I weaved through the throngs of people and made my way outside the hall, breath caught in my throat.
The question irked me, a sad, bitter reminder that’s it is, in fact, the truth. Reed and Rowan put forward the proposal for their sake, and I jumped on it to save my company.
On the way to the top floor, I saw Damon leaning against the elevator. It almost startled me, a low gasp slipping out, my hand reaching out to automatically steady my pounding heart.
“Hey,” The Alpha said after clearing his throat, pushing himself off the wall and closing the distance between us.
My head snapped up, allowing our gazes to meet. Damon looked tired, I thought distractedly, a hint of pu
I was in the kitchen, acquiring something for breakfast, as per usual, having chosen to omit the meal my family tended to eat as a collective. In my defence, I had a tiring week and deserved much-needed sleep. Until that call from Reed demanding me to show up on time for the dinner with his mother.My mother had strolled in as I finished up, a plate topped with a couple of toasted bread, a messy egg on top and orange juice. She was overdressed, her hair done up, and her face full of makeup. Where was she going this early?From behind her back, my mother presented a thick, brown parcel that she extended towards me."It's from your mates," She said as I took it, content in a manner that stung my insides. I looked up at her in disdain, but she d
I felt small looks thrown my way but somehow managed to prevail, holding my head high. There was no way I was going to let them affect me anymore. Before I could take a step further, a little girl came bundling down and almost crashed into my legs. My arms steadied her before she could hit the ground."Are you quite alright, my love?" I asked delicately, bending down to her level. She couldn't be more than five, dressed in a set of pyjamas with teddy bears printed on them.The pup's eyes widened, almost glimmering underneath the ceiling lights as she pouted. "I am so sorry for ruining your pretty dress."I shook my head. "You didn't. It's fine. See." I did a little twirl to assure her when her lips broke out in a wide grin.
A pin drop silence settled over the room, heavy and suffocating. My mouth tasted like bile, and there was a plate full of food sitting right in front of me, fully aware that if I were to take a bite, I would actually be sick and throw up. Ryan was only speaking the truth, albeit at the wrong time.“Ryan…” Reed sharply exhaled, his hand reaching out to steady my bouncy thigh, mildly applying pressure. “That was out of line. I would like you to apologise….”“This is bullshit!” The Alpha got louder, fuming, raising from his chair and slamming the napkin on the table. “Every one on this table but you two know the truth! No one wants to talk about it, but I will not accept a degenerate knotwhore as my sister in law….”“Yo
My eyes fluttered again, facing the inky darkness of the ceiling. I made a pitiful sound, fingers curling into the blankets and tugging them closer. Nothing worked. Ever since I got back from the dinner and tried to drown my sorrows by sleeping, it was not helping. I turned to face the nightstand, meeting the blaring red numbers.It’s four in the morning.Before I could stop myself, my legs worked on their own, up and out of bed, being pulled forward by an invisible string. The air in my room turned chilly when I pried the doors of the window open, shivering slightly.With my arms crossed together, I stared at the hazy sky, a lazy swirl of orange and red, light barely breaking out of clouds. The dawn was filled with tension that made me
/Rowan's POV/My beta showed up in the afternoon like he’s got a sixth sense when I had no desire to see anybody. After receiving a response from Erin, my mood dampened. She texted at the crack of dawn, adding to my worries. Why was she up so early?The itch to phone her was there, consistent and desperate, but I was embarrassed after last night. Never in my wildest dream did I expect my family to behave like animals. Especially my mother. She added fuel to the fire instead of diffusing the situation.As I thought about it, my blood boiled, leaving the crescent prints of my nails in my palm. Reed went to check on Jade, having not heard anything from her.
