JAX:Just like earlier that day, her eyes did not search for me."I need to speak with you," I communicated with her through our bond. From the way her gorgeous eyes slightly enlarged, I knew she got the message.Soon, Rosie dropped in from the ceiling in a large flower, wrapped in a white dress decorated with silver stones. Her hair was straightened and let down, and her makeup was bold.Her entrance was grand, alright. I went to the flower to receive her, and she gave me a warm smile.As she addressed everyone, Aaron thought it would be an amazing time to tell Scarlett a joke that made her flash him a huge smile and her dimples.She had never smiled that way with me. I've seen tears gather in her eyes and a formal smile, but one where her amber eyes shone while her dimples became visible was something I had never seen before, not until Aaron came along.If I had only made her cry so far, why was she still bent on not breaking the bond? Did she want revenge by torturing me with it be
SCARLETT :Alpha Aaron spent a lot of time comforting me even when my tears fell for another man. It was my plan, and it hurt so bad. Too bad.Deep down, I knew it would be best to give up now, but how could I? I already started; I'd be a coward not to see it to the end.I called my twin to let her know how right she was."Stop going back and forth, Scar," she told me. "Pick a side now.""I'm trying to," I groaned on the other end of the phone. "I can't come up with a way to get that close to him.""You don't have to go to him. Make him come to you," she replied."How?""Jealousy," I could sense her maliciously grinning."I don't know," my brain glowed in remembrance, and a light bulb appeared above my head. "Alpha Aaron.""Brother of bitch 2.0?" she questioned. The moment I gave Sophie all the details on Rosie, she gave her a well-deserved nickname."Yes, him.""Hmm. Not bad.""You're stroking your chin, aren't you?" I sighed."I hate that you know me so well.""This isn't your detec
SCARLETT :"I can't get the image of the two of you together out of my mind," I admitted, a part of me wanted to let that go but the pain it brought me refused to fade."Why?" His thumb stroked the exposed skin of my neck."I don't know," I told him. "Make me forget." Without breaking eye contact, I brought his finger with my shaky hands to my trembling lips.I didn't have to say it; my gesture was enough for him to crash his lips onto mine. He fisted my hair gently while I did the same. He shuffled between slow and aggressively passionate. It was almost as if he only wanted to treasure the moment between us. My legs turned to jelly in a millisecond, if it weren't for the support of the wall I'd have fallen on the spot."I've…"Kiss."Always…”Kiss."Wanted to…”Kiss."Touch you again."Every movement sent tingles from my back to my core. Although it seemed momentarily, it gave me the chance to see an opening for a possibility of it all to last forever."Part your lips for me, Scarle
SCARLETT : A loud bang on the door made my heart skip a beat and jolted me awake. My legs were trapped between Alpha Jax's, who was also awake and tightened his grip on my legs to keep me in place. He signaled for me to stay quiet. I lay back on the bed while the noise continued from outside his door. He had kept his promise about me not being able to walk, as I felt entirely sore. My body ached severely, and though I couldn't see them, I knew there were marks of his teeth all over me. "Jax, come out now!" I heard Rosie's voice. Who else would it be? Both of us had left the party and never returned to the venue. I was naked in his bed, my shoes and jewelry askew, my underwear nowhere to be seen, my dress a rag, my hair rough, my body marked, my lips swollen. There was no excuse. Alpha Jax hadn't signed the alliance. Alpha Aaron could take it back if something were to happen. Roseanne was beautiful, too beautiful to pine over a man who did not love her. Although I was in no posit
JAX:Scarlett was a force that pushed and pulled. Right now, she had pushed me into giving in to my desires.It was tough to resist her after I saw her again. Audaciously, she fully tempted me, making me surrender. Now that I had tasted her again, I did not think I'd have it in me to let her go until she breaks the bond.She was my undoing; she'd end me if I wasn't careful. I could not find it in me to regret what I did.I woke up much earlier than I expected to, and the sight before me was so beautiful. She had barely rested all night, and I wasn't going to disturb her.Her eyes were tightly shut, and her lips partly opened. Our legs were wrapped together like we were lovers.A small light shone from the windows, reflecting on her white skin stained with my teeth marks, leaving me satisfied. Scarlett was mine for as long as she'd let me have her. I did not know if I was fine with that, but I hoped to get clarity once she broke the bond.I was about to stroke her hair gently when a lo
JAX:Scarlett fell asleep midway, as she always did. It bothered me that she was easily carried away by the wind. If she were in a car with someone else, anyone who could harm her, there would be consequences.I instructed my chauffeur to join my men in the other car and drove because I wanted to be next to her. Every now and then, I glanced at my side to find her lips partly opened while her head changed positions.I didn't want to drop her off at the pack house in that state. Furthermore, I would be returning to the royal pack residence to give my mother details of my ordeal. She wasn't in control of the pack, but as Luna, she could offer advice or take steps on her own. My mother was skilled in diplomacy, having an eye to make the right connections. She bored me to death with her talks; she was a better Luna than a good mother, yet avoiding her was impossible.I led the way to Scarlett's home, knowing the address due to my research. It was weird, but I had stopped there twice to ca
