Rose's POVIf there was anything I could take back at any moment in time, this would be it.He stalked toward me, the same chilling grin plastered on his face. Every step made my heart jump. My blood thrummed at my fear. Every single part of me was begging to run. Escape. Run.But why wasn't I moving?It was frustrating how every part of me at this moment was frozen in time, even though my soul was desperate to jump out and away from the threat I faced.‘Why, why, why!’ for all my caution, all the unease I had felt to come here, I still fell into a trap. And this time, it wasn't anyone's fault but my own. I let myself get tricked, pushed away my caution. It was my fault. My own fucking fault.No. I couldn't stay in a mirage of self pity when a dankeh was nearing. Swallowing, I forced my eyes away, searching for the exit.There! I spotted the small light. It was barely visible from afar, so far away but it was a sign. It was hope.I couldn't outrun the wolf no matter how hard I tried t
Rose's POVI was sure that if not for him, I would have collapsed again.His arm around me held me captive yet safe and protected, especially as he lifted me slightly. Where I was once confused, the moment he lifted me into the air, understanding came through. I wrapped my hands around his neck, burying my face into the crux of his neck.I was just grateful that he found me.“Rose." From the tone alone, I looked up, feeling the seriousness.“How did you get here?”He started moving, and I looked up to find that he was walking out of the alley. But looking at his face, there was no humor in them.Swallowing, I gave him a short rendition of the story in less than a minute, inwardly berating myself as I ended right as the dankeh attacked me.“What were you thinking?” His incredulous tone brought back the shame.I swallowed against his chastising tone, tearing back.“I made a mistake, alright?” I spat out, never breaking off my link with him but upset all the same.“I made a stupid decisi
Rose's POVI stirred awake, meeting plain colors illuminated by the sun. I stood up only to hiss out, grabbing my head. Pain bloomed in the back of my head, a thumping ache slightly reminiscent of the bass. No doubt it was surely from the alcohol.With a sigh, I forced myself to adjust to the new sensation until it took the backburner in my mind. Fully sitting up, I turned only to gasp in surprise.There was food waiting for me. A glass of water along with two small pills which were no doubt painkillers.Relief flooded me as I quickly snatched the pills and the glass, eager to ease the headache.The glass of water soothed my throat, forcing me to drink even further as the pills were long swallowed.‘Finally.’ I embraced the soothing feeling before surprise sparked in me. The painkillers worked fast. My hind brain was completely at work, only my instincts leading me through. Grabbing the plate, I ate quickly, trying to soothe the other ache that the painkillers couldn't solve. Slowl
Rose's POVTrepidation filled me as I stayed unmoving. My breaths had halted until there was no sound. Nothing aside from the constant rhythmic vibration that emanated from the phone.The question of whether I should answer or reject the call was moot, especially when the core question in my mind remained unanswered .Because this was the first time I had seen this number. My contacts had reduced to very few, limited to Kayla, Jade and anyone else within the pack. So who could be calling now?It was the first thought that left me still.Was it the dankehs? No matter how ludicrous it sounded, I was only attacked yesterday. I couldn't take any chances.It could also be someone who dialed the wrong number. That thought was a lot more assuring compared to the last, yet I couldn't still be sure.Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of ringing, the call ended. The silence brought in relief seeping through me as I finally exhaled.Maybe I didn't have to confront it after all.I was ac
Rose's POV.“Okay, then… Bye.” I ended the call to Kayla, letting out a sigh.It had taken time to move past an inch the moment my mo… the moment Kate called. The first person I called was Jade. It served as a good distraction as the reminder of Adian's words earlier prompted me to be more careful. That flew out of the window moments after when she suddenly apologized.Flashback. “I'm so sorry. For the lack of communication… everything,” Jade apologized, leaving me speechless.“I've just been pissy from work, with no sense of relief. It's been a hard set of weeks, and I've been on edge." She said.As I processed her words, all, I sighed in relief. No matter how kind Jade could be, she was human and was living a life with hardships that I wasn't dealing with. Perhaps her words toward me back then were said out of her frustration.It didn't help that I had all these matters and rarely approached her either.Adian's words came to me, but I decided to push it all away for now. This wou
Rael's POVFuck. I cursed in my head.Fuck it all.I hated this. Hated myself for what I was doing. Hater the fact that I couldn't tell her why…The mission - the logical part of me still supplied, but then again, fuck the mission.After she told me everything, I held her without hesitation. She felt fragile in my arms, as though she was on the verge of breaking down. And now hearing everything she had to say made me pull her even tighter.I had lost my parents early in circumstances that were out of our control, but she lost hers whilst she still had them. I was surrounded by my pack. By both Adian and Kayden as my brothers, but she had nobody with her.She wasn't the fragile person I once believed I could brush off. She was stronger in ways even I wasn't sure of.I thought back to the pictures I had seen months ago, after investigating her. The reminder of the older woman whom she gained her red hair from.Had she not been her mother, I would have rended her to pieces. Found a way t
