Sophia Once again, Rider pulled his domineering crap on me, but as soon as I challenged him, he did nothing. I was starting to believe he was all bark and no bite, and I was beginning to enjoy pushing his buttons since he was making it so easy. I followed Rider in my wolf form, northbound toward where the warrior was pursuing a rogue. It didn’t take long before we reached a large opening in the forest, where I spotted Warren standing naked in the middle, looking perplexed. His eyes were shooting around wildly like he was looking for something. Rider shifted into his human form and everyone else followed his lead, including me. A warrior quickly handed me a T-shirt, and I slipped it on. “Where’s the rogue?” Rider asked Warren. “He bloody disappeared. I have no clue,” Warren replied, sounding flabbergasted. “What do you mean he disappeared?” Rider gritted out. “Exactly that. He vanished. I was in hot pursuit, closing in on him and there was nowhere for him to go
Sophia Rider stood directly behind me, watching as I struggled against the restraints. My heart was beating erratically in my chest. What was he doing? Why was he just standing there? His silence caused my anxiety to spike. Something was different about him, and it both terrified and excited me at the same time. “This isn’t funny, Rider. Uncuff me now!” I ordered, trying my best not to sound nervous. “Why should I?” he taunted, and I could practically see the smirk on his face without looking at him. He was enjoying the control he had over me. “I swear to the Moon Goddess, Rider...” I gritted out but was interrupted by his dark and sinister chuckle. “What are you going to do, Sophia? Seems like you got yourself into a bit of a predicament here,” he hummed as I heard him move further away from me. My eyes shot over my shoulder to see what he was doing, and they immediately widened when I saw him lock his office door. “What are you doing?” I asked, my voice now c
Sophia It had been several days since the incident in Rider’s office. He’d been avoiding me like the plague, and I was ok with that. Everything about that night left me feeling more confused than I already was. I thought the sexual release would have helped me overcome my infatuation with him, but it didn’t. It made me crave more. The things he said kept replaying in my mind ‘I’m not sure you could handle half the shit I’m into.’ What did that even mean? What kind of things was he into? At first, I felt a little uncomfortable when he started pocking around my backside, but it didn’t take long for me to get over that and enjoy everything he did to me. Was that what he was talking about, or was there more? Goddess, just thinking about his mouth on my clit was arousing me for the hundredth time today. His actions that night took me by surprise. I had masturbated more in the past few days because of him than I had my entire life. Each time I did, I was left feeling unsatisfied
Sophia It didn’t take long for my eyes to find the owner of the voice. Dawn stood approximately a hundred feet away from us with Thomas and a dozen other men flanking her sides. They were beyond the border and appeared to be watching the fight. I frowned in confusion. Why weren’t they attacking us? They simply stood there watching without making a move. “Until next time, princess,” another whisper reached my ears. How was she doing that? It was almost as if she was talking directly in my head. It must have been a vampire thing. I glanced over my shoulder when I heard paws hitting the ground behind me. Several wolves came into sight, including Rider, his parents, Conrad, Matty, Rory, and a bunch more warriors. When I realized it was just our backup, I immediately looked back toward where Dawn stood. To my complete surprise, they were gone. What were they up to? It almost felt like this was all a test. I turned around just as Rider slammed a dagger through the last wolf’s h
Sophia Sleep didn’t come easily last night, and I figured I got an hour at most. A lot had been bothering me, and I couldn’t seem to shut my brain off. It was five-thirty a.m., and the meeting wasn’t supposed to start until eight. I knew I wouldn’t fall back to sleep, so I got out of bed and hopped in the shower. Once I was done, I dried myself off and dressed in a pair of dark grey dress pants, a sheer turquoise colored blouse with a white camisole underneath, and a pair of black stilettos. I wanted to look my best for this meeting, and this outfit made me feel strong and confident. It was both sexy and professional. I tied my hair up in a neat bun with a few loose strands framing my face. The only makeup I added was a little mascara and a clear gloss. These meetings were always tougher for women, and we had to work extra hard just for our opinions to be heard. Many of the alphas attending were older and stuck in their ancient ways, believing women shouldn’t hold the alph
Rider I had been on edge ever since Sophia and Emma fought those creatures yesterday. I was initially concerned when we got the destressed mind-link from Wesley, the border patrol warrior. But when Conrad informed me that Sophia and Emma were also there, it shook me to the core. My wolf ran faster than I had ever seen him run. The thought of something happening to Sophia didn’t sit well with either of us. I knew she could handle herself, but something inside me screamed that I needed to protect her. I was starting to think my infatuation for her was much more complex than I initially thought, especially given how my wolf had been acting when she was near us. I didn’t understand why the rogues and vampires stayed back, but I thanked the Moon Goddess they did. Sophia and Emma wouldn’t have stood a chance against all of them. Even though my wolf ran hard, it still took us fifteen minutes to reach them. That delay could have cost them their lives and I kicked myself for not pus
