Carena:He was now breathing peacefully, way too peacefully. His head was resting back, and his eyes were fixed on the ceiling of the car.“Are you okay now?” I asked, a bit worried.He never replied but made sure his grasp on my wrist stayed firm. The way he held my hand so tightly and didn’t let go the entire car ride was just too much for me. His hand went from being extremely hot to somewhat warm. I could tell he was feeling better now. But it still didn’t explain what had happened to him or what was in that injection.Once the car parked in front of the mansion, I tried to free my hand to get away from him, but his grip remained firm.“Sawyer, let go. My family is waiting at home for me,” I wriggled my fingers, trying my best to break free.“Just help me get back into the mansion,” he insisted, breathing even more slowly now.“I am not stepping back into that mansion,” I stated firmly, waiting for him to let me go. But he never did.“Ma’am, he needs to rest immediately,” the driv
Carena:I was now sitting in my bed with my phone in my hands. I couldn’t believe I had such a dream. It left me puzzled. I still had dried tears on my cheeks. I was even scared to open his messages. What if the nightmare was related to Sawyer getting angry at me and sending me threats?It wasn't like Sawyer to send someone so many messages. I sighed and started reading the messages, already surprised by the first text.**Ak Sawyer:** You staying beside me lessened my pain tonight. Even if it was for a few minutes, it meant the world to me.**Ak Sawyer:** I know you are angry with me. I have never seen someone resist me so hard. But I promise you, I never let her stay in your bedroom. This is the room where we started our journey, and I am the only one who will be using this room until you come back.**Ak Sawyer:** I am not saying that I am the best mate ever. I am not perfect, not even close. But I am willing to give my all for you. I know it sounds crazy because I have made such a h
Carena:“Yamin! I have cleaned the kitchen and the racks. You don’t need to do it twice. Just stay alert; the weather is getting bad,” I called out to her from the door, watching her nod as she grabbed her bag.“I’m here,” she said, joining me at the exit.“I don’t think there will be any more buses running now. Do you want me to walk with you to your place?” I asked, worried for her since she was young.“Thank you so much. You are so kind. But my boyfriend is going to pick me up soon,” she shyly brushed the strands of hair behind her ear when mentioning her boyfriend.“Oh! You have a boyfriend,” I teased, elbowing her playfully.“Yeah, we’ve been friends since we were little. When we turned fifteen, he promised me that even if we didn’t turn out to be mates, we would stay together as a couple and have each other as chosen mates,” she shared her wonderful story, which made me smile.“Actually we both are orphans. Have no friends or anyone except he has a grandmother but she has been h
Carena:I stayed in his embrace for a few minutes before pulling myself together and realizing I didn't want his comfort anymore. I quickly wiped my hands over my face before lifting my head and watching him."Why are you in the woods?" he asked, his tone a bit upset."I followed Paco but then lost him," I replied, hugging myself."Paco? Why would he be here?" His voice was filled with disbelief, which made me look into his eyes again."I saw him," I repeated, this time with more confidence."Do you have any idea how dangerous these woods are, especially at night?" he groaned in frustration, putting his hands on his waist and leaning over me slightly."Which is why I'm afraid for Paco," I muttered through clenched teeth.He closed his eyes and exhaled before looking back at me. This time, his gaze had softened."If I knew that dog meant this much to you, I would have gotten you another," he mumbled. Before I could correct him, he added, "You even left me for that dog."I wasn't sure w
Third POV:Things had changed a little in the Red Raven pack. As Jack was busy trying to protect his borders, his soon-to-be Luna Queen was busy partying with people her age."Are you headed somewhere?" Jack watched Tabitha come out of the bathroom, wearing the shortest dress she could find in her closet: a black bikini top and shorts that barely covered her ass."Yeah, I have a bar to hit with my friends," she replied, giving herself one last look in the mirror."Babe! I took today off so we could spend time together," he sounded a bit disappointed. It's been days since they spent some quality time together. She wouldn't even call him at work to ask him if he was missing her.He had been working his ass off. Losing the pack was something he couldn't afford. His mother reminded him every few hours to make sure the pack was secure."So? You should have asked me first, babe. I can't just bail on my friends at the last moment," she pouted, turning to give him a very fake sad look."You kn
Carena:Yamin and I have worked our asses off to deliver many products to big companies. It was a great achievement, and I was so happy that our bakery was doing well now."One hour and then we head home," Yamin said, stretching her neck, visibly tired from running around all day."I don't even know if I'll be able to change or if I'll just crash into bed," I agreed with her. We were standing in the middle of the bakery with my arms folded on the counter when I heard a comment that instantly ruined my mood."In whose bed though? Your ex-mate or your other ex-mate?" Payton taunted as she arrived. I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw.Yamin seemed a little lost as she didn't know I had been rejected twice and that I was once a Luna Queen of two packs."What can we get you?" I turned to her and gave her a fake smile.Before she could respond, Yamin's boyfriend walked in, holding a rose in his hand. He looked like a bad boy and was indeed a bit of a troublemaker from what I'd heard, but h
