Carena: I don’t know how long I’ve been out, or if whatever I remember happening before I lost consciousness was real or just a nightmare. But as I began to wake up, I was certain I wasn’t in my own bed, nor in the guest bedroom of the Red Raven pack’s mansion.I was tied to a bed in a dark room.“Eh!” My throat was so dry that I could barely make a sound.“You did it?” I heard a familiar voice, one that made me force my eyes open. It was a voice I never wanted to hear again.“I... umm... I did it,” the woman sounded unsure, almost as if she was afraid of what she had been asked to do.“Great. How long do I have to wait?” It was Jack. I could recognize his voice from miles away. I opened my eyes fully and found myself in a small room. I could hear birds chirping outside, as though this was the only standing room in the middle of a forest.“You need to be patient. But since you asked, it depends on rank. She has a powerful wolf, so she might show results much sooner than an omega woul
Payton: “Huh? What do you mean he got inside?” I felt like someone had grabbed my throat, squeezing the breath out of me. I was all by myself and my grandpa was fighting for his life. I was already so worried and now this?Why the heck did Matt come here anyway?"I don't know how he managed it, but--," the warrior nodded, realizing there was no time to waste. He needed to get his hands on Matt and throw him out.I knew I had to call my brother and inform him about what was happening at the pack mansion.But before I could dial his number, I heard something break in my bedroom. A sinking feeling hit me, and I instinctively knew where Matt was. I looked over at the guard and then at the room. I wouldn't go check on the window alone."Come with me," I pointed to one of the guards, gesturing for him to follow me to my room.Deep down, I just knew I couldn’t trust this guy. I despised the fact that he was re-entering my life when I wanted nothing to do with him. And not to mention, he had
Carena:“Keep an eye on her and don't unchain her,” Jack’s words rang through my head.Jack had left the small room after showing me he could be even creepier than in the past. When he opened the door to leave, that’s when I got a glimpse of the outside. We were in the middle of a dense forest, and it was daytime, which made me realize I had likely been unconscious for the entire night and more.When Dr. Kelly returned to the room, I started moving around to get her attention. I planned to talk to her. Maybe I could convince her to let me go. There’s no way a woman could be this heartless. First, she lied to me about my baby being sick and killed my baby, and now this. What had Brody got on her that she would rather be a horrible person than to ignore him.That is all she has to do now that he wasn't the alpha king. Just ignore him but she jumped at the first opportunity to prove her loyalty to him, why?“Why?” I croaked, my throat dry, causing me to cough, which seemed to get her att
Carena:“What do you mean? Why are you asking me that question?”I inquired of her, and she quickly looked away, as if she were afraid I would catch her and discover her true motives.“Tell me, did you guys do something—to my body?” I gulped with great difficulty. My throat was so dry that it felt like tiny needles were stuck in it, making it hard for me to swallow and feel my own tongue.“You will find out soon,” she said, being very discreet.“Dr. Kelly, how can you do this to your patient? Do you have no self-awareness? He is using you and your degree, and you are letting him. I’m not sure what he has done for you in the past, but he is manipulating you into doing things.” I was shaking while trying to get her attention again, but she just took the IV drip and left the room.Now I was all alone again, feeling miserable. My head felt weighty, and I wanted to throw up so badly.She returned once again, and this time, she had an injection in her hand.“It will help you pass the time.
Sawyer:Years Ago:“Go hide in the room and don’t come out until I say so,” I watched Lady Jane grab Ronan and Payton by their arms, dragging them away from the living room. I could see everything happen from the top of the staircase.“But we were playing a game,” Ronan complained, as he always did. He had grown pretty mischievous, and I liked him that way. It reminded me that we could be normal too. But the minute I recalled our father, my body shook.“Just go,” she pushed him into his room and locked it from the outside. Then her eyes wandered around and stopped on me. I watched her hold her silk gown and run upstairs while the main gate started to rattle.It had to be him arriving home. He always came back late, covered in blood on full moon nights. And tonight was a full moon night.“Sawyer, come with me,” she grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, urging me to run to my bedroom since we didn’t have time.“He’s bringing in more people?” I asked as we rushed into my room. She hurried
Payton:“Do you want me to explain it to you?” he asked when I started stealing glances away from him. I knew about his sister. She used to work with my brother, but I just didn’t know how to tell him that I was aware of it.Losing a sibling or a family member is never easy, no matter what. Anyone who thinks the pain eases with time is lying. It never does.“My sister went missing right after she started working for your brother. He was the only one she hung around, so tell me, where did she go?” he asked, tears forming in his eyes.“That’s why I was so bitter,” he hissed and scoffed.“Matt! But what if--what if that’s not true? Why are you so certain?” I had to make sure I knew everything about him and what he understood. If there is any proof, I would like to erase it.My brother must never be punished for doing something that wasn’t wrong. We couldn’t tell anyone this yet, but it was important that I stayed by my brother’s side.“Because your brother stopped all the investigations.
Payton: “What is happening to you?” I laid him down straight on the couch while he squirmed in pain. The storm had worsened too. The windows were banging, and so were the doors. I needed to take care of everything, but where the heck did the warriors go? I was getting anxious but wasn’t showing too much concern towards the absence of the warriors.I thought they would check the backyard and the back road and be back already.“I need--more wolfsbane to calm down this pain. If my wolf goes into a deep slumber for now, I won’t feel that much pain,” he said. He knew he would still be in pain from the wound on his back, as his healing would slow down even more, but I guessed the pain from breaking a bond was even more intense.I nodded and left to grab him more wolfsbane, but at the same time, I picked up my phone to call my warriors and ask them what was going on and where they had gone.“Hello, where are you guys? Why haven’t you returned already?” I asked the warrior, rushing to my bro
Payton:My eyes started to turn blurry, but I forced them open so I could at least see who had attacked me. As the thunder lit the room, I was able to make out who the person was.It was a shock, even when it shouldn’t have been. I should have known it would be him.Right at my feet stood Matt, not wincing in pain or crying in agony. The last time when I saw him, he was acting like he was in so much pain. I now understood it was all one big lie. He had his back straight and his hands in his pockets. His eyes were locked onto my face with the most malevolent look in them.And then, for a brief period of time, I passed out. The impact of the wolfsbane he had given me usually knocks one out for a while.By the time I was waking up, I found my hands tied to the chair where I had been sitting. I was still half asleep, forcing my eyes to open and look around. I could smell the familiar scent and tell I was still in my brother's study.“What—?” Wincing as I tried to move, I finally jolted my
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