JAX:The royal pack house had existed for centuries, with its structure changing to adapt to each decade or modern adjustments to make it seem fitting and luxurious. Currently, it was in between antique and in style with the current time.Unlike the Moonrock pack, we only had a large silver gate with wolf ornaments that could accommodate three cars at once if they were able to maneuver their way around it. Requests from the people were brought to the pack house, and emergencies were directed to Zharn or my mother.Around the surroundings were sculpted heads of previous rulers, with the heads getting bigger according to their achievements. My grandfather had the largest head, his reign known as the war era. He charged into battle, seizing lands, conquering domains, without forgetting to pile up generational enemies who threatened to come after my life for his actions.He was known as the war Alpha as well as the greatest who died a natural death. To the public, he was great. To his son
SCARLETT :No matter how much he threatened to punish me, I still came to work. Almost every day I'm at his office, in his car letting him do wicked things to my body.Rosie still calls, and he waits till I'm there before he picks up, not to spite me, but to show where his temporary loyalty lies.I had begun to search for ridiculous things on the internet, like ‘how to make a man fall in love with you in sixty days.’The results were simple:Days 1-10: Build a Foundation. Days 11-20: Foster Trust and Comfort. Days 21-40: Deepen the Bond. Days 41-60: Reflect and Let Things Flow.Days one to ten were gone without me realizing or deciphering what kind of foundation we had laid down for ourselves. Days eleven to twenty were almost gone, and I don't know if what I was feeling was trust or comfort. Heck, I had no idea what Alpha Jax was feeling.All he did was summon me wherever he was, in his chamber, or get his chauffeur to bring me to his cabin. Sometimes he'd be gentle, sometimes he'd b
SCARLETT :"Breathe, Scar, I'm begging you," Sophie said tearfully, covering me with more clothing than I had on earlier.I wanted to reach for the anxiety pills Lucinda recommended to me, but I couldn't let Sophie know how much I was affected. It would kill her, I just knew it. My sister's sanity was important. If she knew everything, she'd go berserk, perhaps even more than my father would.On second thought, my father would try to bring down the whole world. Nonetheless, it was something I had to hide for good measure.I focused on what my therapist taught me."It's not real. It's not real.""Water," I called out, my throat dry and scratchy from all the tension."What's going on?" Cage barged into the locker/dressing room."She needs water," my twin replied frantically. Cage bolted in and out, returning with a bottle of room temperature water that I gulped down instantly.When I calmed down, questions set in like some paparazzi invasion."Did he hurt you?""What did he say?""I'm s
HARRISON CAGE :I was on my way to make a report to the Alpha, my old friend, when I collided with a woman who caught my attention by simply being there. Those who had known me since before I was born, or at least since my birth, would say that I fell for her because she reminded me of a certain person. Scarlett De Luca.After our brief encounter, I longed to see her again, to hear her voice at least. I had never cared much for another being until her. Words cannot describe the way she made me feel.Subtly, yet desperately, I would pass by the Alpha's chambers just to see if she would come out or something. I wanted to step in to catch a glimpse of her, but the Alpha's glare deterred me at first.I was content with seeing her leave work. I was content with Sophie rambling loudly about how cool Scarlett was to the Beta. I was fine until Logan captured her. That was when all my morale disappeared. I, a man who was said to never glance at another woman, not even once, was filled with rag
SCARLETT :The kiss awakened feelings I thought were dead within me, emotions I believed I would never experience again after what Logan did to me. The touch of his lips elicited soft gasps from me, which he took advantage of by slipping his tongue into my mouth, intertwining us completely. There was tenderness and urgency in his movements.I clutched his shirt at the sides to steady myself. We broke the kiss to catch our breath, our foreheads touching as I stood on my toes to add a bit to my height."See? You want me too," his voice was gruff, deep, and filled with lust. He whispered in my ear, "And I bet even if you try to deny it, the scent of your arousal won't lie."If we were in a different situation, I might have reacted differently, but his words made my chest tighten. The heat between us dissipated, memories resurfaced like an abyss I couldn't escape. My heart raced, but this time it wasn't with pleasure or desire; it was with terror."Look at how wet you are for me. Do you d
