Orion’s povI couldn’t believe what I had heard him say as I tried to understand his words. “What did you say?” I asked with a frown.He chuckled, a low irritating sound. “If you’re so determined to find the outsider, what will you do when you have found her?”I took a menacing step closer to him. “That’s none of your concern, just answer the question. Where is she?”He shrugged, annoyingly unfazed by my mounting irritation. “She’s at a party.”This was crazy. Was he being serious now?“A party? What do you mean a party?” I couldn’t help but notice that my voice rose to a high point as I punctuated every word. “You’re joking with me aren’t you? Hazel would never leave the packhouse. She is supposed to be here. How could she be at a party right now?”He smirked and his gaze was unwavering. “Why don’t you ask around, Alpha, if you doubt me? I am a thousand percent sure you’ll get the same answer from the people.”Now I was losing my mind as I clenched my fists while trying to calm mysel
Orion’s povHazel tugged my arm from behind “Orion, lets just go. Please.”I glanced back at her and tightened my jaw “Stay behind me.”One of the bouncers laughed, twirling his baton. “Big words when you’re outnumbered.”I stared at him and oozed as much Alpha into my stance as I could manage without tearing out of my skin.“You seriously don’t want to do this.”The leader of the group snorted. “We’re not scared of you. Now, are you going to come with us quietly and let us teach you a lesson, or do we have to drag you out?” I stepped forward, letting my growl echo out through the area. “Last chance. Move.”For a split second the bouncers hesitated, then they loomed in like wolves and I was moving faster than them.Using my heightened reflexes, I snatched the baton of the one closest to me as he tried to hit me with his baton, snapping it in half and tossing it aside with one hand. Hazel gasped behind me as I dodged a punch from another bouncer and kicked him down. “Anyone else?” I s
Orion’s pov"Everything's fine," I assured her, starting the car. "Let's go."I slammed on the gas as I drove off while the hum of the engine filled up the place with tense silence. My knuckles around the wheel turned white as I squeezed it and I frowned as I was focused on what I was doing.With time passing us I started to get even angrier and I hated it.“Orion,” her slurry voice came on as I sighed and growled. “Orion…”I couldn’t help myself any longer. “What?” I snapped at her.“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered, her voice small.I shot her a sharp glance then looked back at the road. “Stop,” I told her, my voice firm but controlled.She blinked, confused. “Stop what?”“It’s enough with the apology. You can stop,” I said with a snap with frustration in my tone. “I have so many questions but what I want to know is how you ended up being drunk in the first place.”Hazel hesitated, her hands twisting together anxiously in her lap. “I didn’t mean to,” she whispered.“Then what did you do?
Evelyn’s povI swirled the drink in my glass, the golden liquid catching the muted light of the room. The music vibrated through my feet, but my thoughts roamed elsewhere. Where had Hazel wandered off to? Not that I cared—I pushed her from my mind and took another sip. She can handle herself.“Where’s your friend?” The bartender asked me as I shrugged.“How the hell should I know?” I asked as I took a sip of my drink. “She can get lost for all I care. This is a party. Maybe she’s somewhere else failing someone.”I was about to bring the glass back up when a figure slipped onto the stool beside me. My gaze flickered up, and for a split second, I winced before painting on a smile. It was Kael.His muscular shape had me turned on temporarily and if he wasn’t the beta I would have gone for him. But I wanted to have a partner who would be second to none and would be strong enough to make me higher than everyone in the pack.Being with the beta wouldn’t give me the same confidence as being
Evelyn’s povOrion was standing near the entrance, deep in conversation with one of the guards when I arrived back at the packhouse. His powerful aura dominated the space, but as soon as he noticed me, his eyes locked onto mine. I didn’t look away. Instead, I held his gaze until he started walking toward me with that same commanding stride that made everyone step aside.I sighed softly, bracing myself. This was going to be tricky.“Thanks for finally showing up,” he said with a frown. “What were you really thinking?”“My alpha, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said with an innocence as he growled and got close to me.“What do you mean by that?” He growled. “You took her to a club. You took hazel to a club without even consulting me. Why would you do such a thing?”I bowed my head, letting a subtle tremble creep into my voice. “Alpha, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I really am. Please forgive me. I don’t know it would be bad. I only wanted to bond with her in some way. Th
Evelyn’s povI couldn’t move after hearing that. I was frozen in my stead. My heart pounded in my chest in a furious manner as I held onto my stead and prayed for the best.She was pregnant? With Orion’s child? My head spun and each gasp became harder than the last as I sucked for air that wasn’t there.Before I knew what happened, I turned around and was tearing down the hall as I ran back to my room. “This can’t be happening,” I whispered to myself, feeling like my heart was about to beat right out of my chest. “No one is taking Orion from me—not her, not her child.” I paced across the room, my mind working at a mile a minute. This wasn’t a threat; this was an invasion. If Hazel thought she could come waltzing into my pack and take Orion was her man, she had another thing coming.My wolf started to bring up ideas.“Maybe we should shove her down a bridge or something. I don’t like to share.”But I growled. “You don’t need to tell me twice. I want her gone and gone for good. I hate
