Hello Lovelies,
I though I would have been able to upload a chapter by now, but as it is, I can hardly find the time to do so.
As mentioned some time ago, two relatives passed away in previous months. The first funeral will be this weekend and the second will be held the Saturday before Christmas. As such, there is a lot of preparations to do as well as to accomodate and entertain guest and visiting relatives.
Therefore, I am here to apologize about the delay in chapters and kindly ask for your understanding because this month is not so merry for us.
The story will resume soon.
Thanks for your patience.
#Much love!
Virtually yours,
O'Chantal.
-VALEN'S POV-Materializing in the darkness at the foot of their king-sized bed, I found my parents spooning in a cuddle, deeply sleeping.Dawn's light hadn't graced us yet, but this was important, so here I was. I tried not to startle them, although they had to have smelled my presence through our wolves’ kin bonds.“Mom. Dad.” I kept my voice soft enough.With a snap of my fingers, I flicked the ceiling light on without their permission. The illumination flooded the vast, opulent master bedroom. This should spring them up."Valen?" Mom complained groggily, squeezing her closed eyes. She scrunched her face, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the slap of the brightness.“Grrr,” Dad growled his annoyance and muttered inaudibly. He kept his eyes closed as a sign that he was not going to entertain me. His strong muscular embrace tightened around Mom's waist as he buried his face in her neck.They made no move to see why I had disturbed them like this, but I wasn't going away.“Dad,
RAINA’S POV-“Thanks, Rai,” Venus sat up in her bed in her green, stain nightgown and gently massaged her left wrist in an up-and-down grip.Holding up the black bunny cuffs on my finger, I asked curiously, “Why were you tied to the bed? Don’t tell me that you were into some bondage sex, and he left you like that?”“You know very well that it would be the other way around.” Venus giggled, deflecting with a tilt of her head to the side.My interest was aroused by the untidy waves and ringlets of black hair that shrouded the sides of her flushed face and her eyes were puffy like she had a rough night.I jangled the cuffs to demand an explanation.“Which man would be brave enough to sneak into the Alpha King’s mansion to impale me with his ding dong.” She tapped her cheek and mischievously smirked. “But you know, that’s not a bad idea. I’d like to know what sex feels like before I’m one hundred years old.”“Okay, princess. But explain the cuffs.” I narrowed my eyes at her. I simply had to
RAINA’S POV-“You must be bored out of your mind.” For a brief moment, Mercedes' brows furrowed deeply as she tried to analyze me. Then she sighed loudly and shooed me with her hand. “You are excused, Raina. I seem to have misplaced my interest in anything that you have to say.”"My words are for her, not you." It sounded pathetic to me as well, but it was the truth.She eyed me skeptically and rejected with disdain in her voice, “No. Your chatter is not on my to-do list.”Thankfully, I spotted a ring of keys on the wall and grabbed it. I fought with the faulty lock until I found the right one and swung the door open.Her expression quickly changed to down-right mistrust. "What do you want with my wolf?" she snapped."She’s mine." I stepped inside the cell, pulling closed the metal grill door behind me.Unafraid, she stayed seated, and her eyes lit up in anger. "Not yours,” she protested bitterly. "I pity you. Fucking pathetic.""Your habit of wanting everything that's mine is infuriat
RAINA’S POV-"She attacked me." Mercedes lied, curling into a fetal position with her hand on her stomach, pretending to be in serious pain.“That’s not true.” Again, the rage pulsed through me and I struggled against Valen, wanting to get back to hitting her. "Let me go, Valen. Let me go, and I’ll give her another good black eye.""Raina!" Valen shouted in my ear.I huffed and stopped when I felt him tighten his arms around me. When I relaxed, he let me go and turned me around to face him. His eyes scanned my face and when it landed on my bruised arms, his emeralds darkened.His jaw ticked when he turned to look at the she-wolf on the ground. "Mercedes, mind telling me how your Luna got bruised?""I don't know." Mercedes wheezed, sitting up and clutching her abdomen. "She almost choked me to death.” She gasped, dramatically. “I can’t breathe.""You'll live," Valen responded indifferently. He turned back to me. "Go back upstairs, Raina. I'll deal with you later.""But it wasn't even my
