Authors povRyder had been pacing through the packhouse, his head full of frustrations and doubts. Unsettled had been how he’d felt around Freya for over a long time now, but he’d ignored his intuition, pushing it aside as though their problems were minor.He reached her study as he knew it was time to confront her and ask her deep questions but while there, he heard quiet moans from inside which halted him in his steps. Heart racing, inexplicable dread widening its grip on him, he knew something was wrong.He pushed open the door and what he walked into hit him like a blow to his face. There in her study, Stark, a trusted guard, was on top of Freya. Ryder saw red and didn’t stop to question just exactly how fast he was moving as his fist met Stark’s head with a force enough to propel the man across the room as stark landed on the floor with an unconscious slump.Freya scrambled to cover herself, her mouth open in shock and her heart pounding against her chest. “Ryder, wait, please—”
Author’s povFreya’s heart broke with his admission – the pain lacing his words so evident. She had done this. She had destroyed everything they had worked towards and now she had nothing left to give him.“I don’t want you to…” Her voice cracked, hot tears welling in her eyes. “I can’t bear for this to be over.”But Ryder turned his back on her, moving to the window to stare out at the packhouse grounds. He was tense all over—as though he was carrying a great burden—and he didn’t look her way when she finally found her tongue.“I think—it—hurts us both,” she managed in a stilted whisper.“Go to your room. I’ll see what to do with you later.”Freya just stood there, not able to say anything more. There was absolutely nothing left in the room. The silence between them was so loud that no one could stand it.She had lost him. Freya left the room silently, her heart thumping painfully against her ribs. She knew what was going to happen next. Ryder didn’t forgive as a rule; she’d messed
Authors povRyder stood in his study, breathless from the rage that had overtaken him only a few minutes before. The whip lay sprawled across the marble floor, metallic spikes stained with Stark's blood. Now the room was still but for his breaths, they were ragged through the silence. He stepped to the doorway, pulling it open and speaking coolly to the guards stationed outside. "Enter."The guards came in then, faces like stone and eyes that gave nothing away. They had heard Stark screaming, and they were too smart to ask any questions. “Take him to the dungeon,” Ryder said softly, his voice just loud enough to be heard. “Lock him up.” He leaned down into Stark’s face until they were nose-to-nose. “And he doesn’t leave until I say so.”The guards nodded hurriedly and rushed forward. They seized Stark by his arms and yanked him to his feet. Stark screamed in agony, his legs buckling beneath him, but the guards held him upright as they hauled him up and out of the room. A train of th
Authors povAlpha Ryder of the Shadowclaw Pack sat in his study, the only light a candle flickering on his desk. The room smelled of old parchment and ink; it was a scent that both soothed and excited him. His eyes scanned the reports laid out before him, all detailing incidents regarding rogue wolves on his land. Frowning, he drummed his claws against the worn oak surface. The rogues were growing more daring and erratic with their attacks each day.But he had no time to devote to the problem just yet. He would leave it for the next day then. At that point, a soft creaking closed door caused Ryder’s dark head to raise sharply, lips parting in warning. Jarek, one of his border guards, entered hesitantly. If anything bothered Jarek enough for him to implicitly risk interrupting Ryder without word or ceremony then it couldn’t be good.“What is it, Jarek?” Ryder asked but his voice was calm. “I told the maids I wasn’t to be disturbed. You can show up tomorrow if it’s not too important.”
