Samiya’s POV I had never seen a wolf so large before and the first instinct I had was to run, but with my hurt leg, I knew that I couldn’t even manage to get far. Aside from the wolf’s size, there were also his crimson-red eyes and his large claws. I did not doubt in my head that he could have anyone killed with just a single scratch, and I wasn’t ready to prove my suspicion. “It’s Alpha Zain’s wolf,” I heard Scarlet say for the first time in a long time. “So now you decide to show up!” I decided to tease her with my eyes still keen on the big wolf. A small sigh resounded in my head. “He means us no harm… I d-don’t know how, but I can tell… I can tell that he would never try to hurt us.” I was just about to argue Scarlet’s theory but a loud growl from Alpha Zain’s wolf put an end to my thought process entirely. As if the growl wasn’t enough, the wolf got on all fours and stalked forward. With each step he took forward, I pushed myself more against my bed, but it turned out that
Zain’s POV“I cannot wrap my mind around her, Mae. I… I just know that there’s something about this woman, and she’s driving Ralph crazy… she’s driving me crazy… she’s driving us crazy. What should I do?”About an hour had gone by ever since I had sent Samiya out of my room, but the woman still plagued my thoughts. Her jasmine and vanilla scent still lingered in my room, wrapping itself around my nostrils and pulling me under till I could hardly fathom or even think for myself. The worst thing was that it wasn’t even Ralph this time. I knew it was all me because Ralph had gone silent.The wolf had gone silent ever since I had shifted back and sent Samiya away and I couldn’t help but feel like I had made a stupid decision because I had no idea what happened when Ralph was in control.For the first time, Ralph was in full control and without a cage, yet somehow there had been no bloodshed and he had healed someone? Someone who he hadn’t even marked or claimed?The more I thought about
Samiya’s POVThe last person I expected to see at midnight was Alpha Zain, and yet the man had forced his way into my room for an impromptu interrogation.How lovely!Although Alpha Zain looked a lot more composed than when I saw him in his room earlier, I still could not shake off the events that transpired between him, his wolf, and me. “Your wolf… how has she been ever since the competition started,” was the first question he asked, before making himself comfortable on my bed as though it just so happened to be his very right.Standing in front of the man, I studied the man cautiously, and yet, I couldn’t properly fathom what kind of game he was playing exactly. “Just answer the man’s questions, Miya. Tell him that I’m happy here and, despite the fact that he tried to kill us, I’m willing to forgive him because he is our future mate,” I heard the familiar voice of Scarlet ring in my head, and it took everything in me to stop myself from facepalming.“Stop acting like some desperat
Samiya’s POVThe woman’s confession almost knocked the air out of my lungs, but I was quick to recover.“Prove it,” I muttered, my senses still clouded with both a mix of disbelief and shock.Jenna shook her head as though she was disappointed that I didn’t believe her and she reached into one of her pockets before passing a picture over to me. “I’m Meidran’s cousin and hopefully this convinces you because I was really hoping that we could use this one-week break the alpha gave us to do some things together before the next challenge springs on us.”I hadn’t even known that Alpha Zain had granted us a week's break and a small part of me wanted to believe that I was the reason, but I was quick to push that thought to the back of my mind. Holding the picture in my hands, I looked at it closely and it didn’t look like the woman was lying.On the fine art paper was a young Meidran, his mum, and father, along with a strange man and what looked like a young Jenna standing beside them. Slowly
Samiya’s POVHer nephew’s second chance mate?Mae Shuzen, the first female alpha in the entire history of the Etrana pack, just happened to think that her nephew, the same man that had almost led me to my death a few days back, was my second chance mate?I didn’t exactly know what to think.“Ms. Sh-”The woman held a hand up, stopping me from uttering any more words. “Come with me,” she told me with a hand gesture before turning to the guards who followed her into the library. “Go find Zain and make sure he comes with you. I guess I’ll be the one to work things out for him again.”My head was literally brewing with a million questions all at once and the question that just had to be the most prominent out of them all was “How come I never felt anything with my supposed second chance mate?” This would have been a really good time to hear from Scarlet, but apparently, the she-wolf decided that it would be wise to carry on with the silent treatment she had so childishly started. I wante
Samiya’s POVCancel the contest, conduct a mating ceremony, and mark her. Those words seemed to re-echo in my head a million times before Alpha Zain chose to break the spell with his voice. “All she said was that her wolf feels some connection, Mae. That certainly cannot be enough to conclude that we are somehow second-chance fated mates.”“I definitely like Ralph more than him,” I heard Scarlet mutter, and I couldn’t help but agree. The fool was getting in the way of all my plans simply by opening his mouth.“Me too,” I answered her.“And given all that we have seen and you, yourself experienced, that’s more than enough to support my theory. Remember, all is not as it seems, I’ve lived long enough to learn that, Zain,” she pressed on, clearly adamant on the theory that we were second-chance mates.I, for one, was still slightly confused by the entire ordeal, but if being his second chance mate got me closer to my goal without having to do any more of those crazy challenges, then I w
