"How is that healing up?" Axel asked as he shrugged off his jacket."It's only a bruise now; that ointment must be really good," I responded.I had informed him earlier that I needed to speak to him, so I waited for him in his room. "So what do you want to talk about?" he asked radiantly. He was doing this purposely; he was acting like nothing had happened last night."I want to talk about last night.""What about last night?" he questions."You know what happened last night; why are you pretending like nothing happened?""Am I?""Yes, you are.""So, would you prefer I go announcing last night's incident to the whole pack to prove that something did happen?""No, the problem is you don't even seem worried about it."Axel turned to me. "Not everyone shows emotions like you do. I am worried about him, and I spent the whole day researching to find out what must have gone wrong with him, and I came up empty. Thane feels guilty about last night, I am supposed to help you take your mind of
Thane walked past me, and I followed after him, "Are you drunk?" I questioned again."No," he finally answers, "It would take more than a few bottles to get me drunk." "You are late and I was worried.""I'm sorry, I just..." he broke off his sentence, saying no more.“For fuck's sake it was only a scratch, it's no big deal!""It could have been more Riley, and you know that; what would I have done to myself then?"'"It wasn't your fault?""Then who's fault was it?""Whatever hellish thing that possessed you that night, that's what we should be worrying about." "Axel told me about your... theories, so you do think I'm different?" he questioned."Different in a good way, yeah," I added quickly."Maybe I've noticed a few changes myself; I wanted to believe it was all as a result of the crowing," Thane explains, and I nod. That makes sense; with the crown comes power. "But maybe I was wrong; maybe there is something more; I would have to find out."I settled on the bed, waiting for Than
I turned around, trying to trace back the route to the pack house, but we had gone so deep into the woods I would never make it. Of course he caught up with me. I couldn't fight free of his hold."Thane let me go." I begged just as I did that dreadful night. But once again he wasn't listening; his hold on me was unbreakable. I struggled, harder than ever before, but that didn't deter him; he seem to know every of my moves even before I made them. I kicked him in the groin, and that only pissed him off. He tossed me into the air like I weighed nothing, and my back slammed against the hard trunk of the tree. I dropped to the ground, a wave of pain washed through me. I rose slowly to my feet, but he was no longer in sight."Thane!" I called out, but no one answered.I called out his name over and over, trying to find him, but all I succeeded in doing was getting myself lost. I had never come this far on my own; my back hurt, and there would be more bruises on my body, but that I didn't c
Bailey was the last person I wanted to see right now, but I knew I had to swallow my annoyance. She had been the first to pinpoint Thane's abnormalities; she told me earlier that being with him would be dangerous; she had tried explaining to me that things would only get worse and soon I wouldn't be safe with him, but I hadn't been willing to listen; I had believed that she said all those things to scare me into passing the title to her.She knew more about this than she was letting out.Bailey was still in the healing room, still injured, but at least she looked quite better."So you are back; I didn't think I would be seeing you at all anytime soon," she commented."Trust me, I do not want to be here either, but I needed to talk to you about Thane.""And why do you think I would care for such conversation?" she asks, her voice blank, just like her eyes."Maybe because I would have left you to die but I didn't, this one thing I ask of you, and I hope you would try to be less of a bit
Lycans.That should have been another myth, and yet I knew she was not lying.Thane was a Lycan; loving him was a risk and yet, I returned back to the room I shared with him; I needed to be reminded of his scent. Maybe I was indeed obsessed.I should stay away; all the warning signs were there; the bruise on my back proved how harmful he could be when he loses control, and yet... yet I was still craving him; yet I still craved his scent; my sole purpose of visiting our room was because I needed a reminder that the six months I spent here hadn't all been a dream.I walked into our room, and that's when I noticed something.The floor was littered with flowers—red roses—and the lights had been turned off, the room only illuminated by candles. This place felt so surreal, reminding me of the date Thane took me on—that day he had helped me switch into my wolf form for the first time.On the table was a bottle of wine and two glass cups.His scent... I could feel it, stronger now.There was
I could feel Thane's gaze burning against my skin. Then, he placed a gentle kiss on the bruise at the upper part of my back . We were both in bed together. Moments like these I would forever treasure.Some time late into the night, he edged back to the end of the bed, as if afraid he would hurt me if he came too close. I also didn't miss how tense he was; I doubt he let himself get a glimpse of sleep all through the night. I had wanted to say something to him, but nothing I said would make him less cautious when around me.I worried for him; perhaps if I were stronger, if I could fight him off, he wouldn't have to be so worried about hurting me.."How was your night?" Thane asks, and it hit me that he didn't realize that I knew he hadn't been sleeping. I was finally getting to know him better, better than he thought I did, and that was... something."It was refreshing because I had you by my side, but it would have been more refreshing if you were closer to me rather than laying on t