Authors povWithout another word, Ryder turned and walked out of the healers quarters. The forest was quiet for early morning but it did nothing to calm his beast down. He moved swiftly through the pack’s territory, his mind set on what must be done. Telling no one what he was going to do; Ryder knew there would be no time for explanations.Coming to a stop at the edge of his territory, Ryder looked back, seeing all that had been his, all that he was leaving behind and felt his heart break but his mother was his world and he would move heaven and earth if it meant getting her back even if she didn’t know him.The journey to the Blackthorn Mountains was long and hard. Ryder moved quickly, his long powerful legs taking him over rough ground and through thick forests. The river Maren had told him about would be his guide. It sparkled in the sunlight as it wound through the land he traveled over. The farther into the mountains he got, the rougher it became. Hills turned to cliffs with sha
~Hazel~The moon goddess is a player.There is no other reason why she would put two people from different classes together and make them mates. I am so convinced that she enjoys the show that goes down here.She must love to have a lot of fun hurting werewolves’ feelings.It was the coming of age month when all the werewolves who hadn’t gotten their mates went to this huge party with the sole aim of finding their mates. My best friend, who is an omega by the way, found out that her mate was a beta from another pack, but he rejected her coldly, with the excuse of not being up to standard.Not him talking about standards with his duck face.This is the reason I’ve prayed fervently for the past three weeks that my mate would be an omega, just like me, and he would love me forever. That was the only way that I could leave this hellhole that had been created for me by my step-parents.I was still musing when I felt a kick to my shin. I cried out in pain, stumbling over the bucket of water
~Hazel~I tried not to think about what happened at the alpha’s pack house when I got home that evening. But no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get it off my mind.Was it because I was supposed to find my mate tonight and I feel like I might have cheated on him with the alpha?I glanced at the array of old dresses that I’d combed out of my tiny wardrobe. Tonight was the mating and coming-of-age party, and I needed to look good enough for my future mate.After doing enny mini moe, I picked a green dress that matched the color of my eyes. It was an old one that I’d gotten through charity, but it was better than nothing at all.I put it on and looked in the mirror. Even the dress couldn’t take out the stamp of omega in my body. I still looked every bit of it.“No other man is permitted to touch you”His command kept haunting me.I mean, I didn’t care that minutes after he had shoved his tongue down my throat, made me feel his erection, and left me all confused with his command, I hear
~Hazel~ I ran until I couldn’t feel my legs anymore. That should have been enough to take away the agony that I felt, but it wasn’t. My chest felt constricted, and now, the pain was more blinding.I couldn’t tell if this was more painful because my fated mate didn’t totally reject me before marking another girl as his luna, or if it was just because my fated mate might be under the sheets with someone else.Ryder.How much I hate him. I hate him for making me this pathetic. I hated him for humiliating me in this manner, and I hate him even more for leading me on and then dumping me in the gutter after he was done…“Why did you have to touch me in those breathtaking ways? Why did you have to take my breath away in the nicest way possible if you had no intentions of bringing me back to life?” I cried to no one in particular.I took a deep, shaky breath and straightened my spine. If the moon goddess thought that her game to destroy me was going to work, then she had something else coming
Authors povWithout another word, Ryder turned and walked out of the healers quarters. The forest was quiet for early morning but it did nothing to calm his beast down. He moved swiftly through the pack’s territory, his mind set on what must be done. Telling no one what he was going to do; Ryder knew there would be no time for explanations.Coming to a stop at the edge of his territory, Ryder looked back, seeing all that had been his, all that he was leaving behind and felt his heart break but his mother was his world and he would move heaven and earth if it meant getting her back even if she didn’t know him.The journey to the Blackthorn Mountains was long and hard. Ryder moved quickly, his long powerful legs taking him over rough ground and through thick forests. The river Maren had told him about would be his guide. It sparkled in the sunlight as it wound through the land he traveled over. The farther into the mountains he got, the rougher it became. Hills turned to cliffs with sha
Authors povAlpha Ryder of the Shadowclaw Pack sat in his study, the only light a candle flickering on his desk. The room smelled of old parchment and ink; it was a scent that both soothed and excited him. His eyes scanned the reports laid out before him, all detailing incidents regarding rogue wolves on his land. Frowning, he drummed his claws against the worn oak surface. The rogues were growing more daring and erratic with their attacks each day.But he had no time to devote to the problem just yet. He would leave it for the next day then. At that point, a soft creaking closed door caused Ryder’s dark head to raise sharply, lips parting in warning. Jarek, one of his border guards, entered hesitantly. If anything bothered Jarek enough for him to implicitly risk interrupting Ryder without word or ceremony then it couldn’t be good.“What is it, Jarek?” Ryder asked but his voice was calm. “I told the maids I wasn’t to be disturbed. You can show up tomorrow if it’s not too important.”
