Eloise’s POV:The drive on the way was quiet. Too quiet. Dexter hadn’t said a thing to me in the past hour since we got in the car. Before getting in, however, my eyes wandered to the forest. For a moment, I thought I could make a run for it, but Dex was already watching me.“Don’t even think about it, El.” He says, his sharp gaze piercing into me, and I had no choice but to climb in without complaint.I thought about it, but I also knew what I would be risking. I drop my eyes to my stomach which is getting bigger and rounder by the day. After that punch, I was worried and felt that I needed to consult an obstetrician, yet I couldn’t bring myself to ask him. Maybe later, I will.Glancing at him, his eyes are on the road as he hums the same tune. A melody I have grown to hate. It was that tune I recall him singing the night of the scandal, and I knew it would haunt me forever.Each time I glance at him, I couldn’t help but stare. He seems happy, energetic even, yet everything he had do
Kaden’s POV:Each fucking day, it comes and goes. The pain. The most brutal, intolerable pain that rips your heart from inside out. Suddenly, you couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t see the world around you because everything has faded to dark. And each fucking time, I hated her more. So much more.‘We have to find her.’ Rictus speaks out.‘Yeah. No shit.’ I cuss, making my wolf growl.‘What the fuck is the problem with you?’ he barks at me. How I wanted to see my wolf face to face for the opportunity of punching him right in the muzzle. For once, I actually worried my wolf might be stupid.‘Look at you, desperate to find her.’ ‘Of course I’m fucking desperate, she’s our mate!’ he growled.‘Mate or not, I decide what to do with her once we find her.’‘What do you mean? You’re not…”I could feel his fear. I wanted to laugh. ‘She betrayed us.’ I growl. Nothing, not even my wolf, would make me think otherwise.‘You don’t know that,’ he growls back. It’s the first time my wolf and I ever had a d
Kaden’s POV:Once her scent hits me, I force back my control and ran straight to it. The only building around, and it looked worse than it did on the outside. The sign I passed by says it’s a clinic. Why the fuck would she come here out of all places?Rictus’ worry immediately rushed through me and his panic. ‘Something’s wrong.’ He says just as the metallic scent of blood so pungent it punches me in the face, I recoil. What the—Our senses are on high alert, and I was already preparing myself for what I was about to see. My wolf whimpers, and I knew instantly what caused his fear.Death. It loomed in the air like the blood it gives off so strongly. The moment we stepped foot into the building, I caught sight of a lone head sitting on the floor.My heart raced, Rictus’ panic was getting the better of me as I shook my head.‘It’s not her.’ He suddenly says, and for some reason I felt relief. I shook my head. ‘So you are worried about her.’ Rictus chuckles. I resist the urge to roll
Eloise’s POV:A shiver shoots up to my spine as the wind blew straight to my face where I laid in bed, staring out the window. It was still bright outside. Nevertheless, neither did it stop the cold from entering nor the gloom from invading the house. Everything I touch makes a shiver run down my spine. Being naked also doesn’t help me from keeping warm, as Dexter demanded I walk around the house in a leash right where he wanted me. And each time, he carried around that damn camera. I could feel it following me around everywhere I go, no matter where it turns to, I see it. Watching me.I blinked back a tear threatening to escape me. It’s no use. The tears started since he killed that poor old man. In his eyes, I knew he wanted to help. But of course, Dexter saw that just as quickly as the hope the hope that sparked through the old man’s eyes, and that he also killed all too quickly.A shaky breath leaves my trembling, chapped lips. Closing my eyes, I recall all the events that happe
Eloise's POV:I did as I was told. When he released me from the handcuffs, I let out a sigh of relief, smoothing my hands around my wrists to ease the pain. I don't know how long he kept me like this, but I'm glad some sense was actually knocked into him enough to uncuff me.Then I got up to shower. I have spent thirty long minutes in there, trying to get his scent off me. My skin crawled, and I even broke down a few moments as the water cascaded down my body. Looking down, I rub my bulging stomach gently. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you." I whisper to them, just when I felt one kick, making me smile. Feeling them now makes me feel less alone. That I have reason to fight and hope to escape from this hellhole.Pulling my shit together, I washed the rest of my body. When I reach my most delicate parts, I let out a whimper. I hang my head and look down, but I can't see a thing over my huge belly. I groan and mutter under my nose, yet I know it is aching. I bet it's red
