ELEA"Who the hell is she?” The woman snarled with disgust and anger flashing in her eyes. But Landon was unmoved. His eyes bounced between us, momentarily rolling upwards as if devil-may-care. “Ravena…” he uttered lazily. “Just don't bother with her,” he dismissed. She pointed a finger at me. “You have a woman chained in your bedroom, and as your fiancé, I cannot ask you who is she. What the hell is going on, Landon?” "She’s a…rogue,” he said dismissively. “And like I said, she has nothing to do with you.” “She looks like a filthy one.” Her eyes slid up and down my frame and I wanted nothing but to scoop out her eyes given the first chance I got. She stood facing me and crossed her arms, highlighting the silicon breasts. "What’s your bloody name, bitch?” A smile tugged at the corner of my eyes and I smirked. “Ask your fucking mate. Bitch.” The last word ticked her off. Her eyes widened like saucers as she stomped towards me.“How dare you—”“Ravena!” She was inches away from
ELEAI closed my eyes, imagining anything or feeling anything other than his touch in those places where I’d never let anyone touch. Every sensation sent a bolt of pleasure I wanted to abhor, yet I could not help but revel in it. My teeth clamped over my lips, my body still thrumming with desire. I clenched my core muscles, desperate to get a release but I knew you would never give me the pleasure; he was dragging this out, making me ache.Failing to fight every possible urge, I resorted to one thing I knew—hatred. I gritted my teeth, snarling and masking whatever hormones wreaking havoc on my senses. “How many times do I have to fucking tell you that I was never yours in the first place?” Landon’s touch lingered. But that playfulness was slowly getting replaced by a brand of displeasure matching my own. “You seemed to be living under the illusion that I would ever let you be someone else’s, especially after all that has happened in these years.” He pushed a second finger and a tr
LANDONI did not know if it was a good morning or a bad one when I had been roused with a raging hard-on, my wolf howling inside my head for his mate or the fact that I saw Ravena first thing in the morning. The past week has been one roller coaster ride, from discovering Elea, Liam and then Maximus questioning me day in and day out. I did not know whether to be mad at people around me or simply kill them. And then he called me to rush downstairs as if the house was on fire. I did not fucking care even if it was on fire. “What was so important that you could not handle by yourself?” I asked, barging into the office.He dragged his lazy gaze from the phone’s screen and looked over my shoulder. “You sweet Harlot just happened to discover your kid and started creating a scene,” he began, and I knew it was just the tip of the iceberg. There were too many things at stake. I was in the midst of a battle of wills with Elea, at the same time, I was getting to know Liam more and more, try
ELEA“Do you think they will like me?” Liam asked me, still twirling the big toy car in his hands. Landon and I came to a standoff when it came to Liam, and even though I have a million things to critique about Landon, I could not deny the fact that he had never made Liam a medium to torture me. He knew that my son was my biggest weakness, as for any mother on this earth, and while he could have prevented me from meeting him as a retribution, he did not. That was one thing I respected about Landon Knox.After the incident in the morning and following the event when his mate walked into his bedroom, Landon and I barely exchanged a word. He received a call and left in a hurry, and after breakfast, I had barely seen him around. I was a little surprised when the servant opened the door and took me to Liam, but I knew better than to question. I was happy as long as I got to spend time with Liam. “Mama?” Liam’s voice brought me out of my reverie and I smiled at him.“Of course, they wil
LANDONThe room was thick with tension and saturated with edginess. While I remained seated on the chair behind the giant oak table of the office, Maximus stood to my right and propped himself against the wooden chest, Gamma Eric, Chief Alex and Elea stood not the other side. Eric held onto his injured arm with the other hand, the wound deep and bleeding as the bandage could barely hold it. A silver blade wound, after all. It would take quite some time to heal, especially for a shifter. On the other hand, Elea stood at a considerable distance and wrapped a shawl over herself to hide the torn neckline. She was uncharacteristically quiet and gloomy, her eyes cast to the floor while her unruly long hair framed her face on either side. “And then she snatched the knife from my hand and attacked me!” Eric continued to rattle relentlessly. “I am sorry, Alpha, but I was taken by surprise. Otherwise, the bitch does not stand a chance in front of me.” I watched as Elea’s fingers were tightl
ELEAI was shocked, if not shaken. I had already accepted defeat, knowing Landon would not believe a single word I’d say over his lying, scheming Gamma, but the video footage changed the game. I was tired of giving my side of the story because to these people I was nothing but a rogue wolf whose son was being cared for by their Alpha. Except for Landon and his brother, there was not a single soul who knew the truth. And Landon must be wanting to keep it that way. “Why?” I asked. Landon had brought a first-aid kit and was tending to my wounds. His attention was entirely fixed on the bruises that were fast deepening from the shades of red to darker blue. A few of them started aching too, but the ice pack was helping. “Why, what?” He countered, without looking up. He was still engrossed in applying the ointment on the bruises, and I would have felt a tinge of gratitude towards his actions, had I not known that he was the reason I was brushing in the first place.Injuries like these
THIRD PERSON POVElea has been restless ever since Landon left with his brother Maximus. He’d said that he was willing to bring a war on the table against her old pack and her father and the thought unsettled her to the core. Even though it was a far-fetched apprehension that if the identity of Elea came to light, it would cost her everything—and her everything was her son, Liam. She was already once edged on that feeling, the day her pregnancy came to be known, and she knew the cost she would have to pay.And if Landon would not execute her for the treachery, her father would love to see her walking up to the execution block anyway. The day she fled from the pack and severed all ties with them, she knew the risk she was taking. And in the end, everything seemed worth the day she held Liam after an excruciating fourteen hours of labour. And there’s nothing you love more than your firstborn child. She paced along the room, restless like never before and waited until Landon’s return.
