-NIA’S POV-A breeze gushed over us as birds chirped all around the cool forest. Shimmering slots of sunshine broke through the interlocking sequoia branches above. I sucked in the deepest breath of nature’s ventilator to release the breath caught in my throat.“Miss me already, Lilly Bud?” He cooed with a predatory look in his hooded eyes.Why was he staring at me so much?His eyes danced violently with violet flames that were starving to ravish me―that wanted to devour me instantly. They were so intense that I could practically see his wolf wanting to lunge and pin me beneath him instantly. The bond fizzed.“I was just coming to find you. Did you get impatient to see me?” I hated the way his words made my heart flutter.“You wish,” I sassed. My 5'5 was nothing compared to his 6'6 wall of muscles that caged my small frame. What is this guy trying to do to me?Abruptly, I diverted my gaze from his, and I felt the touch of his fingers against my chin, pulling my attention back to him.
-NIA'S POV-Wincing and grimacing, I gazed through the windscreen and the window from the passenger's seat. “Where are we going?”The muscles in Lykoan’s jaws tightened, and his knuckles wrapped around the steering wheel a little tighter.Lykoan was silent the entire time when he put me into the Porsche and sped off. He drove like a furious madman and there was no opportunity to jump out.We traveled for miles through woodlands and towns and hit a freeway. Not even stopping for the flashing police who blared their sirens, chasing us after he broke every road code and drove on the shoulder of the road. I covered my eyes with one hand when it became too much to bear.Talk about pure terror!At one point, the vehicle slowed down, and I removed my hands hoping we were at our destination. To my horror, he punched the gas pedal and my entire life flashed before my eyes when he pulled the old switcheroo and jumped back on the old freeway.“You do see that fuel tanker that we are about to sla
-LYKOAN’S POV-“Good girl.” I appraised her for finally doing as I told her.Staring at her angrily scrunched-up face, she exhaled a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes. The way her brows creased made something inside me twist. I couldn't resist using my fingers to gently iron them out. In the same way, that's how I wanted to smooth out all her worries.There's something about these sparks that made me not want any other man feeling them. At least not from her. They belonged to Sultan.I folded my arms, wondering what was taking her so long. The rage built every second that she was privately talking to the guy when I didn't know what they were saying. This was not about the bilious jealousy that churned in my gut or the overbearing possessiveness that Sultan meted out to her.It was about making sure that the dude couldn’t break her heart again. He had to understand that Nia was protected by me and if he ever came within fifty feet of her, he would be a dead man.There was also the ma
-NIA’S POV-“Stop here.” I decided to leave Julius at an intersection on the boulevard that was lined with rows of Cape Cod houses. “This spot is good.”We hid behind a tall inkberry shrub at the side of a yellow house on a corner lot.“Ms. Nia, my instructions were never to leave your side and keep you safe.” Julius’ eyes narrowed with concern, unwilling to disobey Lykoan's order.“Well, too bad because your boss is not the boss of me.” I rolled my eyes and decided to explain. “We have to be careful because I have enemies here,” I replied, reaching my hands behind my perspiring neck to bundle my hair. “I want you to act as a gardener and be on the lookout.”I twirled my strands around into a messy high bun and snatched Julius’ black cap, putting it on.The crevice between his eyebrows deepened as he deliberated. “I'll be at the hedges. I'll make a whistle if anyone is approaching.”“Give me half an hour.” I nodded in agreement, wiping the moisture from my brows, and parted from him,
-NIA’S POV-Shell-shocked. My body tensed and I wanted to sink into the floor and vanish away. My nerves felt wired and uneasiness clawed inside of me.It's as though his brooding presence cast an eclipse over me. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't blink.Those devilish cobalt eyes remained stubbornly on me, and oh so slowly, his lips moved, and he breathed out like he had been enduring torture. “Nia? Is that really you?”He stumbled back. Momentarily losing his balance, his body rocked by the sheer force of the sudden realization.A moment of silence ensued before I shook my head. I blinked at my worst nightmare as my mind sluggishly came to grip the god-awful reality.“Dalton?” I hissed, lowly. The name tasted like poison on my lips.The sight of him was like a sting in my chest. A deep, sharp stake, pushing right into my heart, the longer I stared at him.Panic surged through my veins, plunging me into full terror mode. I was not prepared to see him this soon. Not when
-NIA’S POV-Veins throbbed on Dalton’s forehead. He squeezed my neck harder and his knuckles whitened.“Back away from the lady,” Julius threatened with concern in his soot-black eyes.“Are you the chivalry police?” Dalton huffed, turning his head with his dark eyes sizing up the guy standing at the threshold. “Name and purpose.”Julius replied, stoically, “I'm here to help Nia retrieve her belongings.”Dalton's eyes slung at mine with a dangerous glint in them. “You dare to bring a rogue into my pack!” He squeezed my throat aggressively, jerking me so that my head thudded against the wall.My heart shrieked, and I coughed, unable to answer.“Sir,” Julius intervened, trudging forward. “We did not come to make trouble. Nia and I will go if you could please release her.”“Who are you to talk here? Are you her new lover?” Dalton switched positions. He yanked me in front of him, arresting my upper arms to hold me hostage. “Are you the man who left these disgusting hickeys on her?”“I take