Carena:Payton stood right outside the bakery to call her brother and complain about us to him. It felt like I couldn't catch a break. Why did she come here? Because I knew she wasn't interested in buying from anywhere that wasn't five-star or where she wasn't accompanied by her guards. Obviously, she came here to bully me, and she succeeded in causing issues for me at work."You got us in this mess. Now when the Alpha King arrives, you'll have to kneel and beg for forgiveness. Even beg before his sister," Mrs. Bob muttered under her breath, keeping an eye on Payton outside. She didn't even want to wait for her brother inside. I guess her anger rose when she saw Matt leave with Yamin."I'm not bowing to some brat," I said stubbornly, crossing my arms."If you didn't do it, you're fired!" Finally, they said the dreaded words. After working so hard, I was about to lose my job, all because of Sawyer’s sister."She's holding a personal grudge against me. Can't you see that? You're going t
Carena:Sawyer made everyone's jaws drop. I tried not to breathe loudly because Sawyer was examining me keenly. I didn't want his eyes to notice the rise and fall of my chest."Um, I got angry because she was being rude," I said, hoping to divert Sawyer's attention away from me. He was leaning over me in front of everyone, watching my body and face with such adoration or lust that I trembled."And?" he asked, leaning even closer. His breath was now brushing against my skin.Mr. and Mrs. Bob were staring at us as if they had seen ghosts. My heart was pounding in my chest."And then she started crying and..." Before he could do anything else, I quickly changed the subject, "I got fired because of her drama."I finished, taking a deep breath, thinking I had conveyed my truth successfully and that he would walk away."They fired you?" Sawyer's jaw tightened, and he turned his gaze towards the Bobs, startling them."We said if she disrespected--" Mr. Bob began, with his wife now hiding beh
Carena: “I have put them to bed; we’re all set,” Sawyer announced, his shirt disheveled before he quickly straightened it, though he didn’t roll down his sleeves.I gave him a smile and got up from my seat to welcome him. He took the main chair, and I sat down beside him, wearing a beautiful red dress.“You are the best father and husband,” I whispered, leaning over to kiss his cheek while the maid served us food.“You two need to get a room,” Ronan joked, making us smile and turn to him. He looked so happy with Yamin. The two had welcomed twins--a baby girl and a baby boy--last year.“And my brother is truly proving himself to be a good role model too,” Payton added proudly.Lady Jane smiled at her sons, delighted with their perfect lives.“And Payton is taking good care of business,” Louis grinned at her, giving her a wink. I knew something was brewing between the two, and they had recently opened up about it. They were set to get married in two months.I didn’t think there could b
Carena:“What do you mean?” My heart revived even more, my grip tightening around my child.“Kelly, don’t fucking make up stories,” Jack yelled, his fists clenched.“I am not. You fool. You really bought my lie about Carena being so powerful to get pregnant already and then giving birth in seven months. Carena didn’t have a proper sense of date and time because there were days she would sleep without waking up for two days. But you, you knew everything. Yet you didn’t question anything?” Kelly smirked at Jack, who was finally hit with the realization.That’s when my baby let out a little cry and opened his eyes. He had the same eyes as Sawyer.“He is my baby?” Sawyer rushed toward me, taking him from my hands and then smiling, “No wonder I felt such a strong connection.”“No! You did not betray me like that,” Jack yelled, rushing to wrap his hands around Kelly’s neck, but Martin raised his legs and kicked him, making Jack drop back like a pathetic weakling.“How dare you--,” it was as
Carena: After I beat him up, Sawyer handed me my baby while he tied the couple to a tree. I was curious about what he was planning to do.“I am so sorry I got you into this mess,” Kelly cried to Martin, the two tied side by side.“No! If I have to do that again, I will do it. All for you,” the guy was hopelessly in love with her but also an idiot for partaking in her crazy schemes.She was a doctor; if she had remained committed to her job, the two would be living a very good life by now.While the two cried and talked, I held my son and smiled with teary eyes. My baby was perfect. There was no way he was Jack’s child. How could such a beautiful baby belong to that monster?“My perfect child,” I cried happily, rocking my baby in my arms. All these months, not once did I hate my child. I had grown so much in love with my baby that I didn’t understand why and how."Why would you want us dead? You already have your baby and your mate by your side now. Don't you have everything already?"
