Sophia I waited in the office for several hours before Ricco and a few other vampires came to get me. They escorted me through the warehouse in silence. I debated making a move to escape but decided against it. Not only was I severely outnumbered, but I also didn’t have my wolf or anything I could use as a weapon. I needed to be smart and wait for the right opportunity if I wanted to be successful. I might need to earn Darius’s trust first in order for him to lower his guard and lessen his security detail on me so I could manage to escape. Ricco escorted me outside the warehouse, and I wasn’t surprised when I was greeted with the darkness of night. Darius did say we would be moving after dark. A black car was waiting out front, and Ricco wasted no time opening the back door before motioning me inside with his hand. I hesitated momentarily, wondering if I should comply, but ultimately decided to get it in the car. As I said, I needed to appear cooperative for now
Sophia Panic started setting in. I had no idea how I would get myself out of this mess. Darius had been composed up until our dinner, but then I saw glimpses of his true nature. He wanted me for power, and I was nothing but a tool for him to use. I searched every inch of the room I was locked in, trying to find anything I could use to either help me escape or kill Darius, but I found nothing. I was utterly exhausted, but sheer determination kept me going. Darius would have to kill me before I willingly gave myself to him. It was almost laughable the situation I had found myself in. Darius wanted me for the power I held, whereas Rider would probably prefer I had none. Desperate times called for desperate measures. It wasn’t my most promising idea, but I was currently sitting on the bed trying to figure out how to sharpen my toothbrush into a dagger. I nearly had a heart attack when I heard a familiar voice inside the room. “You planning on killing your future
Rider It had been almost twelve hours since Sophia went missing, and I was going out of my mind. Why the fuck did she agree to the vampire king’s offer? We found out after the fact that one of the prisoners had secretly passed a note to Sophia. The vampire king offered to release all the prisoners, including her mother, in exchange for her. I knew his intentions were bad, especially after the dreams Sophia had where he called her his queen. The thought alone caused red-hot rage to flow through my veins. I should have never let her come with us to the rogue camp. It was far too dangerous. She also somehow figured out I had put an extra team on her and managed to distract them long enough to get away without any of my warriors noticing. Goddess, she was infuriating. Even though I understood why she did what she did, I was still furious. Maybe furious wasn’t the right word to describe how I felt. My emotions were all over the place, and I mostly felt helpless. I wasn’t n
Sophia The door opened, but no one stood on the other side. A shiver ran down my spine as I took one tentative step into the room. My eyes scanned the familiar space until they landed on a dark figure standing by the fireplace. The only light source in the room was from the fire, and even though his back was to me, I knew it was Darius. I didn’t say anything as I stood by the door. A few minutes passed, and I wondered if he knew I was there until he finally turned around. “My queen, thanks for coming to see me.” His voice greeted me in a friendly tone. I wanted to retort, “I didn’t have much choice in the matter,” but I bit my tongue and put on the most convincing smile I could muster. “You look ravishing.” His eyes roamed over the length of my body hungrily, and he closed the distance between us in the blink of an eye. I didn’t think I could ever get used to how fast vampires could move. It was unnerving. He now stood only inches from me, and his cold prese
Sophia I just killed the vampire king. It took a while before that realization sunk in. Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed and dizzy. Rider must have noticed the change, because the second we locked eyes, he approached where I stood and put his hands on my shoulders. “You alright, Soph? You look pale,” he asked, his voice laced with concern. I didn’t respond right away. Instead, I stared into his dark eyes, wishing things could have been different between us. I had suppressed my emotions over the past few days because of everything, and it was finally catching up with me. The dam inside my heart holding me together was threatening to crumble. I hated myself for even considering giving everything up and trying to become who Rider wanted me to be, but the thought did cross my mind. Call it a moment of weakness, but it still happened. Maybe the emotional breakdown that threatened to consume me was the reason I didn’t recognize myself anymore. Only a short time ago, I
Rider Two days have passed since we brought Sophia home. She slept straight for the first twenty-four hours and then spent the next day alone in her room. I gave her space even though it killed me because I knew she needed it. After all, she had been through a lot, and I was probably the last person she wanted to see. When we found Sophia in the vampire’s castle, everyone hugged her but me. I wanted to so badly, but I wasn’t sure if it would upset her, and that was the last thing I wanted to do, so I played it safe and kept my distance. I did a lot of thinking over the past two days, but still felt just as confused as before. Why did everything have to be so complicated? I knew I cared deeply for Sophia, but was that enough for things to work between us? So many obstacles kept us apart, and I struggled to wrap my head around how to make things work between us. The one thing I realized was that Sophia wasn’t the problem; I was. Since finding out she was my mate, all
Rider A week had passed since Sophia went home, and I was just as devastated as the day she left. I missed her more than I could have ever imagined and fought the urge to go to her daily—the things I would give for a chance to go back in time and fix my mistakes. Hell, at this point, I would prefer we went back to when she hated me, but not because I hurt her. The knowledge that I caused her emotional pain was the part that was eating me alive; I never meant for that to happen. I thought about begging her to take me back, but I knew she wouldn’t. Maybe she could have forgiven some of my mistakes, but the one I knew sealed my fate was when I made her feel like she wasn’t good enough for me. It wasn’t what I meant to do, but I could see it now that I was looking at things from her perspective. That was the worst thing I could have done to someone I cared about. I didn’t try contacting her because of what she said to me that day. “If you care about me at all, Rider, you’ll r
Sophia Today was my nineteenth birthday. Instead of celebrating, I locked myself away in my room, drinking straight from a bottle of wine at barely ten in the morning. Now that I was nineteen and the mate bond snapped into place, I missed Rider even more than before. Which I honestly didn’t think was possible. I wasn’t one to cry often, but I had been bawling my eyes out ever since the strike of midnight when I officially turned nineteen. All my emotions were heightened thanks to the mate bond, and it was as if I had no control over the tears spilling from my eyes. I hadn’t looked in the mirror yet, but I could only imagine it must not be a pretty sight with my blood-shot eyes and puffy cheeks. Not to mention the black circles around my eyes from the lack of sleep lately. Rider still hadn’t contacted me since I left his territory. I knew I should be relieved that he hadn’t, but the more time that passed, the more it hurt. It almost felt like another rejection, even th
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