Rael’s POVI slipped down onto the cold grass. The atmosphere did nothing to stifle my heat or thoughts.Kayden was already waiting there, drinks in hand. To my surprise, Adian zoomed in, waving right before he sat down.“He decided to tag along,” Kayden shrugged, unsurprised.Of course, he would. I scoffed, laying fully on the grass beside them in silence.We were deep in the forest, in an area we were used to meeting when we needed to talk. I could barely remember the last time we had done this. A year? No, more than that. Far before the dankehs were ever a problem.After this night though, I was tired of holding things back. Especially to the only ones who truly knew the extent of my secrets. The stakes which I had foolishly put myself under.Once, we were just boys, sitting outside this forest to play. Long after my parent’s death, we had met up here, even after Kayden’s mating. Now, with the weights we had on our shoulders, we drank beer that couldn't affect us under the moonless
Rael’s POVOnly the sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the air. All the other screams had died down to nothing.The man, the dankeh, who once stood confident, now quivered in his chains. His face was bloodied up and bruised, matching my hands.My right hand stung with every blow - unfortunately he had tried resisting at first by biting my hand. His resistance hadn’t lasted but I kept on going. “Please.” He cried out, blood streamed down his face.He had stood confident after I came in, spouting out facts he knew of me. I could tell then that he wasn’t just one of the lackeys.This man knew something, and I was going to get it out of him.It wasn’t even the way that he resisted all the questions that pushed me to this point. No, it was something much simpler. It was her.“She was so trusting, you know.” He had the audacity to laugh right after. "If you gave me a few seconds more, I would have ripped out her throat then and there. How would you have liked that, Rael Allston?”
Rose's POVI sighed, looking up at the night sky. The chill of the night sky made me shiver, but I embraced it.The hospital region looked so different from the places I was used to, but the sky always remained the same.I had stayed in the hospital for four days now. Even though in theory there was no longer any need to. Real had insisted on the hospital staff who allowed me to remain here, even without the needs for medical attention.I was grateful for it, and I was sure he knew why I didn't want to step into the mansion again.And so my nights were spent within the place, no dankehs in sight and Real being a constant presence. Despite staying in the hospital, he brought food from the pack house daily which I accepted.Adian visited another time on one occasion, and Rael stood by, acting more like a watchdog. Amidst their jabs I could see what I had been blind to for so long. The easy camaraderie between them. And Rael seemed lighter than I had ever seen him before.Now, four days
Rael's POVTracing her contact and the texts she sent was the hardest part, everything aside from that was easy.Location in hand, I arrived to find him, said ex boyfriend, sipping tea in the cafe waiting for her. I stepped in, facing him.I could tell that he was one to be easily intimidated, proven by how he palmed immediately after he recognized me. In no time, he scrammed out of the cafe, garnering many looks for a moment. I waited in silence for the main reason for my presence.It took almost twenty minutes, before Jade stepped in, eyes searching through the tables. Despite her almost innocent appearance, she was definitely sharp minded. The moment she spotted me, surprise flitted onto her face before morphing into dislike.She indeed loathed me. I had never been close or bothered with any of her friends aside from listening whenever she talked about them, but whether I caught it or not wouldn't have mattered either way if not for this.I partly expected her to walk away or try t
Rose's POV Rael left shortly after bringing me breakfast, leaving me with a kiss on my forehead and whispered promises.Full and completely awake, there was no way I was going back to bed anytime soon. With nothing left to do, I walked around the large hospital room I had been given, admiring the skyline view in peace. I tried not to think too much about Jade and whatever measures Real was going to take, only hoping that both of them were alright. Instead, I looked down at my belly.A baby was growing in there and I never noticed. Slowly rubbing it, I smiled to myself at Rael's past words. Indeed, this baby was resilient to have gone past the alcohol and malnourishment, only to remain healthy.Strong, but that didn't mean I was going to let anyone harm it. “I don't know what will happen between your father and I, but I promise you I'll protect you the best I can. Even if it costs me.” Shutting my eyes, I repeated it several times, keeping it etched in my bones.I would do my best t
