Alpha Kai threw his leather jacket around my body before we got out of the SUV and Creed carried me up to the mansion at the Volkov estate. The chilly night air hit my skin, and I shivered as he held me, consciously aware of the eyes on us as we walked inside.“We have them in the basement,” I hear Luka standing somewhere behind us. “I’ll keep watch until you decide what you want to do with them.”“I’ll fucking prolong the pain Cherie had to endure,” Creed growls. The timbre of his voice sends a shiver up my spine and I am once again reminded that my mate is a powerful Alpha. The fury exuding from Creed tonight reminded me of when we faced off in the octagon, but he wasn’t quite as unhinged as he was back then. Calm anger simmered beneath his surface, but I knew he would never take it out on me.We enter his bedroom and he walks towards the bathroom, placing me down on the cold tiled floor before turning the taps on the shower. After regulating the temperature, he strips off his bloo
Cherie is fast asleep in my arms. Her breathing is even and calm, no nightmares from what I could tell. She’s peaceful for the most part and there’s even a small smile on her face.Last night the worst possible thing happened to her, and luckily I got there on time. I am still burning with rage and wish I could just unleash it all, but what would it help? Cherie needs me here, she doesn’t need my anger.I pull her closer to me and press my lips against her forehead, inhaling her sweet scent. I admitted my true feelings last night as well, and although I would have loved to hear her say it back to me, I know it would just be her responding due to being overwhelmed. I can wait for her to respond in kind; she is worth the wait. /“Creed,”/ my father’s voice comes through the mind link. /“There is something we need to discuss with both you and Cherie when you’re awake. Let me know when you’re ready.”/I frown at the urgency in his tone. /“What is this about? It sounds serious.”/My fathe
My face heats up in shame as I’m laying on top of Creed with my pussy still throbbing. His cock is sheathed right in between my pussy lips and whatever arousal I felt is coating his thick length. “Hey,” he says after a while and I remain quiet. “Let's go back to the other side of the stream to get dressed, okay?” When I nod, he gets to his feet and holds my butt as we walk, still in the same position. Gods, I am mortified. He must think I’m fucking crazy! After we’re dressed and I burn with shame, he pulls me into his arms again. “Don’t think about it,” he says, as if it’s that easy. “I’m here whenever you want to talk; don’t forget that.”“I don’t know why I did that,” I admit as I wrap my arms around my waist. “After last night, I shouldn’t even be thinking about sex, but it’s like my mind has blocked the trauma altogether. I suppose for someone like me… it’s normal.”“Nothing about it is normal, Cherie,” he suddenly says, and I stop walking. By the look on his face, I know he di
Cherie is Marle’s daughter - my enemy’s failsafe. The fact doesn’t anger me, it’s that those close to me knew about her lineage and decided I would be better off not knowing. How does this help me in any fucking way? My father knows how much I hate lies. Fuck, even Viktor knows how I despise dishonesty but they decided to do it, anyway? Can I still look them in the eye after this? Would I want to?The scream that rips through Cherie’s mother is cut off by my claws as I behead her. Her husband cries out at the sight, so I position the head in front of him so it can stare up at him while I leave him hanging there alone.Sobbing next to the body of his headless wife.I walk out of the dungeon and make my way back toward the edge of the forest. Today went from easy to fucked up within the space of a few minutes. Fuck, I need to calm myself down before heading back in there. The last thing I want is to lash out at Cherie, because I doubt she knew who her mother truly was. There was no m
CherieI am sitting in a stretch limo with six other women as we make our way to the Volkov cabin. Rebecca and Nova I know, but I only met four of them this morning - they’re Creed’s aunts, cousin, and older sister.Lily, the mysterious older aunt. Arya is a famous artist who travels the world. Kaia, Lily’s only daughter, and a wolf-turned-succubus who is married to a vampire? I didn’t ask because it seems weird. And Kira, Creed’s beautiful sister and the one I saw embracing him that time.“I know this is sudden, but Creed said if we told you about our surprise sooner, then you would have bolted!” Kira says as she pours us all our glasses of champagne. My face heats up at this. “I guess he knows me well!” I say, hiding a grin behind my hand and shaking my head. “It’s just that I’m not used to this… to any of this.”“Trust me, I know the feeling,” Nova says as she slings an arm around my shoulders. “I was out of my depth when Caterina and Lily did this for me!”I see Lily shudder. “Ug
CherieMy heart is sitting in my throat, my nerves are coiled tight and I am a sweaty mess. The sun has just set, so the sky is giving off a beautiful mix of orange and purple colors peeking through the forest.Creed decided to change tradition and have our Claiming Ceremony here at Caterina’s Forest, something that both surprised me and warmed my heart. Last night with the other Volkova women was something I’ll never forget. They made both me and Rebecca feel like we were a part of the family. Nova and Rebecca hit it off well, seeing as she’s a Seelie, and Nova never encountered that specific supernatural species before. They promised to stay in touch even when Rebecca gets married.Creed opens the SUV door for me and takes my hand, lacing them together. I can hear his erratic heartbeat as it beats in time with mine and I know he’s just as nervous as I am. Which is odd… because I don’t know Creed to be nervous.“How are your feet?” he asks as we walk towards our family waiting for u
