~Nyla~
"Don't fucking pull these stunts around me." The big bad alpha twisted my arm and seized my dagger. All I managed to do was scratch his wrist in the slightest. It was such a failed attempt that the minor break in his skin was already healing right in front of my eyes. I don't remember being this bad at close combat.
Frustrated by my weakness and the effect his proximity had on my heart and stupid legs, which were both trembling, I kneed him hard.
*Slap!*
I couldn't believe it! This asshole alpha just struck me hard.
"What kind of man hits a defenseless woman?" I yelled in his face as he reached to snatch my baby away from me.
"Defenseless?" He placed the dagger near my throat as I was going to protest him touching my baby. "You just kneed me, woman!"
I did not care about the pressure of the curved metal against my throat.
"No, please! Give her back. I haven't even named her yet. Please." I cried and let go of my little ones' feet, scared that I might hurt her by trying to pull her too hard.
He threw the baby up in the air for one of his men to catch. Anger boiled within me as I devised the number of ways I was going to kill this man when the time was right.
Maya's scream pulled me out of murderous thoughts. She was hurt and bleeding pretty badly from her shoulder.
"Stop it, please," I begged his men. "Maya, stop fighting!" She was stubborn as hell and doesn't care if we were outnumbered or not as strong as them.
The men stopped fighting her. Not because they cared about my words. They got a signal from their alpha. I kneeled down to where Maya was writhing in pain. I rested my forehead against hers, ready to heal her.
My kind could heal each other through body contact while humming a certain tune in our minds together. I started the lullaby and Maya joined me, but I stopped abruptly as a feeling of dread washed over me when I saw the blood disappear from her wound.
"I shouldn't do this. I'm sorry." Large drops of tears rolled down my cheeks no matter how much I tried to stop them. It hurt to see Maya in pain when I could take it away. But healing her so quickly would come at a cost. These men will know I'm no ordinary human as they might assume. For my baby's safety, I could not reveal my identity, no matter what.
"Go home, please. I will return once I avenge Wyatt's death. I have to find a way to keep the baby alive as well." My pleadings went over her head.
"I can't leave you with these men. They will kill you."
"I'll find a way to survive. Pleaaseee, listen to me. Go!"
"Enough!" The asshole alpha dragged me up onto my feet and threw me over his shoulders.
"STOP!" Maya ran after us but got attacked by the men.
My heart broke to see her scream. "Please, I'll never ask you for anything. Ask your men to spare her, please." I begged the heartless man who didn't seem to care. My head was beginning to spin as I cried my lungs out while he climbed to the terrace with me slung over his shoulder.
"Let her go." He said in a deep, commanding voice, and suddenly Maya was free. I prayed she wouldn't act stupid and try to fight them again.
What happened next was a blur as my bloody captor pulled me down and carried me in bridal style now, while running up the stairs to reach the terrace. This area on the roof held a special significance to me. Wyatt had asked me to become his luna here on a beautiful starry night. I wanted to cry my heart now as the thought that he's no more hit me again.
The noise of a chopper that was waiting for us on the roof drowned my thoughts and sobs.
"Where are we going? And my baby?" I tried to ask in a firm, angry voice, but all I could manage was a hoarse whisper.
"She will live."
"But I'll have to feed her. Isn't she coming with us?" I had no idea how far away he lived from here. How was I going to sneak out and find my little one if he left her here with someone? "Would I ever see her again?" I broke into tears again.
He strapped me to the seat and squeezed my jaw. "Say one more word, and I'll punch you unconscious. You talk damn too much!"
For someone whose husband got killed and baby got snatched, I talk too much? I'll show no mercy when he's dying to catch his breath. But before that, I'll kill everyone near and dear to him.
I was now willing to go see his pack, to know everything about them, and plan my first target. I'll make him die piece by piece every day, starting from the next full moon.
'Lead your enemy into believing that you are weak, fragile, and need to be protected.' This is what my mom had taught me. That is how we catch more prey.
