AQUAAfter meeting Gunnar last night, he took me to another house in the center of the pack and left me there. It was a house that was once occupied by the previous alpha of the Storm Fire pack, but Gunnar refused to stay there after he was appointed. I guess it was because of Tia, who had been hiding her identity as a rogue wolf, and now his daughter, whom the pack wasn't aware of.I waited patiently for him to return, but he never returned that night. The next morning, Gunnar finally returned to the house during the early hours when I was sleeping. I felt light taps on my body, causing me to open my eyes to see a young woman staring at me."Hello!" she greeted me with a bright smile. "I see you are finally awake. Gunnar is waiting for you in the living room."When I heard her words, I stopped rubbing my eyes and darted towards the door. But the lady appeared again, blocking my path with her arms spread wide."I think it would be best if you freshen up first," she advised, her tone l
AQUAA week later..."Excuse me, may I book a reservation for massage therapy next week?"I suppressed a smile when Kinna replied to the customer in her soft, demure voice. I had already told her the minimum number of customers we should take daily for our new business, but it seemed she also had a difficult time refusing the people who requested our services.Our business was only a week old, yet we were already having more customers than expected. After taking a stroll through the pack, I realized Kianna had been underestimating the degree of hatred the people there had for me. I still didn't know what rumors Hannah had spread against me, but everyone I saw kept giving me hostile looks, so I quickly abandoned the plan I had in mind.I knew I needed to find a job after leaving Gunnar's house and returning his credit card. The problem was that no one was willing to hire me, and I couldn't risk venturing out of the Storm Fire pack since submissive wolves were often victims of rape and
AQUAI knew I was making a foolish decision to enter the heart of the pack once again, but I had no choice since that was where Gunnar had chosen to stay for the time being. Thinking about Fawn, I couldn't help but worry how she was faring without her father watching over her. Although she was a spoiled, selfish brat who had caused me problems so many times, I couldn't forget that she was just a child. That's why I intended to speak to Gunnar about these matters once and for all. When the cab pulled up in front of the meeting hall, I paid the driver with the spare change I’d grabbed from the counter and stepped inside. The moment I crossed the threshold, I froze. The interior was unrecognizable, transformed into something cold and unsettling. A shiver ran down my spine.Who in their right mind would request an audience with the Alpha King in this place?“Excuse me!” a voice called out. As I continued to examine the place, a hand suddenly tapped my shoulder, causing me to turn around
GUNNARAs soon as Aqua was done talking, she immediately spun around and started walking towards the door. The sight was slightly amusing and infuriating at the same time. I took some time to appreciate the sight of her ass before I got up from my seat. Aqua's eyebrows shot up when she saw me right in front of her. My hands slammed the door shut as I stared down at the woman who had the guts to yell at me. “So you think you can strut in here with your bubble ass, scream at me, and walk away? Hmm?” My voice came out low and smoky. I leaned in slightly, my presence swallowing hers. “You're trying my patience, woman.”Aqua's dilated eyes immediately hardened when she felt my hands roam down to her waist. She shoved me away and replied. “Well, I don't care, Gunnar. There's no way I'm wearing that collar!”“So that's why you resorted to ato threats,” I growled, my anger rising to the surface. “You do realize that there's no way I'm going to leave you, right? You must wear that collar, A
GUNNARAfter what I did to Aqua, I spent the rest of my day trying to concentrate on my work. There were several documents stacked on the table, waiting for my signature, but I just couldn't summon the fucking mindset to handle it. Not when I was feeling like shit for putting my mate through this mess, even when it was for her own sake.Aqua was really mad this time, and I had no idea how long it would take to appease her. Regret tinged in my heart when I thought of how distraught she looked as I put on the necklace. I realized there must be some trauma attached to her aversion towards it, but it was already too late.A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts, and I grimaced at the interruption. "Come in," I said firmly.Ressa peeked her head around the door, flashing a smile as she entered the room. Her red heels clicked against the wooden floor, and her yellow skirt swayed as she walked. She placed a food basket on the table and said, "I noticed you haven’t eaten since last
AQUAIt's been four days now. I tried everything I could to get the damn collar off my neck, but nothing worked. Kianna explained that all the collars had been spelled with some sort of magic, and the only person who could open it was the Alpha King of the Wysteria continent, Gunnar. That freaking liar. His heart was as dark as the shadows that clung to him. For so long, I had convinced myself that I was the reason he became a monster, that something I did had twisted him into the cold, ruthless man he was now. But I was wrong. He had always been this way.The realization burned hotter than any wound he had ever inflicted.After I returned from his office, I was so enraged by his action that I started packing my bags with tears blurring my vision I wanted nothing to do with him, and I was resolved to leave and never return until Kianna convinced me otherwise. She told me about how the Alpha King rose to his throne with his hands stained with blood. It was the reason why everyone h
