Tessa’s POVI couldn’t believe Zane kissed me like that, nor could I understand why. It had been so sudden, yet so perfect. I wanted to do it again, even though the very thought made me blush.He hadn’t gone too far, but he’d made my lips feel plundered after only a few minutes.Even now, almost an hour after he’d left, I could still feel my lips tingling, the memory of his mouth ravaging my own still fresh in my mind.He’d told me to rest, but even though I’d climbed my bed, I couldn’t get any sleep. I tossed and turned, thoughts of him alone assaulting my mind.My wolf agitated within me, stirred up by the heat in Zane’s kiss, all the while refusing to wind down even hours later.I found Zane very attractive, and there was no denying that. After all, he was so hot he could burn the pants off a nun.As much as I was drawn to him, I didn’t understand why my wolf seemed to be so affected by him. After all, he wasn’t my mate.It was strange, to say the least, I never reacted like that t
Tessa’s POVFred blinked, dumbfounded at my proclamation, but thankfully, went along with it anyway. He nodded at Eric and gave him a bright smile.“And coincidentally, I was just looking for you too, Alpha Eric. The Lycan King would like to see you.”I stiffened, guilt and worry hitting me at once, and glanced back to Eric. He nodded calmly, an unreadable look on his face. Once his eyes met mine, I blushed before snapping my gaze away again.“Thanks for the tip, Doc,” Eric murmured as he walked past me, and I shifted uncomfortably, doing my best to ignore him. It was pretty hard, considering I could feel his eyes on me the entire time.I gave Fred a strained smile that dropped immediately. Eric disappeared out of sight. Just as I opened my mouth to produce an excuse, he grinned so blindly at me that I paused and blinked.“Ditching the big important meeting so you can roam the house? Wouldn’t have pegged you for a truant, Tess.”Relieved that he had chosen to ignore whatever that thin
Zane’s POVFred strode into my office without knocking and pulled up short at Morgan’s presence there. She was just about to leave, and after an amused, baiting glance at him, she gathered her purse and brushed past him before slipping out of the room.After she left and closed the door behind her, Fred gave me a pointed look but said nothing of her presence here. Still, it was clear from his expression that he was displeased.“I got your message,” he said instead, walking further inside.“Oh, is that why you didn’t knock?” I grumbled, not really offended but desiring to give him shit for it.“Oh, my bad. If I’d known I was interrupting something, I would have barged in sooner.”I rolled my eyes and pushed a folder full of files across the table towards him.“I need you to go through this.” I started, ignoring the frown on his face that I was certain was entirely because of Morgan.“Does it have information on why you won't just end things with that woman and stay away from her?”“No.
Tessa’s POVI leaned against one of the tables at the corner of the room with champagne in one hand and a cookie in the other.My heart was a wild stallion galloping in my chest, a result of Fred’s death-defying activity. ‘Who in their right mind enjoys a thrill like that?’If only Tara hadn’t come to my room and told me I needed to stay at this party, I would still be there trying to calm down and relax. But no, so here I was, enduring this boring party where I could understand nothing!Taking a sip of the champagne, I instantly felt a burning sensation crawling in my throat, instantly regretting trying an alcoholic drink.As if my body had been burnt by it, I immediately placed it back on one of the nearby tables and munched on the desserts.I was on my third cookie when my heartbeat stopped, and I instantly felt restless. That profound and intoxicating mint scent reached my nostrils, dwelling me in to follow it.Fisting my hand on my dress onto my side, I fought the urge of the one
Tessa’s POVI turned around and looked at the man. He had tan skin and was bulkier than most of the Alpha’s in the room.I’d say he’s probably in his late 40s by his looks.“Well, your name? It’s not so respectful to make an alpha wait, now is it?” he asked again, sounding like a predator taunting its prey.He took a step forward, dominance radiating all over him, making me subconsciously stumble back against the wall.I swallowed, replying in a trembling voice, “I… Y-yes, I am. Alpha.”Goosebumps rushed over me as I looked into his dark and deep eyes. Fear crawled in my soul from that unknown glint in his eyes filled with fury I had never seen before. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, far worse than when I first learned I was being taken by the Dark Lord, who everyone feared.He squinted his eyes together, scrutinizing me. “Do you know?”Veins were popping on his neck, and his teeth gritted together. Trembling a little, I shook my head. “N-no… I-I don’t.”Well, it was the tr
Zane’s POVAnxiously, I was tapping my fingers on the table while I browsed through the series of documents about every Alpha’s profile.I asked Mikey to investigate each of them and include every dirty secret and background information about them. But seeing as they were all Alphas, who knew how much of this was true or how much was not recorded?One after another, I flipped through the pages like a madman. But aside from the usual corruption and anger issues of those Alphas, I found nothing that would point out why they would dare to invade the kingdom or even have an interest in an omega like Tessa.What’s so special about her?I frustratedly slammed my hands on the table and threw the useless documents in the trash before I leaned back in my chair to try to relax.Being both the Lycan King and Dark Lord, who was both respected and feared by every werewolf, it’s a strike in my ego how anyone managed to do such a thing right under my nose, clearly not fearing me.“This isn’t working
