Astrid, her face burning with embarrassment, hastily withdrew her hand and scrambled to her feet as Ragnar entered the bathroom unexpectedly. She stammered, she managed, "I-I...I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were here."Ragnar's expression remained unreadable, but a hint of amusement glinted in his eyes. "I—I'll take my leave now…" Astrid stuttered. She made a hasty move towards the door, hoping to slip past Ragnar without further interaction.However, Ragnar, with a sly grin, intercepted her path, blocking her way. Astrid avoided meeting his gaze, attempting to skirt around him, but he seemed to relish in her unease."Rushing off too soon, Astrid? What about my bath?" he teased, his voice carrying a playful note."Then you leave, so I can prepare it." she muttered, frustration evident in her tone.Ragnar, enjoying her discomfort, maintained his position. "You didn't look like you were ready to do it thirty seconds ago," he quipped, crossing his arms. Astrid shot him an irritated
"Pregnant?" The word left her mouth before she could even think it through. Someone else was carrying a child for her mate?Fact, granted, already established—this man killed her people, captured her, killed her father and had the guts to show her his head. Yes, she hated him more than words could tell but the mate bond…you see, that damn mate bond…it made her feel emotions that could temporarily overshadow the hate. And the jealousy she felt at that moment was one of those emotions. Her eyes darted toward Ragnar, seeking some reaction, but his blank stare offered no insight into his emotions. Was he not excited about the impending baby? Why wasn't he smiling or happy about it?Well, at least he wasn't. The fact that maybe he wasn't happy about having a baby with Lilith provided some semblance of comfort. Ragnar's face remained stoic. Why should he show emotion now? After all, this wasn't the first time he was hearing this. Twenty five times. Twenty-five times, the doctor had
Astrid's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she tried to pull away from his grasp, but his hold remained firm. She stammered, "W–what I do to myself is none of your business."He chuckled, the sound sending shivers down her spine. "Oh, but it is my business, Astrid. We share a mate bond, and your desires….well, they affect me." He said, the tone of his voice lowering. His hand slowly touched her cheek and she was both appalled and aroused her. Despite the internal conflict, Ragnar's touch continued to stir something within Astrid. His fingers traced a path down her neck, leaving a trail of warmth that contradicted the cool air breezing in from the window."I understand, Astrid. This mate bond is driving you nuts—same as me." he whispered, his breath sending shivers down her spine. "I badly wish that it goes away. But you make it hard to wish such when you have this…" he paused, bringing his face to her view, looking into her eyes. "... irresistible scent.""You Astrid, you say
CHAPTER ELEVENAstrid's jaw dropped. Ragnar not only mated her but wanted to have sex with her as well? Something about this didn't seem right, but also, everything felt right; it felt needed, it felt wanted, it felt desired. All of her fantasies were about to come to pass, why should she delay the process with boring questions? However, as much as she wanted Ragnar's dick to be buried in her immediately, she felt as though there was something she had to let him know. "I—I want to have sex with you, to get this insane sexual frustration out of my head and I—"He let out a frustrated groan, "Astrid, are you going to get on the fucking bed or not?' "I will. I will." She quickly replied, salvaging his anger before he lost interest in pleasuring her. "It's just that, there is something I have to tell you…" she began, looking away from him shly, her arms crossing over her exposed boobs. "Tell me? You want to tell me that you hate me and that you're only agreeing to this because you h
"You have to find this person before the tragedy strikes. Or else…it will be far too late." The prophetess warned. Ragnar, frustrated and agitated, retorted, "If this person is so crucial, why don't the gods just tell you who they are? Why do I have to go through the trouble of finding them?"The prophetess sighed, "The gods work in mysterious ways, Ragnar. It's not for us to question their methods. They guide, but they also test."Ragnar, unwilling to relent, crossed his arms defiantly. "I don't need guidance, and I certainly don't need tests. My pack is strong, and I can handle whatever comes our way.""I've heard tales of your infamous stubbornness, Ragnar, but experiencing it is another matter." She remakrd. Ragnar, maintaining his defiant stance, challenged her, "Stubborn or not, I don't see why I should go searching for someone without a clear direction. If the gods have a plan, they should make it known.""Pride blinds even the mightiest, Ragnar. Disregard this warning, and y
Astrid, feeling Lilith's gaze on the mark, instinctively touched the spot on her neck. "Answer me, bitch! Who mated you!" Lilith thundered. Astrid looked at Lilith, her expression defiant."And who do you think mated me?" Astrid questioned, her tone challenging.Lilith, bewildered and perplexed, stuttered, "I... I didn't know."Astrid's eyes narrowed as she continued, a smirk on her face "Oh no, I think you do."The realization hit Lilith like a tidal wave. No wonder Ragnar had refused her advances, no wonder he seemed distant. He was already mated to Astrid. The pieces fell into place, and Lilith's thoughts raced."Why didn't he tell me?" Lilith muttered to herself, her mind whirling with confusion.Astrid, sensing Lilith's inner turmoil, replied, "Maybe you should ask him."As Lilith grappled with the new information, she couldn't help but wonder why Ragnar hadn't disclosed Astrid's status as his mate. And the questions multiplied in her mind—why impregnate Lilith if Astrid was h
