WINTER'S POVAfter a while, I finished eating. I stared at the table in front of me, and my eyes widened. I had consumed most of what was on it and even helped myself to some of Rafael's food. It was surprising; I hadn't realized how hungry I was until now."You have quite an appetite," Rafael remarked."Is that a bad thing?" I inquired, raising a brow. "Considering I have multiple children inside of me, it only makes sense that I eat large quantities," I explained, averting my gaze as he continued to watch me."And please, stop looking at me like that," I added. "It makes me self-conscious.""You're sexy," Rafael stated. "And I enjoy watching you."Rafael stood up and walked towards me. He took hold of my hand, pulling me up and drawing me closer, then gently cupped my face, his thumb caressing my cheeks.A lump formed in my throat, and my teeth caught my lower lip involuntarily."I like it when you do that," Rafael said in a husky voice."What?" I asked, running my tongue over my bo
WINTER POVI waited for my mother or Denise to continue speaking, but both exchanged a glance instead of talking.I sighed, turning to my mother, "Will you both keep looking at each other rather than say what we need to know? It's a dire situation if it involves the Vordrak lycan. Let us know how to proceed in handling the situation.""Right," said Denise. "Is this place good enough for discussion? I mean, can anyone overhear us?""It's not," I said. The wall wasn't soundproof, and whatever we discussed could be heard. That was the last thing I wanted if the discussion required privacy."We should use the meeting hall for the council of elders," I suggested.We walked out of the dining room toward the hall and ran into Linda and Jude on the way. Both followed us in, and neither my mother nor Denise objected. I guessed it was because they were hardly strangers. Jude was the Beta and needed to be informed about everything going on, while Linda, being part of the family, needed to know t
RAFAEL'S POVA few minutes later, I left Winter's side and walked towards the main gate of the pack house. To my surprise, I spotted Jude leaning against one of the gateposts. It was the first time I'd seen him in this part of the pack since I arrived here."Hey," I said to him. "Fancy seeing you here."Jude nodded, shrugging. "Someone with keen sight needs to stand guard. And not to brag, I am one of those person. Besides, I pledged my loyalty to the Luna and the alpha when I joined this pack. I won't go back on my word.""What brings you here?" Jude inquired, his brows raised."Your luna sent me away from her bedroom," I replied, trying to make a joke, but Jude didn't find it amusing. It seemed that no matter what happened between Winter and me, Jude was rarely amused."I know you're not fond of me," I admitted. "Even though you said you'd be civil for Winter's sake, it's clear you don't like my involvement with her.""True," Jude affirmed. "And just so you know, I don't hate you. I
WINTER'S POVI groaned as I twisted in bed, my hands colliding with a rock-hard body, jolting me awake. I grimaced, rubbing my eyes before looking at my side to see who I had hit. Rafael was on the other side of the bed, shirtless, with a hand under his chin bracing it. I swallowed hard, willing myself to stop staring at his well-defined chest, and focused on his face, which wore a smirk."I forgot you were there," I murmured, rolling back to my side."I'm not complaining," Rafael said.I rolled my eyes, climbed down from the bed, and stretched. "You should cover up. It's awkward seeing you like this. Besides, if anyone walks in, they might assume something happened between us.""Something did happen," Rafael said, amusement lacing his voice."What happened?" I asked, turning to face him. Rafael fell back onto the bed, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, a frown etched on his face."You were begging and grabbing me last night. You were...""Rafael!" I exclaimed, flushing. "I obviously did
WINTER'S POV"Emily," I greeted, a smile lighting up my face as I entered the meeting hall. We exchanged a warm embrace before I stepped back.I noticed my mother, Denise, was also present, along with Linda, Kendall, and Jude. However, Rafael was nowhere in sight. A frown crept onto my face, my gaze fixed on Jude. I approached him and quietly inquired, "Where's Rafael?""He will be here soon. He received a message from his pack," Jude assured me."Alright," I nodded, making my way back to Emily. "Why don't we find a quieter spot to talk?""I think you should go with Emily and your mother, Winter. We'll handle the rest," Denise suggested."She's right," my mother chimed in. "As much as we need to guard the territory, if the Weavers of Shadow's strategy remains unknown, we won't be able to do anything. So, we need to discuss that first."I let out a sigh before nodding in agreement."I think a walk would be best," Emily proposed."Anything works for me," I replied with a shrug.Emily,
WINTER POVFor a while, we strolled around the pack. When I say "we," I mean my mother, Emily, and myself. While they chatted, my thoughts wandered. I had been on the lookout for Rafael, but he seemed to have vanished. I furrowed my brow, pondering where he might be. We'd even passed the garden he often visited, but he wasn't there. I only saw some crowd; even as I sniffed the air, I couldn't make out his scent.I wondered if he had headed to the eclipse pack. Still, if he were leaving, he'd at least inform me, wouldn't he? Maybe he didn't want to trouble me. I wasn't sure how Rafael's mind worked most of the time, but I doubted he'd bother to let me know if he was departing."Winter," my mother gripped my shoulder, pulling me back to the present. "You're not paying attention."I flashed her an apologetic smile and whispered, "I'm sorry.""Is it about Rafael?" she inquired.I nodded, sighing. "I haven't seen him since I arrived at the meeting."Perhaps I shouldn't have been this agit
RAFAEL'S POVI gazed at my hands longer than I'd have liked to. My lips twisted in self-disgust as I stared at the hands that were bloody just moments ago. The hands that had torn out the innocent guard's heart and shoved it into my mouth. Grimacing, I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling.I had left Winter's side when she stepped into the bathroom, hoping to reach the meeting hall. But I never made it there. I felt a strange sensation taking over me. I tried my best to fight it, but it persisted, eventually leading me to the garden, where I encountered the injured guard.I attempted to offer him aid, but it ended in his death and my unspeakable act. My hands clenched on the bars of the cage, eyes narrowed as figures approached.I recognized one of them as Winter, her scent preceding her. As they drew near, I saw her clearly. Concern filled her eyes, the last thing I wanted her to feel for me. I shouldn't be pitied. I wasn't the victim, yet the way Winter looked at me made it seem oth
WINTER POVThe discussion between Emily, my mother, and me didn't conclude until evening. Without their knowledge, I returned to the dungeon, eager to see Rafael.As I entered, I found him seated on the hay-covered floor of his cage, hands shielding his face, head bowed. I stood there for a moment, hoping he'd notice me, but nothing changed. Since he didn't acknowledge my presence, I took a step closer and crouched down."Rafael," I said, gently prodding him with a stick I'd picked up outside the dungeon.He raised his head, meeting my gaze. "W-what happened to you?" I asked, my eyes widening at his bloodshot eyes and the blood trickling from his mouth.When I'd left earlier, he looked nothing like this. He seemed normal but angry and dejected. Now, he was a different person than the Rafael I knew."Winter," he murmured. His voice was barely audible, but I heard him."What happened to you?" I whispered, extending my hand into the cage toward him."I don't know," Rafael replied, shakin