It had been so long since I spoke with my mother; the distance between the two of us—I noticed—would forever be present, and maybe a part of me was afraid.It felt like every time I went to her, she always had a secret to reveal, but some secrets are meant to be kept hidden. I had forgiven her after the promise she made to me, yet I still felt the need to keep my distance.Things were different now than they had been in the past. I hid a lot of things from her as she did from me too. With so many secrets between the two of us, our relationship could never be the same, but at least I was making an effort; I was going to visit her.My thoughts were cut off; was that a knock on the door? I listened in but heard nothing—maybe it was all in my head.Tap, tap, tap.Okay, maybe not my head; that came from the window.I walked to the window. It felt strange that someone would be out here. I pulled open the window, doubtful. I looked down, but just as I thought, there was nothing out here. I
My wolf struggled to the surface, forcing a partial transformation; my claws extended, and I slashed wildy at the face of the man who had his arms locked around my throat. Black dots clouded my vision, I was getting weaker, but I summoned every last ounce of strength for the final strike, and I knew I got him on the throat. Blood sprayed on my face as he let me go.I inhaled deeply; my throat hurt. Just then the door burst open. Thane and Axel walked in, followed by a swarm of guards."Wait outside," Thane said to the soldiers before slamming the door. He rushed to me."Riley, are you alright?"Panic.I could sense that now, it was clear in his eyes; it was clear in his voice.Axel had his eyes at the injured men."I am fine," I said, trying to rise up, only to feel the sharp pain in my ankle. I let out a whimper. I lost my footing, but Thane caught me easily before I could fall back to the ground. His eyes darkened, switching to that scary pure black before switching back, he was tr
KAIDA’S POVA whole week, and he barely spoke to me.I knew he was mad at me for leaving without informing him—he had every right to be—but I never thought it would drag on this long. I had believed that after my explanation, things would return to how they used to be. I was very wrongNothing was the same.I had just been informed that Aric had returned. I had been worried about him, but maybe it was smart of him to stay away for a few more days. Now he was back, he too kept his distance, and I didn’t think I was ready to see him either—maybe because a part of me blamed him. He had advised me to keep it all a secret from Alexander, and now I wasn’t sure if I had done the right thing.The Empress still lived, but everything I had built with Aric crumbled to pieces right before my very eyes.I spent my day exercising; that was the only way to let out stress, but this time it wasn’t enough. I missed him—I missed Alexander; I miss his touch… it was all driving me crazy.Most times, I had
The sun had begun to set as I approached Aric in the field; thankfully, the place was completely empty of people.“I knew I would be seeing you soon.” Aric said with a smile.“I had been waiting for you; I almost thought you chickened out.”“I had sex with her,” he said abruptly, and despite the fact that I already knew that, hearing it from the man who she had fucked only made it all worse."I should have known you'd take your chance the moment you were left alone with her.""For all you know, she might have been the one begging for it. Maybe you weren’t enough to satisfy her, or perhaps… she was craving something different."I’ve always excelled at keeping my emotions in check, but this time it took everything in me to keep calm. I was one step away from cracking his skull.“You know you can’t kill me.” He says, “She wouldn’t like that one bit, and you don’t want to make her mad.”“On the contrary, I do.”He hadn’t expected it; I grabbed his arm, snapping it. He let out a growl. “Yo
ALEXANDER’S POVI couldn’t bear to look at her. I came home late and left early—we hadn’t had a real conversation since we returned a week ago. She had tried starting one a few times, but after noticing my lack of interest, she stopped trying.I should get over this and move on. After all, I had been with other women too—but that was before Kaida and I became more than just unwilling companions. What hurt me the most wasn’t the act itself, but the fact that she hadn’t said a word about it. I had waited for her to finally gather the courage to speak up, only to realize she was going to pretend nothing had happened—like she hadn’t broken my trust. And that was what annoyed me the most.I would have forgiven her, damn, I still would— if she spoke about it.I drowned myself with work, and of course it paid off; the pack earnings had increased significantly this past week. When I wasn’t working, I was drinking myself to death. Usually, women, liquor, and violence were my only ways to let o
