Dream*** I was walking down a long hallway that never seemed to end. The walls were painted black, and several old pictures hung on both sides. Doors lined the walls, and candles were the only sources of light. I didn’t see a single window in the place. A cold gust of wind blew by, causing an eerie feeling to wash over me and a cold chill to run down my spine. I felt like I was being watched, yet when I looked both ways down the hall, there was no one else there. Where was that cold breeze coming from when there wasn’t a single window in sight? “Hello?” I shouted, my voice echoing down the long hallway. No one answered, but after a minute, I heard the sound of a door creaking open further down the hallway. I picked up my pace as I moved toward the sound. Where was I? How did I get here? And what happened to my clothes? I was now wearing a long white flowy dress instead of the black leggings and T-shirt I remembered putting on before leaving the packhouse. “Sophia...” The fa
Emma I had no idea how much time had passed since they captured us. It felt like I had been locked in that cell for days when it was probably only a few hours. The cell had no windows, so I had no idea if it was day or night. What I did know was that it was bloody cold. My entire body was trembling, and my teeth were chattering. I could have really used my wolf for a bit of warmth. I silently cursed the silver-laced restraints that were preventing me from shifting. Matty had finally woken up a little while ago and seemed to be slowly regaining his strength. He was super groggy at first. They must have drugged him pretty well because his speech was slurred, and he was way more out of it than I had been when I woke up. My throat was so dry it felt like sandpaper each time I tried to swallow. We weren’t given any food or water, not that I would have consumed it anyway. Knowing these assholes, it probably would have been laced with something. No one had been in to check on u
Rider We loaded the injured warriors into the second SUV and sent them ahead with the extra warriors we had brought. They had started to regain consciousness before they left, and their injuries seemed to be healing fairly rapidly. Things were looking promising for their recovery, but I still wanted them seen by a doctor to be on the safe side. Once they were gone, Emma, Matty, and Conrad explained what had happened, which made me furious. They basically confirmed that the rogues and vampires were trying to capture Sophia to get revenge on her parents. The entire thing didn’t sit well with me, especially after the dream Sophia had. I was angry, but my wolf was next-level furious. He didn’t like that Sophia was a target and was hell-bent on keeping her safe. Which wasn’t exactly an easy task given how difficult she could be. Sophia was quiet the entire time Emma, Matty, and Conrad spoke. She might not admit it, but I could tell the dream had shaken her up. She kept subconsc
Sophia At some point, I must have fallen asleep on the drive back because I was awoken by the sound of Rider’s deep husky voice. “We’re home, Sophia,” he said, his voice sounding close to my ear. I felt fingertips tickling my cheek as my eyes fluttered open. The sun was starting to rise, and I noticed we were stopped outside the packhouse. I turned my head towards the passenger side door to find Rider standing in the frame with his hand on my cheek and a slight smile. His eyes were filled with adoration as he watched me. I noticed the other vehicle was parked in front of ours, which appeared empty. There was no one else around. “How long was I asleep?” I asked as a yawn left my lips. “At least half the drive,” Rider replied, and this time, I could hear how tired he sounded. “I’m sorry. You should have woken me up. I could have kept you company,” I said as I climbed out of the vehicle. “Nah, you needed the sleep,” he replied with a casual shrug. We heade
Sophia I woke up feeling overheated like I was wrapped in the thickest and heaviest blanket. As I blinked my eyes open, I noticed I wasn’t in my room. I glanced over my shoulder and smiled when I saw Rider sleeping soundly next to me. His arm was draped over my waist, and his body couldn’t get any closer to mine even if he tried. Memories of what happened flooded my mind, and my cheeks instantly flushed. I told him I liked him and wanted to try to make it work. I put myself out there, and he welcomed it with open arms. He seemed relieved to hear the words coming from my mouth. Once I had finally said the words he was waiting to hear, it was like a switch went off. He couldn’t get me undressed fast enough. We both needed each other in a way I had never experienced before. The sex was desperate and full of need. It was amazing. It was intense and passionate, but nothing like the last time. We bypassed foreplay altogether and just needed to feel each other in the most intimate wa
Rider I was furious. How fucking dare those rogues cross onto my territory while I was in the middle of spending quality time with Sophia. I was going to slaughter them all for disturbing us. I just hoped I could get there before they hurt any of my men. One of the border patrol warriors had linked me that at least five of them had crossed onto our territory. He reported that it looked like they were chasing something or someone. As soon as I made it outside of the packhouse, I stripped out of my shorts and shifted into my wolf. I took off in a full sprint toward the northern border. Matty and Rory had mind-linked me that they were also on their way. I heard Sophia’s paws hitting the ground behind me. As much as I wanted to tell her to stay behind and not come, I knew that was a losing battle so I didn’t even try. I would just have to stay close to her and ensure none of those blood-sucker hybrids got anywhere near her. I pushed my legs as hard as I could. There had bee
Sophia When Rider and I arrived at the northern border, the first thing I noticed was the smell. It was familiar and alluring. My wolf was hellbent on finding the source of it. Once we did, Malia froze in shock. It was Cole. He was lying in the tall grass, unconscious and injured. As soon as my wolf found him, it was like she completely forgot about everything else that was going on around us, including the fight. All she was focused on was him. She whimpered when she saw how severe his injuries were and wouldn’t leave his side. I asked her what was wrong, but she couldn’t answer; she just kept telling me she needed to protect him. I also felt something when I saw it was him, but I figured it was because we had missed him for all these years. Cole was like a brother to me growing up. Malia finally did snap out of her shocked state when Rider saved our ass from one of those hybrids. We had been so distracted that we let our guard down, and it could have cost us our
Sophia My wolf didn’t give me much more to work with. She still couldn’t tell me why she acted the way she did. I was hoping to have more answers before talking to Rider, but unfortunately, I did not. He sent Rory to the hospital to fetch me. Rory said that Rider was waiting in his office and expected me there immediately. As much as I wasn’t ready for this conversation, I knew there was no point in stalling it. He needed to know what happened with my wolf. I was hoping he had calmed down a bit so we could have a civil discussion, but something in my gut was telling me that wouldn’t happen. I left Conrad with Cole as I headed to the packhouse. Conrad wanted to come with me since he was worried about Rider’s behavior earlier, but I told him no. Even if I was nervous, I was better off doing this alone. I knew if he came with me, it would only irritate Rider further, and that was exactly what I wanted to avoid. I also needed to contact my parents and let them know what happ
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