-NIA’S POV-“You dare to assault my Lily Bud!” Lykoan roared, with a heavy and dark aura rolling around the room.Suddenly, Dalton’s fangs were ripped from my neck. They gouged pieces of my flesh, making blood gush out."You fucking bastard!" I yelled as tears escaped my eyes. The moron tried to mark me.My shoulders slumped forward in terror and I slapped a hand over the wounds. A fear of dying twisted in my throat as I panicked at trying to stop the bleeding.My heart was slamming inside my chest with a second fear for Lykoan. Despite his build being bigger than my ex’s, Dalton was a ruling Alpha with power that would outmatch Lykoan’s. I did not want to see Lykoan get the crap beat out of him.It wasn’t supposed to be this way.Forsaking a deceased Jeff, Julius rushed over to help me as I sunk to the floor, losing volumes of blood that escaped through the cracks of my fingers.Julius cursed under his breath after he knelt and removed my hand to examine the gashes. He ripped a porti
-DALTON’S POV-“I've been mind-linking you for the past hour,” Brooke complained with a twisted scowl, meeting me at the front of the tundra-gray, neoclassical three-storey pack-house.In a split second, I shifted from my large black wolf into my naked human form to greet her with an uninterested face. “For what?’It ticked me off that she did not move to get my clothes like Nia would. Instead, she stood on the white steps with her hands folded thinking that she could demand anything from me. I passed her and entered the three-storey foyer.She stalked me. “Alpha Haynes and his daughter arrived for the meeting, and you weren't here to greet them.”My strides were long and hurried. She had to run a bit to keep up. Oh goddess, it was time to put up with her nagging again, I groaned inwardly.“I’m here now, aren't I? Why didn't you entertain him like you do with your other men?” I mumbled condescendingly, using a thumb to swipe sweat beads from my forehead. “That’s what you are good at.”
NIA’S POV-“We're not done yet, Alpha,” Caliste politely interjected, stopping the advancing footsteps that had made my golden ears perk up.Using my left hand, I gripped my right wrist, thrashing on my chair as I tugged and pulled, harder and harder. Yet nothing happened, only more coughing and more smoke that puffed out of my ears.My throat felt chafed, dry, and aching. Hissing from the shortness of breath, I clasped my neck, blinking my wet eyelids excessively, and I nearly passed out.My heart instantly ached for my mate. Wanting Lykoan to be at my side and make it stop. My first instinct was to scream for his assistance. However, my voice was lodged in my throat, as if some sort of imaginary block had been placed where my vocal cords were.I gripped the side of my head as a splitting headache ripped through it. The pressure built. Sweat stung my eyes like vipers. I yelped in agony. When will this terrible spell end?Then it happened.I was somewhere else, alone and petrified. I
NIA’S POV-“Nia, we invited Caliste, our pack witch.” Olsen addressed me in a cautious tone with his hazel eyes settling on mine. “To gain our trust, we require that you pass a minor test.”“Are you for real?” Lykoan scoffed. I groaned internally, reeling from the unexpected sting of that one word.“Okay.” I acquiesced with fake composure. Inside, I was freaking out. Test? What bloody test?"Excellent!" Olsen exclaimed with a nod. "I'm glad for your consent. It’s an amicable solution." He smiled, but it never touched his hazel eyes. He was hiding something.Alpha Jacques and his Beta exchanged snarky glances. He gave him a flick of the chin and T.K. moved from his spot, strolling down the table, and going towards the door. It was too late to back out without arousing more suspicion. For a piercing minute, I regretted my decision. Now, I had no choice but to see it through. To steady my heart, I forced myself to remember my initial motivation for doing this…to be acquitted of all the
-NIA’S POV-Lykoan began to grit his teeth, and I squeezed his hand gently. Starr was antsy, more agitated as these lycans spoke in opposition to our mate. It was absurd to deny Lykoan the natural right to open his heart to whomever he pleased and to wreck his life just because of his curse.Irritation wrapped itself around my throat. “Lykoan and I met under unforeseen circumstances that bound me here. The moon goddess herself bid that I become his Sigma Spade. To go against us is to go against our deity. So, all this hostility is extremely unnecessary and aggravating."“Impossible,” ejaculated from Agnes in a high-pitched raspy voice, disbelief cloaking her timeworn features.Korbeck snorted. Thebian raked a hand through his canescent brown hair.At the same time, Jacques threw his head back and laughed out loud. “You expect us to believe you spoke with the moon goddess.” He spat bitterly. “The gods don’t bother with your kind.”Low growls reverberated around the room, to which Lykoa