I felt so stupid—foolish enough to believe I was the queen in this game, with everyone else as mere pawns in my scheme. Little did I know there was a master plan, one far greater than my petty game. And in His plan, I was nothing more than a pawn.“You released those flesh eaters that attacked me; I could have died!” “That wasn’t exactly part of my plan, but again, I didn’t think you would go running off.”“You want me to believe that everything you said to me was a lie, but I don’t believe that. I know there was some truth to it all; you took the blame for me, risking your life. More than once you’ve risked your very position to make sure I am fed; you saved me from them. The kiss we shared in the lake, the memories we’ve made—they aren’t fake; they are all real.”I sounded so sure of myself, but in reality, I wasn’t. Perhaps it was all real to me, but never real to him.Trian—no, Daemon—gripped my chin, his eyes flashing from their usual blue to pure black before returning to their
A smirk curved on his lips; his eyes, once full of emotion, were empty, cold, and… distant.Suddenly he looked like a stranger.In a blink, he was no longer in front of me. I felt his presence right behind me; my heart pounded as I slowly turned around, and there he stood only a few inches away from me.“You wanted to know how I got out of The Pit? Well now you do.”“What are you?” I asked, backing away once again.“Fortune tellers might be liars, but she didn’t lie. I do have darkness living and breeding inside of me. Your empresses, they were all fools; they couldn’t see that the very thing they fought against was living with them, under their very noses.”“You are scaring me, Trian.”“No, not Trian. Daemon.”That name was also familiar; it took only a few seconds for my brain to place it. Julia had told me about the demon that had been born into the world by the Luna Queen. The demon that was supposed to be dead, he went by the very same name Daemon.“No!” I gasped.“Now you're sca
I woke up to Trian by my side.After the bath last night, he brought me back to bed; I didn’t miss the fact that he had replaced the sheets with fresh ones. Despite the throbbing pain between my legs, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.It was better than I had ever expected, and I was glad Trian had been my first.Now I lay there, staring at him like some creep while he slept, noticing how tense he seemed—even in sleep. Maybe that was something all soldiers had in common. The thought of tracing my fingers down his perfectly sculpted face was enticing, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, afraid I might wake him—and then things would get very… awkward.I managed to rise to my feet, certain I’d be feeling him down there for days. I limped out of the room, planning to take a small tour of the house, and made my way to the kitchen. That was when I realized something I had completely overlooked—I didn’t know how to cook. For most of my life, the maids brought me food, and I ate whatever
Trian spread my legs wide, until I was completely vulnerable to him, I tried hiding away from him once again but he wouldn’t have that.That was the thing about Trian, he doesn’t asks for things, he demands for them, yet I knew all I had to say was a word and he would stop, but I couldn’t say the word, every right I had to make decisions about my own life had been taken from me by the Empresses, but this time I wanted this, I wanted him to be the one. My first.He kissed my nipples before taking them into his mouth."Trian…" I gasped, but he didn’t stop. His tongue flicked over my hardened nipple while his fingers teased the other. The moment he let go, he took the other into his mouth, repeating the motion. Heat surged through me—I had never craved anything more. Then, he kissed lower.“When I saw you, walking down that path, looking so fucking beautiful, I couldn’t wait to see you naked.” He whispered, his voice thick with lust and then he took my clit in his mouth. I jerked, moanin
ALIYA POVWe pulled up in front of a house that resembled the one Trian owned in Aureonna City.“How many houses do you own?”He smirked, “You don’t want to know.”“I do, actually.”“A lot.” He answered.“Why do you need so many houses?”“I used to be a traveler, obsessed with owning houses.” He admitted, before leading me into the house. We didn’t stop at the living area; he led me to one of the rooms.The design in this room felt more masculine.“This is your room, isn’t it?”“Yes,” he answered.I ventured deeper into the room, looking around the place; my eyes landed on the king-size bed in the middle. Dark thoughts filled my mind, but I managed to force my eyes away from the bed.“Those three weeks that I was away… I thought about you. It felt like an obsession, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”“I thought about you too, every single day.” I admitted, walking back to him, I took his hands in mine. “I believe in you now, fully and completely.”“I haven’t earned it, Aliya.”“
A small frown etched on my face.“It is, that’s his handwriting.” I argued.“Maybe, but that last line… it’s not his words.”That had been my very thought, but maybe no one really knew my father.“He knew I could do it.”“He mated you to me and gave me his pack too—to keep you safe. Why in the world would he send you to kill the person who he was trying to save you from?” he asked and I stared at him, speechless.“Did you kill her?” he asked. “The empress?”I nodded.“How?”“Silver bullets. I shot her thrice in the heart.”“And you believe she is dead?”“I shot…”“I know you shot her thrice, but if bullets could kill them, they would all be dead now, don’t you think?”"What are you saying?" I asked. My hands shook slightly, so I clasped them together to steady them.“I’m saying there is a high possibility she still lives. I don’t believe in their god but I know that physical methods are hardly ever enough to kill any of those empresses. They’ve been blessed with the gift of immortalit