Zain’s POVThe last time I tried to open up to new things, I almost got killed and dragged everyone else in my pack down as well, but there was no way I could tell Samiya that.I would be lying if I said that I didn’t feel a warm and slightly fuzzy feeling at the thought of Samiya being my second chance mate. I couldn’t get the woman off of my mind ever since the first night I spent with her and I knew that I wanted her close to me at all times, especially if she had somehow managed to crack the code to calm Ralph down.However, there were two powerful emotions that showed that fuzzy feeling right down my throat. They were fear and guilt.I was terrified that this second chance the goddess had granted me could turn out just as sour as the first and the guilt stemmed from the fact that I had almost killed my mate. The goddess had been so kind to grant me a second chance and I had almost let my ego ruin it all for me.What was I possibly thinking?Rubbing my hands against the fabric of
Zain’s POVIt was only when she redirected the question to me that I began to understand just how hard this task could be.Ransacking my brain for something or anything I could easily open up to Samiya about without revealing insanely precious information was proving difficult, and so I let out a breath. “Ask me anything. Go ahead, Samiya, question me, but I will have to plead with you to stay within reasonable limits.”She leaned further into the small bed and rested her back against the wall just like I had done earlier. “I’ve been told that one of my biggest flaws is that I don't always understand how to stay within my limits, but just like you said earlier, if you do not want to talk about it, we can always discuss something else or look up another method in the book.Well… there is one thing that I have always wondered about you, even before we met. I’m sure it’s the one question that everyone in the pack would like to have answers to. I would like to know more about your mate… yo
Samiya’s POVZain called for my mother? At that point in time, I was completely unsure about what I was supposed to think and what I wasn’t supposed to think. My eyes shifted from my mother, who still had her head bowed and was waiting for Zain’s next command, then, to my mate, Zain, who I could see silently gloating.“Maybe you should have just told him the truth,” I heard Scarlet’s voice echo in my head.“And maybe I can go ahead and tell him that the reason why I joined the contest in the first place was because I was so desperate to change my rank and because I wanted to have my sweet revenge on Meidran! How do you think that sounds, huh?!” I barked at Scarlet, failing to keep my growing frustration under control.I expected Scarlet to match my frustration with hers or just go ahead and hide in some corner of my mind when things got tough like she always did. Instead, she released a sigh, completely catching me off guard.“Our mate can be a horrendous jerk every once in a while,
Samiya’s POVZain took a step back, and I felt all of my senses returning to me. Clearing my throat, I straightened my back and looked up at my mate.It didn’t look like Zain would back down from this silent war anytime soon or leave without getting an answer from me. I couldn’t even think properly because I knew that with each second that passed the man was relentlessly trying to get into my mind and trying to find answers for himself.“And you? Maybe I should ask you what you’re so desperately trying to hide from me, huh? Ever since you let me see those vivid scenes in the cabin this morning, I haven’t been able to access one single thought from you. Maybe, you’re the one hiding things.”Zain tsked, amusement dancing in his eyes, as though the entire time I complained I was performing a little show for him.“I saw the way you acted when we found your mother waiting outside the castle gates. You lost your composure, redhead, and then right after lunch you just ran off with her and ev
Samiya’s POVMy hands clenched even tighter by my sides and I could feel my eyes starting to burn.“You don’t have a say in this mother. I am Luna and I have the last say in cases where neither the alpha nor the moon goddess are concerned. You have three days and before the cock crows on the fourth day, I expect you to be far away from here and fully settled into the new life that I am more than willing to provide for you.” By the time I was done speaking, my chest was heaving and my heart had sunk further than I thought possible.My mother folded her arms across her chest and a small smile appeared on her face. It took only a few moments for that smile to morph into a laugh, leaving me confused.“I always knew that you were destined for something greater and being Luna suits you. Just try to make sure that you give this treatment to anyone else who even remotely tries to get on your nerves.”“I forgot that our mother was mad,” Scarlet pitched in, her amusement clear.“Peculiar, yes,