The chopper took off as I looked down at the lush green forests and beautiful fishing lakes and banks that Wyatt and I camped on. I was leaving them all behind, with just his memories to hold onto.
Will I ever see home again? Why were these men not interested in moving to such a magnificent palace? A palace currently in shambles of course, but it was worth bringing back to its old glory.
As the chopper flew over the ocean, I looked out of the window, hoping to see at least another chopper full of men with my baby in it. They will probably take the road. Poor thing, she must be hungry.
I felt a strange constriction in my chest when I imagined her crying and wanting my presence. Salty tears welled up in my eyes again. I did not foresee today to be such a tragedy.
If not for my baby, I wouldn't mind causing a commotion and drowning this chopper in the big blue ocean.
"Am I ever going to see my baby?" I asked a woman who came to serve me some fruit and milk.
She looked up warily and her eyes met her alpha's. Damn their overly sensitive ears! She walked away without responding.
All I needed from her was just one nod to ease my heart. What was I expecting from these people? Comforting words?
Comfort—I couldn't push one thought away no matter how hard I tried—that the most comfort I felt amidst all these series of events was when I was in his arms. Alpha Kian's arms. No matter how cruel he was, his presence made me feel that my baby will be safe... I will be safe.
These werewolves can't deny the powerful emotions that came with the mate bond. They go to any lengths to protect their mates, even if they are second chance mates.
But would he care? He looks like he would strangle his mate to avoid feeling anything.
I turned back and looked at him through the space between my seat and the next. He instantly felt my gaze and his eyes met mine. There was a flicker of warmth and something else in there. It disappeared as fast as it appeared, and he stared at me with indifference.
Fuck!
He is my enemy.
He killed Wyatt.
He has to die.
I need to say these three sentences to myself every day and every night as many times as needed. I cannot insult Wyatt's memories by thinking about this asshole. My fluttering heart can go to hell.
The sapphire blue waters gave way to pristine coasts as my eyes got heavy and I fell asleep. Maya must have reached home by now... hopefully.
What kind of paranormal creature do you think she is? Any guesses??
~Nyla~ There was still daylight, but the sun was nowhere to be seen when I was jolted out of my sleep. The chopper had touched the ground already, and heavy rain with thunder rumbling and flashing lightning greeted us. The same woman who brought food to me earlier had come to wake me up. Everyone was already off the chopper except for two men with grumpy faces. The woman led the way while one man grabbed me by the arm and took me to the packhouse. We were walking towards what appeared to be a huge estate amidst a spectacular setting with at least 8000 acres. We passed through glorious gardens and an array of distinctive buildings. My mind wandered off to the stunning gardens at the palace where I loved to spend my mornings, eating scrumptious breakfast and listening to the birds sing. How I took everything for granted because my man was the most powerful Alpha I knew. I thought no harm would ever come to any of us. "The Alp
~Nyla~ "Will you shut the fuck up and sob somewhere in the hallways? Some of us have an early morning shift!" Sadie yelled at me the first night we shared the room. "Wake up, princess. Would you like some breakfast in your bed?" She threw the leftover water from her water bottle on my sleepy face when I felt tired and slept in. I was counting down days to the next full moon. Life as a maid sucked, but I wouldn't have minded it so much if they told me where my baby was. My biggest complaint wasn't even the baby. It was the longing I felt for my nemesis. He never bothered me after strapping me to my seat in the chopper. It was as if he was avoiding me. I should be glad while perfecting my plan. What was I doing instead? I was thinking about him. My nights were mostly filled with tears, thinking about my little girl and wondering if she was okay. While my new mate successfully ignored me for days, something about him told me she was