SCARLETT :The noise outside the door grew rowdier. I stepped out of the water, grabbed a towel, and my phone to text Sophie.Scar: Hey!I texted her, waiting so long that my lower teeth dug into my lower lip, thinking it might bleed. I would have called, but I was too scared to speak in case the boys realized there was a girl in the bathroom.Soph: ... Sup.Scar: I'm trapped in the steam bathroom for trainees.Soph: I'll get help.Scar: No, wait. Just come, there's a bunch of dudes outside, and I need you to distract them so I can get my clothes and leave.Soph: On it.I waited on the bench opposite the steam bath, hoping my twin would arrive in time. Suddenly, the murmurs increased, quieted down, and I heard footsteps fading away.I could finally breathe. The doorknob moved, and I proceeded to open the door."Soph—" I looked up and found whiskey eyes looking down on me, literally because the Alpha towered over me in size and height. "What are you doing here?" I seethed."Saving you
SCARLETT :"Fine," he groaned."Thank you," I breathed out. "See, it wasn't that hard.""Let's start over tomorrow," he suggested.I refuted, "I want back in today. I'll get some rest, handle my work, ask Sophie to get me a protein bar or something, and I'll take it from the beginning again.""I'm just starting to realize how stubborn you are," a small grin appeared at the corner of his lips, more like a smirk."I do hope you do not think that I stand here before you today by being meek and agreeing with everybody," I told him."Certainly not! I like my people fiery like fireballs," he smiled fully, making me return the same energy."Then get ready because I come in blazing flames.""I'm always ready," he groaned and stretched. "Alright, enough chit and chatter. Go back to getting some rest, I'll give the boys a day off, that way, I can focus on you.""Alright, captain," I mockingly saluted. "I'll get to texting Sophie for a protein bar and an energy drink.""Make that a protein bar,"
SCARLETT :My head was blank for a while, and I felt like I was back in the hellhole I was in weeks ago. My head stung bitterly from the migraine threatening to cut my thought process to smithereens.I opened my eyes to the familiar ambiance of the Alpha's office.No, Cage wouldn't have brought me here after telling me to stay away from the Alpha. Although my entire body ached with the need for rest, I got to my feet and made my way out of his chambers. It was still early, but the guards were outside his door with their usual grunting expressions. I'd give anything to see them smile or get mad. They were like programmed machineries.It was only a matter of time before Reyes and the rest of the staff resumed, and the Alpha, who rarely came to work that early, was obviously at the pack house.My heart thumped at the prospect of seeing him again after what happened between us the previous day. I didn't want to react to that man in any way. I just needed my freaking heart to understand me
SCARLETT :I braced myself for the next warm-up.Jogging through tires couldn't be as hard as push-ups.I stumbled at first, my foot catching on the rubber, nearly sending me sprawling.Cage's barked laugh echoed behind me. "Coordination isn’t your strong suit, is it?""Shut up!" I shouted, fuming. "I barely caught a break, that's why." I retorted before hopping through the tires with renewed determination.Next came stability drills. He balanced a heavy sandbag on my shoulders while I stood on one leg atop a wobbly wooden platform."This is ridiculous," I groaned, the bag threatening to topple me."This is survival," he corrected, circling me like a predator. "If you can hold steady under pressure here, you won’t falter in the field.""What field?" I almost yelled. "I'm doing this for self-protection!""Just saying. Who knows, you might sign up for war if it comes down to it.""Never." I nearly fell but caught myself, shooting him a triumphant glare before he could mock me. "Still st
SCARLETT :Today marked my official turning point, the day where I leave all my physical weaknesses behind to embrace strength. I was out in the cold morning; summer was fading, and winter was here.It had been more than three months since the Alpha and the bond walked into my life.I was clad in a warm hoodie, flexible thick leggings, and combat boots Cage gifted me. Relying on finding training clothing in a dressing room mostly designed for men because, of course, ninety-five percent of the pack's army was made up of men.Cage walked me to the training ground, and I was amused.It stretched out under the mid-morning growing sun with racks of training weapons lined up in their tracks: swords, knives, arrows, and guns. Oh my goodness. The only weapon I had ever held in my life was a knife for cooking, and those knives could even be called daggers; they looked so pointy and sharp that I bet they'd kill in an instant.Goosebumps covered my skin at the thought; I hoped to never have a re
SCARLETT :"Wait, Scarlett," Cage followed behind me. "You just looked so cute with your dimples I wanted to capture the moment," he explained, walking behind me, ignoring the fact that the pack house was busy and staff could see what was going on."I don't look cute," I spun around, lowering my voice. "Don't speak too loudly; I don't want people getting any funny ideas.""Okay," he spoke in a whisper. "But I'm not deleting the picture.""Cage," I whined. "I mean, Sir Cage.""It's Sir Cage now?""There are people around.""Sophie would agree with me," he defended himself."Too bad she's not here," I retorted."Yo! Bestie and twin."Speak of the devil. My sister ran to meet us, leaving the Beta's side, who stood waiting like a bodyguard. I forgot how close Cage's office was to the Beta's. The buildings weren't so distant like the Alpha's place. Sophie and I rarely saw each other at work. I was glad I'd be able to see her more often.I re-registered her words. When did she and Cage beco