CherieHow can happiness be so fleeting? From being happy and content one second, to terrified the next.The beast in front of me snarls, its golden eyes pinning me with a look that sends bile rising up to my throat. I don’t know how one would describe the scent of death perfectly, but this monster is the embodiment of the word.It’s incredibly taller, even taller than Creed or Alpha Kai, covered in black fur, and standing on two legs. With claws the size of a grown man’s full hand, sickly yellow eyes, and scars littered all over its body, I know this is Creed’s Lycan.With Creed’s warning to run, I call on Zhen and shift before running away. The beast isn’t following me, which is a win but why is it here?!/“We need to warn the others, Zhen!”/ I cry out. /“He’s coming for us!”//“Cherie?”/ Alpha Kai’s voice sounds in my head. /“What is going… FUCK! Did Creed shift into his Lycan form?”//“Yes! He looked terrified when it happened!”/ I exclaim. /“He screamed out for me to run before t
CreedA sob rips through my body and I fall to my knees, feeling the pain of the stones on my skin. The earth is soaked with blood, the blood of my father, and I know I am the cause of it. They knew I would lose control of Haze and took advantage of it.I look down at the still-warm liquid coating my hands and forearms and I turn my head to the side. My eyes fall on my father’s body and I clamber over to it, taking it in my hands and feeling absolutely empty as I hold him.“Nooooo! PAPPA!” I roar, unable to believe what I have done. His body is still warm and his scent is still the same… but there’s no life in his eyes. “No! This can’t be true! What needed to happen?! Why didn’t you fight back?!”My father could have easily overpowered Haze at that moment, even with Luka holding him back. So what was that all about? Why would he allow Marle and her plans to win?! Nothing makes sense to me!/“What is going on?”/ Haze growls in my subconscious. /“Why can’t I gain control of your body, i
Rebecca As I stood before the full-length mirror in my ornate, flowing golden bridal gown, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. Today was the day I was supposed to marry the man I had been arranged to marry to strengthen the bonds between our kind. But my heart was heavy with the knowledge that I was in love with someone else – Sage. Sage was everything the Fae Prince was not was not, and I still loved him. The Prince, Alexandr, was kind, gentle, and had a heart that overflowed with love; Sage was rough, selfish, and had a heart of ice. But ask me which one I’d gladly be with and I’ll still tell you it’s Sage Volkov. I had grown up knowing Alexandr, and over the years, we had grown close because of mutual acquaintances. We had shared our hopes and dreams, and actually made a pact to marry one day. It was a joke back then. Now, neither of us wanted this because even as we’re betrothed, we’re both in love with other people. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I could feel
SageI sat alone in my dimly lit penthouse office, staring blankly at the empty space in front of me while nursing a tumbler of bourbon. The only sound that could be heard was the faint ticking of the clock on the wall, marking each passing second as if to remind me of the time that had slipped away from me.I thought admitting my feelings to her would do it. I thought being honest and open would get me the one I wanted, but it turns out all it did was push her further away.It had only been a few days since I had confessed my true feelings to Rebecca, and yet it felt like an eternity. The words had spilled out of me before I could even fully comprehend them, fueled by the overwhelming emotion that had been building up inside of me since I met her.After Uncle Kai’s death, I realized that if something were to happen to me, then I would be gone without admitting how I felt about her. That I’d be gone, and she’d still hate me. She would go on thinking I never had true feelings for her w
RebeccaI’m standing in the ‘what the actual fuck’ aftermath of what I’ve just witnessed. Cherie and Creed had the most beautiful ceremony I have ever witnessed, then it was time for them to claim each other and all hell broke loose.Now I’m walking shell-shocked, back to my car, my body trembling and my heart beating painfully against my ribcage. Creed killed his father while in his Lycan form, but it looked like he wasn’t himself when he did it. I felt like I was intruding, so I didn’t get any closer to the family’s shared grief. The last week or so has been hell for me. From resettling my Court closer to New York, to my mother attempting to marry me off to the coward prince. I know that I cannot have a say in who I marry because I come from Seelie royalty, but I’ve managed to talk to another Fae I am familiar with, and settled to marry him instead.My mother isn’t talking to me at the moment because she thinks it’s a mistake, but our Court has shrunk because she only wants pureblo