Tessa’s POVMy chest was pumping fast and loud inside of my chest, filled with anger.How dare he imprison me here again?There was no chance I would let him do that! He couldn’t just captivate me, treat me like his fucking girlfriend, and throw me in prison again! I’m not a toy!Well… thinking about it, he pretty much made sure I’m one.That idea infuriated me far worse.Huffing in frustration, I angrily changed into comfortable trousers and a shirt before replacing my heels with running shoes.I need some air, or I’d go crazy in this room.Like a movie spy from an action movie, I went on all fours on the ground near the door, closed one of my eyelids, and leaned my cheek on the ground so I could see the moving shadows on the very small space under the door.“Agh!” I silently shouted, noticing Dmitri’s shadow outside. Geez! He’s guarding me again!Zane sure knew how to anger me even more.After a few minutes of looking around the room and searching every nook, I finally came up with
Tessa’s POVMy body shivered from the cold water, but underneath it, it was just more than a shiver. I was trembling, disbelief etched on my face.“W-why are you doing this?” I asked, stammering.The man slowly crouched so he could see me better while I was slammed on the ground like a wet fish in the mud. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at me with so much hate.He raised his hand, reached for my face, and slid his finger on my cheek. As if I was burned, I avoided his finger and crawled back while still keeping my eyes on him.Shit! I was shaking!Rage crossed his eyes when I avoided him. In an instant, this monster turned into my worst nightmare as he extended his hand and swiftly grabbed my face, pinching both my cheeks together and pulling me closer to his face.With gritted teeth and clenched jaws, he grunted in disgust, “You look just like him!”“Like who?” I asked despite my cheeks being squeezed so much that I talked like a puffed fish.“Like that adulterous thief father of yours
Ralph’s POVI sat down in the wooden chair inside my cabin in the middle of the Sahdowpine Wood, a huge smirk on my face. My fingers tap the armrest of my chair, and I lean back cosily. I imagined the grimace on Zane and Tessa's faces right now.“Alpha, we managed to cause significant fatalities on those patrolling around our borders,” one of the Rogues said, which brightened my mood even better.Joyful laughter immediately escaped my lips as I waved my hand to dismiss him.Standing up, I stood beside the window and looked far to the forest as I watched the Rogues training hard and completely wrapped around my fingers.When Zane came to ambush my pack and bring it to ruin, I was rage-filled, especially when Tessa escaped from me.Remembering those moments was enough to make my blood boil once again. Without control, I slammed my fist on the window sill, causing the wooden frame of my window to crack, but I couldn’t care less.“Alpha, is everything alright?” Some of the Rogues immediat
Jessica’s POVMy heart raced in an incredible beat as I watched him struggle to breathe properly from shock.Bending down a bit, I grabbed his arm and guided him to stand up properly. Looking at him in the eyes, I remained calm and guided him to breathe. “Take a deep breath and exhale.”He nodded his head and momentarily closed his eyes to calm his nerves.“Yes, just like that,” I added when I saw him taking deep breaths.As he started calming down, I let go of him and let him take his time.Opening his eyes, he sighed, swallowed the lump in his throat, and pantingly said, “They hit us hard…”My eyes narrowed. They? Did he mean the Rogues and Ralph?He shook his head in disbelief before continuing, “They are too organised for Rogues. They moved strategically. We were with some warriors who were doing patrols while we rechecked our tracking, but they ambushed us on the northern border.”“What?” I asked in shock before worry crept into me. “What’s the casualty? Did we lose a lot of warr
Jessica’s POVMy breathing hitched, and my heart went into shock. His scent drowned me, and his touches made me freeze.“I… I…” I closed my eyes and silently cursed myself. I couldn’t even form a reply without stuttering and feeling blank.Pulling away a little bit from me, which gave me room to breathe from all the tension between us, he kept his eagle-like eyes on me while his hands remained on my neck with his thumb on my cheek.“What?” he asked in a deep and demanding voice. Before, I would have easily pushed him away, but I was too tense to respond properly with how close he was.Hence, from the pressure he was giving me, my mind completely shut off, and before I knew it, I was blurting out the words I shouldn’t have ever said, “He’s gay.”As soon as I said that, my eyes widened, and I pursed my lips close in shock. Though it wasn’t secret that Hansel was gay, it wasn’t my business to spread it out either.“What?” Zane asked, almost as shocked as I was from what he heard.Taking
