, Enzo would be there. For three years, every decision I’ve made and every action I’ve taken was to escape my past, I planned to travel overseas, to where only humans reside, where they wouldn’t take one look at me, smell an omega, and scrunch up their faces with disgust. I hoped to find a place in the woods, far from civilization where I would be able to connect to my wolf more, to finally feel that connection I’ve never felt since the day Luke rejected me—For the past three years, I’ve been like a plastic bag floating in the wind just so I can achieve every goal, my head was always down and my answers were always yes, just so I could get past it all, just so my son will have a chance at a life that I never did. Then Cole fell sick
It took Aspen one phone call and twenty minutes later to change the doctor in charge of Cole’s treatment and kick Dr. Martin out of the room. Something told me the man wouldn’t be keeping his job but I couldn’t bring myself to care much. After going into the bathroom and fixing my hair until I looked presentable again, I sat by Cole's bedside and sent a few texts to Enzo, informing him of the changes but stayed silent about how the doctor hurt me. Last thing I wanted was for another doctor to get fired because of me. Aspen had called me the mother of his child, yet, even as they came to draw his blood to check if he was compatible with Cole, he asked them to run a paternity test in the process. The new female doctor they’d put in charge seemed to be a bit shocked by his request and her gaze drifted to mine a few times. She didn’t dare say no to him, it didn’t bother me one bit either because I knew what the results were going to be. In the next few hours while we waited for the
I stood there stunned, unable to process the doctor's words as Aspen took the paper from her hand. My eyes were glued to him as he read over the results, no hint of emotion on his face. "Thank you, doctor," he said dismissively. "You may begin prepping my son for the transfusion." My son. The words sent a shard of ice through my heart. "Wait just a minute," I said, finally finding my voice. "You can't just take him away from me. I'm his mother!" I exclaimed, my heart pounding so fast in my chest that I could barely breathe. Aspen turned his frosty gaze on me. "And now that I have been confirmed as his father, I have every right to take him. You kept this from me for three years. Be grateful I don't take legal action against you of do something worse,” Aspen uttered, his eyes narrowed and gaze kept on me. "Grateful?!" I cried. "How dare you! I was trying to protect him!" My clenched fists were trembling at my sides as I started at the man’s dangerously attractive face. This was e
The sedan pulled through an imposing iron gate and proceeded up a long, winding driveway, lined with towering oak trees. I gazed out the window in awe as an enormous mansion came into view, made of stone and brick, with countless windows and a wide front courtyard. The house looked like something that was built centuries ago yet still stood, it gave me a bad feeling. It was like something out of a movie. The Vincenzo estate was clearly designed to intimidate and impress. I shuddered to think about what waited for me behind those walls. The mansion seemed to be cut off from the big city and of course it was surrounded by a thick forest with only one path for a car. The perfect place to end a life, I thought to myself in dread. The car glided to a stop at the front steps leading up to a set of grand double doors. Before I could react, the man was grabbing my arm again, ushering me out of the vehicle."This way," he murmured, guiding me along the side of the mansion. We passed we
ASPENThe sound of the lock sliding into place gave me a sense of satisfaction. With Andrea secured, I could focus my attention where it belonged – on my son. I strode briskly through the pack house that has been in my family for centuries, towards the medical wing I had asked to be prepared for Cole’s arrival. Once I was sure the transfusion was a success and there were no complications, I was here to tell Andrea of my intentions. Yet as I walked, an uncomfortable feeling settled over me. I tried to brush it off, but Andrea’s devastated face lingered in my mind.Perhaps I had been overly harsh with her. But I quickly dismissed the thought. My actions were justified given how she had hidden my own child from me. To think I’d gone years thinking I would never have a child of my own yet she hid such a life changing truth from me? What was her reason? What did she stand to gain? No, any twinges of guilt were surely just vain attraction towards the woman. Andrea was cunning, manipu
ASPEN I had met the Alpha, turned out he’d expected me to negotiate with him as he expressed his wants for expanding his own pack borders through mine. “I hear the Alphas are all turning against you, you will be weakened and I can be a good ally,” The weak looking alpha had said. I have a pack that contains over seven hundred wolves, he only had fifty. To think such a small dog could have the audacity to think he was powerful enough to be an ally to me. I knew something was going wrong somewhere, trouble was brewing and I was getting to the bottom of it. The audacity of that alpha demanding our land infuriated me. My pack controlled these borders for ages, and now this dumb little pup thinks he can challenge me? He’s gonna regret messing with me. Ben was just as pissed, he’d been pacing ever since we walked back into the pack house. “We can’t let this insult stand. Give the word and I’ll burn their pathetic little compound down,” he growled. A silver glint in his eyes as his wolf
The instant I saw my baby boy, I rushed over and scooped him into my arms. I hugged Cole tight, breathing in his sweet little scent. After months of seeing him so sick, it filled me with relief to see him looking stronger and as precious as ever. His wide blue eyes stared up at me and I damn well melted when I saw the recognition in them. Every fear, every bit of anger that had brewed inside of me for the past 2 weeks, none of it mattered in that moment as I held my son in my arms and heard his little coos. As I rocked Cole, I could feel Aspen’s intense stare on me. I glanced up. Damn, I’d forgotten just how freaking gorgeous he was. The man was model-level hot, even with that stern expression. Sharp cheekbones, chiseled jaw – and those glasses just took the appeal over the top. I stopped staring out of fear that he would notice the attraction in my eyes, one more thing he could use against me. No! I could not be attracted to this man, I wasn’t the same young woman I was three yea
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