SageI met my mate the day I could finally feel emotions again…and yet Rebecca still has a more significant pull on me. It has led me to question if the Mate Bond is absolute or just something the Goddess has ingrained in you.After I left the estate a few days ago, I made arrangements for Rebecca and her Court to go home and now I’m on my way into town to meet Isabella, my mate. Creed’s Claiming Ceremony is in two days' time and I have something I need to discuss with him later on.Being back home with my emotions intact doesn’t feel any different, to be honest. Yeah, I can feel my parents’ love for me and I adore my little sister. But I think I’ve been dead inside for too long that I can’t be different, no matter how I try.It’s almost as if going through all that shit was for nothing.Sighing, I pull into my designated parking and walk inside the restaurant. Isabella turned out to be an established model and fashion designer, someone old Sage would have loved to have as a mate. Bu
RebeccaHeartless.How could I forget that was my nickname for him? After swallowing my pride and literally begging him to reconsider, he brushes me off like I am nothing. As if I didn’t need more proof that it was a mistake.Fucking me out of his system? Is that what he wants to call it? I doubt he treated other women the way he treated me, but then again, who am I to say that? Yes, it was a mistake. A giant, annoying mistake. “You seem pretty adamant to get your emotions back when heartlessness suits you just fine,” I say with a shrug. “Won’t having a conscience ruin your whole image?”Sage scoffs. “When you concealed the mark on my heart, did I seem different to you?”“No?” I say with a frown, only to see him smirk.“I had my emotions back then and yet I was still a cold, heartless Sage,” he says, chuckling. “I think I’ll be fine, Princess, no need to worry about me.”For the third time today, I have the fight knocked out of me and I am rendered speechless. Why do I keep thinking
RebeccaI’m in my shower, staring at the tiled wall and trying to figure out if I’ve hallucinated the entire day. From sleeping with Sage to him literally worshipping my body and in the next few minutes, I’m speaking to my mother. Yeah, I definitely think I’m dreaming.From everything Sage has told me, the only reason he’s emotionless is because of the Unseelie Queen’s mark on his heart. If my mother has a spell or enchantment that can remove that, then Sage should be back to… uhm, normal, I guess?But then what happens after that? When my mother comes back, she won’t want me anywhere near Sage. When I acted nonchalant with him about our future, I was pretending because I didn’t want to face what was shoved right in front of me.Not only that, but Sage has a mate out there somewhere. I’ll always be looking over my shoulder, waiting for the day he has a Mate Bond Sighting.I’ll never be the one his Goddess chose; the other half of his soul.Argh, I shouldn’t be so negative. Who says S
Sage The one thing I’ve wanted since I woke up with Rebecca missing that morning, has now happened. She has no idea how fucking beautiful she looks when she comes apart for me, how gorgeous her complete submission is. And this time she was the one who begged me to take her. She’s fast asleep in my arms; right in the middle of the morning after our first time together in years. Just being with her right now, even without the cloaking spell, I feel lighter than I ever have before. I don’t know if this is the answer to my problem, but I think I need to have a talk with her about it. She’s not my mate, I know this. But she’s the only one who makes me feel while I’m this heartless fucker, so that has to mean something, right? Even without that cloaking spell, she makes me FEEL. “Hmmm,” she groans, stirring in my arms and snuggling into my chest. “I’m dreaming, right?” “Did your dream include being thoroughly fucked?” I ask with a grin and know she’s rolling her eyes at me right now
Rebecca Six days in the presence of Sir Heartless and I’m about to have a hissy fit. How long can it possibly take to find whatever it is he’s looking for? We’ve scoured the place every single day, and there’s nothing!Not only am I frustrated, but it seems as if being around me has made him cockier than before. Last night was the worst of it, he kept on pushing my buttons and making me flustered.I watch as he walks towards the front door, ready for another day of nothing. But as he picks up the SUV keys, I rush forward, turn to face him, and place my hand on his heart.“I’ve had enough of this,” I say, before reversing the cloaking spell on the Unseelie Queen’s mark. He looks up at me in horror and I scoff because I knew something was up with him after our first day together. It started with the look in his eyes, down to his mannerisms and teasing. Old Sage would never just tease for the sake of it, he'd do it to get a rise out of me.And he’d do it all with an impassive look on h
SageLast night I had the same dream I had after I walked out of Volkov forest stripped of my emotions. It had the same beautiful dark-haired woman luring me back to the forest, only to fuck me senseless. She told me I belonged to her, that everything I was doing was for her and I believed her. It was the first time in years I woke up hard as a fucking rock with no relief to be found. I still don’t know who this woman is or why she says I’m hers. “So, what exactly made you so heartless?” Rebecca asks on our third day of nothing, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glance up at her as I page through a spell book. “When you say heartless, what exactly do you mean?” I know exactly what she means, but I want to hear her say it.She closes the drawer she’d been rifling through and breathes out a sigh before leaning back in the chair. “You; everything that you are. Everyone who has met you says the exact same thing. You’re cold, nonchalant, you don’t care about anyone else but yourself-”“