RILEY'S POVI felt Thane's absence; that must have been what awoke me. He sat on the edge of the bed."Thane?" I called, and he turned to me. He seemed... different."Riley, hope I didn't disturb your sleep?""Why aren't you sleeping?""Do you want me to join you?" he asked, and I couldn't help but see that as a bizarre question. "Of course."He lay by my side, a bit too stiff."Are you okay, Thane?""Yes, I am."I moved over him, kissing his lips. "Aren't you cold? You are freezing.""I'm not." He rolled over so we were close enough and placed a light kiss on my lips. I kissed him back, and then it got more heated; his hands trailed down my cleavages. It was a little past midnight, but I didn't feel like sleeping anymore. He helped me out of my clothes, and I was surprised he didn't rip them off; he cupped my breast, and I let out a small moan; his cool lips took my nipples into his mouth, gently sucking on them."It tastes like... milk.""Oh shit. I'm sorry." That was meant for the
"You enjoyed your time; I did too; that's all that matters.""No, it had been Thane in your place.""It was a new trick I learnt. It turns out I can switch forms; I didn't think you would buy it, but I might be better at this than I gave myself credit for.""You raped me?""Rape? Should I remind you of how many times you moaned for me, Riley?Tears streamed down my eyes as I climbed off the bed; I could still feel him between my legs. I could still remember how many times I moaned, begged even."I trusted you.""I don't feel guilt or whatsoever. I want you; I've always wanted you, and I still do. When I want something, I have it."But I am your...""Don't, don't say the word.""Or what?""Trust me, you don't want to know," he said."You deceived me.""That was the plan. He walked closer to me, and I backed away till I was against the wall. "You are all I think about, and this was better than my imagination."I slapped him hard in the face, and he pinned my hands against the wall. I co
THANEThe first thing I noticed was the sheets on the floor, slightly stained with blood. Riley sat on the floor, her back against the wall; she held a gun in her shaky hand, and tears streamed down her eyes."Riley." I called, and she pointed the gun at me. "Don't come any closer," she warned."Riley, lower the gun and tell me what the hell is going on." I said to her, and she finally let go of the gun, slowly rising to her feet."It's really you?""Yes, it is.""Where were you?""I'll tell you everything, but first I want to know what happened here.""All these?" she threw her hands in the air. "It wouldn't have happened if you were here; it wouldn't have happened if you could stay away from Isabella."How did she know that? I didn't plan on her figuring this out before I told her the truth."I'm sorry, but I can explain; hear me out." "No, you hear me out. Why you were there doing goddess knows what with Isabella, Daemon was here..." she paused, letting out a sob. "What did he d
RILEY "I will fix this, Riley, but I need more time." "No, do you know what you are going to do? You will send Isabella away; things would go on just as they used to." "I can't do that. I still need her. Next full moon, there is every possibility that I would lose control. I don't want anyone hurt, so until I figure out a way to get through this without her, she has to stay." "You love her, don't you?" "Riley, I..." "Don't lie to me; you've always loved her. Earlier you were absent from the pack; where had you been Thane?" I asked him; his silence told me all I needed to know. "I was back at Bella's cottage; I had visited her grave just to be sure." "Just to be sure Isabella was really ‘bella’, right?" "Yes." "And she is the very same one, isn't she?" "You want to know the truth? Yes, I care about Isabella; the fact that she had been dead for years doesn't stop me from caring because she had been my mate, the first woman I ever loved, but that doesn't mean I've
For the next few days, Daemon didn't visited. I assumed he was severely injured, though a part of me wondered if he had actually... died.I was heading to Daisy's; she might be the pack's healer, but she was the only one I could talk to, and I needed a distraction now more than ever. "Riley," the melodious voice called, and I stopped.Anger, That was all I felt at that moment; I turned around slowly. Isabella had a smile on her face which disappeared the moment her gaze met mine; I guess I wasn't doing a very good job hiding what I was feeling at the moment."How do you feel, Isabella, knowing you've won?""What are you trying to say?" she asked; she was going to play the fool.I moved towards her, pulling her dress slightly to the side. "The mark.""He told you; I told him not to.""And why did you think Thane would keep secrets from me?""It's not what it seems.""It is exactly that, and see, this little talk about friendship and all, it really wouldn't work.""I know that. I had m
I took out my gun. This would only buy me time; I hid it properly at the back of my pants. I sprayed some water on my face as it seemed pale. He was here; I could feel it. I returned to the living space, but there was no one here. Maybe I was wrong; but then I felt the presence right behind me. I let out a scream, but his hands around my mouth muffled my cries. "Act stupid, and dear Daisy would pay for it." He warned, and I gave a nod. He finally let me go, but not before slipping out the weapon from where I hid it. "I'll hold onto this.” "Stay away from Daisy," I warned him. "Why? Could it be because you are jealous?" "You disgust me." "I don't think I do. I can read you, and I know you wanted to be in Daisy's place; you wanted to abandon caution, norms and surrender to me, but you will never admit that." "What do you want?" "Simple. You." "You cannot have me, I am not a toy." "If I can't, then he shouldn't either; perhaps I will kill you, just as you attempted to do to m