RAINA’S POV-I scoffed. "Save me your speeches. I'm tired, and I'm going to bed."Crawling into my side of the bed, I laid down and was about to pull the cream blanket when Valen yanked them away from me. I glared at him."Give me the blanket," I bit out, sitting up with my eyes narrowing at him."Stop being jealous," he insisted in a sharp tone, with the blanket in his hand.I scoffed again, "Who said I was?” I shrugged, swallowing the thick lump of emotion in my throat. “I don't care.""I know you are because, if I were in your shoes, I would be too.” He confessed in an ominous undertone, “To be honest, the guy wouldn't live.”My gaze drifted down his impressive form. Mountainous muscles covered his chest, dipping into cut ridges on his abdomen. Despite the anger, heartache, and humiliation churning inside of me, I wanted to rip those pants off him and throw him on the bed while I had my way with him.Redirecting my thoughts, I simply muttered, "Whatever. Keep the damn blanket."I f
RAINA’S POV-"Morning, my beautiful Bluebella," he whispered, wrapping his arms around me while I cooked at the stove. "Smells delicious.""Good. I hope you’re hungry," I trailed off as he nuzzled my neck.My breath hitched in my throat as I stared back into his eyes. My stomach flip-flopped."Valen," I moaned. "Don’t make me burn our breakfast. Get the plates."He grumbled, and without moving his body away, the front of his body bumped against the back of mine as he reached his hands up to the black metal shelf to take down two square plates and put them on the left counter.Then he hugged me around the waist, resting his jaw on my shoulder, and angled his head sideways to look at me. My heart fluttered wildly."Baby, you didn't have to do all of this," he said softly. “That’s what the kitchen staff is for.”"Nonsense, I will feed you when I feel like it," I replied with a smile.He just beamed at me. “You’re amazing. I know it’ll be as good as it looks,” he remarked while his hands
RAINA’S POV-"Oh, goddess!" Venus squealed at us, after entering the loft with Mercedes, dragging her by the ear. She dramatically threw one hand over her harlequin eyes while maintaining her hold on the girl."Damnit Venus! Can't you knock?" Valen snapped, clearly still riled up from the hormones stirring between us. He quickly yanked up his sweatpants, though the bulge was quite prominent."How was I to know that this would be going on in here!" Venus yelled back, keeping her hand over her eyes. “Who would ever bang in their kitchen?”“People with mates, little sis,” Valen replied low and gruff, and I sensed the shift in him.My face blushed bright red in embarrassment. I reached over and grabbed my shorts, clumsily slipping them on while sitting on the counter. Once I was mostly covered, I was ready to jump down. Valen's large hands gently grasped my waist and quickly helped me down to my feet."Of all the people in the world, why would you bring Mercedes here, Vee?" Valen asked, t
RAINA’S POV-Theo bent and picked up the folder. He placed it on the desk and fell back into position.The file contained four candidates. Me being one of them. It depicted the Alpha cabal, who represented seventy percent of the werewolf kingdom, voting on whom they advocated to be Queen. Mercedes gained the highest votes, while I had a meager one percent. I saw Tallulah Rumer’s photo, an Alpha-Female from the Rym Greyback Pack in New Zealand. Next was Kristen, the Alpha-Female Valen pitted me against in the sparring competition for the world to see.Then there were pages of signatures and pack seals to officiate the petition in demonstrating which candidate held their favor. This was the beginning of an uprising. It could plunge the kingdom into chaos if Valen’s choice upset them.My heart chipped away at the daunting situation. Mercedes bowed her head to hide the gloating smile that curled on her lips.Okay, I see you Mercedes.“Your Royal Elders marshaled me for the task. Their old