~Nyla~ My breath hitched, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to get affected by his proximity. Electricity surged through my body when I felt his wolf's rough tongue lick my neck. So he was mad about the finger marks left by that lusty man. My eyes remained shut, enjoying the feel of his fur against my thighs and the soothing way he ran his tongue over my skin. I thought I could feel him apologize to me for not coming to my rescue any earlier. He stopped suddenly when he realized I could sense his thoughts. If I was a human, I obviously shouldn't know what my mate was thinking. But I knew everything Wyatt was thinking when he touched me. My kind mostly lived in their own world and we didn't have this mate concept. Occasionally, the Moon Goddess blesses us with a mate. In my case, two mates. When we are chosen to spend our life as a werewolf's mate, we get to keep a moonstone that lets us remain in human form. I have to rejuvenate the pendant's
~Nyla~ "What do you want?" He almost snapped at me even before looking at me. Seriously? Does he expect me to think that big black wolf was some stray? His wolf probably isn't an arrogant ass like him. Where the hell was he going? He put on a jacket and was now strapping a watch on. How could someone look so sinfully sexy? He oozed such dominance in that perfectly tailored suit and a concrete jaw under a dark grainy stubble. No one should be allowed to look so hot! An earthy scent swirled around him as I moved closer. The mate bond was playing tricks on my mind again. My presence and scent should affect him, and being the human he thinks I am, I should be clueless. But here he was, standing with his back facing me, so indifferent while looking into the mirror and working up flawlessly coiffed hair. "I want my baby." "I told you she will live." "Why can't I have her? She's mine after all." "Didn't you
~Nyla~I wanted to run back to my room as soon as possible, feeling stupid for making myself so obvious to him. Where did the feelings of anger and hatred for him go? They were there all right, but I only felt pain and a sense of betrayal right now.Wiping my tears, I was about to turn around the corner when Kian wrapped his arms around me from behind. I grabbed on his hands, trying to free myself, but he lifted me up like I weighed nothing and carried me to his room."Let me go! Don't touch me, you asshole! I hate you."He ignored my screams and walked into his room with me hanging to the side, kicking him and holding onto the walls near the doorway. The woman he was going to fuck was still there, looking confused as he threw her floral top at her."Out! Shut the door."He slammed me into the mattress and firmly pressed his body against me. A wave of heat flushed through my body as I felt his erection graze against my stomach. My nerv
~Kian~I heard Nyla shut the door and secure the deadbolt as I walked back to my room.She has been locking her room pretty secure ever since the night I sneaked in after 2 AM to lie down next to her. I expected her to be tired and passed out completely, but she seemed to know about my intrusion that night. So glad she never confronted me about it.I'm doing a lot of stupid things these days and hoping no one notices the change in me. My wolf is completely out of control since the day I met her. I forgot how to fucking think when I first saw her. It has been a while that my heart beats so fast for someone.Seeing her cry twisted my stomach. I'm very well aware of the pain that comes when the mate bond breaks and the fact that I was the one to cause all that pain made me loathe my existence.When she asked me to spare her friend, I obeyed her without thinking. She is trouble for sure.My beta won't stop asking why I let her friend go wh
~Kian~ The scent of rain and raspberries filled my senses as soon as I turned the corner to reach Nyla's room. I was sure I heard her lock the door last night, but it was ajar right now. She might have woken up a few times to feed the baby. Why leave the door open? I pushed it further open, feeling slightly anxious about her going missing, even when her scent was strong. Seeing her safe and asleep so peacefully, a sudden sense of euphoric bliss washed over me. She had her dainty arms wrapped around her baby in a protective grip as the baby latched onto her breast and sucked happily. She must be exhausted to have fallen asleep in the middle of feeding, with the door open like that. I walked closer to get a better look at her face. Unless I was kissing her senseless, her crescent-shaped eyebrows were always scrunched whenever she saw me. With sweeping eyelashes, a cute button nose, and puffy heart-shaped lips, her sleeping face was urging me to ra
