ZEUSThe river water was cool. It washed away the grime and sweat from my body, leaving me feeling lighter than I had since I first woke up in this gloomy forest. The bath was so good that it awakened my senses and lifted my spirits. After all, this was the best thing that happened to me after I had been kidnapped.After scrubbing myself clean, I washed my clothes. Once dressed in a loose T-shirt and a pair of soft, worn bottoms from the polythene bag, I began making my way back along the path I’d memorized earlier. The bag dangled from my hand, and my gaze fell on it with a mix of gratitude and suspicion. The Alpha.... my kidnapper, my tormentor, my... whatever he was—had supplied me with toiletries, clothes, and a towel. I hadn’t expected that. Hell, I’d half-expected him to leave me in an ongoing state of filth just to enjoy the sight of me suffering. But no. He’d gone out of his way to provide the necessities. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. Why? What could he po
ZEUSSomething about the man seemed off.His 5’10” lean figure was coated in dried mud and the clothes he was wearing seemed loose as if they were not his, rather he had stolen them from somewhere.But it wasn’t his unsettling appearance that made me uneasy. It was the suffocating air around him, an sinister force that seemed to press my mind in a negative way. Then there were his eyes… pale blue, predatory, and sharp as a blade. They pierced through me as if they were provoking me.The man’s voice, soft yet commanding, sliced through the gloomy stillness. “Come to me,” he said, his lips curling into a wide, unsettling smile.I raised an eyebrow at him, unsure whether to laugh or feel creeped out. “What?” I asked, taking a
ZEUS Could there be a road?I dared to dream, dared to believe that salvation was just a hundred meters away. Maybe, just maybe. I was closer to freedom than I thought.Without wasting another second, I broke into a run. The prospect of escape filled my veins with adrenaline. I had to run. I had to escape! But I only managed three steps before I completely froze in place, my breath hitching in my throat.A large shadow fell across the ground in front of me.Fuck!! My heart pounded violently, threatening to burst as I slowly lifted my eyes. And there he was—the wolf.The same massive, bloodthirsty beast, his red eyes gleaming with malicious glee. It stepped into view from the side confidently. I broke out into a cold sweat, my entire body trembling as I realized what had happened.He hadn’t given up before. He hadn’t retreated. He had been circling me, finding another way to corner me.And now, he had me.Those glowing red eyes seemed to mock me, filled with a cruel satisfaction tha
ODIN“Once mine, always mine.”That was the rule I lived by. Whether it was an inanimate object or a living thing, once it belonged to me, I’d never let it go. Not even its remains. The moment I lay my eyes on it, it would become my possession. Possession wasn’t just a claim; it was a declaration, a binding contract signed in the ink of my will.And right now, this six-foot-tall figure, trembling against my chest, was mine. Damon Darcy. My enemy. The man whose very name I couldn’t say without tasting venom. The one responsible for the greatest wound I’d ever suffered. I hated him with every fiber of my being, with a rage that burned hotter than the sun and colder than death.Yet here he was. In my arms.I wanted to destroy him, to strip him down to nothing until he couldn’t even imagine putting himself back together. Yet as his cold, shivering frame pressed against mine, a nagging voice inside me whispered something far more treacherous. Something I couldn’t name.Why did he feel so…
ZEUSThe piercing scream of a bat shattered the silence between us, snapping me out of the intense stare I was locked in with the Alpha. My head instinctively jerked upward in alarm. The forest around us had grown darker. Evening had already fallen. Wild animals were waking up. Their cries were just creepy in the stillness of night. Suddenly, the Alpha’s hand shifted from my waist to my wrist.. Instinctively, I glanced up at him, but the moment our eyes met, my breath caught. The warmth I’d seen before was gone, replaced by something dark and furious.Without a word, he yanked me forward, his pace insane as if he was flying in the air.“What the hell are you doing?!” I hissed, stumbling as I struggled to keep up..The sharp pain in my wrist made me wince, and I wriggled in protest. “Let go! You’re hurting me!” I yelled, anger and panic boiling over.He didn’t stop. He didn’t even glance in my direction.I stumbled along, cursing him under my breath, fighting against his strong grip. B