LANDONThe man was lying on the floor, the gunshot wounds bleeding from the places I had shot him a few hours ago. I could hear his laboured breathing, the low growl he emitted at times and when I had entered his cell as the chains rattled. Maximus has done a commendable job securing him in the basement cell meant for traitors, enemies and rogues. I had Elea chained in here months ago, but it seemed it days now. While her crimes differed, Eric had crossed a line even my enemies would think twice before crossing. He attacked my home. And he threatened my son, even though he did not know. The dimly lit basement reeked of dampness and fear when I entered. The bare bulb hanging from the ceiling cast eerie shadows on the cold, concrete walls. “I have never needed to warn someone twice, Eric, and you have known that for long now,” I said, perching on the chair when the guard placed it. I flicked a finger and he quickly exited the cell, leaving me, Maximus and Eric on the floor. “And yet
LANDON“Just listen to her once,” Maximus suggested, even though I had half a mind to storm into her pack house and squeeze the life out of her. I was angry, livid actually, and Ravena had just crossed all bounds this time.“This is a bad idea,” I muttered. “I think your brother is right,” Elea interjected, drawing our collective attention. She looked between us, gingerly advancing. “If she knew, why didn’t she utter a word then? I mean, she swallowed her ego and apologised to me, she let herself get cornered even though she had an advantage. She could have used and gotten herself out of the problem, but she did not do that. Why?” Maximus and I shared a look.She has a point. “She has more leverage than she is revealing,” I muttered, reading between the lines. “All the more reason that you should see her,” Maximus said. I nodded, reluctantly and severely trapped.And now here I was, standing in front of the polished door of the suite of the hotel. I raised a palm, pressing agains
ELEAI did not know what to think, or how to act or even move until someone actually, physically, moved me off the stage. It was Maximus. The only thing I had managed to say was that I wanted to see my son because Liam was the only centre I could focus on and Maximus nodded.In a couple of minutes, I was taken to Liam’s room. And as soon as the door swung open, his little form jumped up in surprise.“Mama! You are here!” He was overjoyed as he jumped up to hug me. “It has been three days since you came to visit me.” “I know, baby,” I said with a long inhale, taking in his scent. “There were some…problems, but now the problems are solved. And I can spend as much time as you want with you.” I pulled back, looking into my son’s eyes. “But first, I want to know how you are feeling.” His face widened with glee. “Me? I am doing great!” Those little grey eyes sparkled like silver against sunlight. “Landon did not tell you? The doctor said that I am fit enough for school, swimming classes
Third Person POVIt was a sight rarely seen in the Crimson Pack when the Alpha chooses to punish someone publicly, an event that has not taken place for years. Usually, the wolf is either banished, exiled or killed. But it seemed like Landon was partial to archaic methods his ancestors preferred to instil some sense of discipline and unity among the pack. Elea stood there putting up the strong face she could muster in the face of adversity and in the hope of seeing her son. Whatever little hope and fondness she had developed for Landon over the months were erased by his brutal demands and his ability to manipulate her so cruelly. Ravena, on the other hand, held her breath. She did not know what was happening, but she sensed some impending dangers long before the scene unfolded before her. It was too late to run away or feign illness, although she could still pull it off if needed. Landon was completely composed and in control. He turned to his pack, awaiting his declarations. “Sinc
LANDONThe guard opened the door for me and I stepped into the room slowly. And immediately, the nauseous whiff of flowers hit my nose. Every corner I looked at was packed with bouquets and gifts as if it was a birthday party instead of a hospital room. “Landon, you came,” chirped the cheerful voice. “I knew you would be coming to see me.” “How are you, Ravena?” I asked, arranging for myself to sit on the couch across her bed. I had always preferred a healthy distance between us, given how clingy she was all the time. “The doctors said that it was a nasty fall, but I was lucky,” she fibbed, fluttering her lashes. I noticed that she was wearing mild makeup as well. “I guess the Moon Goddess truly blessed me to be beside you that I get to live another day by your side. If it was not the case…I would have been…” her voice trailed off. She tried to sniffle, fighting to squeeze out a drop of tear to help her cause but I quickly steered away from the topic. I was in no mood to indulge m
