It's been three weeks since I saw Clarissa last and it felt like my life was over. From blogs and magazines and the TV, her wedding to that bastard was drawing nearer. My days were a blur, filled with nothing but endless pain and heartache. I couldn't stand the thought of her being with someone else, of her loving anyone else.I avoided people at all costs including my family. I locked myself in my room, refusing to come out. I didn't want to talk to anyone, didn't want to see anyone. The only person I was in contact with was my sister Jaela and Cade. Jaela would come to my room every day, trying to talk to me and convince me to come out but I would just shut her out.The one time when my dad tried to talk to me I had an emotional outburst. I screamed at him to leave me alone, to leave me in my misery. I didn't want anyone to try and fix me, I just wanted to be left alone.I spent most of my time in an abandoned building. It was a crumbling old factory on the outskirts of town. The w
I headed to the swimming pool wearing my favorite red bikini. The sun was shining and the water was warm as I dove in. I loved the water and it always helped me to relax. I sipped my wine as I swam, enjoying the tranquility of the afternoon.But my peace was interrupted when I heard footsteps approaching me. I looked up to see my brother, Bryon, and Sydney walking toward me. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone and when I noticed that they were wearing their swimwear, I stepped out of the pool.Bryon closed the space between us quickly and prevented me from moving. "Come on, Rissa, how long are we going to continue like this? You've been staying away from everyone and it's becoming annoying," Bryon said, his tone frustrated.I wrapped a towel around myself huffing in annoyance. "What do you want from me?" I said, not in the mood to talk."Is this going to deteriorate and then we'll now practically live like strangers?" Sydney added, her tone concerned and her microblade brows looki
Preparations for my engagement with Ivan began in earnest. The closer the day came the more dreary my heart sank. Everyone, especially my mum, was ecstatic as they began to plan for the engagement ceremony. The house was filled with the sound of chatter and laughter as my mother and her friends discussed the theme, the guest list, and the menu. They were all so excited to celebrate this milestone in my life, but all I could think about was Jalen.My mum had even hired a team of professional decorators to make sure that everything was perfect. The dining table was set with fine china and crystal glasses, and the kitchen was filled with the delicious aroma of food being prepared for the big day. But as I walked through the house, all I could feel was a heavy weight on my chest and a sense of dread in my stomach. I tried to push thoughts of Jalen out of my head but they kept creeping back in. I found myself staring at the clock, counting down the hours until the ceremony, and wonderin
I was in the middle of sketching in the uncompleted building, my mind consumed with thoughts of Rissa. Her engagement was in just a few days and I still hadn't found a way to stop her from marrying Ivan. She was my mate, and she deserved to be with me, not that arrogant peacock. My anger boiled over and I threw my spray can against the wall, the yellow ink splashing across the concrete.Just as I was about to dive back into my sketch, I heard footsteps approaching. I turned to see my sister, Jaela, making her way towards me. "What are you doing here?" I asked, my tone brusque.She didn't answer, instead she began to cry, her tears a strangled sound. I knew something was wrong. I turned on our mind link, our special connection and she me that our mother had almost killed herself.I was stunned, the weight of her words hitting me like a freight train. I immediately dropped everything and rushed to Jaela's side. I couldn't believe that she would do something like that. "Where is she?"
JalenI walked down the dark streets, my hand still bleeding from the altercation with Dante. I could feel the sting of the cuts, but I didn't care. All I could think about was how satisfying it felt to finally stand up to him and his constant taunts.As I approached Cade's house, I could see the warm light coming from the windows. I knocked on the door and Cade answered, his eyes widening as he saw the state of my hand."What the hell happened to you?" he exclaimed, clutching my arm and pulling me inside.I shrugged nonchalantly. "Just had a little run-in with Dante. He won't be bothering me anymore."Cade shook his head, leading me upstairs to his room. "That fool needs to learn how to control himself."As we entered his room, I couldn't help but chuckle at the state of it. Clothes were scattered everywhere and empty pizza boxes littered the floor. Cade's room was always a mess, but I didn't mind. It was familiar and comfortable.We sat down on his bed and Cade handed me a controlle
Wedding morningI woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and dread in the pit of my stomach. Memories of the night before came flooding back to me as I groggily opened my eyes, and I groaned at the thought of my upcoming engagement with Ivan. My mum walked into the room, carrying a tray with a steaming cup of tea and jolting me out of my thoughts."Good morning, love," she said, her tone scolding as she set the tray down on the bedside table. "I see you had a little too much to drink last night."I winced at her voice. "Mum, I have a headache, besides, it was just champagne," I lied in the last part. Getting drunk to a stupor was the only way to let myself get lost in the false sense of happiness that came with booze, knowing deep down that I didn't truly want to marry Ivan.My mum sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Today is a big day for you. You're going to be spending your first night as a married woman in Ivan's bed, making love, and..
