Sophia I kept running, following the smell of blood that was getting stronger and stronger the closer I got. I hadn’t heard any more screaming, which was alarming. Was I too late? Conrad tried mind-linking me again, but I ignored him. He told me that Rider had ordered me to wait for backup, but there was no time. Someone needed help. I could feel it in my gut. Plus, that asshole isn’t my alpha. I don’t follow his orders. I had been running for fifteen minutes when, suddenly; I heard snarling, followed by a faint whimper. That sound made my paws move faster. I knew someone was in trouble. As I got closer, several scents assaulted my nose: blood, rogues, and was that the aroma of vampires? I started second-guessing myself. Was this a trap? Maybe I should have waited for backup. It was too late to turn back now. I reached a small clearing, and that was when I spotted him, a large gray wolf with matted fur coated in blood, towering over something on the ground. I knew immedi
Sophia My mouth opened and closed several times as I tried to formulate a reply. What was wrong with me? I was never lost for words, so why was I struggling to speak? Was it perhaps because Rider stood only a few feet away from me, completely naked and furious? I knew it wasn’t the best time to ogle him, but I was struggling to keep my eyes above his waist. I noticed his eyes trailing down my body as he took in my disheveled state. He paused for a few minutes on my leg, the one the feral wolf had bitten. The wound had healed, but there was still a lot of dried blood on my skin. Rider’s eyes softened slightly, and there was concern swirling inside his dark orbs. “What happened, Sophia?” he gritted out as he took slow predatorial steps toward me. “I just came across a feral wolf, no big deal. I took care of him.” I tried to sound calm when I was anything but. The closer he got, the faster my heart was beating in my chest. “Why didn’t you wait for backup, Sophia?” He
Rider I spent hours in my office after everyone left. My wolf and I had been on edge ever since hearing Sophia’s report. What did the rogues want with her? Was she their primary target, or were they after more? The thought of anyone taking or hurting her wasn’t sitting well with me. My protective instincts were kicking in, and once again, I found myself wondering why? Why did I care so much about Sophia? I was also confused by my sudden attraction to her. My wolf had been in control when I stumbled upon her in the forest, but even when I took back control, I still couldn’t stop myself from touching her. If the others hadn’t arrived when they did, goddess knows what would have happened between Sophia and me. The worst part, I felt disappointed that we were interrupted. I wanted to keep touching her, to feel her come undone at my hands, hear her scream my name, and beg me for more. Goddess, just the thought of burying my cock deep inside her warm, wet pussy made me hard. I groa
Rider Everyone arrived at my office at eight in the morning, including the warriors joining our search. Now that I knew the rogue camp was nearby, I didn’t want to take any chances by not bringing enough manpower with us. I also still needed to break the news to Sophia that she would be staying behind. “So, what’s the plan, Rider?” Rory asked curiously, taking me out of my thoughts. Before replying to the group, I opened the map on my desk for everyone to see. “We’re going to split up into two groups so we can cover more territory. We’ll start in this general area. That’s where Sophia encountered the rogues last night. The kid told her the camp wasn’t far from there, so I think that’s our best bet. He also said the camp is well hidden, so rule out any caves or underground camps you come across,” I announced and motioned to the area on the map that Sophia had pointed out earlier. “Each group will have members from both packs so that we can communicate through mind-lin
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 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