/Reed’s POV/“Reed, wait for me!” I laughed at the grumble in her voice, racing through the trees, my feet letting me leap and sprint easily over the soft earth in the forest. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the omega running, struggling to close the distance between us.Usually, we played hide and seek, having known more spots in the forest to hide places that would conceal my fur perfectly but make Erin’s pure coat stick out like a sore thumb when she tried to copy me. This time we had chosen tag as our game, and while I could run through the trees, shifting in and out of four furry legs to two sleek ones, Erin struggled to catch up on her pudgy, short legs, and had to stop entirely and concentrate on shifting, giving me more time to run away.By the third time she
There's a tug in the pit of my belly, sharp and aching which I ignored in favour of pushing at Rowan's chest. I cleared my throat, stepping back and maintaining a foot's distance between us. My arms came to wraparound my chest in defence, glaring at the Alpha.Why did I give in so easily? There was something wrong with me."O-Okay, what are you doing here?"He faltered for a second, appearing dazed whirl running a hand over his hair. I tried not to stare at the curls bouncing off before flopping on his forehead awkwardly. The Alpha's mouth twisted as he sniffed the air."Seriously, who was here?""Rowan, I don't have time to
/Rowan’s POV/ I snaked my arms around her waist, hooking my chin over the omega's shoulder. The omega went limp in my hold, pitiful whines escaping her. My head started feeling a bit dizzy with how strong her scent surrounded me, almost making it impossible to focus on the task. It sunk into me slowly, growing stronger once I let out a soft rumble from deep in my chest. My Alpha had the sudden urge to scent Erin, but I knew that was the protective side of my wolf talking. Erin murmured something under her breath, turning her head to press her cheek against my hair. My heart raced, heat pooling under my skin and thrumming through the veins. She was the one in heat; I reminded desperately. Despite the urge inside, I didn’t even try to scent her, just took a quick, fumbling step back, nearly tripping over my feet trying to get away. “Moons!” I cursed under my breath, seeing the glassy look in her eyes. “Where is Reed?” “Erin, do you want me to drop you off at home?” The noise she
Something indescribable flickered on his face, akin to hurt, but it was gone too soon for me to decipher. I watched as he stalked in my way, like a predator towards his prey, eyes hungry and mouth twitching. I was desperate to untangle myself from this situation, the hair on the back of my neck standing up—my body screamed to rid of his smile, sound, and smell. Before I could act on any of them, Reed pushed our forms flush together, large hands almost covering the entirety of my back. He pressed his nose into my neck then, and the air between them seemed to transform, wrought with indestructible tension. From this close, I could feel his cool breath against my pulse, a steady beat that was clear as day sounding in my ears as I counted them in my head."Oh, omega..." I felt him inhale sharply, though it sounded like a small half-moan against my skin. But in a blink, it was forgotten, the vibration of his giggle in the crook of my neck startling me, making the anger grow inside."Forg
I glanced over at the books on the bedside table, releasing a small sigh while noticing a bouquet. A courting gift. That’s what my sister called while giggling and placing it on the nightstand. The twins had someone deliver it to my doorstep with an equally over the top card. I didn’t get it. Why were they doing this? This kind of generosity felt wrong, especially when I knew the nature of our relationship. My lips twisted when I saw the fond look on my sister's face as if she was genuinely happy and in awe of me. Shaking my head, I marched towards the rack to pick up the coat. Time to face the music at work. I thought under my breath while hastily buttoning the coat.***It might be the obvious scent oozing past me as everyone turned to gawk at me. I tried quite a few times to wash it off in the shower, but it did not make any change. Then again, I should have known my efforts were futile, considering the Alpha scents lasted for days. Helen’s face turned sour, lips pressing togeth
I woke up with a crick in my neck and face buried in soft and sweet-smelling sheets. For a handful of seconds, I was disoriented, eyes glazed and unfamiliarly warm. As I tried to move, I felt two heavy arms sliding down my waist.My body froze.In the stillness, I became aware of a few more things. This was not my little room and the sheets smelled heavily of the Alpha pheromones and slick. A glance down my body made me realise that I was naked and cold, a duvet pooling around my shoulders. I was sandwiched between two heated bodies. Everything came rushing back to me. My heat was a blur of touches, pheromones, and scents imprinting the experience to memory more than any other aspect. The turn of our emotions captured through biology is more appealing than any sensation. Moons sake! I cursed under my breath, fully awake enough to bite my tongue before blurting it out. Panic gripped my body, and I shot into a sitting position, my heart beating so frantically that I feared it could w
