The real meMADALINAI didn't have much time for a deep-dive analysis. The mind quickly summarized the facts and calculated options for successful survival. If that was an option in the first place.There was a feral rogue baring his teeth at my face. Driven by hunger, his mouth was already salivating. Starvation must have been a long-term state for him, judging solely from his visible ribcage.I was in my underwear. I was injured. My dagger was next to my clothes, which were, of course, on the opposite side of the firepit. The distance between the weapon and me was wider than the distance between me and the enemy.In addition, and to my horror, the so-called mate was nowhere to be seen. Was he still on the hunt? How long was I asleep? Either way, his whereabouts were irrelevant. Speculations were no longer in place because the outcome was crystal clear. I was majorly fucked. If I wanted to survive this, I needed to work fast. Showing the rogue my back could be fatal. He would jump at
The power of wordsAIDENWhen I first sensed her distress, I dropped the rabbit which I successfully hunted down. Tilting my head in the direction of the wind, I used my enhanced sense of smell to identify potential danger. The urge to run came as soon as I recognized it. Rogue. He must have been very close. And then the sudden stab of pain and fear assaulted me. She was harmed by him. Without thinking, I shifted back to Remy's form and ran as fast as I could.The rogue didn't see me coming because he was too obsessed by the half-naked vamp. Why did she have to show her skin to him? The skin, which was flawless to touch. Remy growled at me, reminding me this was not the right time to be jealous. Me and jealous? Because of her?! Pfft."Still in denial."He rolled his eyes at me, muttering.Madalina fought bravely. If she hadn't been injured before, she would surely have taken the rogue down. Her technique was impressive, yet it was not enough. Wrath flowed through me like lava when I sa
"I am speaking about those who your sick family kidnapped. Where are they, huh? Are they even alive or have you just sucked them dry? When it comes to your savage habits, you obviously do not care who or what to feed on.""I honestly don't understand what you're implying. Our methods with wolves may have been rough, but there were never minors involved." What a colossal bullshit, right? Alexei Crud was her twin brother. They were connected on a very deep level, and it was impossible for her not to be aware of his operations, for her not to be involved. Her lies only enraged me more.Losing my shit, I jumped at her. Gripping her by her shoulders, I slammed her body against the nearest tree, demanding the truth. Not expecting my harsh treatment, she yelped with her eyes widened. Or maybe it was once again the mate bond's tingles which paralyzed her temporarily. Perspiration beaded her brow when our faces were just inches away. It was so difficult to remain concentrated, to ignore the ph
RescueMADALINA"What am I doing?" I asked myself internally. An awkward silence crept between us as we were standing in the middle of nowhere, enraged and frustrated.Like autumn leaves under frost, I was slowly dying. I felt the chill in my blood, coldness bringing the synapses of my brain to a standstill. Part of it was an odd pain which floored me when my ears fully processed the infamous sentence. The sentence which would set us apart permanently. The hearing sense sent the signal to the brain, shocking it to a great extent. Perhaps I would be fine with the rejection, if only the brain wasn't simultaneously attacked by the needy heart.I thought I didn't care about him. Gosh, he was so annoying that I just wished to repeatedly kick his ass. Yet the pain and sorrow of being potentially rejected by him wasn't something I could endure, and it wasn't something I could just sleep through night after night without anesthesia of false hope. Dang it, I was so doomed.He murmured somethin
CharmsAIDEN"Stupidest idea ever!" I roared at Remy and his suggestions to pretend I and Madalina were a couple. I tried to brush him off, but he was faster than me, took control of my body and announced some bullshit about honeymoons. Funny, how much damage could be done in two seconds."You'll thank me later." He waved his paw nonchalantly, the annoying smirk decorating his muzzle while everything inside me boiled with rage."Thank you?! For what?"I bellowed."Are you that slow, Aiden? Our mate has a thick shell but once we get through that electric fence she had built around her heart, you will see she's not that bad at all." Was this wolf ill in his mind? One would have assumed he was more cautious after the failed bond with the first mate, yet he proved to be even more reckless. And this wasn't some innocent female we were talking about. This was our number one enemy."Remy, did you hit your head? Should I recap the last couple of days to you?" I was stunned that he had already
The body blowMADALINALike a frozen statue, I stared at him with my eyes wide open. How could his presence and a couple of cheesy sentences paralyze me to such an extent? What kind of magic was it? Was this solely the bond's doing? When was it going to stop?! I didn't want it to go further than it should. It didn't feel right.What terrified me the most was the spiked blood pressure and increased heart rate when I stepped out of the bathroom and saw him talking to the maid. How stupidly she grinned at him, wetting her panties for that neanderthal jerk! Fuming internally, I wished to rip her heart off her chest. And then I realized it was the ugly jealousy which reared its head when I witnessed him flirting with another woman. Cue feelings of disgust with myself followed. I shouldn't care who he was making a move on. I really should not, and yet...As his finger curled around the loosed strand of my hair, the ice in me started to melt. Suddenly, the weakness in my knees threatened to
"Can't help it. You are so hot. I could just eat you alive." I almost laughed at his silly comment but reduced it to an innocent giggle. If only he knew..."To be honest, I am quite hungry tonight." I teased him, pressing all the right buttons to turn up the heat in the air."That's enough!" Aiden appeared next to us, his expression indicating that he was as pissed as a tiger poked into his belly with a stick during his nap. "Get your filthy hands off her, fucker!" He roared, grasping my confused dancing partner by his shirt and dragging him several meters away from me."Don't mind him, handsome. We have an open marriage." I rushed to them before the incident would turn into a fist fight. Aiden glared at me, the wrath exploding in him, and I blessed him with the sweetest smile I could demonstrate."Fuck this shit. There is no open relationship. I'll tear you apart if you even look at her again!" He refocused on the poor human, lifting him up in the air with a single hand. I gaped. Sur
Resilience**Flashback **~10 years after the attack on the Crud clan in Romania ~MADALINAAdrenaline pumped through my veins as I faced my brother, sword in hand. We circled each other, eyes locked, waiting for the other to make the first move. We did this countless times. From the day we fled from Romania and moved to Canada, our father did not spare us. Every single day before dawn we were trained in combat. Father trained us well. He trained us that well that at this point he no longer needed to interfere, just watched us from a distance.And just like every other day, it was Alex who made the first move. My brother was impatient, which often resulted in several reckless decisions. He lunged forward, and I deftly parried his attack. Our swords clashed, ringing out in the early morning air. We traded blows, each strike landing with a satisfying thud. Sweat dripped down my forehead, stinging my eyes, while my twin brother chuckled triumphally, assuming he had the winning position i