AQUA When I woke up again, it was already evening. The sunset dipped toward the horizon, casting a warm golden glow on everything it touched. The first thing I noticed was that I was on the couch, and then the second thing I noticed was the aroma of food wafting through the living room.The atmosphere brought me a sense of peaceful solitude, the kind that only a sunset would bring. I stared at the curtains in a trance, basking in the warm feeling that I was currently experiencing. “You're finally awake,“ a voice said. I froze for a moment, and then slowly turned around to see River leaning against the door.. He was dressed in a white shirt and grey trouser. The curve of his collarbone and firm chest was exposed by the first three buttons left unbuttoned. His sleeves were rolled up to show his forearms as he crossed them, staring at me with a hostile gaze. “River,” I called out to him. I rose from the couch when I saw him, my heart beating in my chest. He was still as handsome as I
AQUAAs the night deepened, I found it hard to close my eyes. I had no idea if it was because I was still about River's threat or my guilt gnawing through my gut. A part of me couldn't accept that we were not friends anymore, but he was determined to erase me from my life. After a few more futile attempts to find comfort, I gritted my teeth and decided to search for some sleeping pills. River had once confided in me about how sensitive he was about his sleep, so I feared that my movements might irritate him and cause him to throw me out tonight."God, where's that damn medical kit?" I cursed, frustration bubbling in my chest. The cluttered counters were littered with various herbal supplies, their pungent scents mingling in the air, but I dared not touch them. I knew River had hidden away some pills in one of the drawers, concealed from the other wolves, and I hoped I could find them before I lost my mind entirely.As I searched for the pills, I noticed that one of the drawers was lo
AQUA I woke up to the sound of water running somewhere. My vision blurred for a second, and then I was able to recognize my surroundings. This seemed to be River’s bedroom, a place that I had visited so many times. The room was well-lit but extremely messy, like he hadn't visited the place for a long time. There were clothes spilling out of his closet and some books scattered across the floor, the kind of mess that River would have never tolerated in the past. I tried to flex my aching limbs to adjust my position only to discover they were bound. The biting grip of the rough ropes digging into my flesh hurt enough to bring tears into my eyes. Panic instantly gripped my heart before my mind could even catch up to the situation. How the hell did I even get here? Where was River? Instinct immediately took over as I tried to retract my claws, hoping to free myself from the tight ropes. But these things were sturdier than I had anticipated, almost as if they were made from another
GUNNAR The sun was high in the sky when we finally reached the boundary of the Storm Fire pack. My men were exhausted from the heat, their bodies glistening with sweat after fighting off a pack of hyenas lingering near the territory. I could sense their fatigue through the pack link but chose not to acknowledge it. I wasn't trying to be ruthless; I knew their job wasn't unfinished. As soon as I stepped into the forest that marked our pack territory, I sensed something was wrong. The weapons the patrols were carrying were not the standard gear I had approved for pack security, which likely meant my family was in danger.I held up my hand to warn my men, who were trudging right behind me. The noise instantly faded into silence as tension seeped into the air. We watched the patrols head towards our location as we concealed ourselves behind the trees.Even their uniforms were different, I noticed when my eyes landed on a badge on one of the men's shirts. At this point, I was starting to
AQUAWhen we returned to the pack, Wilder took us straight to the Kincaid mansion, where the elders were already waiting. My stomach twisted as I climbed the stairs, flanked by guards, every step heavier than the last.Their eyes followed me like a shadow, and the fact that I sensed it made me even more nauseous. These were the same familiar faces that had stood in my living room just two weeks ago, offering smiles, congratulations on my engagement, and pledging undying loyalty to the Alpha King. Now, they sat cold and silent, the weight of their betrayal hanging in the air like a storm about to break.They’d all chosen Nathaniel.And that meant Gunnar’s throne…was no longer safe."What, are you surprised that we got the elders on our side?" Wilder released a low chuckle after he noticed my glare. "Don't be, darling. You'd be surprised at how dissatisfied they have been with your mate's way of doing things."At that moment, I was barely restraining myself from punching him in the fac