RILEY…"Daisy!" I called; the smile on my face felt a bit forced."Is something wrong?" she asked, a look of concern in her eyes."Not really. I'm not here to talk to you as the ‘pack healer’ but as a friend.""Oh. Come in then, Luna." She invited me, and I followed her into her apartment. "If this is about your child, then know that this evening would be the perfect time for the visit we previously discussed.""Thank you, that is good news, and I can't wait to see him, but that's not the reason I am here. I wanted to apologize for walking in on you the last time."I knew she must have seen me."No worries, it's fine."“It is not. I shouldn't have come in without your consent.""I forgive you. Daemon said it was no big deal."Again with Daemon, it was like Daisy had been hypnotized; this reminded me how I felt when I had been under Bailey's control, but the only difference was Daisy was a willing participant."That's exactly what I want to talk about; I wanted to talk about you and D
A healer escorted us to the ward Ethan had been kept in. Thane and I walked in, hand in hand.All we could do was watch the baby through the incubator glass, but seeing him for the first time brought me to tears. He was so tiny and beautiful."That's our baby." I whispered. Thane held me close. "He is. And he's going to have the best childhood ever," he promised.I stepped closer to the glass and placed my hands against it. "Momma's here, Ethan."."He looks a lot like you, Thane." I said when we got back from the ward."I disagree; it's the same hair color, but he got your eyes and your very cute nose." Thinking about it, he was right; Ethan got his features from the both of us."I have a surprise for you," Thane says."You do?""Yes.""Where is it?""Close your eyes."I did, and he swept me off my feet, carrying me bridal style."I can walk, you know." I protested but I secretly liked being carried around by Thane."I wouldn't want you walking into a pillar, and please, keep your
“Walk with me,” Alexander said to me.Many curious gazes followed us.“Where to?” I inquired.“To the Dining Room.”“I’m not hungry.”“But I am, so come with me.”I clenched my teeth, following after him.“How do you feel?” he asked.“Really? You are going to ask me that question?”“Last night, you felt it, didn’t you?”“I’m sure you were so happy and satisfied knowing I was in pain.” He passed me a vial filled with a clear, thick liquid. “What is this?”“Something I should have given you earlier. You should take it; while it won’t completely take the pain away, you would barely feel it.” he explained.“I don’t need it.”“You don’t have to be stubborn, Kaida; it will do you no good. Tormenting yourself is not fearlessness; it’s stupidity.”“If I can endure being with you, then no amount of torment is too grave to endure.” With that I walked past him, heading back to my room. I had lost my appetite.…I stood at the balcony, all I could think about was my father. He was all alone—I sh
I hadn't realized when I had fallen asleep on the couch until something woke me— pain.My whole body seemed to be on fire. I knew what was happening; how the hell hadn’t I thought about it? We were fated mates; of course, if he was with his whores, I was going to know—I was going to feel it.After Alexander had marked me, he walked out of the room. I knew exactly what he was off to do, and I didn’t care; I was happy to have the room all to myself. I didn’t realize what I would have to endure while he was having fun, but I had been through worse. He knew what he was doing, and if he thought even for a second that this would make me change my mind about going to bed with him, then he was wrong; I’d rather endure it.I managed to draw myself a bath; I was hoping this would help ease the pain, but of course it didn’t. It went on for longer than I expected, but finally it came to an end.I got dressed, making sure I was fully clothed. I couldn’t sleep, and so I spent my time practicing wit
KAIDA’S POVAric brought me a few of my belongings—the little he had managed to pack on such short notice. I had refused to wear anything the Alpha King had selected for me, good thing I now had options."Thank you," I said to him, and he nodded, a slight smile on his face.“Some of the pack members have already been moved here; the rest will have to wait till there are more rooms to accommodate them.”“How is my father?” I asked, The smile on his face faded, replaced by a somber expression. “I guess that’s all the explanation I needed.”“How has the Alpha been to you?”"He has been very loving," I said sarcastically, motioning to the empty room. Alexander had instructed a soldier to lead me to ‘our’ room. And yes, I would be sharing a room with him, I wasn’t looking forward to that.“Kaida…”“No, don’t try comforting me, I don’t need that from you. I know what I have to do and why I am here, he is my mate so I guess it was… meant to be.” I said with a smile that was clearly false.“I
