~Kiki~ The knot in my throat seemed to have grown bigger when I realized everyone was now staring at me. Alpha Kayden was waiting for an answer. Fiddling with the edge of the kitchen tablecloth, I glanced around wildly to think of something to say. "Um... You--- it's your arm around my w-waist." I was stammering like an idiot. "I mean, you know we are t-too close, and, and your taut, hard muscles..." My eyes raked over his naked torso involuntarily. The frowning and suspicious look on the Alpha's face transformed into a small, smug smirk. There was a mischievous glint in those deep blue eyes, and I could see him suppress a chuckle. I could also feel my ears burn with embarrassment, but it was too late to take my words back. His gaze flickered downwards to my lips momentarily while his eyes turned a shade darker. My stomach did a sudden flip before I felt an ache between my legs. My entire body was actually aching for him, and I wished he pulled me closer again. My hand had a mind
~Kiki~I struggled to keep my nerves under control as we all walked to the room Alpha Kayden and his Gamma had just come out of. I was the last one to step in, and the Alpha locked the door immediately behind us.The room seemed to be a guest room with just a king-sized bed, dresser, and a nightstand with a lamp. Willow arched a sharp brow as her eyes darted between the two men and the bed she was standing so close to. At least there was someone else who was as puzzled as me.Alpha Kayden would not meet my eyes. He gazed at his Gamma for a moment, clenching his jaw. What happened next made my stomach plummet, forcing me to clutch the nearest piece of furniture in shock.Somebody tell me this is a nightmare! Alpha Kayden thrust Willow roughly against the headboard and tugged on her hair, crashing his lips against hers. She wasted no time in reciprocating.Ignoring the sharp pain in my chest, I gazed between the two and let out a growl, my eyes narrowing. What the hell was happening? I
~Kayden~Fuck!! What just happened? How could Kiki be my mate? I would never be able to take her as my Luna.Why did I even let Nash persuade me to carry out this stupid test? All I wanted was to find out the truth and clear Kiki's name from so many allegations against her. I wanted to find out why Axel and I were so drawn to her when she wasn't our mate. But did I ever think about what to do if she actually turned out to be my mate? Nope! Because I was certain she couldn't ever be my mate.It wasn't just because Axel said so. The Moon Goddess had always paired an Alpha wolf with another Alpha's daughter, or a Beta's daughter, at the very least.The Green Valley Pack's Alpha was in love with an Omega's daughter and rejected his true mate for love. His chosen mate couldn't survive childbirth.That's how the Moon Goddess built us to make the strongest of the alphas run and protect the packs. An Alpha who hid in his office during a pack war was unheard of because such an Alpha didn't exi
~Kiki~ "Kiki, wake up. You are going to be late!" Poppy shook me out of the usual nightmare that had been haunting me for years. "Why are you soaked in so much sweat when this room is freezing?" She peeled off the sheets sticking to my skin and went ahead to pull the curtains apart, opening the windows and letting some fresh morning air in. Bright sunlight poured into the room while I tried to retain all the new details that got added to my dream. It had always started with an angry, roaring ocean and thundering skies. But this time it started with a thunderous bone-rattling growl instead, and then someone had dropped me into the water, more like tossed me in from somewhere high. Little details like this kept getting added to the dream sometimes. "Kiki!" Ugh, didn't realize I was falling asleep again. It's been almost two weeks since I had seen my mate. He had been avoiding me pretty well, and Cel had been keeping me up a lot at night, worrying about if our mate was preparing to
~Kiki~My mind was swimming in thoughts as we reached Alpha Blake's pack. How could the frail old woman be Moon Goddess's evil sister?Sibyl! Some things did make sense now.She disliked werewolves and never let Benji or Megan anywhere near her cottage when they had accompanied me in the past. She had also looked strangely disturbed when I showed her the mark on my back.She tricked Alpha Dimitri into believing that she was a seer. She was no seer. She was an imposter. Now I was pretty sure she was responsible for those rogue attacks she pretended to be foreseeing to make herself valuable to Alpha Dimitri and his pack. I bet she had a lot to do with Skinwalkers showing up in Thunder Bay pack lands too.Alpha Kayden was right about Skinwalkers. They weren't capable of attacking someone who had lost their mate. And yet, I found Alpha Dimitri fighting for his life when half a dozen of them were pitched against him. Sibyl brought them in and took care of their dead bodies before the warr
~Kiki~"Oh no! Alpha Kayden will be furious. I'm not going to be the one telling him this news." Poppy started walking back and forth near the doorway, still holding the bags of chips she brought from Thunder Bay.It wasn't really my fault, was it? Did I ask him to break into my bedroom and sleep with me? He should be pissed at himself, and I should be mad at him too because that little bit of pain I felt moments ago was pretty bad when the heat hadn't even started. I could only imagine how much worse it was going to get when the actual heat kicked in.'Our mate is going to continue ignoring us. We don't have to wait for him. There are many others who would be happy to put us out of our misery.' Cel had turned rogue.She was the biggest fan of Alpha Kayden until he made out with Willow. She was so hurt she stopped saying good things about him since then. That didn't stop her from yearning for him all these days. But now she was just a lustful beast? It was scary that she wanted a mate
