"What was the cause of this miscarriage?" he asked.Laying naked while he asked questions was not at all a comfortable position, but what was more puzzling was this anticipation in me. He had said he was not planning to go ‘soft’, and this treacherous part of me wondered what would have happened if I never brought up the issue of the miscarriage—"I cannot tell you that.""I will find out either way.""Well, good luck with that," I said. I couldn't imagine Ryker telling the truth to anyone that he was the cause of the loss of our child."Then maybe a little fun," he says as he loosens his tie, taking it off, and then his suit.I inhaled sharply. He had broad shoulders, and even through the black long-sleeve shirt he wore, I could see his thick build—the flex of his muscle—with each movement he made, and my eyes trailed down. I looked away quickly, blushing red.He walked forward, taking both my hands."What are you doing?" I asked, but to this he gave no response. He held my hands aga
I couldn't believe what I had just done. No. What I allowed him to do. I couldn't believe the fact that I wanted more, but I wouldn't let him know that."Could you untie me now?""No""What?""No""I heard that. Why ‘no’?""I think I like you naked and tied to the bed. It's a turn-on," he said, and my eyes attempted to travel down there again, but I caught myself.Alpha Thane was so many things, but the control he could have over a person was one of his most intimidating skill.He kissed my collarbone, and his fangs grazed my neck. Was he planning to mark me?. I panicked, struggling against the hold. "You are a very strange being, Riley Kaidon. A moment ago, I could swear you enjoyed it all, but now you seem afraid and desperate to be free. Why?""You won't mark me." I said, it wasn’t a question.This was another part of the deal I hadn't talked about, another part that wasn't included in the contract, and I doubt that had been due to the fact that he 'forgot'."You were afraid I was
I lay on the bed, unable to sleep. How could I sleep when Thane was beside me? I couldn't make myself so vulnerable. Even if I knew if he did try to do anything crazy, I didn't have the power to stop him.I turned over to stare at him. No, he didn't look peaceful in sleep; he looked just as dangerous as he would if awake. He seemed tense, and I knew a little movement would be all that was needed to wake him, but...Was he really sleeping?I stretched, reaching out for him. I waved my hand over his eyes, just to make sure he was actually sleeping. He didn't blink, but I couldn't help the nerves I felt. I quickly withdrew my hands."You should be sleeping," a voice said, and it startled the hell out of me. I had been about to roll off the bed. It was Thane—of course he hadn't been asleep."What was that for?""I'm not the one behaving all creepy," he responded, a smirk forming on his lips. "You should go to sleep.""I can't""Why?""Isn't it obvious? I can't sleep with you beside me.""
I swallowed. No underwear had been picked out by him, and a part of me knew it was no mistake; he wanted me bare beneath this dress. I let the robe fall to the floor; his intense gaze remained on me, but he made no move. I quickly put on the gown. It was pretty—pretty wasn't the word; sexy was the right word, and it was the most revealing thing I had ever worn my whole life. I might as well walk around naked. The silk dress was strapless, revealing a whole lot of cleavages, and it had a deep slit by the side, exposing my thighs. "I can't wear this." "It is beautiful." "Isn't it too revealing? What kind of impression would I make on your parents, wearing this?" "One they would never forget. You are a true beauty, I would love to show you off to the world." "I am not a trophy, and I am also 'not' wearing this Thane." His eyes settled on me, but before he could speak, there was a distraction. "Where is my daughter? Take me to her this instant!" A voice I recognized called out; h
I wished I could take back the words I had said; it had only been a slip. I had been so angry at her; couldn't she see the sacrifice I was making? Couldn't she see that this was our only chance at being free?It would only be six months, and then it would be all over, but she didn't know that."I'm sorry," she says. "You are right; I don't know what I was thinking. I think I should leave now and go settle in my new space," she says, turning away and heading for the door."Mom, no, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry""No. No you're not, but when he breaks you, don't come running to me; I might not be able to help you.".With that, she walks away, and I couldn't help the shock I felt. My mother was loving and kind; when did she become so cold?The answer to that question had everything to do with the nightshade pack, with Thane, and whatever secret my mother held to herself.Yet I had this strange feeling like I was losing the only person who truly cared for me. The emptiness in her eyes when
"This was once called the Alpha's chamber, but Thane never did like the place," Axel informed me, but I couldn't make up a response, not when the nerves were eating me up. I was meeting his 'parents', the Alpha King and Queen. I walked in, but Axel didn't follow. The first person I noticed was Thane; he leaned against the wall looking very imposing. They seemed to have been in the middle of a conversation, which quickly ended the moment I arrived. Thane's eyes assessed me, and I could see the disapproval in his eyes—those eyes that seemed to darken the moment he realized I wasn't in the blue dress he picked out. I hadn't imagined it; his eyes did change colour according to his mood. I gave a low bow, my eyes down. I had seen Ryker's mother do this before. "Rise," the deep, cold voice called out, and I finally dared to stare into the eyes of Alpha Slade Blackwood of the New Blood Pack. Now I knew where Thane got those eyes from, though his father's were a different shade. Alpha Sla
