Loraine’s POV Today is turning out to be ‘one of those days.’ Yeah. One of those days where I would work till my body became sore and I wish the ground opened and swallowed me. During the meeting in Alpha Hunter’s office, he had me introduced to a dark-haired beauty. Sasha. Her name fits her looks and personality. I guess that is why we got along quite well after just meeting for the first time. Sasha is engaged to Alpha Hunter’s beta, Maddox, whom I’m yet to meet because he is out on pack business on behalf of his Alpha. Once he’s back, Sasha assures me that they’ll start preparations for their marriage, which is after the ball. Anyway, back to why Alpha Hunter introduced Sasha and me and why I think today might be the worst day of my life, although I just met the most wholesome and down-to-earth female in the world? Well, that is because I not only have to tour Alpha Hunter’s pack settlement but the settlements belonging to his brothers as well, meet the pack women and assi
Loraine’s POV His fingers run down my skin slowly, stopping at my back. I want to resist and push him away, but I can’t. Not with how much my body wants this. My wolf wants it. Tingles burst in every part of my body, crippling the last bit of rationality that I am desperately clinging to. Of all the brothers, I’ve always thought Preston to be the most reserved, the least naughty. The one with all the brains and not just muscles, but I guess when it comes down to nature, a wolf would always be a wolf, and whether we try to fight it or not, our primal instincts will always take over. Mate. The only word that exists in my wolf’s vocabulary now. Whether she means that in terms of the bond that exists between us, the one clawing desperately, begging to be united with our better half or in another term, I have no idea, and I can barely wrap my head around anything at this point. Preston’s hand trailed everywhere before landing on my ass. He squeezed tight, causing me to whimper. T
Kris’ POV I am upset. Not quite, but after banging her door for more than thirty minutes and receiving no response, I am getting upset. I know she’s in there. My wolf is going crazy from her scent, and I feel tingles prickling my skin. Why the fuck is she not replying? My anger slowly metamorphoses into worry. What if she’s not alright? Hunter had informed us of an infiltration two days ago. One of his warriors had spotted someone, a spy, and we were yet to get hold of them. What if they have done something to her? My wolf goes berserk at that thought. “Loraine!” I scream. If she is hurt, won’t I feel it? I would have been able to if we had bonded, but since we are yet to do that, my senses and wolf are very limited to things that concern her. Worry claws at my chest, and I have made up my mind to kick the door in when it opens slowly and her beautiful head pops out. She flashes a disarming smile—as I said, disarming because all the anger and worry I felt only seconds ago me
Loraine’s POV Kris leads us to Alpha Hunters office, pulling me so I won’t get distracted by stuff along the way. I can’t be faulted because everything in the house is clamouring for my attention, and ignoring them is hard. We soon arrive at a mahogany door, and Kris gives me a minute to collect myself before pushing the door open and ushering us in. I gasp as three pairs of eyes stare back at us. The chilling silence causes goosebumps to rise in my skin, and my heart is beating to the point where I feel as though the world burst out of my chest. I gulp as I begin to feel the pull towards each of them. Fuck! Being with one brother is hard enough; being with all of them makes me feel as if I’m about to be torn to pieces. “Loraine.” Alpha Hunter’s voice is quite soft and polite. “You got my gift.” My lips break into a smile despite the war that’s raging inside me. I pinch the fabric of the dress in between my fingers and bend my knees in reverence. “I did, thank you.” “It fits
Hunter’s POV My wolf growled as soon as her scent hit us. The smell of lavender and cinnamon was so delicious that even my brothers were finding it hard to keep their wolves down. As soon as she steeped through the door, I knew I was a gone man. And now she’s acting like she owns us all. Fuck! If it isn’t sexy, hell. I fucking love this side of her that all I can think of is giving all of myself to her. Banging her left, right, and centre till her wolf screams my name. Shit, she owns me now, doesn’t she? After stating her demands, my brothers are yet to say a word. They are just as dumbstruck as I am. I can’t seem to be able to take my eyes off her. Heck! I don’t want to take my eyes off her. All I want is “Is that even an option?” Killian’s voice pulls me out of the phantasm of my mind, delivering me back into reality. I shudder, glancing around. Thankfully, none of my brothers noticed that I had been off for a second. “Can she choose herself? And not anyone of us? What hap
Hunter’s POV Fear flashes in my mate’s eyes, and her heat rushes up to my nose, eliciting a gut-wrenching growl from my wolf. All heads in the room bow to the ground, all except Sasha's, whose head is tilted towards the sky, and she’s now howling in pain. My first instincts are to protect my mate by getting her out of here, but she resists me, choosing to rush to Sasha’s side. I sigh, trying to reach my beta through the mind link, but fail. Frowning, I try again, growling in annoyance when I still can’t get through to him. Something’s not right. My wolf points out. “Beta’s mate.” I call out, using my alpha’s tone to ensure her attention. “What is this? What has happened?” Loraine pulls her to her feet, while the other women quickly bring water to wash out the blood in her hands. The blood, which I see now is from clawing at her skin, on the area below her chest. “Beta’s…” Loraine holds her hand up, shutting me up. She moves Sasha to a seat, drawing soothing circles on her b
Killian’s POV I can feel my brother’s anxiety even from a mile away, although he is concealing the other signs of his fears well. We arrived at the gate hours ago and have combed through every home, street, back alley, gambling house, and whatnot, but Beta Maddox is nowhere. No one seems to have seen or heard from him. I have a bad feeling about this. A depth in my gut that keeps clawing at me. Maddox might be dead, but Hunter wants us to hold out hope that we will find him alive. I know the bond he and Maddox share goes beyond friendship. They are more like brothers, and this must be really hard for him, still. I stiffen as I hear a voice through the mind link. It is low, like a flickering candle, but it's there. I think Hunter has heard it too because he comes running to me, his eyes wide open. “Did you hear it?” he asks, breathing heavily. Sweat has soaked through his shirt, causing it to glue to his skin and highlighting his bulging biceps. “It was unmistakable, right?