~Nyla~I rubbed my eyes wearily when I heard Ren knock on the door to bring some breakfast for me. Why doesn't this Kian let me sleep in or leave me alone?I got no time to rejuvenate my pendant's energy because the full moon didn't rise until a little before five in the morning. Sadie was a petty creature who didn't deserve my energy to be wasted on, but her meddlesome attitude turned out to be a pain when I tried to get Adalyn to step outdoors. I had no intentions to take her down, but I had to.Add Ren to the mix, and I thought I almost lost my chance this month. Not wanting to kill Ren, I had to muddle her memories. Sadie hated me and wouldn't trust me at all, so it was not possible to confuse her.I already expected Adalyn to put up a tough fight because she seemed to be as strong as Maya. Maya was unmatchable on full moon nights, of course, while these she-wolves didn't have any such extra special powers.What came as a nasty surprise t
TWO YEARS LATER ~Nyla~ Déjà vu! It was a beautiful April morning. Maya and I were living the same moment again. We were back in the palace at the Golden Dells. I was pregnant again, and today was the Coronation Ceremony. Dressed in a beautiful purple satin gown, I paced to the bedroom Wyatt and I once occupied. The room was locked and preserved in his memory. Our pictures together hung up on the walls and they tugged at my heart with the same intensity, even after all this time. They say our loved ones never truly leave us. They walk beside us every day, unseen but always near, still missed as much. There are things that death cannot touch. I hoped it was true. I wanted Wyatt to watch my sunny smiles, to know that Ari found the best dad I could ever give her. I wished the new addition to the family to be a boy with Kian's green eyes. Ari was already a daddy's girl. The Moon Goddess gave me a lot more than I deserv
~Kian~ I drove at jet speed to the venue, praying Nyla was unharmed. While most of my wounds from fighting the Skinwalkers were healing already, the deep gash running down my ribcage seemed to need a pack doctor. A thick sense of foreboding lingered in the air as I reached my destination. Driving my car into the dry and deep sand, I slammed on the brakes when I couldn't believe my eyes from afar. All my pack members seemed to be walking into the ocean like mindless zombies. What the hell was happening? I ran towards them in a frenzy and used my alpha command to stop them. It didn't work. A hauntingly sweet melody had seeped through the air, filling my every sense and demanding me to look at the source of the song. Nyla...! Was it really her? Her face was still the same, and so was her upper body, which was now naked. A ripple of anger pulsed through me when I watched her bare herself to everyone. The speci
~Nyla~Rachel wasn't thrilled. She wanted to take a lot of silly pictures with me and her dolled-up friends while we rode in her fancy car. We were instead in a black SUV with boring seats and grumpy guard wolves.The atmosphere was charged. Live music, lots of food, kids running around or taking a dip in the ocean, and adults enjoying their drinks by the beach. It was as if we arrived at some carnival celebration.I tried to push my poison-filled thoughts to the back about how to end their smiles and laughter right away. The power of the full moon coupled with the latent energy of the stone was making me restless."Oh yes! Looks like their boring meeting ended early today!" Rachel said and jumped out of the car when she saw her dad coming out with a few others.Alpha Caine's eyes locked with me as if I was his next task on his to-do list for the day. He was over six feet tall, just like Kian, but with hazel eyes and copper hair. He walked to
~Nyla~I took a long bath after Kian left. This past week had been the hardest to get through, and I needed to mull everything over.I wasn't aware it was possible to be this torn between the feelings of love and revenge. While I believe at times that Kian was one of the best things that happened to me, guilt was eating me away. Moving on so quickly seemed unnatural enough, and moving on with the bringer of my misfortunes felt unacceptable.I thought no one was silently judging me except for my subconscious, which was constantly spewing Wyatt's memories to the front, reminding me what a horrible person I was. Then I found another silent judge when Kian said Maya was watching us.It must be Maya. She was probably waiting for Kian to move his pack to Golden Dells so she could get her revenge. She didn't know he had no plans to relocate or if I was even alive. Neither did she know he lived in the Western Cascades, which was quite far from home.If she