~Kiki~ I cracked the window open to let the cool breeze in. It was right before dawn, and the sky was laden with dark rain clouds. Taking a deep breath, I closed my burning eyes. They were dried up of all tears after hours of crying and failing to catch some sleep. Despite the stuffy nose, I could still smell the pinecones and dandelions that were over a mile away. But it wasn't the smell of grass and wood I opened this window for. Cel was restless. The pain of being left high and dry by our mate was too much to handle. She couldn't feel his scent anymore. It was weak for the most part of the night, and now it was gone completely. Dark River Pack was huge and extended for several miles. Alpha Kayden was probably somewhere in the woods, running. Was he also not able to get any sleep? My wolf was pathetic. I tried so hard to convince her to stop thinking about him, but she kept me up all night, lying in the dark and getting her hopes up every time there was a faint noise in the hallw
~Alpha Kayden~Every day had been pure torture since the day I found out Kiki was my mate. I heard so many things about how powerful the mate bond was, had seen my dad wallow in grief for a good chunk of his life after losing mom, and had also seen how blissfully happy some of the couples at Thunder Bay were. Even the manwhore Alpha Blake was suddenly a different person. But nothing prepared me for when I found my mate. No amount of words came close to what it actually felt like once I knew Kiki was mine.My heart ached for her every single moment, and Axel was yearning to see her belly to be swollen with our pups. It breaks my heart that it would never happen. We would never know the beautiful babies Kiki could have given us. I wouldn't even know how she might have looked with my mark on her neck. This was agony. Pure fucking agony. My chest tightened every single time I thought about rejecting her.I have been desperately trying to keep myself together but failing. No matter how
~Kiki~ "Siren abode?" "Our home in the ocean. You've seriously been living under a rock, haven't you? No wonder we never saw you before." Her laughter echoed across the water, bouncing off the curious stares of the two sisters. "Do you remember the first time we met?" I shook my head as if a thick fog was obscuring my past. "Well, the siren abode is closer to where we first crossed paths," Haley continued, her voice turning gentle. Every full moon, sirens from all corners of the world gather there. It takes us just a couple of hours to swim from Storm Moon Pack, but for those farther out, the journey starts the night before. You see, not everyone can leave the ocean. We're the lucky few." "Um, so your mate is..." I trailed off, unsure if I was overstepping. A blush bloomed across Haley's cheeks, and her fingers unconsciously traced the pendant around her neck. "He's the Alpha King's nephew. I never knew sirens could feel such emotions until I met him. He's—" Eleanor cut in, he
~Kiki~The feeling of despair and hopelessness was soul crushing.Alpha Kayden had broken my heart countless times, every single time I saw him with Sienna, when he threw me into the dreary dungeons, and when he ignored the mate bond to choose Willow over me. But I had no control over those situations and could only hope for better days. Today was harder. It was me leaving him behind and choosing the ocean over him.The look on his face as I swam away from him would haunt me forever. I fancied believing so bad he actually wanted me the way he wanted his chosen mate.The only reason he slept with me was the mate bond. The bond was too powerful and it forced him to protect me from his pack and Victoria. He wouldn't have spared me another look if I wasn't his fated mate. He wouldn't have jumped into the ocean without thinking for a second if not for this pointless bond. None of these arguments eased the pain I felt when his face flashed through my mind. I had to do it. To let go of wh
~Alpha Kayden~"Kade!!! Fuck!!"I heard my Gamma's words before the howling wind took over, blowing my hair into my face as I made a nosedive to meet the raging waters below. Brilliant streaks of lightning blinded my vision while I strained to see if we were going to hit any sharp rocks that lined the rugged coastline.My heart was pounding in my throat, not out of fear of dying but with fear of losing Kiki. I was still midair with a plummeting feeling in my stomach when I heard a loud splash followed by a gasp as her body crashed against the water's surface.Frigid salty waves splashed and stung my eyes moments before my body collided with them. The currents were super strong, they pulled me down violently, tugging my body deeper and deeper. Peals of thunder now sounded distant as I tried to swim underwater, making my way to calmer deeper waters, away from the coast.I knew Kiki went this way because I would have easily caught her if she had managed to make it to the shoreline. It wa