I felt Freya’s grip on my arm the moment we were out of sight.“Come with me,” she says, her voice was raspy and barely audible, almost like she spent so much of her days in silence; she had forgotten how to speak right. I let her lead me into an empty room, and she locked the door.My heart pounded. Should I be afraid of her? There was something about her that was indeed different.“Why are we here?” I questioned“I want to talk to you,” she said, her voice a little bolder now. “There are a few things you need to know about being the Alpha’s mate." She said, and I nodded, ready to do anything to be in her good books. Her mate didn’t seem to like me, maybe things could change if I gave her the right impression.She lifted her veil and let it fall over her hair. I held in a gasp. Her face was scarred; that was why she was in a veil, why she had left no skin exposed; she was hiding the scars. I should have suspected this when I saw her standing behind Alpha Slade, her head down, but of c
I followed after him, a sense of dread settling in the pit of my stomach. He led me back into our room and shut the door. I inhaled. “Things went rough with your mother, right?” He asked, this question I did not expect. “She doesn’t like you very much.” “That’s understandable,” he says. “You know, you did well today—with my father, I mean.” “I did?” “Yes. Though I didn’t miss the fact that you had again disobeyed me, You took off the clothes—was it because of your mother?” “Yes... No. I couldn’t walk around looking like a whore.” He walked closer, and it took everything in me to stand still. His fingers traced the fabric of the brown gown I had chosen—without asking for permission, of course. “You liked being well covered?” He asked “Yes” “Just like my mother, Freya?” I think my heart skipped a bit right there. I remembered the scars all over her body, they had been the reason she left no skin uncovered. "How could you allow that to happen to her?"
We were both in tears, but there was something about the way he looked—so vulnerable, so helpless, so pained. I couldn’t bear to watch; I looked away."I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m so fucking sorry. I told her—I told her that no matter what, I would never hurt you, even if it meant choosing between my sister and you.My sister could be dead for all I knew. But every time I felt like I had already done too much wrong, I told myself—what was one more bad deed to add to the cart? Your father had been like a father to me—that’s how he so easily picked up on the fact that something was wrong. He tried to talk to me about it, and I felt so guilty. But you have to understand—one way or another, Cynthia would have killed him. She was never going to let him live."“That doesn’t make you any less of a murderer. That doesn’t make you any less of a criminal.You know, I had thought of all the things I could do to you—all the ways I could kill you slowly and painfully. But now that I’
Chaos erupted—people spoke over one another, everyone desperate to be heard."Enough," I snarled. “You bicker like children. I am not for one side or the other—this pack is one, and everyone will be treated equally. You’re right that I don’t deserve this position, but…” I paused, weighing my next words. “The Alpha will return” I assured them. Keith spat on the ground. "That's a lie, and you know it. You did something to him, and he's not coming back."I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I did what I did to help him!” I hated the fact that I lost it, but I felt the need to let them know. “I love him, and I will never stop loving him.”“And yet here you are, taking his title and taking over his pack. You didn’t do this for love, but greed—greed for power. What you fail to realize is that you might claim the title as yours, but loyalty and respect are not passed down; they’re earned.” Keith finished; with one cold glance at me, he turned around and walked away. Many others followed.“You ca
KADIA’S POVThe whole pack had gathered before me—some drawn by curiosity, others eager to know what would happen next.I looked upon the faces of those I had to protect, their lives resting in my hands. One wrong decision, and they would all suffer. I couldn’t let that happen.Austin and Phil sat on either side of me, on the platform overlooking the pack members.After the incident with Sarah, her body had been disposed of. I supposed I should feel bad that she hadn’t been given a proper burial, but I couldn’t bring myself to. She was a traitor, and she had died a traitor. News of her betrayal had spread through the pack, giving people even more to gossip about. Aric deserved the same fate. I should have killed him—made his death slow and painful. I might have once considered Sarah a friend, but Aric… I had seen him as family. His betrayal cut the deepest, yet I couldn’t bring myself to expose his treachery—not until I heard everything he had to say. For now, he rotted in the cold, d