The celebrations had begun in earnest in the house and people showed up dressed gorgeously for the engagement ceremony. It was eight pm and I had less than two hours to make my decision whether to run away with Jalen or marry Ivan despite knowing that not only were we not mates, but he had another female in his life. On the other hand, wasn't I a hypocrite because I was condemning him for the same offense I was committing? The female was probably his mate and Ivan wanted us to get married for his selfish reasons. I didn't know what to do and I was so restless.As I walked through the grand halls of my family's mansion, I felt suffocated by the luxury and magnificence of it all. Tapestries adorned the walls, the gleaming marble shone and the chandeliers sparkled like diamonds. I watched from upstairs as guests arrived at my house with their faces etched with arrogant expressions as they made their way through the front door. All of them were beautifully dressed in designer clothes
The celebrations had begun in earnest in the house and people showed up dressed gorgeously for the engagement ceremony. It was eight pm and I had less than two hours to make my decision whether to run away with Jalen or marry Ivan despite knowing that not only were we not mates, but he had another female in his life. On the other hand, wasn't I a hypocrite because I was condemning him for the same offense I was committing? The female was probably his mate and Ivan wanted us to get married for his selfish reasons. I didn't know what to do and I was so restless.As I walked through the grand halls of my family's mansion, I felt suffocated by the luxury and magnificence of it all. Tapestries adorned the walls, the gleaming marble shone and the chandeliers sparkled like diamonds. I watched from upstairs as guests arrived at my house with their faces etched with arrogant expressions as they made their way through the front door. All of them were beautifully dressed in designer clothes
I write this vote of thanks with a full heart, overflowing with gratitude and appreciation. I have just completed the first part of this book, and I cannot express how grateful I am to have all of you here to share this moment with me.I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of my readers for your unwavering support and for sticking by me, even though there may have been some errors in the book. Your understanding and patience has meant the world to me, and I cannot thank you enough.Special thanks to Mama bear, Oladipo Titilope, Chelsea Hench and the rest of yoou for your beautiful comments. I love you so much This book was written in less than two months, during a time when my schedule was incredibly hectic. The fact that you have found my crappy writing worthy, despite the limited time I had to dedicate to it, is a testament to your generosity. I am thrilled to announce that this book is part of a series, and the second part will be available next week. I cannot wait
I stood at my window, watching Jalen and Cade entering the van and driving out and my mind was a whirlwind of emotions. I couldn't believe how much I missed him and how my body reacted to him.My mum and I went shopping for the charity ball and I wasn't expecting to see Jalen, but when our eyes met, I had to force myself to grip the bannister tightly to keep from running down the stairs and into his arms. My breathing became shallow and my knees felt weak, but I managed to hold myself together and maintain a composed demeanor.Now, my mind was a jumbled mess, filled with memories of our past together and the pain of our breakup. Anger and hurt boiled inside me, but I pushed it down, knowing that I had to be strong."Calm down, Rissa," I said to myself, trying to steady my breathing, but it was a losing battle. I wasn't as strong as I thought. No wonder people went back to their toxic partners. The mating bond was so strong that if my human self didn't restrain my wolf, I'd have jumpe
My packmates were working tirelessly, sanding down the rough spots on the wooden floor of the pack's hall in preparation for the Lycan king's coronation coming up in seven days. I watched one of them up on a ladder, hanging glittering lights from the rafters and another laying down fresh coats of paint on the wallsThe hall was beautiful with a long red carpet laid, leading to the platform and the stage and the scent of flowers filled the air as a group of packmates arranged beautiful bouquets on either side of the platform.I could feel the energy and excitement from my packmates as they worked, it was palpable and it made my heart swell with pride.My mum stood rigidly beside me, her eyes shining with excitement."This is so beautiful," she nudged me and I nodded in response.She took a deep breath and said, "A king needs his queen."I rolled my eyes, feeling annoyance wash over me.She placed a hand on my arm, her grip tight. "You can't wait to marry Malory."I frowned and said, "
I lay in bed, feeling comfortable and relaxed, and felt my left breast with my hand, which was a habit that I had picked up when I was a teenager. My fingers lightly ran over the curve of my nipple, pausing at the top and I shut my eyes, remembering how Jalen used to drive me wild with his tongue on my nipple, how I would have him suckle it until I came from just being touched there, and how I would cry out into the night, my hands clutching onto his chest so tightly.I took a deep breath and lifted my feet, bringing them closer to my chest. It's not like I was happy. Far from it, but. I couldn't just mope around and be useless just because Jalen was getting married to someone else. I wish Jaela hadn't even told me, but I made a conscious effort to be happy. My family was there for me and my mom always checked on me, even going as far as canceling some of her schedules just to make sure that she was always available for me. I felt the stretch in my legs as I brought them closer to m