Sophia So, I tried the whole ‘woosah’ meditation thing in my head as that old wrinkly butt annoyed me, but it didn’t work for long. I was bound to snap at some point, and it really didn’t take long for that to happen. He insulted me, so I insulted him back. Probably not the most mature move, but hell, it felt damn good. Especially when he looked away in our silent stare-down, but the satisfaction it gave me was definitely worth it. I felt different as if my aura was more intense than usual. I chalked it up to how worked up I had gotten. I knew Rider wouldn’t be happy with my choice of words, but fuck it. If I hadn’t stood up for myself sooner or later, this clown would have continued his stupid games. If there was one thing to know about me, it was that I was far from a doormat. I didn’t let anyone walk all over me. “Enough! Now’s not the time to argue. We have a rogue threat to deal with so can we please get back to business?” Rider’s voice boomed through the room. “Of
Sophia Once everyone was gone, I got another earful from Rider. No surprise there. He was pissed at my choice of words with Alpha Bruce. He said I should have been the bigger person and ignored his insults. Fuck that. I had no regrets about my choice of words. That old fart insulted me first, so I retorted, end of story. If I had remained quiet, he would have continued disrespecting me, and others would have seen me as weak. I wasn’t about to let that happen. I’d had enough of Rider and the day had already been painful enough as it was. I didn’t need to hear any more bullshit from him. I stormed out of his office while he was mid-lecture. I may or may not have flipped him the bird on the way out. The guy seemed to constantly forget that I was his equal, not his subordinate. I was annoyed, exhausted, and frustrated. All I wanted was to go to my room and call it a night. I was climbing the stairs when a familiar voice made me stop. “Soph. Where are you going?” Matty ask
Sophia Fifteen Years Later The first five years as king and queen were challenging. Rider and I spent most of that time figuring out our new roles while everyone else adjusted to our leadership. No one outright challenged us, but we were forced to use our aura to bring people to their knees occasionally. I didn’t like doing it, but it was a necessary display of dominance to gain full compliance, and it worked. Since then, things have been much more manageable. We’ve earned respect and loyalty from our people by keeping the peace in our kingdom and bringing the packs closer together. We’ve even formed a close alliance with the vampires thanks to my cousin Jonah and his queen, Dawn. Now, if ever there was a threat against our kingdom, we had all the support we would need. Rider and I still had our battles, but they were fewer and farther between since we’d learned to communicate better. The Moon Goddess was right. I would have never succeeded in this role if it were
Sophia The week flew by in a flash. It felt like just yesterday when Rider and I marked each other, and here we were, getting ready for our crowning ceremony. We traveled to the royal palace for the first time since discovering that it would be our new home. The council had been busy renovating it over the past week in preparation for our arrival. They said it wouldn’t be completely ready yet, but it would be livable while they finished the last few details. The palace was jaw-droppingly beautiful, straight out of a fairytale. The building was at least triple the size of my old packhouse, and you could tell money was not an issue when it was built. Everything looked expensive and hand-crafted. The building had a Venetian feel, with rounded stone window frames and entryways. The floors were expensive marble, and the ceiling had intricate carvings in the stone. The entire place looked like a work of art. When I first stepped foot inside, I felt like an imposter that didn’t belong
Sophia I should have gone straight to find Rider after I left my parents, and that was where I was heading until I remembered our earlier conversation. Rider had said, “If you’re not back in here within the hour, I’m hunting you down.” A mischievous smile tugged at my lips. When did I ever listen to commands? OK, maybe when he brought me to the edge of an intense orgasm, I might be a little more compliant, but right now, I wanted to make him work for it a little. So instead of heading for our room, I headed to Emma’s. I hadn’t had a chance to hang out with her much since Rider arrived, so I was actually looking forward to catching up with her while Rider lost his marbles searching for me. Hell, we went seven months without sex. What would a few hours hurt? When I reached Emma’s door, I knocked. I heard a bunch of commotion inside the room before the door finally opened a crack, and Emma stuck her head out. My eyebrows shot up when I took in her disheveled state. Her hai