ODINStanding by the window, I took a long slow drag of my cigarette as I watched the sunrise bleed colors across the horizon. It was stunning, as usual. It was a reminder that life continued at its own pace, indifferent to my sleepless nights. Since Lynn’s death, sleep had become a distant memory. My eyes drifted, almost against my will, to the clearing where he lay curled up, tied but somehow managing to look absurdly comfortable. Damon. His lean figure was nestled by the chopped woodpile, his expression softened in sleep, though his brows furrowed every so often. His lips seemed soft, plump, and maddeningly inviting, would part to mutter curses at the mosquitoes circling him. For someone so terrified of being devoured by a wild animal, he was surprisingly unguarded. Carefree. And infuriatingly... alluring.I scowled, forcing my gaze away but finding it impossible to fully shake the image. So stupid and irritating, I muttered under my breath. The bastard was human trash—a liar, a m
ZeusI stared at the Alpha in complete disbelief, my brain trying to process his statement. Enemies with benefits? Was this some kind of joke?My mind flickered back to the last time I’d been with someone. A Brazilian beauty during a rare three-day break from work. It had been... fine, but forgettable. Sex had never been a big deal to me, just a minor distraction from my singular focus: money. One-night stands were the extent of my interest, and even then it was few and far between.But this? This was something else entirely. The offer was shocking enough, but coming from him, a self-proclaimed straight werewolf willing to make an exception for me was almost laughable.Then I caught the way he looked at me. I was some kind of filthy, desperate thing. A manwhore in his eyes.My jaw clenched tightly as my pride took a hit. “I’m not gay. And even if I were, you would be the last person I’d ever choose,” I spat, glaring into his cold eyes.He tilted his head lazily, his expression one of
ZEUSBut something about the complexity of it all didn’t sit right with me. The coordination, the precision. It must’ve cost a fortune.I scoffed, my frustration spilling into words. “Is that wild man wealthy?” I muttered under my breath.Cade’s cold voice broke my thoughts. “Follow me,” he instructed, already heading toward the woods.I sighed and quickly laced up my shoes, begrudgingly following him.Our first stop was the river. Cade handed me three large bottles and motioned for me to fill them with fresh water. Carrying them back to the shack nearly broke my arms. I was drenched in sweat by the time we arrived.
ZEUS His lips found mine again, this time softer, lingering like he was trying to seal his promise with each breath. My heart felt like it might explode. I didn’t know whether to push him away or melt into him. His words, his touch…they overwhelmed me, filling the cracks of my shattered self with something dangerous. Something I couldn’t name. On top of that, he actually kissed a man, in front of so many men!Before I could respond, a low growl rumbled behind us. Mario’s voice interrupted the moment, his smugness gone, replaced by cold fury.“Romano,” Mario spat, his voice laced with venom, “you think you can walk out of here with him after that little show? You’re both dead. If you have any last wish, tell me now!”Odin turned slowly, almost lazily, to face him. His calmness was unnerving, like a predator playing with its prey. “Since you’re being so generous,” Odin drawled, taking a drag from his cigarette, “how could I not grant you the honor?”Reaching into his pocket, he pulled
Enemies to lovers?For a second, my mind went completely blank. He and I? But before I could process the thought, the wolves surrounding us sprang into action.One lunged at me, its jaws open wide, but Odin yanked me behind him at the last second. A powerful kick from him sent the wolf flying, its body slamming into a tree with such force that the sound of cracking wood echoed in the air. The wolf collapsed, lifeless, and the others froze, their growls faltering as they hesitated.I shivered in horror against him, my eyes glued to the unmoving body of the wolf. It was clear, they might never wake up.Odin leaned down, his warm breath brushing against my ear as he whispered, “Run straight ahead.”