My days were bland and uninteresting as I felt dejected and defeated. I lost the woman I truly loved, and now I proposed to someone I have no attraction to. The thought of spending the rest of my life with someone who doesn't make my heart skip a beat was a heavy weight to bear. I leaned into the leather armchair taking a long drink from my cold bear. The icy liquid provided a temporary escape from all my troubles. It was crazy how everyone expected me to move on, be a man and do the right thing because I knocked someone up. I set the beer down on the table and let out a sigh, trying to ignore the emptiness inside of me. This wasn't the life I imagined for myself, and Malory robbed me of my chance at true love and joy."Jalen are you there," Jaela's melodic voice which by the way I could never get tired of hearing, walked in, her steps slow and hesitant."What the hell, brother," she gasped at the sight of scattered bottles of beer. I reached for a remote control absently flipping
Today sucked horribly. It started when I walked into the conference room for our daily board meeting. My mood was irritable and I couldn't seem to shake it.I took my seat at the head of the table and tried to focus on the agenda, but the more my staff presented their ideas for a new app, the more frustrated I became. Every suggestion was met with a sharp rejection from me - the layout was wrong, the logo was uninspired, and I even snapped at them for wasting my time.The IT guys were eager to discuss some updates with me, but I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying. Instead, I found myself doodling aimlessly on a notepad, tracing lines and shapes without any real purpose.Everyone there looked at me with confusion, and the tension in the room rose with every passing moment. I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the headache that was growing stronger by the minute."Excuse me," I finally said, standing up from my chair. "I think we should continue this meeting later. I have a he
As I stood in the clearing surrounded by the tallest trees in the forest, I felt the weight of the moment settling onto my shoulders. This was the coronation ceremony that marked my ascension to the throne as the Lycan king. The full moon shone bright and clear above, casting an eerie glow on the gathering below. The pack elders and council were all present, their beastly forms looming large and imposing.As the pack leader, I felt a surge of pride and respect for these powerful creatures. I knew that the role of the Lycan king was a heavy responsibility, but I was ready to embrace it. I closed my eyes, savoring the sweet scent of the forest and the whispers of the night.The elders stepped forward, forming a circle around me. They began to chant, their voices rising in a low rumble that vibrated through the air. I felt the magic of the moment wash over me, and I knew that this was truly the beginning of a new chapter in my life.The chanting grew louder, reaching a crescendo as the e
The day before my departure date was a whirlwind of emotions. On one hand, I was excited to get back to my company and oversee the work there, but on the other hand, I was sad to be leaving Paris, the city I had grown to love over the past month. I had been working remotely, but my presence was needed back at the office to ensure everything was running smoothly.I spent the day shopping for gifts for my family, trying to find the perfect tokens of my affection. I wanted to make sure my dad, mum, Bryon, and his wife, Sydney all got something. I browsed through multiple stores, searching for the perfect presents. Finally, I found some beautifully handcrafted souvenirs for each of them. I hoped they would appreciate them.I went back to the hotel, feeling tired but satisfied with my day's work. I started packing my stuff, trying to fit everything into my luggage. I had brought a lot of clothes and other items with me, but now it seemed like they wouldn't fit in my bags anymore.I lay in
I was in the final stretch of my stay in Paris and only had two days left. I'd spent the majority of my time here hanging out with Tony and his family. Tony was especially busy these past few days because his little sister, I made, was turning fourteen. I felt emotionally attached to Imade, so I offered to go shopping with Tony to help prepare for her birthday.We walked down the busy streets of Paris, with Tony leading the way. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, and I followed behind, taking in the sights and sounds of the city. The smell of freshly baked croissants and coffee filled the air, making my mouth water.As we walked, Tony filled me in on the details of Imade's birthday party. "My mum wants to throw her a big bash, with balloons, cake, and lots of presents, just to make her happy."We finally arrived at a bustling marketplace, filled with vendors selling all sorts of things. Tony headed straight for a store selling party supplies, and I followed him inside. The