I awoke in bed, wrapped in a blanket—but beneath it, I was completely naked. Daemon lay beside me.“I’m sorry.” He said, “I lost control.”I recalled passing out and couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. “That wasn’t on you. It was my fault.”“Not really. You passed out from blood loss. I should have fed before, but I had never tasted any blood as sweet as yours,” he said.“That feels and sounds like a compliment.”A small smile played on his lips. “Now, everything else tastes like dirt.”“You’re always welcome to drink from me.”“No. I’m not putting you through that.”I reached for my neck, and the bruise from his fangs was almost completely gone. “How…?”“You don’t have to worry about that,” he said.I nodded, rising from the bed.“You shouldn’t…”I didn’t listen. The moment my feet touched the floor, my legs gave out. He caught me instantly and placed me back on the bed.“You are severely sore.” He said, and I could almost see the guilt in his eyes. Not many things made him feel guil
I stood there for a moment, watching him, aware of every inch between us.I stepped closer. "Daem—Trian, I..." The words wouldn’t come. I wasn’t sure if I was afraid of saying them or if I simply didn’t know how. So instead, I rose onto my tiptoes, reaching for him. But he was too tall, and my lips only grazed his jaw.I lingered, searching his face, hoping he would understand what I couldn’t say.“For a demon, you have a surprising amount of self-control.""Every moment with you pushes me closer to losing it.""Then why didn’t you? Why didn’t you make a move?""After what I did to you, I have no right to touch you."I watched his fangs as he spoke, then lifted my gaze to meet his. Once again, he knew exactly what I wanted. He bared his fangs, allowing me to touch them. Their tips were so sharp that with just a little more pressure, they could have easily pierced my finger. Like everything about him, his fangs were both beautiful and terrifying—they scared me just as much as they amaz
On our way out, more women stared. It was getting unnerving—I wanted to snap at them.I was tempted to show them he was mine by wrapping my arms around his torso, but I wasn’t sure he would like that. He had never been one for such close contact, so I kept my hands to myself. But as if he could read my mind, he wrapped his arm around me—possessively.I stared up at him in surprise."I’m on my best behavior, but if those guys don’t stop undressing you with their eyes, I might have to reconsider," he said. I followed his line of sight, and sure enough, about five guys stood there, watching me. The moment Daemon’s gaze fell on them, they quickly walked away.“You don’t seem to be noticing how almost every female in the building is checking you out.” I said, and his eyes met mine again, making me realize that he truly hadn’t noticed them. How was that even possible? Some had walked past him multiple times just to get a single look from him, I couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for t
I had never seen anything like this place; it felt more… alive. This had been all I wanted, and here I was. Free of the castle and out in the open. The world was far bigger than I could ever know—far more diverse too. I didn’t realize I was smiling until I noticed his eyes on me. His attention was no longer on the road ahead of us. "It's beautiful," I said after a moment.“I would have done this sooner if I knew how happy it would make you.”"Daemon, thank you for doing this," I said, and for a moment, our eyes locked. I reddened and looked away. "Where are we going?" I asked to fill the silence."To watch a movie. It’s a rewrite of Romeo and Juliet," he said.For some reason, I couldn’t help but laugh."What?" he questioned."Who would have thought? The Demon Overlord watches movies.""I like to see myself as a normal person at times.""But there is nothing normal about you.""I've been good since we arrived here. That should win me some points in normality, shouldn't it?"“Yes, I gu
The mist disappeared, giving way to a completely different location. Daemon’s hand steadied me.“Are you alright?” he asked. I could only nod. Our ‘travel’ had been one of the strangest experiences I had ever encountered.“Where are we?” I asked, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.“In a museum.”I glanced around, noting the towering dinosaur skeleton, the paintings, and the sculptures. The more I observed, the more I appreciated the beauty of each piece. This museum was unlike anything I had ever seen, it fascinated me.“That painting… it’s so beautiful,” I said to Daemon.“Yes, it is,” he agreed. Daemon had his hands shoved in his pockets, standing still while I moved around, gushing over the beautiful artifacts. “Humans have this obsession with preserving things from the past.”I paused.“Humans?” I repeated. He nodded.“If you haven’t noticed, we’ve traveled far from home.” He took my hands in his and led me to the door. A guard sat in a small booth, his posture relaxed—until h
ALIYA’S POVDaemon had kept his distance, reminding me once again of the times back at the castle when he would withdraw into himself. He had a lot on his mind, none of which he was willing to share with me.I didn’t miss the fact that he seemed to enjoy my company, even though he never made a move on me—and I wasn’t sure how that made me feel. As the days went by, I found myself settling into this ‘new life.’ It didn’t seem so… bad, now that I knew Daemon wasn’t about to end my life anytime soon. But there was still one problem—Tasha.It didn’t take a genius to see that she was jealous. Daemon fed from her, but beyond that, she was just another person living in his house. He never seemed to look at her twice, despite her efforts. The twins were nicer, but they mostly kept to themselves. Tasha had no interest in making friends with them—or with me, for that matter.Today, something changed.Lying on the bed in Daemon's room, I felt trapped. It shouldn’t have bothered me—I had lived my