Carena: "Can you bake well?" The owner and his wife stood in front of me, their faces adorned with big frowns.I had left pretty early in the morning to avoid bumping into my father and my sister. They haven't spoken to me, and I felt like unless I earn something and let them know I am not going to be a burden on them, they will not spare me. The lady checked me out one more time before wrinkling her nose. This bakery was run by an omega couple. They were both in their forties and had no children of their own. I had gathered as much information on them as possible before coming for the meeting."Aren't you too pretty to be working in the kitchen?" the man, with a thin mustache and sleek black hair, murmured with his eyes shining with some kind of expectation. The minute his lips spelled the words, his wife turned to glare at him."Mr. and Mrs. Bob, I will do my best work here. I have been baking since I was little, and everybody loves what I whip up," I smiled widely, hoping they wou
Carena:"Why? What did I do?" I started babbling almost instantly. To get arrested for it wasn't in my plans.And the worst part was that no one would come to my rescue this time, not even my father or sister.Theodore raised his eyebrow at how flustered I got and then sighed softly. "To get you a new ID,"My heart eased upon hearing he wasn't arresting me. But it still didn't make things easy that he wanted me to come with him."Today? I mean, I have to go home and tell my family where I'll be," I said, thinking maybe if I didn't inform them, they'd be worried. Anger aside, they were still my family. My father must be so worried that I left early morning without telling him anything. And now, I was realizing it."Give me your father's number and I'll give him a call," he extended his hand, asking for my phone.Oh, Goddess, I knew if I called, my father wouldn't pick up. So it was better that Sheriff Theodore tells him about my situation. I gave him my number and watched him leave the
Carena:We stared at each other, my steps slowing down in front of my house before I turned to give him my back.I was so angry that I didn't even want to face him again.What the heck was wrong with him?His ego was so big that he didn't even think about how he had hurt me, even after he calmed down.So, his anger was not the only problem he had."Dad! Please calm down," Maanya was speaking to Dad when I stepped into the house."It's all because of her!" Dad raised his head to acknowledge my arrival and then grunted as he pointed his finger at me.I had no clue what had happened now and what I had done wrong this time.Maanya had served dinner for Dad, but it seemed like something so bad had happened that he hadn't eaten anything."What happened?" I asked, reaching them."Step away from Dad," Maanya warned me, her eyes filled with anger for me."Why are you guys treating me like a culprit? Sawyer has moved on. I just saw him share a very intimate moment with his fated mate," I argued
Ashley:I couldn't believe Sawyer came home in such a good mood but then went straight to his study. At least I had Payton and Ronan to lean on for comfort."Here, I got you this," Ronan said, handing me a coffee and smiling at me.I was lucky to have friends here. Living alone and fighting alone while trying to win Sawyer’s love would have been so difficult if everyone was against me, just like they were against Carena. That's why I made sure to stay on good terms with everyone."Thank you. I don't know what I would do without the two of you," I said, giving them a sad smile as I sipped my coffee."Hey, why do you sound so low? She was never your competition. And now she's gone too. Sawyer hasn’t asked about her even once. He threw out her clothes and stuff the minute he got back home. He’s done with her," Payton was right.This is exactly how Sawyer was. He didn't really care about anyone."I’m sure he is. I remember when our breakup happened, he was so quick to forget about me," I
Carena:I listened to him speak with the confidence of an alpha king, but this time, I refused to submit to him like the Luna Queen he envisioned. That phase of my life was over. I have grown up now and no longer wanted a charming prince to come riding his horse and save me with his intimate kiss.After enduring enough of his rambling, I tilted my head and spoke with certainty."I'm not here to beg you or to be accepted by you. I'm here to ask you, how do you call yourself an alpha king and then turn your back on your words?"I watched him squint, trying to grasp what he had just heard. But I wasn't finished yet."I appreciate you making me believe I made the right choice, but I never expected you to stoop so low," my tone turned harsh, deepening his frown as he slammed his hand on the table. It was his way of warning me to quit yapping."Watch your tongue, Carena!" he bellowed.Though my body flinched, I quickly regained my composure. I needed to confront him for what he had done to
Carena: Once I stepped back into my house, I caught my father and sister staring at me with confusion written all over their faces."What happened? Please don't tell me he's so upset that he didn't accept your apology," my sister stood up beside my father, her hands clasped together as if pleading for the answer she hoped to hear."I didn't go there to apologize to him," I raised my voice, startling her enough to take a step back, her eyes fixed on my face with her mouth slightly agape."How could you two--why did you lie to me?" I yelled, feeling drained from constantly being manipulated by so many people. Was my worth not even considered?My father appeared so stunned by my statement that he hurriedly got up and rushed toward me. Grabbing my arms, he shook my body, confirming my suspicion that he had indeed lied."Why the hell would you go there if you didn't want to apologize?" he demanded, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from me."You two lied to me. And I went there to
Carena:The melodic chirping of birds and the warm sunlight streaming through the window signaled the arrival of morning. I forced my eyes open and realized I was lying on the cold bedroom floor. With effort, I struggled to rise, my body feeling numb on one side. Sitting up, I surveyed the room, realizing I had passed out there the night before.Glancing at the clock on the wall, another shock hit me. "9 am! I'm so late," I muttered to myself, noting with a pang that no one had come to check on me. It was saddening because I should have known I always deal with sorrow alone.As I showered, memories of last night flooded back. Sawyer with Ashley, my father's slap, and then those screams and the earthquake. "No!" I immediately regretted opening my mouth under the rush of water. But surely, the earthquake wasn't my doing. My freak-out wasn't that special. It was probably just an anxiety attack. Why the hell would the world shake when I am angry?Pushing aside my worries, I focused on get
Carena:I left the bakery with him after telling Yamin I needed to go fetch my ID. The car ride was terribly quiet. However, I did notice him adjusting his mirror a few times to keep an eye on me. He hadn't really said much until we were outside the office. He led me in and flicked on the light, chuckling to himself. I reckon he wanted me to ask why he was laughing so he could say something absurd to me. So, I kept quiet and didn't respond to his little chuckling."Have a seat," he said, plopping down and gesturing to the chair. Before leaving the bakery, he grabbed a donut which he now chewed on rather ungracefully."I'm fine, thank you. I'll just grab my ID and head home," I muttered, not in the mood for conversation."What's the rush? Sit down," he insisted, but it sounded more like a command. I was slightly taken aback by the way he kept smirking, as if he had uncovered my secret or something. So, I sat down with my spine erect, ready to bolt once I got my hands on my ID."I've be
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