Samiya's POVSo much time had passed without any pressure from my mother rolling down my neck, but now everything we had discussed all those weeks back came rushing back into me like a tidal wave.We were all sat at the dining table, Zain, Miss Shuzen, my mother, and myself, and while from the outside looking in it seemed as though everything was okay, I had absolutely no idea what my mother’s sudden appearance meant and Scarlet’s constant nagging in my head wasn’t helping matters either.However, the feeling of a calloused hand touching my thigh quickly brought me back to reality. Turning to the source, I saw a slightly worried Zain. “You haven’t touched your food, Samiya. Are you okay?”My eyes fell to the untouched roast duck sitting before me and I swallowed. “Oh, I-”“Miya has always been a special child. She has this habit of being too caring as well. She was probably thinking of new ideas to help the people of Etrana, isn’t that right, Miya?” My mother cut in.Grabbing a fork,
Samiya’s POVFLASHBACKTwo years.It had been two years since Meidran rejected me in the largest market square in Etrana and two years since I had begun plotting my revenge. If the wench of Etrana was all everyone chose to see me as then, the title would just have to work for my good in some way or the other.“Miya, you can’t screw this up. You have one chance and one chance only and if things go to shit then you might as well settle for Enzo,” my mother reminded me as she ran a brush through my thick ginger-red hair.An exhausted sigh escaped my lips. “That will not be happening, mother. So you can kindly forget about the stupid man now.”Through the mirror, I saw my mother take a pause. She let my hair go and dropped the hairbrush on a nearby table. “The stupid man as you call him was the one who bothered to pay for the nice house we live in and give you money for the nice clothes you wear.”My mother was right. It was because of Enzo’s kindness that we could find a place to live t
Samiya’s POVLast night, I confirmed that Zain was indeed a man of his word.Once we fucked the first time and his mark had fully formed on my neck, he made sure to make good on his promise. We kept going at it like mad rabbits until the sun rose, and we couldn’t anymore.Standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, I couldn’t help but admire the mark that had formed on my neck. If a week back someone had told me that Zain’s mark would manifest in the form of a moonflower, I would never have believed it. I would have imagined something a bit more rugged or bold, but this felt perfect. Out of everything that had happened recently, I saw the mark had the moon goddess finally trying to apologize and make things right.This was her true blessing for our union.Other than the mate mark, Zain had made sure to leave other marks on my body as well.My ginger red hair was in a disarray on my head and hickeys were littered all over my body, mostly around my chest area.But none of that matt
Samiya's POVPerhaps that answer wasn’t good enough for Zain because he wasted no time in tearing off the rest of my dress until the barrier between him, and I was my undergarments.His eyes darkened as he took in my almost bare form, his fingers tracing a slow, tantalizing path over my exposed skin. The heat between us was unbearable, the air charged with the kind of tension that made my pulse pound in my ears.Zain’s thumb grazed over my nipple, rolling it in a way that sent a sharp jolt of pleasure straight to my core. My body arched instinctively, a breathless moan slipping past my lips.“You’re so damn responsive,” he murmured, his voice thick with approval.A thrill shot through me at his words. I was his. Every touch, every sensation—he controlled it, ignited it. And I wanted more.His hands traveled lower, gripping my waist before sliding down to the thin lace that still separated us. His fingers traced the band, teasing, his heated gaze never leaving mine.“Zain,” I breathed
Samiya’s POVZain was right.The pain that emanated from my neck was enough to make my vision blur, but besides the pain swirling through me, some other feeling was introduced to my body.Need.Desire.Lust.I was in heat, and I could barely register what went on for the rest of the mating ceremony until Elder Gordon finally instructed us to conclude the last part of the mating ceremony, which involved the actual mating process.As soon as the instruction left Elder Gordon’s mouth, Zain lifted me bridal style and began moving to only the goddess knew where.“Z-Zain…” I called out, but he only pulled me closer and, for some reason, it helped.It helped with the pain I was feeling.It helped with the dizziness that was slowly beginning to overcome me.It helped with how horny I felt at that moment.“I told you it was going to hurt,” Zain reminded me, with a hint of humor in his tone.Shutting my eyes and leaning further into his embrace as though I needed him to breathe, I replied in a
Samiya’s POVMy heart skipped a beat.Just how much of my conversation with Miss Shuzen did he hear?But then again, there was no way on Etrana that Miss Shuzen would allow just anyone to eavesdrop on a conversation as important as the one we had just had. Straightening my back, I tried to mask my fear as much as I could. “I have no idea what you’re talking about and the only demon I have had the unfortunate fate of meeting since I got here has been you Meidran.”Meidran scoffed, placing his hands behind his back as he took a few steps toward me.“Fair enough. You look dashing, by the way. Almost too dashing for Zain, I would say.”So he didn’t hear anything then.My nerves relaxed.“Flattery will get you nowhere, Meidran. Now tell me, what exactly are you doing here?”He shrugged. “Ever since you’ve been announced as Luna, my duties have been reduced to those of a common help, Samiya,” he took a slight pause as if contemplating what to say next, but quickly shook his head before any