CAINES POV A sharp throbbing pain shot at the back of my head as I stirred awake, the metallic tang of blood filling my mouth. My ears buzzed with the distant echoes of screams and shattering glasses. It took me a while to realize where I was—the men’s restroom, sprawled on the cold floor with my blood smeared around. I helped myself up, first meeting with my reflection on the mirror above the sink that was cracked. Blood trickled down my forehead, dripping onto the floor with steady beats. My wolf growled low within me, snapping me out of my pain and urging me to find her. The last thing I remembered was Lucy’s scream. I had no idea how long I’d laid on the floor, but I wasn’t going to let them leave the club with her. Dragging myself out of the restroom, I staggered down the stairs, holding my head in pain. I could still feel a piece of glass hiding beneath my head. I wiped the blood from my face with the back of my hand, forcing my vision to focus on the stairs which looked
CAINES POV The metallic scents of Jojo’s blood filled the air as I placed him on the table, applying pressure on the wound by his side. His breaths were shallow, his face pale and the blood gushing out from his torso wasn’t slowing down. Imani hovered around us, her hands wringing in the air. “What do we do? He’s losing so much blood! I don’t want to lose him,” she cried, sounding like she was about to have a panic attack. “Harper, get towels, Imani, boil some water!” I barked, my alpha instincts kicking in. For once, they didn’t question me or argue. They rushed off, doing as I instructed. Jojo groaned, his head tilting to the side. “It’s okay…I’ve seen worse. Just let me…” “Shut up!” I pressed harder on the wound, causing him to scream in pain. He ended with a chuckle, grabbing my hand as he shone his blood-stained teeth in a smile. “It’s too late,” he whizzed, coughing more blood on me. “No, it’s not,” I whispered. Not like I knew what I was doing, these were things I
JASMINES POVThe crackling of flames and the distant hum of laughter pulled me out of my haze of unconsciousness. My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself sprawled on the cold forest floor. The sharp scent of burning wood mingled with the aroma of the trees. Shadows danced across my vision, and for a moment, I thought I was alone. But I wasn’t. “Rise and shine, beauty,” a masculine mocking voice called out, followed by a chorused laughter. I winced in pain, holding my head as I sat on the ground. “Who are you?” I asked the most relevant question. It was obvious we were in the woods. But doing what? Caine has mentioned how unsafe the pack was. So why would I be in the woods with strangers who stole me from bed?One of the boys walked up to me and offered to help me stand. I hesitated, but took his hand in the end, “You abducted me from my bed…” I queried, glaring at them one after the other. But they were unfazed. The once distant laughter and chants were now audible. I recognize
JASMINES POVSnarls and growls echoed through the dark woods, a primal battle unfolding before my eyes. Eric’s wolf was nothing compared to Caine’s. My heart hammered as I watched the two wolves clash, their sharp teeth snapping and claws tearing into each other. For a second, they vanished from my sight. Moments later, I heard the don’t rustle of leaves ahead of me. Caine emerged from the down part of the hill. His clothes were torn, body was covered in black smoke and sand. “Let’s go,” he said to me. I was numb until we arrived at the car. The glimpse of his chest which I caught before he walked past me registered in my head, refusing to accommodate any other thought. The journey back to the pack house was a silent one. I kept reeling through the thoughts of what happened back in the woods when Caine broke the silence. “Did anyone harm you?” He asked, stealing a glance at me. “No, I’m fine,” I answered. I had questions for him too. Like how he knew I was in the woods and that I
LUCY'S POV The blindfold that was wrapped around my eye was slowly taken off, permitting the hot rays of light to hit my face. I groaned, adjusting as much as I could to get a better posture on the chair. “She’s awake. Call her,” the distant voice of a man said, his footsteps withdrawing further away from the room. My eyes fluttered, fighting to open. But it was too weak to take the light coming at it. “You slept for too long, little one,” a second voice, which I didn’t know was close to me, said. His phone noisily dialed a number and it rang twice before a familiar female voice answered it. “What?” “Your daughter is awake,” the man said. My mother? ***** The screeching of tires sent the man beside me hurrying toward the door, and I didn’t need to see her before I knew she was the one. The door burst open, my mother strutting in line the older bitchy me she was. She halted mid-way and took off her shades, disgust etched on her face. “Who amongst you tied my daughter to a c
LUCY’S POV “What did you do to him?” I followed my father behind, throwing questions at him as he and my mother helped Adrian to his bed. He passed out in the front yard after undergoing a terrible shock. “Dad!” I yelled, trying to get his attention. But they were so focused on Adrain that I felt invincible. After successfully placing him in bed, they decided to give me an answer. “You have nothing to worry about. Adrian is fine,” “A wolf doesn’t move as fast as that,” I objected, refusing to let go of their trail. I followed them back to the dining room where they went to their meal which they abandoned to help Adrian. I checked the time, it was almost nine. “If you won’t give me answers then let me leave. The swearing-in begins at ten,” I protested. They paid deaf ears to me, quietly eating their food. The doors were locked, and the huge guys who captured me at the party were positioned at the front exits of the house. No doubt the back was guarded too. “Go to your room