ALEXANDER'S POVKaida Dawn was different.She was different from any other woman I had ever had in my bed.I had discovered she was my mate four years ago, but unlike many other werewolves, the thought of having mates never did intrigue me. I didn’t want to be loyal to anyone; I didn’t want a family, and that’s why I stayed away.And then Alpha Trent Dawn had come to me with his proposal. He was one of the few people in my good books; I knew what he had done for this pack, and I was aware that we owed him a favor. But I did find it strange; He had a Beta, going by the name Aric. Since he had no male children, the Beta could've taken over, and Kaida could've mated him instead. But for some reason… he didn’t hand the pack to his Beta.I had spotted her the moment she walked into the feast. How couldn’t I? Her scent was all over the place. My wolf inside didn’t like the Beta being so close to her, or the fact that they had slept in the very same room, but I reined him in. What happened b
I’d heard other she-wolves talk about how it felt when they met their mates. The scent, the pull—I felt it all.“Do you feel it?” I asked him, and a small smirk spread on his face.“Feel what?” he asked. “The mate bond?”“You knew.” My tone was accusing.“I’ve known for a very long time now, Kaida. Even before I agreed to your father’s proposal.”“How long ago did you know?”“Your father and his beta made constant visits to this pack; your scent was all over them.”“And yet you made no move, why?”“I don’t say this to offend you, but you aren’t exactly my type.”“Oh, I know. I guess brunettes are your type, and maybe you'd have preferred a girl who would fall on her knees and worship the very ground you walk upon, a girl who would obey every single word you utter without questions.”“I would have liked that, but that wasn’t what I was referring to. You see only a few girls shut the doors to love and choose the parts of becoming ‘warriors’. Of course, most times there were reasons beh
It had taken every ounce of willpower in me to return here.But if I was going to be his Luna, then the rules would have to change; I didn’t care who the hell he was.The soldiers escorted me to his chambers. He wasn’t alone. There were about a dozen men seated there, many of whom were middle-aged; they should be the ones people refer to as the king's 'advisors.’Alpha Ethan’s eyes settled on me.The scent was even stronger now, but I was going to rein in my wolf; I was in control, not her, and it's time she knew that. I had expected to see a smirk on his face; after all, he won. I was here because I had no other options, but his face remained unreadable, and maybe that’s one of the many things I found unsettling about him. I couldn’t read his emotions, and I was very good at that. I didn’t like surprises, but the man seated before me had a bottle filled with surprises, waiting and ready for me.“Leave, every one of you.” He ordered, and all the men rose and walked away, leaving me a
My father had told me countless times the story of when I was just a child, and he thought he was going to lose me, he had done everything in his power but it all failed and then he discovered the ‘healer’s lilies’, it healed me. Words could never fully capture what it feels like to stand on the edge of losing a loved one.I didn’t miss my mother much—I never had the chance to know her. She died giving birth to me. All that was left of her were only her pictures. Alpha Trent was a strong man; not many Alphas carry on after the loss of their mates, and yet he did.Now, the very same man I once believed was invincible, laid on his deathbed. I held in the tears because they were of no use. Crying never changes anything.“Kaida, I want you to know that I love you so very much. I know you will take care of this pack, even in my absence.”“I will.” I promised.“You met with the Alpha… I know he might seem…”I cut him off. “He is my mate.”“That… is very convenient.” He said with a small smi
That was it.I was done.Aric had been waiting for me, and as soon as he saw me, he quickly took off his suit and wrapped it around me. I felt like a fool.The moment we were both in the room and alone, he finally spoke up.“What happened?”"There’s not much to explain; it’s all right here," I say, gesturing to my torn clothes.“If he laid a finger on you, I’ll—”“You will what? He is the Alpha King; he is also very strong, and so there isn’t much any of us could do to him.”“Where are you going?”“Packing my stuff and leaving.” “What are you going to say to your father?” he asked.“I wanted to do this—for him, for the pack, but I can’t. The man is a monster; I cannot imagine sharing the same bed with him and his many… whores.I stuffed my things into the bag. I hadn’t brought a lot of things, and so in a few minutes I was packed.“Kaida, I don’t think you should leave now.” Aric says.“Why shouldn’t I?”“At least wait till the feast is over.”“Well, to hell with the etiquette and mo
Despite all the warning bells ringing in my head, I walked in and took a seat, just as he had requested of me. I didn’t know many things about this man, but one thing I knew for sure was that he was used to having his command being obeyed.“A drink?” he offered. Pouring me a glass of whiskey.“From where I come from, a girl does not drink.”“This is your home now; soon the Dawn pack will be no more, so get used to it.” He says, passing me the glass, I took it, but I didn’t drink.“You know, it is wrong to refuse a drink from the King.”“I do not drink, and if I will, it won’t be because you told me to.” I said, placing the glass down on the table.Those ruthless eyes pinned me down once more; I felt for my dagger once more.“I’ve heard a thing or two about you. The girl who aspired for greatness, you fought your way into that; you’ve gone to battles and never failed a mission. I admire that, but in this pack, you are just another girl; all you’ve built, everything dies with your pack.