LANDONElea was sleeping, curled into herself on the cold, unforgiving concrete that had not seen sunlight for years. Beside her, the empty plate of food was abandoned. The cleaner has not yet arrived to collect. Maximus told me that he had issued directions to unbind her hands because Elea was too proud to eat off the plate. And I did not object, knowing she would at least eat something. Humiliating her or making her suffer was not my intention, but a show I had to put up with so that the pack would at least consider that I had been hard on her. I could not be seen or taken as a leader who was too weak, too smitten by a female even though I was affected by her in more ways than one, but it was a war within myself. Ravena and her asshole brother had already conjured a storm I‘d have to deal with, and if I did not act judiciously, it would cost me. There was so much at stake for me that I had barely slept for an even hour for the past few days, not to mention that little boy who was
MAXIMUSLandon and I were in his office, torn to bits about the latest incident of Ravena being pushed off down the staircase and hurting herself. But it was not just us, but her equally annoying brother who graced us with his presence, pacing across the Italian marble we paid for.“How could you let this happen to my sister, Alpha Landon?” He asked, theatrical and useless, and I failed to fathom why we were entertaining him in the first place. “No need to be dramatic, Ryker,” Landon said, leaning against his chair while his fingers mindlessly tapped on the rim of the glass filled with whiskey. I was on my fourth drink, while he still lingered with his first, and it showed how distraught my brother was from inside. And Ryker’s presence did not pacify it at all. “Your sister is well and recovered. The doctors said that though it was a great fall, she remained miraculously unhurt and they would discharge her in a day,” I answered, finishing the fourth drink. “That is not my point!”
ELEA“Our Alpha should have had her executed long ago,” I heard one of the maids sneer. “What a jealous cunt!” commented one of the guards. “How could she do that to that poor woman?” sighed a man, feeling pity over Ravena’s fall.I had not realised how frozen and rigid I had gone until someone yanked me by the arm and pulled me away from the edge of the top stairs. And the next thing I knew was that a certain someone was pinning me down on the floor as if I’d escaped. My instincts fought over the restraints but it was a little too late before the man got a solid hold over me. And no matter how many times I had screamed and struggled to get free, I was being dragged down to the same cellar I had kept months ago when they’d caught me in the forest. “You will stay here until the Alpha comes!” sneered the guard and locked the door. And whatever little hope I had held onto until the heavy footsteps of Landon graced the concrete outside the cell, died the second he looked at me through
ELEAOn the fourth day, Liam woke up again. This time, he canted his head to the side and opened his bow lips to say something. So I leaned in, lovingly caressing his forehead. “Baby, are you right? Is there something you need?” I asked and he nodded weakly. “Mama…water,” the voice was barely coherent but I quickly fetched a glass filled with cool liquid and gently poured it into my mouth. He swallowed with great effort and then blinked up to me.“What…happened?” The words were scratchy and broken like he was still parched. “You collapsed in school, Liam, after Landon and I dropped you off in the morning.” I pressed a kiss over his forehead, wiping away the short hair crowding his forehead. “Were you in any kind of pain at that time? Can you recall anything, baby?” He shook his head. “No. I felt…dizzy.” Liam blinked, recalling the events for a long moment before looking at me. “I could not see for some time and then…” The rest of his words were devoured at the sight when the door
ELEAIt had been two days since Liam was hospitalised, and even though he did wake up after a day, it was barely for a couple of minutes. His feeble vision recognised me and Landon only to have been forced back into his slumber.It broke my heart every time he’d wake up for a brief moment, barely able to speak words before falling back asleep. I could tell that my little boy was in great pain, and yet I could do anything about it. The helplessness crawled into my gut, wreaking havoc. “Try and be patient, Elea. The doctors are trying everything,” Landon would say every time I demanded an explanation.The chemical that caused him this was yet to be traced. And it made me more miserable.My desire to eat, sleep or even a bath died until I’d been assured that Liam was out of danger, but Landon was devious enough to force the morsels down my throat, as threatened, and after a while exhaustion claimed my body. I had fallen asleep when Landon sent me back home with a driver and a guard, and