~Kian~Didn't she want me to mark her and make her the Luna? I thought that's what she asked me when we fought on the night of Rachel's First Kill.I expected anything but a weak 'Oh' from her. She was wide awake when she heard me, and now she was pretending to have fallen asleep already. I could think of a lot of ways to wake her up and keep her screaming for the rest of the night. But she looked tired. I held onto her tightly, scared that she would disappear.This was a big step: introducing her to my dad as someone important rather than what he called 'a hole to fill'. He was absolutely going to throw a fit and would want me to pick an alpha female from either the White Claw Pack or the Moon Valley Pack. Both these pack Alphas had daughters who were above eighteen. The day Alpha Garrett went missing, my dad already decided Adalyn was of no use.I was unaware until recently that Nyla wanted more from whatever our relationship was. I would have refused i
~Nyla~I thought I had a sexy dream. I was tossing and turning in my bed, unable to catch a wink. The pendant was lying on the nightstand. I hadn't dared to wear it yet. Kian's blood would sustain me for a few days before the withdrawal symptoms kick in again.Walking to the window, I slightly cracked it open to let the night breeze in. Even at almost midnight, there was still some activity down below.Kian was supposed to be back around dinner, but I didn't see him return. As I was drifting off to sleep thinking about him, I heard someone jump into my room by opening the window wider.The whiff of his earthy scent caught in my nostrils as he laid next to me. Wrapping his strong, muscular arms around me, he crushed my body into his broad frame, claiming my lips and nuzzling his head into the crook of my neck.All I could manage was a moan, asking him to keep kissing me and not stop hugging me."You are back to smelling like rain and raspberr
~Nyla~ My groggy eyes widened the minute I opened them. What happened earlier today felt like a dream. All my life I had hated that my kind needed blood. It was more of a necessity to survive for me rather than a delicacy. But feeding from my mate was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was amazing! With the hum of pleasure that raced through my body and, given how good it tasted, I had to fight back the urge to suck him out dry. I couldn't help but blush when I saw he was hard. That sexy look on his face once I finished the best meal ever... it had aroused some deep-seated hunger within me. His heavenly masculine scent that still lingered on my body and the bedsheets made my lower regions clench in longing. I wanted him in my bed again. I kept telling myself I shouldn't want to like anything about him, yet I found everything so darn irresistible about him. All my wonderful thoughts about the awesome sex flew out the window when I heard a knock
~Kian~Fuck!My brain went numb when her sharp teeth pierced through my skin and she started sucking on my neck. I closed my eyes and gripped her hair as her body rubbed against mine.Rex wasn't worried that my mate was feeding off of me. He was giving me the "Told you... she's not human!" crap.I was too lost in the pain mixed with pleasure to think more about what she was. Within seconds, there was no more pain, just a strange rippling gratification in my chest. I could feel myself grow hard, burning with desire in response to her soft moans.Her flaky skin seemed to heal already, and she was fully recovered within a few minutes. Her hands pressed down on my chest and moved up to my nape. It felt so good I didn't want her to stop, even if it meant she would suck me dry. I was highly aroused by the time she licked my neck to stop the blood flow and stared into my eyes with a look of contentment.Those eyes were glowing golden, glazed over w
~Nyla~I couldn't erase the sight of him with Zoey, how perfect they looked next to each other. They were both strong and beautiful creatures, probably really horny for each other. There was a weird fullness in my throat that wouldn't dissolve despite the gushing tears.He snubbed me on purpose! Tears burned in my eyes while dry leaves crushed under my shoes as I walked back the way we drove by. An icy wind stung my face and whipped my hair, providing some respite to my burning skin.He's an arrogant, insensitive world-class jerk! Just because women are drawn to him like moths to a flame, he thinks it's okay to---His phone call interrupted my thoughts. As if I was ever going to answer him again. I hated myself for catching so many feelings. He called me a couple of times and then asked Rachel to call me. I switched my phone to silent mode and continued walking.The loud ocean waves were inviting me to just forget him and go home. I would hav