Loraine’s POV It's been three long days. Three days since Alpha Hunter took me to the celebration and then went after his beta. Three days since Sasha lost connection with her husband. Three days since I've had to look after her all the while also harbouring a fear of mine. If something has happened to them. I close my eyes and clench my fist. I cannot allow thoughts to trail to such dark places. If they were not okay, their brothers would have felt it. They have this sort of connection, a bond that exists between them, and so far, they have felt nothing. Nothing. That’s what has us worried. The fact that we have heard nothing from either Alpha Hunter or Alpha Killian for the past three days. They cannot even be reached through the mind link. Frustration is gnawing at me. the fact that I can do nothing but sit on my ads and wait while my mates are out there. I bit down my bottom lip. A habit I was indulging in too often. I breathe out a sigh, glancing up at Sasha, who h
Mabel’s POV My uncle’s voice echoed in my head, sharp and unforgiving. “You’re not doing enough, Mabel.” It wasn’t just a criticism—it was an accusation, a reminder that failure wasn’t an option. My fists clenched as I paced my room. I had done everything he’d asked. What more could he want? “I’ve been working tirelessly,” I muttered under my breath, trying to push his biting words aside. But his response had been just as infuriating. “If you were doing enough, we wouldn’t still be having this problem, would we?” My uncle and I had been working together for a long time now. And I thought he would understand where I was coming from by now. The nerve. The absolute fucking nerve. Did he think sabotaging Loraine and breaking down those overly possessive alphas was freaking easy? Since I came, I had done my best to make sure Loraine was away from the boys, but nothing I did allowed them near me. They always stayed away from me no matter what I did, no matter how many stunts I pull
Loraine’s POV Gordon’s words haunted me. “I know where your real parents are.” That fucking asshole! I had spent the entire night replaying that moment over and over in my head, convincing myself it was a lie. Gordon was a manipulator, someone who thrived on creating chaos and pain. Surely, this was just another attempt to mess with me. But then there was that small, traitorous part of me—the part that whispered, What if he’s telling the truth? The thought made my stomach twist. I tried to push it away, but it kept creeping back. My parents—the ones who raised me—were loving and kind. They had given me everything, taught me everything, made me who I am today. They’re my parents, I told myself firmly. They have to be. Still, doubt ate at me. The day started as any other—me waking up to the sounds of my mates already busy in the kitchen. I forced a smile, determined to focus on them instead of Gordon. My mates needed me, and I needed to shake off these dark thoughts. Walking i
Loraine’s POV The day after, Prince Gideon updated us on everything. The house was quiet—too quiet. That usually meant trouble, especially when all four of my mates were involved. I wandered through the halls, half-expecting to stumble upon chaos, but instead, I found myself piecing together just how hard they had been working behind the scenes to protect me. Kris had left early that morning, his usual calm demeanor masking the tension I knew he felt. Hunter had spent the night pacing the halls, muttering something about rogue sightings, while Preston and Killian had been in and out of the office, trying to keep the rest of the pack on high alert. I sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter as I prepared breakfast for them. The sight of the empty table tugged at my heart. They’d been stretched thin lately, all because of me. I never meant for my life to bring so much drama into theirs. “They deserve better,” I whispered to myself. But even as the thought crossed my mind, ano
Killian’s POV The morning was chaotic, as usual, in our kitchen. Loraine had been up early to make breakfast for everyone—a sweet thank-you for all the support we’d been giving her lately. But between Preston stealing food off everyone’s plates and Hunter barking orders about the day’s plans, the kitchen was less of a peaceful sanctuary and more of a battlefield. I leaned against the counter, sipping coffee, and watched the madness unfold. “Preston, I swear if you touch my bacon again—” Hunter growled, but Preston just grinned and popped the strip into his mouth. Loraine laughed from her spot by the stove, shaking her head at them. “You’re all worse than children.” In the middle of it all, Kris sat at the far end of the table, quietly eating his eggs like the chaos didn’t even touch him. He looked calm, almost serene, but I knew better. I’d watched him long enough to know that Kris’s calm exterior was a mask. He was always the most composed of us—our resident peacemaker—but when