VALEN’S POV“Raina is hurting.” Penn interjected, finishing up and discarding the cotton in a bin.“I saw the pain in her eyes when she saw Snow with your baby.” She gazed sadly at Devin and added under her breath. “I can imagine what that feels like.”My Beta averted his eyes to the side of the room, avoiding hers, suddenly unsettled as he scratched behind his ear.I blew out a hard breath. I did not care about what was up with these two. Raina was priority. The mate bond wrenched at me in a silent cry from her that only I could hear. Missing the softness of holding her hands and basking in her endearing presence, hugging, touching, gazing—I just can't go on without it.“I'm pissed too because the future hasn't changed and at some point, you'll give the dick away.” Devin aired bluntly. “How could you? After all those times you swore to me…”“I'll never cheat on Raina.” I cut in sharply, darting daggers at him.Unconvinced, he huffed. Then he spoke again, his voice quieter. "She loves
VALEN’S POVMy eyes snapped open, looking up at the wooden beams in the ceiling in confusion.This was Wolkrane.I can’t be here. Not when I promised Raina to be home by 9 P.M. daily. My head pounded with hazy memories, and I missed her pleasantly cool scent so badly. With her beautiful burgundy...Oh, fuck!I bolted up from the bed, and pain exploded on my side, spasming up and down my torso. Immediately, I glanced down at the three stitches that I just accidentally ripped, blood trickling down my side and into my gray sweatpants.Angry at myself for not knowing how long I’d been asleep, I yanked the IV line from my arm.Cursing silently while gritting my teeth against the agony, I barged out of the bedroom, ignoring the trail of blood I left on the umber-weave pattern of the vinyl plank flooring.Dizzy waves swept over me as I descended the stairs, determined for someone to tell me that it was a damn nightmare. That I imagined it all.“Where is she!” I roared, bulldozing into the sm
RAINA’S POV“Kókkino, I don't know,” Gustav replied with understanding in a low voice. His words lingered, heavy with an edge of doubt. “The sword should have taken his life.”I swallowed hard and confessed dejectedly, “I wanted to believe him, but he can’t be the real Valen.”Gustav hummed thoughtfully and moved to the foot of the bed to remove my shoes.Flashes of the harrowing hurt in the last Valen’s eyes made my forlorn heart sink deeper and deeper. It seemed nearly genuine, yet it was not. It was a mask to get me to lower my guard. I was glad that I didn’t let the bond derail the mission this time.My eyes trailed to my guardian, and I expressed, “The timekeepers were so cruel. This is my ninth trial, and if he's not my Valen, he'll kill me again. As an anomaly, they've cursed me to die over and over.”“Then I will protect you,” Gustav swore, putting down my shoes at the bedside while his gaze met mine. The sincerity and promise were clear in his voice.“How long do you think I
RAINA’S POV I lingered behind Gustav as we arrived by teleportation at a sprawling lakeside manor. With urgency, he stalked off down a corridor that cut straight through the house. I broke off into a little jog to keep up with his large strides. Walking by his side, I felt curious and apprehensive about where he had taken me. Warm tones guided me through the great hall. Feeling antsy, my head pirouetted in the unfamiliar environment. Gaping archways revealed sitting rooms, recreational rooms, a grand dining room, and others. Each was filled with soothing terra cotta tones from walls painted in red earth color. “Nice safe house,” I remarked as he led me up the winding stairs, overwhelmed by the sheer size of it.Layers of vintage finds, painted artwork, and houseplants created a classical, inviting effect across the spaces. Together with white and green accents, the wall's reddish tone produced a muted color scheme that brought a diverse range of furniture pieces in a harmoniously b
VALEN’S POV“Grrr! You are not needed here,” I growled, feeling my skin ripple, pinning the man in place with a murderous glare.“The nerve of that Worgen,” Zeus snarled in my head.Nyx and Zuzu swayed their attention to the obnoxious intruder, waiting for my command to attack him.“Stand down, Nyx. Do not attack him, Zuzu. Hibernate,” Raina commanded them, her back constantly bumped into my chest from her struggle against the grasp I maintained on her arms.It was a shock to see my guardians revert to a leisure position, debunking their fight mode.Raina averted her eyes to the man in full white. “Get me out of here, Gustav.”“Careful, Bluebella. Do not deliberately make me jealous. My wolf is unsettled as it is. You are mine,” I muttered into her ear, and she flinched with resistance.Swinging her sabre-rattling eyes sideways, she expostulated, “I’ll chose him a million times over you, you fake bastard!”What the hell was this?She was protecting him—choosing him?Wanting to go with