Even in my dreams, I was haunted by my mates, their rough, husky voices whispering dirty things in my ear. Two pairs of hands roamed around my body, caging me in between the hot press of their bodies. My head was thrown back as they teased, tracing down my throat, chest, stomach, down to where I was mostly aching for it.I woke up panting, my hair damp with sweat and fingers trembling while curled into the sheets. Raising my head, I noticed that the clock on the wall read nine, the vision so blurry that it felt like I was hallucinating. I struggled to find a way off the bed, every part of me screaming to stay where it was safest—in the bed, surrounded by the Alpha's scent.“You are awake?” A familiar voice asked, startling me. Reed stood in a robe draped around, his right side pressed against the bathroom door. “I was just about to take a shower.”I made a sound. “Rowan is in the kitchen.”I hummed, my hands shaking as the Alpha handed me a glass of water. Shakily I accepted and gree
The following morning I woke up with a crick in my neck, my face buried in soft and sweet-smelling sheets. Fluttering my eyes shut, I squinted at the harsh rays falling on my face. There’s a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach, warm and jittery, body disoriented for a couple of seconds. As I tried to move, I felt a heavy limb sliding down my waist. My omega was still under the chokehold of the heat. Every heat I had endured so far was different but the same. My senses are heightened; everything becomes fuzzy, and I am conscious, but it feels like a fever dream, not coherent enough to make critical decisions. It’s one of the reasons why I spend my heats alone, not trusting anyone to care for me in such a vulnerable state. But the twins opened my eyes to a world where I belonged. It’s crazy to even think about, and I wasn’t sober enough to think about the events of last night. Only that my omega was never alone, not for a single moment, and they have been attentive to my every
I could smell my pheromones filling the air, tinged with desperation and desire. When I saw Alpha Rowan approach, I mewled, resisting the feral urge to bare my neck as the bed dipped under his weight. My omega preened, thrumming at the urgency coiling in the pit of my stomach. As he came to sit on his knees in front, his scent seeped into my pores, and my eyes turned glassy. "Patience, baby...." He murmured, swiping a thumb over the arch of my cheekbone. I turned my head and caught his thumb in between my mouth. Rowan's eyes darkened, pressing down on my tongue and bottom lip. I fluttered my eyes shut, wrapping my lips around it and sucking. I could feel Reed's heavy stare on me, making the hair on my neck stand up. He was still standing at the foot of the bed, unmoving, the hitch in his breath audible from inches away."Moons!" Rowan hissed, gripping my chin and making me look up. He leaned in and replaced his thumb with his lips, licking into my mouth and dulling the ringing in m
/Rowan’s POV/ I snaked my arms around her waist, hooking my chin over the omega's shoulder. The omega went limp in my hold, pitiful whines escaping her. My head started feeling a bit dizzy with how strong her scent surrounded me, almost making it impossible to focus on the task. It sunk into me slowly, growing stronger once I let out a soft rumble from deep in my chest. My Alpha had the sudden urge to scent Erin, but I knew that was the protective side of my wolf talking. Erin murmured something under her breath, turning her head to press her cheek against my hair. My heart raced, heat pooling under my skin and thrumming through the veins. She was the one in heat; I reminded desperately. Despite the urge inside, I didn’t even try to scent her, just took a quick, fumbling step back, nearly tripping over my feet trying to get away. “Moons!” I cursed under my breath, seeing the glassy look in her eyes. “Where is Reed?” “Erin, do you want me to drop you off at home?” The noise she
There's a tug in the pit of my belly, sharp and aching which I ignored in favour of pushing at Rowan's chest. I cleared my throat, stepping back and maintaining a foot's distance between us. My arms came to wraparound my chest in defence, glaring at the Alpha.Why did I give in so easily? There was something wrong with me."O-Okay, what are you doing here?"He faltered for a second, appearing dazed whirl running a hand over his hair. I tried not to stare at the curls bouncing off before flopping on his forehead awkwardly. The Alpha's mouth twisted as he sniffed the air."Seriously, who was here?""Rowan, I don't have time to
/Reed’s POV/“Reed, wait for me!” I laughed at the grumble in her voice, racing through the trees, my feet letting me leap and sprint easily over the soft earth in the forest. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the omega running, struggling to close the distance between us.Usually, we played hide and seek, having known more spots in the forest to hide places that would conceal my fur perfectly but make Erin’s pure coat stick out like a sore thumb when she tried to copy me. This time we had chosen tag as our game, and while I could run through the trees, shifting in and out of four furry legs to two sleek ones, Erin struggled to catch up on her pudgy, short legs, and had to stop entirely and concentrate on shifting, giving me more time to run away.By the third time she