CAINES POV “That’s too tight,” I told the guy who was getting me dressed. It wasn’t something I enjoyed but had to permit it because my father said it was protocol. He took off the first vest and replaced it with a better one. “Thank you,” I said, adjusting it. He left the room, leaving me all by myself staring at my reflection in the mirror. My father's words rang in my head, reminding me of how much he expected from me tonight. But before that, I needed to do something. I made my way to my father's room and went in after no one responded to my knock. It looked empty. And I began my search for it. “Caine?” My father's voice startled me from the door which I forgot to lock. “What are you doing in my room?” He turned on the lights and began walking towards me. “The…the programme for tonight. I was searching for the program for tonight,” I lied, studying his eyes to see if he bought it. He stared at me with doubt for a few seconds before proceeding towards his bed. “I t
JASMINES POV The room was quiet for a while, except for the spicy rustle of fabrics and the distant noise of the occasion coming from the Alphas’ house. I stood motionless, staring at the woman in the mirror whom I could barely recognize. Draped in a black sleek gown, its fabric clinging to my figure and cascading down my knees until they touched my ankles. Its simplicity was unique, its sleeveless design leaving my shoulders and collarbone exposed and glowing under the sheen of carefully applied oil. “You look…exquisite,” the lady who was getting me dressed for the occasion said, forcing a smile to play around my lips. “Thank you,” I said, waiting for her to leave my side before I moved out of the chair to take in the full beauty. How could I look this way and let them bully me all my years in high school? My red hair stood out, perfectly oiled and aligned to fall my shoulders in a curl. “Has he arrived?” I asked the lady. But she shook her head in negation. “I’ll go co
CAINES POVI stood at the end of the hallway, staring at Jasmine as she walked into her father's office. She stole one last glance at me, her eyes filled with anger and deep seething resentment towards me. If I was her, I would have felt worse. She went in, slamming the door behind her and leaving me standing in the silent corridor. “Are you just going to stand there staring at a door or will you come in?” My father's voice called from inside his office. I sighed, turning the doorknob and pushing the door in. Dave was already seated at his table, legs, and hands crossed as they awaited my arrival. I shut the door behind me and went further into the office, taking my seat on the couch far from the table. “I want you closer,” my father instructed as he took his seat. “There’s a lot to do in the pack, father. I would very much appreciate it if you just summarized whatever this little family reunion is about,” I blurted, stealing a glance at his wife, Dave’s mum, who was standing at
JASMINES POVThe next time I opened my eyes, I was lying on my bed, blinded by the lights coming from the bedside lamp. I groaned, turning to the other side to face the door. My head throbbed with pain as I sat up, mustering every strength in me to not fall back on the bed. Every breath I took felt like dragging air through shards of glass. “Jasmine,” a familiar voice called. Caine. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, which made it impossible to notice his presence because the bedside lamp only illuminated the head of the bed, leaving that part of the room dark. His usual stoic demeanor softened by concern, and he slowly stood up. “You’re awake. I waited all day and was already losing hope,” a scoff was laced with his voice. My lips parted to say something to him, but sharp pain seared through my head, closing my mouth immediately. Memories of what happened in Lucy’s house flooded my mind in fragments—the pain, the blood, the desperation…my claws slicing through Lucy’s fathe
JASMINES POVMy head throbbed with dull pain as my eyes stirred open. My body felt weak and my wolf was silent in my head, like she was never even there to begin with. I blinked away the fog clouding my vision and finally got a chance to see my environment.A fully white oak tad room, with a white ceiling hanging above me. The lights were white as well, at the center hung a thin silver rod. I tried to reach for it, but my hands didn’t move. They were strapped to the bed—I just realized. My legs too, and there was a leather strap wrapped around my waist. “Where am I?” I blurted, panic setting in as I scanned the other sides of the room. “Luce?” I called my voice suddenly getting shaky. My head was empty despite how hard I tried to reach for my wolf. “Lucy!” I called again, louder this time. Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the door. Slow, deliberate, with each step sending a chill down my spine. The door creaked open, and two elderly figures walked in. The man had a strik