VALEN’S POVThe portal spat her out with a thud on the floor of my sanctum in a disheveled mess.“Mate! Mate! Mate!” Zeus purred, going into overdrive to touch what was ours.Thank fuck.“Ugh!” She groaned, landing face-down, and something clattered on the floor.My body jumped to life as her rich scent wrapped around the entirety of my being like thick vines.“She came back to us!” Zeus’ rear end started to twitch and wiggle in excitement to see our beautiful mate.Gladness pumped my heart wildly, and my feet moved briskly before my wolf shouted at me to go to her. Zuzu flapped her giant wings in flight towards her regular spot on a custom-designed tree branch in the corner.I rushed towards Raina, dropping to my knees and gently grabbing her shoulders to help her to stand. My heart danced with delight when the sparks erupted across my palms from the skin-to-skin contact.“She’s back,” Zeus howled in my chest with joy and enthusiasm, jumping up on his two hind legs.Raina's legs gave
VALEN’S POVEighty-four hours.Three and a half days.It’s been that long since I’ve been home and without my precious Luna. Precious time was being wasted when I should have been able to go after her. That knowledge and helplessness weighed heavy on my chest, obstructing every labored inhale.Detached from everything, I wallowed in heart-shattering misery.With a deep scowl, I ran my thumb over the inscriptions of the golden bracelet as my mind worked overtime. My brain felt like it was on a treadmill, unable to stop.At this point, my eyes were hooded and void and my brain wasn't far from becoming the same. Frazzled and throbbing.“You’re the reason she disappeared.” Zeus snarled in my head, castigating me for putting Vaheed over our mate. He rambled, “If we weren’t away, we would have been here to stop her. I told you to leave him alone, but no, you had to go and bring him back. Are you trying to make us mateless?”My throat was too parched to argue with him.The worst had happened
VALEN’S POVAll their heartbeats rose, thundering against their chests. Devin quickly scurried over to the witch’s side.My eyebrows met. My face scrunched up and I pointed at Penn. My voice was incensed, and my teeth clashed together. “You let her go?”They visibly sagged under the weight of my temper. Anger pulsed through my chest, the upcoming headache didn't help his bitch fit either.“Well, I—um, I, er,” Pennelope stuttered and Devin frowned, spinning around to cup her face before facing me again.Letting out a breath of disbelief, I felt like my whole world was caving in. My vision went spotty as I pictured Raina lost and on her own in an unfamiliar world, and this witch did nothing to help her when she had the means.“It’s not that simple. I tried to stop her…” Penn explained, shaking her head, and went into more detail, stumbling over her words. “...once she saw Snow, she decided to go AWOL.”"Slow down, Penn." Devin guided me because at this point she was mumbling, and I didn
VALEN’S POV “Beta?” I scowled in the witch's basement after descending the last step of the stairs.Thick tension greeted me. One built on apprehension and fear.They were as scared as a kitten that had just noticed the shadow of a dog’s tail lashing against a white wall. I could feel the weight of their trepidatious stares pressing against me. Their fretting, whispering thoughts practically radiated off them like static.Zeus growled low and ferociously in my chest, unsettled by the hangdog silence. The implication of guilt hung heavily in the air.My anxious eyes roamed every inch of the space, skipping through the bookshelves, futons, chairs, and stone tables seeking the one woman that my soul ached for. Seeing no trace of her, my longing hammered our bond with impatience.An outburst climbed up my throat to be lashed out, only to be hindered when Venus flew at me. I swallowed the impending words. She gripped the front of my black shirt and tugged it repeatedly. Immense anxiety fu