AQUA After Saint's death, Odin led Fawn and me to the pack boundary, the weight of our grief hanging heavily in the air. We journeyed for an entire day under a dense canopy of trees without taking a single break. Sunlight filtered through the tree, casting a path over me and my stepdaughter.I nearly stumbled over a root but managed to catch myself before I hit the ground. However, the sudden impact jolted Fawn awake, so I mumbled a soft apology before adjusting her to my body. Despite everything, the wolf didn't stop and continued to walk ahead of us. With each step, I could sense the exhaustion radiating from the wolf beside us, his powerful frame still trembling from the ferocity of that intense fight. He must have been devastated about the loss of his brother, yet he continued to push himself to complete the mission given to him. As we moved deeper into the woods, the air grew thick and rich with the scent of damp earth and pine, grounding yet unsettling. The guards had stopped
GUNNARI was several miles away from the Storm Fire pack when I felt it.The pain. The sorrow. The fury.All these feelings struck my heart like a tempest, consuming my senses until I couldn't think anymore. My heart felt so constricted that I couldn't stand anymore, causing me to fall on one knee. When my men saw this, they immediately rushed towards me in concern, but I stopped them with my raised hand. They must have been so shocked they couldn't control their emotions because I felt all their fears crash into my heart.Was it possible they were almost scared to death because of my sudden fall?No, that wasn't it. The general sense of unease spread among the soldiers, making them jittery. I pushed myself to stand, my legs trembling as they bore my weight against the unseen burden pressing down on my heart. Then, a piercing howl sliced through the heavy air, sharp and haunting, reverberating off the trees and sending a chill down my spine. Others might not know where it came from, b
AQUAThe first time I heard about hunter wolves was when I was in the Wind Ridge Pack. They were used to hunt a notorious thief who had broken into Julie's house one summer. The news spread across the pack in less than four hours, mostly because they didn't give us a choice to accept it or not. But if there was one thing I learned back then, it was that those people were ruthless. The kind of people capable of doing anything as long as they captured their prey. Some said they did it because they didn't have any other choice, considering the tight competition in the business. But others said they were psychos, people who enjoyed seeing the pain they inflicted on others. That's why I knew we were in deep shit now. The hunter wolf inhaled, breathing in the cool night air that was faint with our scents. It's the very reason why I had chosen to stay up in the trees, holding that the harsh wind current would mask our scents. But he still catches it nonetheless. “Their scents are still
AQUAOnce I heard the noise from the living room, I pushed Fawn into the kitchen and locked the door. The air was thick with tension, and our ragged breaths broke the eerie silence that enveloped the room. My heart raced as we waited, straining to hear the sounds from the other side of the door. But then, a sharp scream pierced through the air, followed by a series of female cries that sent a fresh wave of panic through me."Shut the fuck up!" Nathaniel barked. When the women's cries were finally reduced to frightened sobs, he muttered some words to the guards before turning to them. "I have no intention to hurt you, but if you don't tell me where Aqua and that little devil spawn are right now, then all of you are going to pay dearly for your silence."Ella remained unfazed by his threat. "But we are telling the truth! No one saw where Her Highness went after she gave us orders to search for her daughter."Nathaniel ignored her and continued to speak to the other ladies, but none of t
AQUAHogan froze midstep when he heard my words. The six-foot, muscular blonde man who had been cooking for Gunnar for over ten years gave me the most sinister look I have ever received. I couldn't help but retreat when I saw him take a menacing step towards me."You're not supposed to be here, Your Highness," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Does anyone know you're here?""I don't need to report to anyone about whereabouts because this is my house," I asserted, my voice sharp and clear. I noticed he had already retracted his claws so I did the same. "What were you doing in the kitchen storage room?"It was the only place we hadn't checked in the house, mostly because Hogan had always been sensitive about letting people in. He would spend the entire day talking about food contamination so I guess all of us were just subconsciously afraid of getting on his bad side.But now, it turned out that he was the traitor we had been looking for."Move aside, Hogan," I ordered. The air in the ro
AQUANow it was 8 pm.The angry mob and the elders were still outside the house, looking for a way to get in. They tried everything they could, but the house's defenses were top-notch, designed with the latest technology, so I knew we were going to be safe.For now."Has anyone heard from Bodhi? Anything?" I asked, my desperate eyes scanning the staff in the house. Due to the chaos happening outside, no one had gone home yet, so they were forced to stay with us.Ella, who had been quiet since she entered the house, finally spoke when she heard me. "I just received a message that he was deployed to fight the rogue wolves trying to evade our borders. He left with most of the sentinels, so there were no reinforcements when our guards were attacked," she explained.My head started pounding as I tried to think of a solution to solve the situation. I knew it was only a matter of time before these people came up with a plan to infiltrate the house that actually worked this time, and then we