JASMINES POVMy head throbbed with dull pain as my eyes stirred open. My body felt weak and my wolf was silent in my head, like she was never even there to begin with. I blinked away the fog clouding my vision and finally got a chance to see my environment.A fully white oak tad room, with a white ceiling hanging above me. The lights were white as well, at the center hung a thin silver rod. I tried to reach for it, but my hands didn’t move. They were strapped to the bed—I just realized. My legs too, and there was a leather strap wrapped around my waist. “Where am I?” I blurted, panic setting in as I scanned the other sides of the room. “Luce?” I called my voice suddenly getting shaky. My head was empty despite how hard I tried to reach for my wolf. “Lucy!” I called again, louder this time. Footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the door. Slow, deliberate, with each step sending a chill down my spine. The door creaked open, and two elderly figures walked in. The man had a strik
JASMINES POV “Urm…I was in the…in the…” “Are you okay?” Lucy interrupted, running her fingers down my cheeks. “You’re crying, what’s wrong ?” She pulled me into a hug without waiting to hear what I had to say. I’m sure if I told her, she wouldn’t be holding me this close. “I’m…I’m fine,” I stuttered, cleaning the rest of the tears from my face. We pulled away from each other, and I saw the request boldly written on her face. It was the morning after the surf party, and as promised, I was supposed to follow her. “Are you sure you can still do this?” She asked, taking my hand with deep concern etched on her face. I nodded with a forced smile. “Of course. Why not? I’ll just quickly grab a bag,” I went to my wardrobe to select something better to wear. My door swung open, and Caine strode in hurriedly with my name in his mouth. He froze upon seeing Lucy. “Lucy…you’re…here,” he drawled questionably, stealing a glance at me right before they hugged and kissed each other. “Yeah
JASMINES POV The first rays of sunlight pierced through the shades of the branches surrounding us, waking me with a soft warmth that did little to ease the pain between my thighs. I shifted, wincing slightly at the pain—a sharp reminder of the night before. The memories flooded my head—his toughness, his whispers, the intensity of our connection, and the taste of his lips. But alongside the warmth and memories, came a heavy weight in my chest. Guilt. I stirred on the floor, glancing at Caine who was still asleep. He looked at peace, unburdened by the storm that ravaged my heart. I couldn’t stay—not with the kind of guilt that riled up in my chest. I slipped out of his hand, got dressed, and started making my way out. “Leaving already?” Caine’s voice halted me in my tracks. With a heavy exhalation, I turned to face him. His eyes were still heavy with sleep and locked into mine. “I…I,” I stuttered, still adjusting my bra hook which I think I may have mismatched. “I just neede
JASMINES POV “I…” I tried to say something else, but my knees went jelly, trembling as I fell. Caine caught me before I could make contact with the ground, gently placing me on the floor. He sat by my side, letting me use his shoulder as a resting board. But my wolf stirred in my head, restlessly wanting answers. I pulled away from Caine and stared into his eyes. “How is that even possible?” I asked, fear crawling into my body. He looked as shocked as I was, and then he shook his head with doubt. “I have no idea, Jasmine, but…urm…” “You didn’t know?” I cut him short. He gave no response, just staring into the wild. The cold air seeped into my skin, sending goosebumps around my body. I squeezed myself in and leaned closer to him. “But…” “You did well,” Caine interrupted. The sound of his voice was different this time—like he was excited. I smiled, fighting the thoughts of us being mates to the back of my head. It felt impossible to keep it aside, especially when he was sitti
JASMINES POV Caine’s eyes held mine, steady and serious, a stark contrast to the carefree attitude he’d carried earlier. I tried to gauge whether he was serious or if the alcohol had gotten the better of him. The weight of his gaze pressed pinned me in place, and the soft rustling of the leaves around us only added to the strange intensity of the moment. “Caine…are you being serious?” I asked, pulling away from his face after we’d unintentionally gotten so close to each other. He leaned back slightly, his head tilted to the side as if contemplating how much he should reveal. “Pardon me, I should never have brought that up,” he pulled away and tried to stand. I grabbed his hand, pulling him back to the ground. “You were assigned to me to teach me how to take control of my wolf. If you know a way I could do that then why keep it a secret from me?” “Because it’s never been practiced after the last incident, and my father banned it,” he said, avoiding my eyes. He lifted the bottle
JASMINES POV The sun had stayed its descent, painting the sky with streaks of orange and red as the surfing party came together. I was helping set up the drinks, carefully arranging the bottles on the makeshift bar under the swaying palm trees. The sound of waves crashed against the shore, filling it with fresh air that mingled with the laughter of the pack as they worked around me. Yet, my focus kept slipping. My gaze drifted towards the shoreline, where Caine was surfing. His body swayed effortlessly against the waves, every movement controlled and graceful. The way the water gleamed against the tan of his skin made my heart race against my better judgment. “You’re staring,” Isha nudged me, tossing me with bottles of beer. I scoffed, burying my head in shame before turning away from the ocean. “I’m not,” “I saw you, Jasmine,” she said softly, returning to my spot with both hands resting on her waist. “If I were you I’d stare too,” she added, her face drifting back to the o