Kris’s POV The house was still quiet when I walked into the kitchen, the faint scent of breakfast lingering in the air from earlier. The other guys were scattered throughout the manor—Hunter poring over reports in his office, Killian likely plotting strategies, and Preston… probably trying to charm Loraine into sneaking off somewhere for a private moment. And Loraine? My Luna? Well, she was upstairs, reading. Her soft laughter had floated down earlier when Preston said something ridiculous. I leaned against the counter, pouring myself a cup of coffee, and let myself enjoy the moment. We were finally finding balance. I never thought it would work, sharing her after how Mabel played us against each other in the past. We had decided that it’s not in a wolf’s nature to share his mate, so we vowed not to… but somehow, it worked for us again. The bond we all had with her was not at all like the corrupted bond we had with Mabel before; this one felt right—natural, even. We could have h
Mabel’s POV The chill of the night bit at my skin as I slipped out of my borrowed room in the brothers’ sprawling manor. The house was silent, save for the soft creaks of the old floors under my feet. Wrapping my coat tighter around myself, I stepped into the waiting car, its sleek black interior swallowing me whole. “Where to, Miss Mabel?” the driver asked, his voice even, unbothered by the lateness of the hour. “Elder Arnold’s estate,” I said sharply, avoiding his gaze. “He said grandmother needed to see me this night.” I lied unnecessarily. This was the fucking driver who could never dare to hurt or even expose me, but something in me just enjoyed telling these lies to make everyone pity me. I didn’t even have a grandmother! She died before I met her, but I didn’t care; I just enjoyed my stories. The car rolled into motion, and I leaned back against the seat, trying to steady my thoughts. My uncle’s summons had been brief and cryptic, but I knew what it was about. It was al
Loraine’s POV The smell of the morning air wafted through the slightly cracked window as sunlight peeked into the room. I woke up feeling warm, safe, and entirely surrounded by love. Fuck! This was the life I was supposed to live. Thank the goddess for giving me this. The boys were still fast asleep, their steady breaths filling the room. Killian’s arm was draped lazily over my waist, and Preston was nestled close, his hand barely brushing mine. Kris and Hunter sprawled out on either side, peaceful and unguarded. They were perfect and all mine. I smiled, my heart swelling with gratitude. After everything yesterday, they had gone out of their way to make me feel cherished. The least I could do was return the favor. Quietly, I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake them, and tiptoed out of the room. The kitchen was my destination, but halfway there, I nearly ran into someone. Mabel. Ah shit! Guess the world won’t be all roses and sunshine today. She was standing in the hall
Loraine’s POV After the court, we arrived at a quaint little ice cream parlor just outside of town. The building was painted in cheerful pastel colors, with string lights glowing warmly in the windows. It was the kind of place I’d never thought I’d find myself in with four powerful, intimidating Alphas like mine. Yet here we were, stepping inside like a normal group out for a treat. Kris held the door open for me, grinning. “After the day you’ve had, you deserve something sweet.” “I’d say she deserves everything sweet for being a sweetheart,” Preston chimed in, his voice teasing as he placed a hand on the small of my back to guide me inside. I laughed softly, feeling the tension from the day slowly melting away. “Ice cream is a good start, though.” Hunter leaned over the counter, scanning the long list of flavors. “All right, what’ll it be, Loraine? Name your poison.” The sheer variety was overwhelming. “Uh, maybe vanilla?” Kris groaned dramatically. “Vanilla? Really? Come on
Loraine’s POV The crazy and almost unbelievable courtroom drama was actually still very much floating in my mind as we walked toward the car. My relief was mixed with exhaustion, but I was so very grateful the hearing hadn’t gone entirely against us. My champions—the boys—had and were still surrounding me protectively, with their sharp gazes scanning every inch of our surroundings as if ready to pounce on the first sign of trouble. It’s like they almost expected a fallback or a retaliation for the fact that we managed to prove my innocence after all. A punishment for being innocent Now wasn’t that the most ironic shit you had heard today? “Well, that was a close one,” Hunter muttered, his voice low but tense. “Elder Arnold isn’t going to back off easily. We need to tighten security and—” “—get rid of that mole, Mabel,” Preston interjected, his tone harsher than usual. I stopped walking, turning to face them. “What?” “Mabel,” he repeated, his eyes narrowing. “She has to go. T