Cole I couldn’t wait to finish the job so I could leave this hellhole. It was nauseating being around all these liars who continued to pretend they gave a shit about me, even though I knew they didn’t. Fuck them all. I would enjoy watching them burn in hell once we were done with them. Pretending to be the weak, caring friend I once was hadn’t been easy, especially given the fact that I fantasized about wrapping my hands around every one of their throats and watching the life drain from their eyes. This whole situation has tested my control beyond anything else. Stick to the plan. I repeated to myself as I let out a frustrated sigh. There had been a few unexpected circumstances that almost ruined everything. Luckily, I was quick on my feet and improvised. I thought I had more time to win Sophia and the others over, but her little boy toy ruined that. Out of all the people she could have been fucking, it had to be Rider, the arrogant prick calling the shots on this terri
Sophia Flashback to earlier in the night I knocked on Emma’s door. It was late, but this conversation couldn’t wait. I needed to know what was bothering her so we could fix it. If she was going to be my second in command, there couldn’t be any secrets between us. When she didn’t answer, I knocked again, a little more forceful. “OK, OK, I’m coming,” I heard her grumble, and a few seconds later, the door opened. Emma stood on the other side of the door with an unimpressed look. She was wearing her baby blue pajama shorts and a white tank top. “Can we talk?” I asked. “Can’t it wait? It’s after midnight, and I was already in bed,” she replied with an irritated sigh. “Nope, it can’t,” I told her before walking into her room without waiting for an invitation. “Come in,” she said sarcastically before closing the door and turning around to face me. I decided to ignore her sassy display. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she waited impatiently for me to talk
Sophia When I was younger and would visit this pack with my parents, Rory used to take me to a small lake on the eastern border of the territory. It was beautiful and I always loved going there. I think it was because of how secluded it was. Nobody was ever around except for Gary, an elder from the pack. He lived alone in a small cabin that was only a few feet from the water. Sadly, the old man died last year, and the lodge was abandoned after that since no one was interested in living that far away from the rest of the pack. We needed a place to hide Cole from the others, and that was the first spot that came to mind. The patrol guards rarely ventured that far east, since a cliff was beyond the lake. It was doubtful for anyone to cross the border from that side, so they focused their attention on the three other borders. Since Rider and I never hung out when we were kids, he didn’t know I knew this cabin existed. I was hoping to give Emma at least a few days before anyone f
Sophia Cole looked nervous the minute he realized what was happening. He was about to give us every dirty little detail we needed to take down his uncle, and there was nothing he could do about it. “So, mate. Shall we start?” Emma taunted with a mischievous grin. “Fuck you!” he gritted out. “We talked about that already. You’re too much of a disappointment for me to let you fuck me.” She chuckled, sounding completely unfazed by his outburst. “Now, let’s start with something simple. What’s this?” she asked. It was the necklace we found inside the pouch he was hiding. There was an old, rounded key attached to it. Cole’s body started trembling as he fought to keep his mouth shut but eventually failed. “It opens the portal to our camp,” he blurted out, looking pained as he did it. “Good boy,” Emma praised mockingly. “How does it work?” Once again, he struggled to keep his mouth shut, his face turning a bright shade of red. “Fuck… When you hold the key, you say
Rider I felt well-rested and content when I woke up in Sophia’s bed the following day. She had completely given herself to me, which eased some of the tension weighing me down. Unfortunately, that tension returned with a vengeance when I found her side of the bed cold and empty. Not only that but when I glanced at the clock and saw it was past nine in the morning, I knew something was wrong. I never slept in. Then I got a shitload of mind-links from people who had been trying to get a hold of me all morning. I slept through everything, which was another indicator that something was off. Rory was the one who finally broke the news to me, which instantly made my blood boil. Cole was gone, and so were Sophia and Emma. Sophia played me like a fool. She not only drugged me, but she also drugged the guards stationed outside of Cole’s room. She used sex as a distraction to drug me and free Cole. My wolf was raging as much as I was. The realization of the situation ignited a
Sophia When I arrived back at the packhouse, I expected a fight and was ready to defend my actions regarding Cole. What I wasn’t expecting was to hear the word “Mate” leave Rider’s lips. I had completely forgotten about his birthday because of everything that had happened, which made me feel even more guilty. Anger swirled in his eyes, but it wasn’t nearly as intense as I was expecting. The other emotions, like, lust and adoration, were far more prominent. The way he was looking at me made me want to run, but I forced my feet to stay put. All the courage I had worked up on the walk back quickly faded when he started taking slow, predatorial steps toward me. The words that came out of his mouth shocked me. He was taking responsibility for his actions and even said he was proud of me for standing my ground. I certainly wasn’t expecting that, but I truly appreciated his words. He really was trying to make this work. I had just started to relax, thinking all was forgi
Sophia Dream My eyes fluttered open when a cold breeze caressed my skin. I was in a bed, but I didn’t recognize the room. The sheets surrounding me were silky and soft. I let my eyes scan the room and frowned when I noticed no windows. Where had that coldness come from? The room was toasty warm because of the stone fireplace in the corner. The decor was rustic and old; it looked like it belonged in an old castle. The place felt familiar, but I didn’t know why. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and noticed I was wearing a white silk nightgown with spaghetti straps. The gown reached my mid-thigh and left very little to the imagination. A voice inside my head told me to run and that I should be scared, but I wasn’t for some reason. In fact, I didn’t feel anything. My feet hit the cold tiled floor as I stood from the bed and walked toward the only door in the room. I could see the light flickering at the bottom of the door coming from the other side. Once I reached
Sophia We spent the entire morning making arrangements. Rider called most of the other local alphas and secured additional reinforcements for our attack. He made sure not to give them too much information about what we knew since we wanted the attack to be a surprise. We planned on attacking the rogue camp in two days, which would give us enough time to get everything organized and for the reinforcements to arrive. I was also excited that my cousin, Jonah, was coming with a bunch of his warriors. I always enjoyed having him around. He was one of my biggest supporters. Trish had contacted the elders and, again, made sure to give them as few details as was necessary to get what she needed. Ultimately, we needed their help in case we did end up rescuing any prisoners. Since their packs were destroyed when they were taken, they would all need new homes. And given the number Cole provided, we could only house some of them on our territories. Emma had been checking in with
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