RILEY’S POV I was finally discharged and free to go home, Daisy recommended that I get some quality rest—as usual. “You know, you would heal completely if you took some more blood.” Damon advised. “No! I don’t want any other person dead.” “You don’t have to kill to feed, and as for the pain, you can make it pleasurable if you wish—no harm done.” “I don’t need to drink from others; we could do without it.” Daemon didn’t seem to believe that, but he said no more. “Back there... with Daisy, what really is going on between the both of you? – I mean, it's okay if you don’t want to tell me.” He turned to me. “I don't feel anything for her, but she does for me; there’s nothing between us but sex.” “Oh.” I muttered; I felt like he told too much, but he didn’t seem to mind. “I think she was a bit jealous when I told her you visited me regularly; she wanted that.” “She shouldn’t be jealous.” Was his only response. “Who knows, maybe you'll grow to feel something for her.” “I love some
I told Thane everything my father had said to me that night, and all the while he listened, completely silent.“Do you think I should drink this? I mean, I don’t think he had any ulterior motives, but...”“If you think it’s safe, then try it.” Thane encouraged me. He pulled open the bottle before returning it back to me. I stared at the liquid, a bit hesitant, I lifted the bottle to my lips and I drank it all. It had a bitter-sweat taste.“How do you feel?” he asked, and I shrugged.“I don’t really feel anything.” I say, placing the bottle back on the table. “I expected… something.”“Try taking out your wings.”For the past few months, summoning my wings had become extremely painful; but I was willing to give it a shot. I rose to my feet, getting ready for the pain that accompanied it, but the wings sprouted out of my back just as easily as they once did.That was fast.“I guess it worked.” I said to Thane, and he nodded with a smile.***The pack had gathered in the hall, where the c
"Have you ever met someone that looks so familiar, but you can't quite grasp where you know that person from?" my mother asked."No, it hadn't really happened to me. Why?"She placed down her spoon, clearly done eating."I don't want to sound all paranoid, but I saw this man; he was standing outside the pack house and just staring at me. It was strange, but then he was… gone. For some reason, I feel like I know him from somewhere, but I can't quite place where."I paused eating. "Wait, how does this man look?" I asked her."Blonde hair, average height... I didn't get much of him, but I felt like I had seen him before."I had every reason to believe that was Bruce; it just had to be.He had promised he would stay away from her; why was he at the Raven Clan?"Mom, listen to me: if you ever see that man again, run.""Run? Why?""Nothing, just run.""There has to be a reason; is he evil?" she asked."I can't be sure if it's the same person," I lied, I was very sure. "But if it is, then th
ISABELLA...I always knew I wouldn't live a long life; I knew all I had was months, and at some point, I stopped caring; I stopped fearing death, I accepted it.That had changed since Thane came into my life. He made me see that there was more to life, things I was missing out on and all of a sudden, my fear for death returned. I didn't want to die.I watched him through the tiny window as he chopped down a tree for wood. He was going to be brokenhearted when he discovered the truth. I should tell him; I owed him that, and yet I couldn't. I couldn't because I feared he would leave me.Thane caught me staring and abandoned the axe; he walked into the house, easily finding me."Checking me out as always?""Yes." I answered truthfully, there was no need to deny it."You look a bit... frail. Have you been eating well?" He asked, and I nodded. I tried to keep calm; if Thane detected any signs of unease, he would investigate further. It was hard trying to hide things from a man as smart a
RILEY“I can’t believe he still visited my mother; he promised me he would let her live her life.” I said to Thane, exasperated.“She knows nothing about him; that’s all that matters.”“What if he makes her remember? I don’t want him to come between what she has with Gabriel.”“Think about it this way. For almost two decades he left her; maybe he thought he was trying to protect her, but that revelation is bound to leave her heartbroken. Do you think she would simply fall back in love with him like it had been all those years ago?”“I think not. At least I wouldn’t.”“Exactly.”A maid walked in with a tray of food.“Wait.” I called, and she paused. “Pricilla?”She turned to me, and it was indeed Pricilla.“Why are you here?” I asked.“To deliver the food.” She said like that wasn’t obvious.“You may leave, Pricilla,” Thane says to her, and she gives a bow before dismissing herself.“She’s one of the maids now?”“Yes.”“How did that happen?”“I think she genuinely wants to be a better
“We can both have him.” Isabella says, her eyes pinned to the ground.“So you want us to...” I couldn’t even say the word.“Yes.” She answered simply.“That won’t work.”“It will; it did before. I’ve been busy these past few days. I know about you and Axel. Your relationship with him never came between what you had with Thane, did it?” I couldn’t give an answer to that. “Riley, if Thane felt nothing for me, I would be gone by now, but I was his mate, and so there’s a part of him that would always have those feelings for me. I’ve been gone for long, so the mate bond between us has weakened, but it’s only a matter of time. When that time comes — we don’t have to make him choose.”“I don’t want that Isabella.” I said to her, even if I knew that she spoke the truth, or at least partially the truth. Thane might have feelings for her, and why he would never admit it to me, I knew that letting go of one’s first love and mate couldn’t be that so easy. “But then that would only be you being s
"I enjoy it, Riley; I enjoy punishing them. I am a demon; it's a part of me.""Just stop, stop saying that; it makes me scared of you, and I don't want to be scared of my own son.""Son." He calls the word like it disgusted him. "I don't like when you call me that."Those words cut deep; what on earth was wrong with him?"I told you once that my heart can only belong to one person, Riley, and you want to know who that person is?" he asked. I gave no response. "It's you, Riley. I love you, and I've said that to you over and again, but I don't love you like a son loves his mother; I love you like a man would another woman."The revelation stunned me into silence.Wait... what?"Daemon, you can't...""I can, because that's all I feel. Every single time I think of you, I think of what it would feel like kissing you; I think of fucking you and making love to you..."I slapped him hard. He seized both my hands. He leaned down and kissed me. I struggled against his firm grip, but damn, was h
ISABELLA'S POV...."If you had a day left, what would you spend those few hours doing?" I asked Thane.He gave me a calculative look. "Why would you want to know that?" he asked."Nothing; I am just one curious creature.""Well, if I did have a day to live, I wouldn't spend a minute thinking about death; I would live through the day like it was every other." he said, and I couldn't help but smile at that. "Bella, I have a question for you. Have you ever thought about having a family?"The smile on my face disappeared. I had thought about that so many times; anytime I looked at Thane, I knew if I could have a family, he would be the one I would want to have that family with."No." I lied, "I will worry about that when the time comes."I rose from the bed."Where are you going?""I need to use the bathroom." I said to him, but I had been trying to hide the tears; they had once again ruined my makeup. Hiding this was getting harder. I took out my powder; I just needed a few more touches
“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.