Authors povRyder stood in his study, breathless from the rage that had overtaken him only a few minutes before. The whip lay sprawled across the marble floor, metallic spikes stained with Stark's blood. Now the room was still but for his breaths, they were ragged through the silence. He stepped to the doorway, pulling it open and speaking coolly to the guards stationed outside. "Enter."The guards came in then, faces like stone and eyes that gave nothing away. They had heard Stark screaming, and they were too smart to ask any questions. “Take him to the dungeon,” Ryder said softly, his voice just loud enough to be heard. “Lock him up.” He leaned down into Stark’s face until they were nose-to-nose. “And he doesn’t leave until I say so.”The guards nodded hurriedly and rushed forward. They seized Stark by his arms and yanked him to his feet. Stark screamed in agony, his legs buckling beneath him, but the guards held him upright as they hauled him up and out of the room. A train of th
Author’s povFreya’s heart broke with his admission – the pain lacing his words so evident. She had done this. She had destroyed everything they had worked towards and now she had nothing left to give him.“I don’t want you to…” Her voice cracked, hot tears welling in her eyes. “I can’t bear for this to be over.”But Ryder turned his back on her, moving to the window to stare out at the packhouse grounds. He was tense all over—as though he was carrying a great burden—and he didn’t look her way when she finally found her tongue.“I think—it—hurts us both,” she managed in a stilted whisper.“Go to your room. I’ll see what to do with you later.”Freya just stood there, not able to say anything more. There was absolutely nothing left in the room. The silence between them was so loud that no one could stand it.She had lost him. Freya left the room silently, her heart thumping painfully against her ribs. She knew what was going to happen next. Ryder didn’t forgive as a rule; she’d messed
Authors povRyder had been pacing through the packhouse, his head full of frustrations and doubts. Unsettled had been how he’d felt around Freya for over a long time now, but he’d ignored his intuition, pushing it aside as though their problems were minor.He reached her study as he knew it was time to confront her and ask her deep questions but while there, he heard quiet moans from inside which halted him in his steps. Heart racing, inexplicable dread widening its grip on him, he knew something was wrong.He pushed open the door and what he walked into hit him like a blow to his face. There in her study, Stark, a trusted guard, was on top of Freya. Ryder saw red and didn’t stop to question just exactly how fast he was moving as his fist met Stark’s head with a force enough to propel the man across the room as stark landed on the floor with an unconscious slump.Freya scrambled to cover herself, her mouth open in shock and her heart pounding against her chest. “Ryder, wait, please—”
Author’s povStark was shocked at this behavior of hers but before he could open his mouth properly to ask what she was doing, her lips assaulted his with bruising force.Stark stiffened against her, hands likewise fisted at his sides as if he could hold her off by not touching her. He knew what they were doing… their fatal mistake. And if Alpha Ryder ever found out it would be his death.“Luna…” he whispered between her demanding lips, sounding so shaken she wondered what he was shaking for. “We… we shouldn’t be doing this. If the Alpha finds out, he’ll have my head.”Freya pulled back slightly, a playful smirk on her lips as she traced a finger down his chest. “Oh, Stark, you’re such a child,” she whispered, her eyes glinting with amusement. “Always so frightened. Don’t you trust me?”Stark swallowed hard, his heart racing in his chest. “It’s not about trust, Luna. It’s about staying alive. The Alpha is not someone to anger.”Freya laughed softly, pressing her lips against his jaw.
Authors povRyder sat on his grand throne in the centre of the Shadowclaw pack’s throne room, his sharp eyes scanning the elders seated before him as they discussed matters of the pack—territories, rogues and borders. But Ryder’s mind was elsewhere. It kept going back to Freya and he could feel that disturbing suspicion growing inside him like a fire that would not die out.Just as one of them finished speaking, the doors to the giant wooden room creaked open, alerting everyone’s attention. Ryder withheld a sigh when Damon, who he had been sent to tail Freya, walked into the room—his face tense and avoiding direct eye contact with his alpha. Everyone frowned at him for interrupting the meeting but only Ryder was happy.“You are all dismissed,” Ryder said in a cold, commanding voice. The elders glanced at one another before rising, bowing respectfully to him, and exiting the throne room. They left one by one, the sound of their steps echoing through the large room of nothing but white
Authors povFreya stormed out of the packhouse, her heart pounding in her chest. She climbed into her black car and took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. She needed to think. She needed to see him—one last time.She had not ripped off the bandaid but this time she was ready to do so.She glanced in the mirror before pulling onto the road and sighed when she saw a black SUV a few cars behind her. Ryder. He must have had someone follow her.Freya gritted her teeth, her mind racing. She couldn’t allow them to follow her. Not today. She took a deep breath before making a sharp right into a small alley, turned again and again on much smaller paths. Glancing at the mirror, she found the car was still behind though not without difficulty from all this sudden turning and twisting as she was sure the driver was confused on what was going on.“Not today,” she murmured through clenched teeth. She was not about to be caught by anyone who thought they could rat her out to the pack. No. S
Authors povThe next morning Ryder stood in front of the full length mirror in his room, towel drying his wet hair. He was dressed only in his briefs, the light from the windows catching on his damp toned muscles. With a smirk, he went over to his wardrobe to pick out what he would wear for that day.Before he could pick up a shirt, the door swung open without warning. A young maid stumbled through and Ryder narrowed his eyes at the maid who had forgotten to knock before entering. The young maid quickly averted her gaze and bowed deep in an apologetic way.“I-I’m sorry, Alpha,” she stammered, her face reddening as she took a step back. “I didn’t mean to intrude without asking for permission first.”The alpha looked over at the maid, wondering if he was to yell at her or act like he didn’t care as he found her a bit sexy. He decided to smile and maybe build a relationship with the woman.“It’s okay,” he smiled. “It's not that bad. There’s no need to be scared. Come in.”The maid hesita