~Alpha Kayden~Thirty Minutes EarlierMy meeting with Alpha Brandon went much better than I had imagined. Given that I already irked the Alpha King Kian, only a fool would go ahead and piss his loyal ally off as well. And I was that fool when I told Alpha Brandon that I could not go ahead with what my grandma had proposed.Grandma had pinned high hopes on this alliance and spoke on my behalf without consulting me. Once Willow left Thunder Bay weeks ago, I assumed it was over. But grandma and my Gamma Nash reached out to Alpha Brandon again and gave their yes before I even got to Dark River Pack.I expected Alpha Brandon to be furious for rejecting his daughter a second time. But instead of spewing angry threats and challenges, all he did was ask why I was turning her down. And when I told him I found my mate, he seemed to be completely convinced his daughter wouldn't be happy with me as my chosen mate while my true mate was around me.He just had one request for me: "Willow is very se
~Kiki~"Get some rest. We will do this again later tonight." Cel purred in contentment at her mate's words as he leaned in to kiss my forehead. I couldn't help pouting as he moved away, instantly missing the feel of his arms."I'll miss you.""I know, Kiki! Don't want to leave at all but I have to meet someone before the ball." I loved the way my name sounded rolling off his lips. He kissed me again and pulled the covers over my naked body.I watched his chiseled back as he picked his clothes from the floor. I wanted to memorize everything about him and about our time together. His delectable scent as he hugged me tightly, those gray eyes and the way they darkened so many times today, and that heavenly feeling when he was inside me.I closed my eyes, relishing every moment of the last few hours, about how Alpha Kayden let himself go. The sound of heavy footsteps slowly faded away as I drifted off into a blissful delirium.Not sure if it was the rumbling sky or the hushed whispers of P
~Alpha Kayden~Every day had been pure torture since the day I found out Kiki was my mate. I heard so many things about how powerful the mate bond was, had seen my dad wallow in grief for a good chunk of his life after losing mom, and had also seen how blissfully happy some of the couples at Thunder Bay were. Even the manwhore Alpha Blake was suddenly a different person. But nothing prepared me for when I found my mate. No amount of words came close to what it actually felt like once I knew Kiki was mine.My heart ached for her every single moment, and Axel was yearning to see her belly to be swollen with our pups. It breaks my heart that it would never happen. We would never know the beautiful babies Kiki could have given us. I wouldn't even know how she might have looked with my mark on her neck. This was agony. Pure fucking agony. My chest tightened every single time I thought about rejecting her.I have been desperately trying to keep myself together but failing. No matter how
~Kiki~ I cracked the window open to let the cool breeze in. It was right before dawn, and the sky was laden with dark rain clouds. Taking a deep breath, I closed my burning eyes. They were dried up of all tears after hours of crying and failing to catch some sleep. Despite the stuffy nose, I could still smell the pinecones and dandelions that were over a mile away. But it wasn't the smell of grass and wood I opened this window for. Cel was restless. The pain of being left high and dry by our mate was too much to handle. She couldn't feel his scent anymore. It was weak for the most part of the night, and now it was gone completely. Dark River Pack was huge and extended for several miles. Alpha Kayden was probably somewhere in the woods, running. Was he also not able to get any sleep? My wolf was pathetic. I tried so hard to convince her to stop thinking about him, but she kept me up all night, lying in the dark and getting her hopes up every time there was a faint noise in the hallw
~Kiki~"Oh no! Alpha Kayden will be furious. I'm not going to be the one telling him this news." Poppy started walking back and forth near the doorway, still holding the bags of chips she brought from Thunder Bay.It wasn't really my fault, was it? Did I ask him to break into my bedroom and sleep with me? He should be pissed at himself, and I should be mad at him too because that little bit of pain I felt moments ago was pretty bad when the heat hadn't even started. I could only imagine how much worse it was going to get when the actual heat kicked in.'Our mate is going to continue ignoring us. We don't have to wait for him. There are many others who would be happy to put us out of our misery.' Cel had turned rogue.She was the biggest fan of Alpha Kayden until he made out with Willow. She was so hurt she stopped saying good things about him since then. That didn't stop her from yearning for him all these days. But now she was just a lustful beast? It was scary that she wanted a mate
~Kiki~My mind was swimming in thoughts as we reached Alpha Blake's pack. How could the frail old woman be Moon Goddess's evil sister?Sibyl! Some things did make sense now.She disliked werewolves and never let Benji or Megan anywhere near her cottage when they had accompanied me in the past. She had also looked strangely disturbed when I showed her the mark on my back.She tricked Alpha Dimitri into believing that she was a seer. She was no seer. She was an imposter. Now I was pretty sure she was responsible for those rogue attacks she pretended to be foreseeing to make herself valuable to Alpha Dimitri and his pack. I bet she had a lot to do with Skinwalkers showing up in Thunder Bay pack lands too.Alpha Kayden was right about Skinwalkers. They weren't capable of attacking someone who had lost their mate. And yet, I found Alpha Dimitri fighting for his life when half a dozen of them were pitched against him. Sibyl brought them in and took care of their dead bodies before the warr