Carena:"Hey," he broke the silence after seeming lost in thought. He looked like he was a statue, paid to stand outside my house and not move."What are you doing here?" I asked with a smile, attempting to gather his thoughts."I came to drop off some stuff," he replied in a distracted tone. The regular cheerful tone was definitely missing. But I guess it could be because he was tired. Theodore worked really hard. In fact, that was all he did.Yet I wasn't oblivious to his change in mood. Something was bothering him, and I was keen to find out what."The files?" I asked, and he nodded."Oh, thank goodness. I was wondering where I would find them," I said, rolling my eyes as I have been looking everywhere for details. I did find some articles and planned to binge on them very soon. I walked past him, but when he didn't move, I turned back to him. "What's going on?"He slowly turned to me and, with his hands in his pockets, asked, "Are you and Sawyer back together?"The moment he asked
Carena:It’s been two days since we decided to visit the woods, and finally, the wait was over when Theodore came to my workplace to pick me up for our little secret mission.“Are we really going to the woods?” I asked, seeing weapons and flashlights in the backseat of his car.“Hush! Get inside,” he said, giving me a stern look as he noticed Mr. Bob walking out of the bakery and staring at him.Mr. Bob's expression changed, and he gave us a smile. It was odd, but ever since Sawyer had paid them a visit, he and his wife had been very sweet to me--almost fake and scared sweet.I didn’t ask why they were acting creepy. After all, I was benefiting from them not bothering me. Usually, they used to be on my back, annoying me and scolding me over one thing or the other. But that had changed recently.I slid into the passenger seat, and soon we were headed to the woods. It was already 4 pm, so nightfall was approaching.“Why did you insist on going after dark?” Theodore questioned, his eyes
Carena: "Have you lost your mind? She asked you to take her to hell, and you agreed?""But--I was certain she would be fine since I was with her.""And how did that go? Where were you when she collapsed in those woods? Do you have any idea what would have happened to her if I hadn't picked her up?"I was slowly waking up. The first thing I heard was two people arguing. At first, I had a hard time recognizing the voices because they sounded like muffled murmurs. But as my sleep started to fade away, I began to recognize them too well.It was Sawyer scolding Theodore. I forced my eyes open to find myself lying in the backseat of Sawyer’s car. The two were standing outside the vehicle and arguing. Well, more like Sawyer was accusing Theodore of being careless, and Theodore wasn't even able to defend himself."He didn’t do anything. I asked him to take me to the woods," I spoke with much difficulty. My throat felt like tiny little needles were stuck in it.Sawyer closed his eyes and then
Carena: "That girl who was here the other day," Yamin said as we sat down in the back street for lunch."Alpha King Sawyer’s sister?" I asked, shoving a spoonful of rice into my mouth."Yeah, that one," she sounded so meek when talking about her."What about her?" I inquired. I didn't like talking about anyone from the mansion. It reminded me of the trauma of living with them. Every single one of them was so toxic to me when I had not done anything to hurt or upset them. It was just that they wanted someone Sawyer would not love, just keep around for babies."She made a comment about you. I didn’t like it. I just wanted to tell you that I really wished I had slapped her, but I got scared," she said, making me feel all warm inside for her."That is so cute. But you don’t have to do that. Her brother came and scolded her. He took my side," I only mentioned that to her because she seemed so guilty for not being able to defend me at that moment."Right! I heard about that too. Is it true
Carena: After telling us about the mate bond, Payton left. None of us could question her until we had spoken to Matt. Yamin was so distraught that she couldn't even call Matt herself. But I knew she needed to hear it from him or she would lose her mind. So, I grabbed her phone and dialed his number."Hey, I was just thinking about you. How about a romantic dinner--" he started talking almost instantly, so I had to interrupt him."It's me, Carena. Yamin is--" I paused as I glanced at her crying on the floor, her face in her hands."What happened to her? Is she okay?" The sudden concern in his voice made me believe he cared deeply for her, that he loved her."She's upset. Can you please come and see what you can do?" I didn't want to be the one to ask him about his mate bond with Payton."I'll be there in a minute," he replied, sounding rushed already. I hung up the call and sat down with Yamin, patting her back gently."He's coming. Please don't exhaust yourself without speaking to hi
Carena: "Now what? Are you going to accept her?" Yanin asked, her lips quivering. It wasn't really a fair question because on the other side was his grandmother’s life hanging by a thread. She was his only family, so I could imagine how he was feeling in the moment."I don't want to," he uttered.We were standing outside the bakery, discussing this matter."I knew she would never let it go that easily. The way she asked me to sell you to her today," Yamin broke down again, and even when Matt needed someone to comfort her, he rushed to do so."None of this should happen. I will go speak to her brother myself," I stomped my foot. Enough was enough! Sawyer cannot just ruin someone’s life like that. How can he take away the right of who should be accepted or rejected from his pack members?"But--her brother is very influential," Yamin reminded me."He has made it clear that whoever steps between his sister’s happiness and her will get punished severely," Matt recalled the words."So what
Carena: “What--” I gulped, my eyes widening at his demand.“Listen, it's not about us. If you want Payton to be happy, then find someone who will love her. Matt loves Yamin,” I finished because he wrinkled his nose."and who do you think I love?" he asked playfully, making me frown at him because this wasn't about us."Yourself. You love yourself," I spoke confidently even when my confidence was withering away."That's kind of rude to assume," he pouted, making me swiftly look away from his lips.“Hmm! And if you want them to be happy and stay together, you have to give yourself to me. You have to remain here to be the Luna Queen you are,” he spoke again, a smirk steadily playing across his lips.“And you think forcing me--” I paused when he shook his head.“Who said anything about forcing you? I'm not going to coerce you,” he clicked his tongue and for the moment, my eyes landed on his lips again.“Try them, they are yours,” he commented and I looked up. I felt quite embarrassed whe
Carena: I returned home and wondered if Sawyer would uphold his end of the deal. Then I couldn't help but think about the kiss and how strongly my body yearned to be with him. If Ashley hadn't intervened, would I have been able to stop myself? I kept shifting in bed, with so many thoughts racing through my mind -- from the woods to how Ashley must have reacted to seeing us together. Finally, after hours of contemplation, I dozed off.The next day was going to be challenging. I wanted to find out from Yamin if Sawyer had withdrawn his threats and how the couple was doing. On my way there, I received several calls from Theodore, discussing plans for lunch so he could share other job opportunities with me. I asked him to come to the bakery because I couldn't leave the workplace for too long; our lunch break was only ten minutes.The reason I was able to have more free time was that Mr. Bob had stopped bothering me after witnessing Sawyer's affectionate behavior towards me."Yamin! Where
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