WINTER'S POVMy wish had never come true when I said or thought about them. Or maybe I had wished too soon, like I always did. My eyes widened as I saw Rafael, his canine out and blood dripping from his mouth."No," I murmured, my gaze shifting from his face to the pack member he had in a chokehold and back to his face."Rafael," I murmured, stepping towards him, but a hand held me back."You can't go there with him looking like that!" Linda snapped, her grip tightening around me."How many more people saw him like that?" She asked Jude."Actually, I was the only one. I saw the blood and told everyone to steer clear of here in the meantime," he explained."Good," Linda said."Let go of me, Linda," I insisted."Not if you're attempting to go towards him," Linda asserted. "You need to set sentiment aside when you're doing things like this. But seeing you now, I know what you're thinking!""You don't know what I'm thinking!" I snapped. Damn it!"I do, Winter," she said. "I know you do th
WINTER'S POV"So, that really happened?" Rafael asked after I finished recounting everything. He frowned, shaking his head."Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" he inquired once more."You doubt me?" I sighed, starting to stand, but he held onto my hand."I believe you," he assured, pulling me gently onto his lap.Turning to face me, Rafael smirked, brushing aside the strands of hair by my right cheek.He cupped my face with one hand, the other still holding mine."What are you doing?" I mumbled as his fingers traced my cheeks."What does it look like?" he asked, leaning in. His face was inches from mine, his breath warm on my skin.I swallowed hard, gripping my thigh, trying to shift my gaze, but he held my head gently in place."Don't you think it's about time we address our attraction to each other? It's pretty obvious.""We can't do this right now," I protested, shaking my head."I'm not suggesting we do so now. I am still around, and we have plenty of time together. Besides, I w
WINTER'S POVRafael and I stepped back into the hall, our hands entwined. I hadn't intended to enter with him holding my hand, but it seemed I had little choice. I considered letting go, but Rafael's grip tightened each time I looked at him. And he glared at me, too. But it was a playful glare.The Bwengbonyu hunters were seated around the round table in the spacious meeting hall. As soon as we approached, they stood up. There were only two of them; I assumed they represented the entire pack of hunters because they were the ones always coming here. Even the last time I met them at the Eclipse pack, they were the only two who went there."We meet again," Rafael said. "You're the Bwengoyu hunters, right?""Bwengbonyu," I corrected. "Do you have any news for us?"Their presence here could only mean one thing – it had to be about the Vordrak lycans. They'd never visited unless it concerned them."We've brought news," said the burly man with blond hair and brown eyes. What was his name aga
WINTER'S POVAfter a while in the garden, I headed back indoors. It was already evening, and I realized I hadn't eaten. My stomach grumbled, making me wince, and I turned at the sound of footsteps behind me."Rafael," I murmured. I assumed he had stayed in the garden to reflect, as he had mentioned when he declined my dinner invitation."I'm hungry too," he said, approaching. In a softer tone, he added, "Though not for food."I rolled my eyes, catching what he meant, and replied, "But you won't be getting any, unfortunately.""I can only hope," Rafael stated. "Do you think it's wrong for me to have such a thought?"I shrugged. "It's not. But in my opinion, it's a waste of your time.""I don't think so," Rafael said again. I stopped and turned to face him fully. A smirk adorned his face as he stroked his chin, his gaze lazily roaming over me. Even though I was wearing an oversized sweatshirt, he made me feel exposed.Rafael wasn't bashful, and I saw the desire flicker in his eyes from
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