Carena:He was watching me with so many emotions in his eyes. In that moment, Jack and the others decided to flee because they knew they couldn't fight Sawyer.Jack was so frightened that he didn't even wait to grab me. Instead, he just started running after seizing Kelly.“My son--!” I yelled, but before I could get up, I saw Sawyer gesture for me not to go after them.“They cannot escape the woods.”His confidence made me sit back. But what about my son? What if they hurt him?"Sawyer!" I uttered his name as he deepened his stare into my eyes, filled with nothing but love for me."My love!" He knelt down and instantly pulled me into a warm and comforting embrace."No! Don't touch me before you know my truth." It broke my heart that even after our reunion, I had to keep my distance from him.He needed to understand that I had given birth to Jack's child so he could decide whether he still wanted to be with me. It would shatter my heart if he didn't want to stay with me, but I could n
Sawyer:“Ronan, keep your eyes peeled at the border. Make sure your men remain hidden in dugouts around the portal,” I advised him as we marched away from the entrance. Tonight was the Wolf Moon, and after midnight, I knew Jack would arrive with Carena. Certainly, Jack would use Carena to try to lure us away so that he could cross the portal, but I would jump right in with them. That was the plan.“I have informed my guards not to stop them from enticing the bridge, but do let us know when they arrive,” Ronan confirmed. I didn't want to provoke Jack into attacking Carena out of anger. Of course, he would threaten us with her life when he was surrounded by the warriors.“Yamin is taking care of the roads--” Suddenly, Ronan's voice began to fade. My mind started to wander off, and I knew it wasn’t the first time this had happened. I had felt this before, only when someone stepped into my woods--the woods of which I was king.“They are here.”I closed my eyes, focusing on the whispers of
Carena:“AHHHHH!” My screams had deafened me at this point. The pain was unbearable, and being out in the wild was not helping at all. I was worried for my baby and how giving birth in the wilderness would negatively impact everything. Dr. Kelly had asked Jack and Martin to grab some supplies while she assisted me with the delivery.“Just keep going. I know you can do it,” she said, rubbing a damp cloth over my forehead in an attempt to comfort me, but I was far from comfortable. The open air and sky, combined with the fact that my mate was not with me, broke my heart.“Why can’t we go to a hospital?” I asked, letting out heavy breaths, but the pain kept intensifying.“Because Sawyer must have informed all the hospitals and packs about you and Jack,” she replied. “Besides, we are passing through Sawyer’s pack, so--” The minute she said that, goosebumps covered my body. I looked around and noticed the woods. What the hell!We were in the terrifying part of the woods? The crazy and poss
Carena: Jack was shocked to see the old man confronting him. It seemed like Jack had run out of words.“I don’t know what you are--talking about,” Jack tried to sound normal, but none of the words he uttered came out in a confident tone.His hesitation alone gave him a guilty appearance.I had stepped way back from them while Dr. Kelly ensured she stayed with me."I heard it all. You played me only so you could use my kin to escape the werewolf world--the world where you have messed up so much that you can’t even remain in it anymore,” Vincent finally seemed to have caught on to Jack’s scheme.It took him months and many wasted attempts to open his eyes. But what struck me as odd was that Jack steadily fixed his posture and approached him.For someone who had been caught in a lie by his only support, he was remarkably calm.“I think you’re taking this way too seriously. It’s not that grave of a matter,” he placed his hand on Vincent’s shoulder, but Vincent shrugged it off aggressivel
Carena:"What did you just say?" he asked, a harshness in his voice warning me not to say the wrong thing."Jack lied to you. He told me that if he told you the truth, you would kill me and my baby." I gulped, realizing it could be true. I was taking a risk here. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would have found a way to escape the chains and transition. But that was no longer an option."Huh!" He looked rightfully confused. "You are the reason my poor daughter is dead. Sawyer killed her because of you." Now that we were talking, he started revealing what he truly thought of me.The fact that he claimed Sawyer had killed Tabitha proved that Jack had lied to him about many things."That’s not true. Listen--" I took a deep breath, knowing I was about to admit who was really responsible for Tabitha’s death and the deaths of his other children.His expression grew even harsher as he continued to watch me, waiting for an explanation as to why I believed Jack had been lying."Tabitha did cheat on Ja
Carena:I was heavily pregnant and miserable, but I kept going for the sake of my baby and the hope of seeing Sawyer again one day. I just didn’t know how he would react to the fact that my child belonged to someone else.“You shouldn’t starve yourself,” the maid they had hired for me said, causing me to roll my eyes.I didn’t get along with any of these people.They were all enemies of both me and Sawyer, working for that despicable man.“I’m full,” I sighed. “Before you start lecturing me, I had breakfast less than two hours ago,” I scoffed, irritated.She rolled her eyes and left the hut. We had been on the run—or rather, they had kept me on the run—for months.Every time Sawyer got close, they would pack up and flee again. They’d managed to evade him many times by threatening my life, and of course, Sawyer always relented.“Hey,” Jack entered, having taken care of the food and other necessities for the night. He smiled at me.The mattress I sat on was uncomfortable, lacking the fa