Sophia Dream I was sitting at the edge of the dock with my feet dangling in the water, wearing my sleeping shorts and white tank top. How did I get here? The water was cold, but there was a warm breeze, and the sun shone above me. This was the same lake Rider and I camped at, but I was alone. I was drawn from my thoughts when a presence behind me caused the hairs at the back of my neck to stand up. I glanced over my shoulder only to be blinded by a bright light. My hands lifted, shielding my eyes while they adjusted to the brightness. The light faded, and I gasped in surprise at the woman who appeared and started walking toward me. She was breathtaking, with long silver hair, bright blue eyes, and the smoothest skin I had ever seen. She looked no older than thirty and wore a long, silky white dress. The woman smiled at me, stepping onto the dock. “May I sit with you, Sophia?” she asked, her voice serene. How did she know my name? A glowing light surrounded her, b
Sophia After the initial shock wore off from finding the crowns above our marks, Rider proceeded to fuck me three more times throughout the night. The guy was an insatiable beast, and I loved every minute of it. He was currently fast asleep next to me while I lay wide awake. My mind was a jumbled mess, thinking about the mark on my neck and what that meant. I remembered my conversations with Darius and Dawn, but at the time, I thought they were nuts when they claimed I was a true queen. I needed to speak with my parents and see if they could shed some light on everything. I gently lifted Rider’s arm around my waist before wiggling out from his grasp and climbing out of bed. It was six-thirty a.m. on Saturday, so there was no warrior training today, but I knew my parents would be up anyway. They liked getting up before the pack and having a quiet breakfast together. I tiptoed into the walk-in closet and slipped on black leggings and an oversized blue off-the-should
Sophia When the kitchen staff brought out our dinner, I nearly died laughing. The chef had made Al pastor pork tacos for me with fresh pineapple salsa and a drizzle of chipotle crema. And for Rider, he made chicken Alfredo. When I looked at Rider with a brow raised and an amused smile on my face, he simply shrugged like it was all just a fluke. The kitchen staff also brought out a bottle of prosecco and two flutes before leaving us alone in the small dining room. The room was usually only used when we had important visitors and wanted a quiet, more intimate evening. It was small, with a ten-person rectangular wooden table in the middle surrounded by dark grey upholstered chairs. Rider was sitting on the end of the table with me by his side. “Mmmm… these are so good,” I moaned, taking a bite from one of my tacos. “Not as good as this creamy, garlicky goodness,” he argued, spinning a decent amount of the fettuccini onto his fork before shoving it into his mouth.
Sophia What a week. It all started with our camping trip, but it only got better from there. Rider and I have spent almost every minute together. My father wasn’t lying when he said he cleared my schedule. Whenever I tried to get a little work done, I was scolded and sent on my way. I couldn’t be mad, though, because I had the best time of my life. I didn’t even recognize Rider anymore. Instead of the uptight, domineering man I grew up knowing, he seemed stress-free and even playful. His need for control was still present, but I didn’t mind that. I even enjoyed it at times. He’d slept in my bed every night, but as he promised on our camping trip, other than a few passionate kisses, he hadn’t gone further. We just cuddled and tortured ourselves with the sexual tension building between us. Rider hadn’t pressured me at all about us, and I was appreciative of that. I liked this new version of him, but was this just because we were on some stress-free vacation? Now that I had a
Sophia We arrived at the lake on the western edge of my territory just before eleven. I knew where Rider was taking me the minute we left the packhouse and started walking west. It was where Conrad, Emma, and I always used to go camping when we were younger, and even Rory joined us a few times when he visited. Rider got to work on setting up the tent while I got the rest of our camp set up. There wasn’t much to do, but I cleared an area for a campfire and unloaded our backpacks. Once done, I glanced at Rider, who was cursing like a trucker, struggling with the tent. “Hey, you need some help?” I offered. “Nah, I think I got it now. Why don’t you hop in the lake, and I’ll join you in a few minutes,” Rider replied with a smile, but I could see right through it. He was getting frustrated with the tent and, by the looks of things, had not made any real progress. I held back a chuckle as I watched the stubborn man trying to figure out how to set it up. It looked like he woul
Rider I couldn’t be happier after seeing Sophia again. I thought I had lost her forever after the rejection, but it looked like I might get a second chance to prove myself to her. I didn’t take that lightly and was ready to do whatever it took to win her back. I fucking loved the woman and couldn’t wait to show her just how much. The minute Sophia had left me on the field, I practically ran back to the packhouse, searching for Maribel. I wanted to save time and figured she would be the fastest way to get to Sophia’s territory. Maribel, the little witch that she was, made me grovel for her help. She wouldn’t open a portal until I told her she was the best sister-in-law in the whole wide world and the most powerful witch I had ever met. The woman was almost as infuriating as my brother and mischievous as fuck. I knew I had a few hours before Sophia returned to her packhouse, so I took that time to find her parents and talk to them. I wasn’t expecting it to be an easy co