ZEUSHis expression faltered, the rage dimming as something unreadable flickered in his eyes.“At that moment, I wasn’t a human being to you. I was Damon Darcy, the human that you wanted to break emotionally, a goal that succeeded at. I am broken now.” I continued, my voice breaking. “And yet, now you’ve come to save me, and all I can feel is fear. Fear of what comes next. Fear of how you’ll put me back in my place. Because I know whatever this is, it doesn’t end here.”He froze, as if the weight of my words struck something within him.“I’m scared,” I admitted, my voice barely audible now, trembling with raw emotion. “Scared that your kindness, your soft touch, your care…all of it comes with a price. And thi
ZEUS“Doesn’t me being here answer your question?”As those words left his lips, they pulled at something deep inside me. My heartbeat betrayed me, thundering in my chest as an unfamiliar warmth began to stir. He came when I had lost all hope of being saved. He came when I was on the brink of losing myself.For a fleeting moment, his presence felt like the most profound thing that could have ever happened to me…an unspoken promise of safety, of being wanted and cared for.But then vicious reality sank its claws into me. A bitter pain rose alongside that fleeting warmth, snuffing it out as quickly as it had appeared. It was stupid. How could I allow myself even a moment of such weakness?My hands, still wrapped around his n
ODINHis face drained of color. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. He was caught.I tossed the key aside, my suspicions confirmed. Lex had betrayed me. Only someone within my pack could have leaked information to Mario of my arrival. Damon sat there speechless.“Lex…” I grumbled his name under my breath, my expression darkening. “Don’t hurt him,” Damon murmured after a long silence, his voice almost inaudible.I turned to him, my gaze sharp. “Still trying to save people?”He shook his head, his eyes fixed on the ground. “How am I in any position to save someone? But Lex thinks I killed Lynn. Just like you do. You are strong and brave so you kidnapped me but all he could do was to use Mario to take revenge against me. It’s all revenge, beginning to end. So tell me, Odin…”He finally looked up, meeting my gaze with a quiet intensity that made my chest tighten. He used my name again…. “If I want Lex to suffer for what he did to me, then what should I feel for you?”His questio
ODINI never knew my name could sound so beautiful.The words left my lips in a whisper. It caught me off guard, that unexpected softness in my voice. My name… a name I had hated for years, that was tied irrevocably to the memory of my mother’s screams. I could still hear her, even now, calling my name through labored breaths, her voice raw with pain as she begged me to run and save myself.That day, my name became a trigger. A reminder of my failure to protect her. Of her blood on my hands. Since that day, I had buried it beneath the mask of Alpha Romano, a title that demanded fear and respect. Yet when he said my name… something shifted in my chest. It sounded different. It sounded… beautiful.
ZEUSI felt a chill run down my spine, but the Alpha didn’t falter. He moved through the dense forest, his strides sure and powerful.“Do you even know where we’re going?” I asked, still clinging to him.“No,” he replied, his tone maddeningly calm. “I haven’t been in Mario’s pack since Alpha John’s demise.”My jaw dropped. That meant he had last been here when he was ten! “Then what’s the plan?!”“To find somewhere safe,” he murmured, navigating the forest with skill.Some time later, he climbed a rocky incline, eventually ducking into a small cave nestled into the side of a mountain. He set me down gently o
ZEUSHe came into enemy territory just for me? My chest tightened, an unfamiliar warmth blooming beneath my ribs. I couldn’t name this feeling, but for a fleeting moment, I closed my eyes and let his warmth envelop me, anchoring me in the present.Then, I felt his hands slide down my back. He tugged lightly at the strings of the lingerie, and my body stiffened. He must’ve sensed it because his hands instantly froze.“We have to get out of here,” he murmured, his voice steady and laced with quiet urgency.I blinked and slowly nodded, still leaning against his chest. I definitely could not leave this room in such a state. Unable to move my body, I surrendered to his care. Gently, he began undoing the lingerie, starting with the strings around my chest. His movement
ZEUSHe dragged me to the bed and threw me onto it like a discarded doll. My chest hit the soft mattress, my face pressed against the sheets. I couldn’t move.Through the haze of paralysis, I felt him undo the ropes around my wrists. For a fleeting moment, hope surged…until I realized why.He began stripping me, pulling my shirt over my head, unbuttoning my jeans.“If you obey him, you’ll be able to walk out of this room on your own two feet,” the man sneered. “The drug I gave you will make sure you won’t feel any pain, even if you tear from the inside when he rides that ass of yours.”His words stabbed into me like daggers, and I wanted to scream, to lash out, to do anything. But all I could do was lie there like a lifeless shell. The drug coursing through my veins had stolen even my ability to cry out. My lips trembled, and a low, weak sound escaped.Stripping me bare of what little dignity I had left, he forced the lingerie onto my body, his hands rough and unrelenting. The humilia