Rose's POVWhen I woke up, the sun was up and it was far warmer than before. Yawning, I looked around as it eased upon me.The chair Rael was on was completely empty. I properly looked around at the surroundings.The place was large, filled with couches and chairs with a dining setting right beside them. Save hospital beds, it looked more like a hotel.This definitely wasn't cheap.I let out a sigh, shaking my head. There was nothing I could do about it now.Even with his absence, I could still hear his words.He loved me.There were still plenty of things to deal with, especially with my pregnancy on the way. But instead, I laid back on the mattress, closing my eyes. At this moment, I was content.I spent my time taking deep breaths, lost in the blank zen state when a sudden vibration pulled me out.Blinking, I looked around for the source, only to see my phone in surprise.‘He'd taken it too, I reasoned. I looked at the screen in surprise. Jade was calling.I gasped, recalling how I
Rose's POVI squinted in the face of the blinding lights, taking time to adjust as I slowly returned to reality.Beeping filled my ears, closer than ever. The sting of disinfectant woke me up even further.‘Where was I?’ I faintly wondered as I drifted out of dreamland. I tried sitting up when suddenly a pair of warm hands circled me.“Wait." All vestiges of sleep erased at his voice.His words and our unfinished discussion before my fainting still rang clearly in my mind.‘Of course,’ I thought. He was the one who no doubt brought me here.I remained silent while he helped me sit up, avoiding eye contact. Tingles grew from his penetrating stare, but I ignored it.“Where am I?" I asked, breaking the tense silence.“You're in the hospital." He said, confirming my thoughts.A slight twinge of relief filled me that I wasn't back in the mansion, no matter how much my heart lurched for it. This was more neutral ground.Those thoughts went away once I remembered why I was in the hospital.
Rael's POVPanic grew in my throat the moment I caught her in my arms. She was out cold, her breaths shallow.Damn it all. I hadn't thought about her condition. The fact that she hadn't been eating for the past few days.None of that will do. I had to take her to the hospital.Hefting her body up, I moved against the fallen bodies in the hallway. That would be taken care of later.I had rushed in, feeling the warning instincts. She wouldn't forgive me if I left her friend there.‘She may not forgive you at all.’ Ny hands tightened on her at the thought.Rose's friend was knocked out cold on the floor, but otherwise, she was safe. No doubt she would wake up in a matter of hours.Laying Rose on the couch, I picked Jade up, tucking her into her bedroom before leaving just as quickly.Picking her up again, my gaze was fixated on her face, how peaceful she looked even now.Without another word, I sped back to my car.Driving into the hospital gave the feeling of deja vu, but I ignored it i
Rose's POVI almost couldn't believe it, but it was undeniable.The man I was hurt by, whom I thought wouldn't rescue me, was there. His eyes treaded across them.“Let her go.” He growled, body poised in a way that made him seem larger than life.The man that held me and his henchman were both stuck in place. I was too stricken to try struggling against them, which wouldn't have amounted to anything considering the still painful grip they had on me.In a flash, everything changed.The whiplash was painful as I was pulled away, the man holding me running as fast as he could out of the hallway. The movement sent a wave of dizziness through me.A loud growl, and everything holding me disappeared. I was light, flying freely in the air for a moment before I collided harshly with the ground. I whimpered as my injured arm burned before I slumped back to the floor.A choked noise and the sound of flesh colliding were all I heard before everything fell silent.Harsh breaths came up behind me,
Rose's POV I followed Jade through the door, shutting it behind me.I had sneaked out of the mansion, thankfully taking advantage of the lack of presence. Even with fear creeping from me, I walked until my legs hurt, moving until I reached the asphalt streets I had told Jade to wait for me in. Jade had taken a taxi all the way to the far end of the place where I met her. I looked away from her gaze, knowing the poor sight I looked like at the moment. It all went away after I entered the taxi, watching the mansion move farther and farther away. It was past midnight when we finally arrived in the city and even further when we got to her place.The timing was unexpected, but it all made sense when the destination wasn't the same one I knew.This apartment was new and different. From the minimal tones and the slightly more expensive look, it was a complete change from her former space throughout college.I looked around in awe. “I didn't know you had a new place,” I said, looking around
Rael's POV.I took in the cool air, letting the heat simmer down.Finally, the anticipated meeting with the Alpha Council had taken place and it was anticlimactic.I had welcomed them, pushing away all my worries easier than expected. After giving them the information and discoveries gathered, thanks to Mira, they were equally ecstatic.That was my chance to state my sole condition to continue this project.Let Rose go.“There is no need for us to use an innocent human as bait for the Dankehs anymore.” I had tried reasoning with them.The backlash was expected, but I physically had to hold myself back from losing control in the face of their disparaging comments.‘A mere human?’Rose was far more than that. She was more than anything else I had seen. I, who had taken advantage of her naivety and kindness, had tried seeing her in the same way in the beginning and failed miserably. None of them would understand though. They just saw her as a tool to gain victory over the threat plaguin