-LYKOAN’S POV-Dawn's honey-peach glow awakened me from my quiet slumber. A new freshness stoked within me as if the world had been enhanced to a higher plane. That’s because Nia has lit up my life in many ways.She was sleeping soundly and wrapped around me with her head on my chest, an arm thrown over my waist, and our legs entwined. I lay there, memorizing every detail of this moment.We were both naked, too tired last night to get any clothes on. Besides, the tingling feel of our skin-to-skin sated the physical need to be near her and to touch her, not necessarily in a sexual way, but in a way that just made me feel content.Feeling Nia starting to move and stretch against me, I caressed her side, making sure she knew I was still there as she became fully awake and aware.Her eyelids fluttered, making one of her dark lashes feathered against my skin, and my chest jolted at how much it tickled.Without lifting her head, she looked up at me. Her stunning orange eyes peeked through th
-NIA’S POV-Lykoan’s dark eyebrows furrowed and a small frown adorned his lips.Torment filled his lilacs when he uttered, “The Quintessa witches tried and most of the illusions stopped except that I see her at nights. I know she’s not real but, it’s kept me sane. Our nightly talks gave me something to look forward to. It was as though she was still around. So I haven’t slept in years because I couldn’t miss one night without her.”My chest tightened, and I squeezed my eyes shut. The pain in his voice lanced through my very own soul. But, I did not want him to stop talking to me. I opened my eyes and tilted my head up to find him solemnly gazing down at me.To console him, my fingers massaged the back of his neck, making him groan and roll his shoulders.Lykoan’s throat bobbed. Then he explained with a heartbreaking tenderness. “Although, all I feel is guilt when she visits. The guilt that I couldn’t save her. The guilt that I lived, and she died with my son.”Listening keenly, I inte
-NIA’S POV-With slow butterfly strokes, I swam towards Lykoan. The water moved around my body in swirls as a rippling eagerness to satisfy my curiosity surged forth.His sexy lips held that devilishly attractive smirk and his sinful eyes darkened with lust. Danger, my mind screamed, well aware that he was naked, and I was naked.It was clear our wolves desired to be mated. The threads of the bond strive to connect at all endpoints. Perhaps that’s what accounted for how I yearned to open up to him.Gliding through the water, my actions surprised even me as I held his raunchy lilacs—the silver light reflecting off his skin. For the first time, after a long while, I felt light and unburdened as the water refreshed both my mind and body.Once I was close enough, he snagged me around the waist and pulled me toward him. I wrapped my legs around his torso to keep myself above the water. My hands snaked around his neck with my breasts pressed against his taut chest. Our eyes locked, and the
-LYKOAN’S POV-Shuffling through my cards, I cursed under my breath. I was barely winning this Gin Rummy game against Nia.I was surprised I could concentrate right now, let alone win. I stole long glimpses of her over the top of my cards more than I managed to obtain these triple jacks.Nia had on a cerise pink cami shorts set. The curve of her chest flowing down into her small waist before billowing outward to her full hips was imprinted in my mind.The tiny, impractical, shorts showed off her smooth legs. At the same time, the frilled edge top bunched up her breasts into two mouth-drooling mounts that had me going almost feral in this chair.Oh my God. The things I would do to this woman if she would let me."You alright?" I asked her tightly as she took her time sifting through her cards.She appeared flustered as she shifted in the gray woven rope chair around the breakfast nook."The heat is maddening. It’s hard to function," she groaned, fanning herself with her hand.It wasn’t
-NIA’S POV-‘Continue the blood.’ A feathery voice played in my head. It was the moon goddess again.Lykoan’s blood was the key, but how? I still couldn’t understand what I was supposed to do.My eyes blinked as I racked my brain. I need a helping hand here, Selene. Like maybe some hints and tips for starters.Then I found Lykoan observing my facial expression from his chair. I immediately straightened my face. Acting nonchalant, I avoided his probing lilacs.“Hybrids feast on the DNA of other shifters,” Gawain explained, pulling the needle out of Lykoan’s flesh. “They think that mixing genes by cross-breeding and experiments make them unstoppable—that it’s supposed to gird them with additional abilities.” He sealed the tube with a blue cap. “The truth is combining more than three genes corrupts their DNA, and eventually they break out with diseases. Do you remember ebolipox?”“Yes,” I recalled that nasty disease that wiped out a large variety of people in the neutral territories.“Th
-NIA’S POV-“Why not today?” I asked Lykoan as he piggybacked with me through the neatly cut backyard of Arrondale.That’s the name of Lykoan's property where the mansion was located. He insisted that I ride him in this uncomfortable position. It was the only way he would let me accompany him to wherever he was going.Apart from that, he smelled so good. My hands rested on top of his broad shoulders, and I kept my nose close to his neck to keep the scent dominantly constant.“You can’t open that bank account until Jacques completes your filing. Your information will be uploaded as an official member on the pack’s server. The banks screen and do their know-your-customer diligence to ensure your membership is validated and approved by the Alpha. So, even though they’ll feel the pack link within you, it’s against protocol to go ahead without the verification,” he told me as he walked past the pool in long quick strides. “I’m sure that will be done after you meet with the Elders.”Similar