Hazel’s povI woke up that morning feeling intense pain in my stomach. If that was the only problem I was having then I wouldn’t complain, but to top it off, my head felt like it would explode from the thumping going on in it. I suddenly got nausea and felt like throwing up but held it back as I laid in bed.I winced in pain and put a hand over my stomach, willing whatever it was causing this havoc to subside.There I was, just closing my eyes to try and get the pain away as my head throbbed mercilessly when a knock came at the door. I groaned louder. I was not in the mood for visitors. Grunting, I pulled myself up from the bed and trudged over to open it, every step causing my headache to increase tenfold.A frown instantly formed on my face at what stood before me – Evelyn, all perfect smiles and sugary sweet expressions.The rage that filled me up that morning was nothing to write home about. I just wanted her off my sight and I would do anything to have her gone. “What do you wan
Evelyn’s povThe moment I entered my room, I summoned my maid. She came quickly and made a little bow. “My lady?” she said, as she always addressed me.“Well, I want you to get something nice for Hazel this morning, chicken and peas, or whatever else she likes best.”I could feel the tension rise between us as the maid had not expected that from me.Her eyebrows rose, but she didn't say anything. "Yes, my lady," she said eventually. "And do you want me to prepare it with... the poisons or with anything else?"I narrowed my eyes at her. "No," I told her, just as firmly as before. "Not yet. Eventually, yes, but for now I need her to think I'm someone who cares about what happens to her... someone she can trust. I’m trying to lure her in so she can be on my side and not be against me. That way maybe we can be friends and I can show her that I’m not so bad.”The maid hesitated in a bow for a moment before she nodded. “I’ll see to it at once.”“See that you do.” I waved her away and watche
Evelyn’s povA soft knock on the door made me jump, and my maid stuck her head in with a worried look on her face. “My lady,” she hissed, slipping into the room and closing the door behind her.I pushed myself up, wincing as I did so. “What is it?”She hesitated before speaking. “Everything is going according to plan… but the Alpha seems suspicious.”I sighed and rubbed my temples. “I know. He’s not a fool.”She nodded and stepped closer. “What’s the next step?”I took a moment to think, then a slow smile spread across my face. “Now we play the long game. I’ll make it look like I’m walking away… giving Hazel time to heal. But I’ll be close enough to strike when the time is right.”My maid bowed. “Understood.”I tossed myself back against the pillows, squeezed my eyes so hard that a few tears spilled out. I would be an angel in Orion’s eyes—for now. Hazel had made it through another day, but I wasn’t finished with Hazel yet.Orion might have thought that he could keep me away, but he w
Evelyn’s povThat morning, I felt ready for what was to come that day. I got up and put on something nice but not over the top, it had to be responsible looking and it was what I hoped Orion would think if he saw my outfit. In the dining hall, Hazel was already there eating and already dressed up.“Good morning” I said with a smile before sitting across from her.She looked up, a little surprised. “Good morning, Evelyn.” Her voice was soft, hesitant.I poured myself some tea and picked up a slice of toast. “So, are you excited for our shopping trip today?”Hazel gave a small smile and nodded. “Yeah, I guess. I haven’t really gone shopping like this in a while.”I chuckled lightly. “You should not be bothered about a lot of things. I’ll handle the cost. You should just give on what you need. Clothing, cute shoes and maybe even accessories.”She laughed a little, and I noticed she was starting to slowly let her guard down with me. “I just really need some casual clothes… or a few dresse
Evelyn’s povIt was late, the moonlight barely shining on the path as I headed to find Leif in the dark shadows near the edge of the pack lands. He was leaned against a tree, his arms crossed and his eyes sharp when he looked up at me. He must have sensed my seriousness because he pushed off from the tree to stand tall.“I need you to do something for me,” I told him.He smirked. “What now, Evelyn? Another one of your schemes?”I rolled my eyes. “Don’t act so self-righteous. You’re here, aren’t you? You know what I always call you for so don’t act so scared now. Listen, tomorrow Hazel and I are going shopping, and I want you to set up an attack.”“An attack?” He arched an eyebrow.“Yes, an attack!” I bit out. “Get some of your men—masked, obviously—and do it. Make it look real. I want her scared as hell, but don’t hurt anyone on our side. I’ll take care of the rest.”Leif tilted his head to the side, narrowing his eyes as he studied me. “And what’s your endgame this time?”I took a st