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Ragnar's expression remained stoic, but the undercurrent of concern surged beneath the surface. Two deaths in one night? Strange ones at that. He started to pace about the room as he tried to make sense out of what was happening. Deaths of this magnitude haven't been recorded in his kingdom, never. So Ragnar knew that this wasn't ordinary, however, he didn't want to link it to anything that the old prophetess had told jim. Ryan knew that the topic of the Prophetess seemed to aggravate Ragnar, so he chose his words carefully. "The Prophetess mentioned impending suffering, my Lord. I cannot ignore the possibility that this is connected."Ragnar's jaw tightened. The mention of the Prophetess roused a dormant skepticism within him — just as Ryan had envisioned. "Keep a close eye on things, Beta Ryan," Ragnar commanded. "But do not let superstition cloud your judgment. We deal with tangible threats, not the whims of soothsayers."Ryan opened his mouth to speak, "But
"Are you deaf? Take off your fucking clothes." he thundered the command again. Her resistance and stubborness threathened to come up to the surface — the principle that no one could tell her what to do. But, her resolve to be fucked by Ragnar was even stronger. So, she gave a simple nod and did as he said. She reached for her top first, taking off the straps and gently pulling the fabric off her body. The shirt slid down, revealing her breasts and those pink nipples that Ragnar couldn't get his eyes off. She reached for her skirt next, pulling it down as well and next, her underwear. She stepped out of the pool of fabric, pushing her hair away from her face and her towards her back. So he could see her. All of her. Again, logical reasoning tried to voice out from the back of her mind, telling her to put on her fucking clothes, resist the temptation and leave. But the desire was irresistible at this point, and the cravings delivered by the full moon had to be satisfied. "Arch."
Huncho absolutely hated the smell of cigarettes. But as the second–in–command to Astrid, the leader of the Viper Rogues, he was around her most of the time and had to endure through it. The woman loved a good smoke. His tattoo gun paused mid action as he met Astrid's gaze with a faint smirk on his lips, "You're stoned as fuck—you would most likely not feel anything even if your chest was split open." he quipped. "You might even laugh." She flashed a brief, amused grin. The irony in Kai's statement wasn't lost to her— especially considering the fact that she had only just slit a woman's chest open yesterday. And indeed, she did laugh. How could she not? Her sworn enemy's wife was bleeding to death in front of her. It had filled her with delight. Next, she was going to go for Ragnar himself. But her father kept telling her she wasn't ready to take on Ragnar, and then he would go on to tell her how immeasurably powerful he was and how she needed more training to defeat him. She w
CHAPTER SEVENA few weeks after the captured blood rogues were killed, a heavy fog filled the land. This got the people talking, but the fog cleared away in a few days. Astrid tried to warn Ragnar to return the Moon Stone to her people. She didn't care if he planned on killing her, but he should return what belonged to her people. Ragnar tells her the stone doesn't belong to her people, but with his. He tells her it was stolen from them many years ago, just then they are interrupted by Ragnar's Beta, Ryan Holster—who was the only one that treated Astrid like a human in the pack. When Ryan arrives, Ragnar accused himself and walked away, leaving the two. Here, Ryan offers Astrid food and they talk. Astrid finds herself smiling again due to Ryan's conversation even with everything going on, she begins to see him in another light. When Ragnar returned back to the room, he notices the chemistry between Astrid and Ryan and he gets jealous. He orders that Astrid be sent back to the dung
Ragnar looked ahead, seeing that Astrid was closing up on him fast. He couldn't do anything—she was already too close for him to evade, the only option left was to fight back.And he just couldn't.Despite how revolting it was that she was his mate, he couldn't hurt her—hurting her would mean hurting himself, the pain of a hurt mate would leave the other with an immeasurable pain. With a growl, Astrid’s claw landed a powerful swipe on Ragnar's face. The force of the blow left a searing mark, and blood dripped from the fresh wound."I'm going to kill you for what you've done, Ragnar." Astrid seethed. However, as Astrid readied herself for the next strike, a sudden and unexpected change seized her.Astrid froze mid-motion, her eyes widening in astonishment.It was the scent of a mate.The realization hit Astrid like a thunderbolt, and she hesitated, her predatory instincts immediately subdued. Her gaze locked with Ragnar's again, and in that charged moment, they both felt the undeni