Jessica’s POVThe room instantly fell into a deafening silence from my outburst, increasing the tension around us as I was seemingly the only one who would dare to snap at the kingdom’s king.The others were looking at each other, weighing the room’s atmosphere, but couldn’t find a way to break the silence.Seeing as he was probably the only one in the same position who could break the tension, Wendell cleared his throat to grab our attention and spoke with authority, “We’ll increase the warriors patrolling near the Shadowpine Woods for now. If Ralph tries anything, I’m sure we’ll know.”Ralph…Hearing his name suddenly brought back a memory within me, and that chilling feeling I had when I was on the border of the Red Wood Pack earlier suddenly rushed back to me.I was lost in my own thoughts and was looking into oblivion until I felt a heavy tap on my shoulder that almost felt like a push tap, bringing me back to reality.“What?” I snapped at Hansel, but he didn’t feel the same unfa
Jessica’s POV“Yeah, right.” I merely rolled my eyes as a reply to Eric and walked past him to hide the redness that crept to my cheeks in disguise of hurrying to the meeting room to discuss my encounter with Eric.However, just after a few steps, I heard his heavy footsteps and long strides that followed me in a hurry, managing to grab my wrist to a halt. “You’re not harm, right?”I kept my back facing him, still not confident that my flashed face wouldn’t fail me and show how hard my heart was pounding right now with how much worry and care was vividly plastered on his face.“I came back as how I left, King Zane. Don’t underestimate me,” I replied in a faint voice as I pulled my arms away from him.“I never did…” I heard him reply in a low voice as I retreated, bringing a smile to my face.However, as soon as I turned the knob of the meeting room and entered, all my emotions were swept away to the back of my mind, and seriousness filled me while I walked in and slammed myself down o
Jessica’s POV“I’ll give you until dawn. I'm coming for you if you’re not back by then.”I dumbfoundedly stood by my room’s doorway, watching Zane storm out with conviction. Staring at his retreating, I involuntarily raised my hand and touched my pounding heart.Later, a smile formed on my lips, and I closed my door completely before turning to change my clothes.Since I wanted Eric to think I was still the same weakling he knew me as before, I rampaged through my wardrobe and found the most.A smile formed on my lips as I found the perfect piece. I changed into a white, innocent-looking box collar dress and paired it with black rubber shoes while tying my hair in a simple, messy bun.When I came out of my room, I heard the door next to mine open and involuntarily swallowed Zane’s dimmed expression as he closed his door and stared at me blankly.He’s wearing combat clothes – camouflage pants, a black shirt with a leather jacket, and tactical boots. With that menacing look on his face
Jessica’s POVI turned so fast and glared at Morgan, “How do you know about it? How did you know that it's right next to the Red Wood Pack?”My mind was in turmoil out of shock from what I discovered and annoyance that Morgan knew about it and didn’t state it properly earlier.She shrugged and mockingly replied, “Well, you didn’t seem to appreciate my contribution, so I just kept silent.”I wanted to punch the life out of her because she and I both knew that she just did it to spite me.“Wait, so it’s on their border. Why? Is that something we should take into account?” Wendell asked, stepping between Morgan and I.Closing my eyes, I took a couple of deep breaths and heaved a sigh.“Because that’s Eric’s pack. My… fated mate’s pack. The one who rejected me and sold me to Zane.”My fist automatically clenched in anger as I was reminded of those days – the days I was treated as a maid and a mistress. The day I was sold like an item.I could still remember running into that forest every t
Jessica’s POVAfter the heated meeting earlier, I decided to blow off some steam and go around the kingdom’s perimeter to run a random patrol check.Since none had yet to be decided, I didn’t find any great reason why I should stay there longer.However, I was just about to finally calm down and let all my anger subside when I smelled that familiar scent and felt that familiar demeanor approaching me.I didn’t say anything, and he didn’t either. We just walked together in silence until, after a few minutes, I finally broke it and asked what had been bothering me since earlier.“If she’s your ex, why is she still around?” I almost slapped my own forehead after that. Though it sounded casual, I couldn’t help but worry that he might think I was jealous. Which I wasn’t.Or was I?I was still in conflict with myself when Zane suddenly stopped and looked at me hesitantly. He explained, “Morgan has… some trouble, so she has to stay.”His eyes widened as he immediately added, “She’s not a thr
Jessica’s POVI woke up feeling alive early in the morning as I rushed to the meeting room. I was the first to arrive, vividly waiting for the tracker’s reports with my back on my seat and my fingers expectantly tapping on the table to pass the time.“You’re early.” Zane arrived with two coffees in hand.I narrowed my eyes as he approached me and handed me the other one, which was my favorite. Reluctantly, I accepted it and took a sip while keeping my eyes on him as he sat beside me.“So are you,” I replied, putting my cup down and nodding toward the clock.The meeting wouldn’t start until half an hour, and he usually arrived either on the dot or five minutes later. His impatience caused him to want everyone to be here already and not waste any of his time.“I thought you’d be early and bring your coffee. But if I knew you would be this early, I would have come earlier,” he uttered without batting an eye.I blinked a couple of times, feeling my heart pumping incredibly fast in my ches