Hazel’s povI sat across Evelyn, gazing at my half eaten breakfast, trying to make sense of everything that happened. She was making an effort alright, but I couldn’t help thinking that there’s something more to this.“Hazel?” her voice brought me back from my thoughts.“Yes?” I said with a confused look on my face.“The food park. Would you want to go with me?”I blinked, not knowing how to reply. “A food park?”She beamed at me. “Yeah! It’s a lot of fun and the food there is amazing too. We can try different types of cuisines, maybe do a little bit of exploring while we are at it too. It’ll be good to…bond.”Bond? Right. That word, I wondered if she knew what it meant.To be honest everything within me wanted to tell her to get lost but I knew it would be rude of me to say that to someone who was trying to be close to me. She was trying to be nice and here I was thinking of how to be mean. I wanted to say no, that I couldn’t go, but I knew that I couldn’t do it.There was no excuse
Evelyn’s povThe moment I entered my room, I summoned my maid. She came quickly and made a little bow. “My lady?” she said, as she always addressed me.“Well, I want you to get something nice for Hazel this morning, chicken and peas, or whatever else she likes best.”I could feel the tension rise between us as the maid had not expected that from me.Her eyebrows rose, but she didn't say anything. "Yes, my lady," she said eventually. "And do you want me to prepare it with... the poisons or with anything else?"I narrowed my eyes at her. "No," I told her, just as firmly as before. "Not yet. Eventually, yes, but for now I need her to think I'm someone who cares about what happens to her... someone she can trust. I’m trying to lure her in so she can be on my side and not be against me. That way maybe we can be friends and I can show her that I’m not so bad.”The maid hesitated in a bow for a moment before she nodded. “I’ll see to it at once.”“See that you do.” I waved her away and watche
Hazel’s povI woke up that morning feeling intense pain in my stomach. If that was the only problem I was having then I wouldn’t complain, but to top it off, my head felt like it would explode from the thumping going on in it. I suddenly got nausea and felt like throwing up but held it back as I laid in bed.I winced in pain and put a hand over my stomach, willing whatever it was causing this havoc to subside.There I was, just closing my eyes to try and get the pain away as my head throbbed mercilessly when a knock came at the door. I groaned louder. I was not in the mood for visitors. Grunting, I pulled myself up from the bed and trudged over to open it, every step causing my headache to increase tenfold.A frown instantly formed on my face at what stood before me – Evelyn, all perfect smiles and sugary sweet expressions.The rage that filled me up that morning was nothing to write home about. I just wanted her off my sight and I would do anything to have her gone. “What do you wan
Evelyn’s povI couldn’t move after hearing that. I was frozen in my stead. My heart pounded in my chest in a furious manner as I held onto my stead and prayed for the best.She was pregnant? With Orion’s child? My head spun and each gasp became harder than the last as I sucked for air that wasn’t there.Before I knew what happened, I turned around and was tearing down the hall as I ran back to my room. “This can’t be happening,” I whispered to myself, feeling like my heart was about to beat right out of my chest. “No one is taking Orion from me—not her, not her child.” I paced across the room, my mind working at a mile a minute. This wasn’t a threat; this was an invasion. If Hazel thought she could come waltzing into my pack and take Orion was her man, she had another thing coming.My wolf started to bring up ideas.“Maybe we should shove her down a bridge or something. I don’t like to share.”But I growled. “You don’t need to tell me twice. I want her gone and gone for good. I hate
Evelyn’s povOrion was standing near the entrance, deep in conversation with one of the guards when I arrived back at the packhouse. His powerful aura dominated the space, but as soon as he noticed me, his eyes locked onto mine. I didn’t look away. Instead, I held his gaze until he started walking toward me with that same commanding stride that made everyone step aside.I sighed softly, bracing myself. This was going to be tricky.“Thanks for finally showing up,” he said with a frown. “What were you really thinking?”“My alpha, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said with an innocence as he growled and got close to me.“What do you mean by that?” He growled. “You took her to a club. You took hazel to a club without even consulting me. Why would you do such a thing?”I bowed my head, letting a subtle tremble creep into my voice. “Alpha, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I really am. Please forgive me. I don’t know it would be bad. I only wanted to bond with her in some way. Th
Evelyn’s povI swirled the drink in my glass, the golden liquid catching the muted light of the room. The music vibrated through my feet, but my thoughts roamed elsewhere. Where had Hazel wandered off to? Not that I cared—I pushed her from my mind and took another sip. She can handle herself.“Where’s your friend?” The bartender asked me as I shrugged.“How the hell should I know?” I asked as I took a sip of my drink. “She can get lost for all I care. This is a party. Maybe she’s somewhere else failing someone.”I was about to bring the glass back up when a figure slipped onto the stool beside me. My gaze flickered up, and for a split second, I winced before painting on a smile. It was Kael.His muscular shape had me turned on temporarily and if he wasn’t the beta I would have gone for him. But I wanted to have a partner who would be second to none and would be strong enough to make me higher than everyone in the pack.Being with the beta wouldn’t give me the same confidence as being