Ragnar looked ahead, seeing that Astrid was closing up on him fast. He couldn't do anything—she was already too close for him to evade, the only option left was to fight back.And he just couldn't.Despite how revolting it was that she was his mate, he couldn't hurt her—hurting her would mean hurting himself, the pain of a hurt mate would leave the other with an immeasurable pain. With a growl, Astrid’s claw landed a powerful swipe on Ragnar's face. The force of the blow left a searing mark, and blood dripped from the fresh wound."I'm going to kill you for what you've done, Ragnar." Astrid seethed. However, as Astrid readied herself for the next strike, a sudden and unexpected change seized her.Astrid froze mid-motion, her eyes widening in astonishment.It was the scent of a mate.The realization hit Astrid like a thunderbolt, and she hesitated, her predatory instincts immediately subdued. Her gaze locked with Ragnar's again, and in that charged moment, they both felt the undeni
CHAPTER TWENTY–FOURREID'S POINT OF VIEW My heart raced as I watched Kiara emerge from Nyla's bedroom, stomping out angrily. Dread washed over me as I wondered what Kiara had said to her. Without a second thought, I hurried to Nyla's room, my pulse pounding in my ears.I honestly don't understand what was going through her head, why was she being insecure? And projecting her insecurity on Nyla? As I reached the doorway, my eyes widened in shock at the sight before me—Nyla stood amidst her bags, her movements hurried and frantic. Panic surged through me as I realized what she was doing.She was packing out. Again, what on earth had she told Nyla? "Nyla, what's going on?" I blurted out, my voice coming out more urgent than I intended as I stepped into the room.She paused, dropping the clothes in her hands and turning to face me. "Nyla, please," I pleaded as I took a step closer to her. "You can't let Kiara's words dictate your actions. You have to ignore her. Don't let her get to y
CHAPTER SEVENA few weeks after the captured blood rogues were killed, a heavy fog filled the land. This got the people talking, but the fog cleared away in a few days. Astrid tried to warn Ragnar to return the Moon Stone to her people. She didn't care if he planned on killing her, but he should return what belonged to her people. Ragnar tells her the stone doesn't belong to her people, but with his. He tells her it was stolen from them many years ago, just then they are interrupted by Ragnar's Beta, Ryan Holster—who was the only one that treated Astrid like a human in the pack. When Ryan arrives, Ragnar accused himself and walked away, leaving the two. Here, Ryan offers Astrid food and they talk. Astrid finds herself smiling again due to Ryan's conversation even with everything going on, she begins to see him in another light. When Ragnar returned back to the room, he notices the chemistry between Astrid and Ryan and he gets jealous. He orders that Astrid be sent back to the dung
NYLA'S POINT OF VIEW Sometime during the drive, I stirred from my sleep, my eyes fluttering open to find Reid beside me, his features softened in slumber. I took a moment to study him, my gaze tracing the contours of his face as he leaned against the window glass. He looked so peaceful, his usually stern expression relaxed in sleep. A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead, adding to his rugged charm. Despite the circumstances that had brought us together, I couldn't deny the undeniable allure of his presence.I found myself wondering, almost idly, what it would have been like if things had been different between us. What if we had been under different circumstances? What if we had been married, sharing our lives together?The thought was both tantalizing and terrifying. On one hand, I couldn't deny the undeniable attraction I felt towards him, the pull of his magnetic presence drawing me to him.But on the other hand, it was sour to harbor such thoughts. In fact, it felt as th
CHAPTER SEVENA few weeks after the captured blood rogues were killed, a heavy fog filled the land. This got the people talking, but the fog cleared away in a few days. Astrid tried to warn Ragnar to return the Moon Stone to her people. She didn't care if he planned on killing her, but he should return what belonged to her people. Ragnar tells her the stone doesn't belong to her people, but with his. He tells her it was stolen from them many years ago, just then they are interrupted by Ragnar's Beta, Ryan Holster—who was the only one that treated Astrid like a human in the pack. When Ryan arrives, Ragnar accused himself and walked away, leaving the two. Here, Ryan offers Astrid food and they talk. Astrid finds herself smiling again due to Ryan's conversation even with everything going on, she begins to see him in another light. When Ragnar returned back to the room, he notices the chemistry between Astrid and Ryan and he gets jealous. He orders that Astrid be sent back to the dung
Ragnar looked ahead, seeing that Astrid was closing up on him fast. He couldn't do anything—she was already too close for him to evade, the only option left was to fight back.And he just couldn't.Despite how revolting it was that she was his mate, he couldn't hurt her—hurting her would mean hurting himself, the pain of a hurt mate would leave the other with an immeasurable pain. With a growl, Astrid’s claw landed a powerful swipe on Ragnar's face. The force of the blow left a searing mark, and blood dripped from the fresh wound."I'm going to kill you for what you've done, Ragnar." Astrid seethed. However, as Astrid readied herself for the next strike, a sudden and unexpected change seized her.Astrid froze mid-motion, her eyes widening in astonishment.It was the scent of a mate.The realization hit Astrid like a thunderbolt, and she hesitated, her predatory instincts immediately subdued. Her gaze locked with Ragnar's again, and in that charged moment, they both felt the undeni