Eloise's POV:Dad is going to flip. Again. I skipped school today, wanting to spend the day carefree without having to worry about Professor Dumberose breathing down my neck because of those missing papers again. I don't even know why my father sends me to school when he practically homeschools me everyday, teaching me everything I need to know before I even get to class. And yes, the classes are all about pack laws, rules, and obligations of everyone in the hierarchy. All the boring stuff my father drilled into my head since the day I could walk.But I know it's worth it. Today, I am determined to make a new friend. All the girls at school are terrified of me because of my status, and all the boys are afraid because of my father. Well, being the alpha he made it clear on the first day he doesn't want any one of them coming near me. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the thoughts since it's my birthday. I do not want to worry about the pressures being an alpha's daughter would
37 -Eloise's POV:PRESENT.A couple weeks later, he insisted his name to be changed from Devon to Dexter. He was so happy as he came to me with the news, telling me that he officially changed his name, wanting to start a new life with a new identity. And I supported him. I wanted nothing more than to see a man so broken, to rise from the ashes he was buried in.We quickly hit it off after that, though I don't know exactly when my father began disliking him. For some reason, he always shows his disapproval to my friendship with him, yet he was also unable to give me any reasons as to why I should break up my relationship other than his usual "I feel it in my gut" banter almost every other day. After a while, he gave up. Yet he also made sure to keep a close eye on me. My father helped him like he'd do with any other rogue, but I knew there was more. He had a pack. The Nightfall Pack.The Nightfall Pack is one of the closest pack to ours, Heaven Moon Pack. They are long-time allies wh
38 -Eloise's POV:ONE MONTH LATEREverything is going well between me and Dexter. Just in case, I took the crowbar without him seeing and settled it under my bed where it is easily within my reach.Since he took me to that attic, he only took me once after that. I gave in while blinking back tears of shame and disgust overwhelming me, but it was over as quickly as it started.Now that my belly is getting even more huge, he wouldn't be able to lay a finger on me until after I give birth.He thinks he can fuck me whenever he wants once they are out.He's wrong. My father was right. He was right about him all along. He had not an ounce of gratitude after everything my father did for him.Taking him in, giving him his own house, car, and everything else is something. But sharing his pack and family, and to hear him tell me he didn't give a fuck made me realize how fucked up his brain was.So once I give birth in a hospital, I'll make sure we get the help we need. After that, I do not wa
Eloise’s POVI couldn’t shake the unease that settled in my chest after Caleb left. His words had lingered, taunting me with the idea of an easy solution, of a chance to heal my mother once and for all. But nothing in this world was ever that simple. Nothing worth having came without a cost.Kaden and I had barely exchanged words after Caleb’s visit, the silence between us thick and uncomfortable. He’d been distant, his brooding gaze locked on the horizon, his jaw tight like he was still fighting some inner battle I didn’t understand.I didn’t want to understand it. Not right now.My mother lay still in the room behind us, her fragile form covered by blankets, her breathing shallow but steady. It was progress, but I couldn’t allow myself to be fooled. Selene had warned me: my mother wasn’t out of danger yet. The fight inside her was far from over.The soft rustle of a door opening caught my attention, and I turned to see the young witch, Selene, stepping into the room. Her presence wa
Eloise’s POVThe air inside the safehouse felt thick, like the calm before a storm. After the chaos of the healing ritual, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. My mother was stable, but not whole. Selene’s warning lingered in the back of my mind: she wasn’t cured. Well, not yet.Kaden’s hand rested lightly on my shoulder as we walked down the narrow hall. His presence was a comfort, but there was a tension in the air that neither of us could shake.“We should talk,” Kaden said, his voice soft but insistent.I glanced up at him, trying to read his expression. “About what?”He hesitated for a moment, as if weighing his words. “About what happens next.”“What happens next is simple,” I said, keeping my voice steady despite the knot tightening in my stomach. “We protect my mother. We figure out how to heal her completely.”His jaw tightened. “And what about Caleb?”I froze.I had almost forgotten about him in the whirlwind of events. Almost.“Caleb?” I repeated, my voice
Eloise’s POV:The air in the room was thick with the weight of what had just happened. My mother’s body lay motionless on the floor, her breathing steady but slow. I could feel her pulse, the faint but undeniable rhythm of life coursing through her veins. But it wasn’t enough. She wasn’t healed. Not yet.I stood at her side, my blood still pulsing in my veins where she had fed. The pain from the bite had faded, but there was an ache deep inside me. One I couldn’t shake. The power from Selene’s spell still hummed in my bones, mingling with my own energy, threading through the bond I shared with my mother.But I wasn’t sure if it was enough.Kaden was standing near the door, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on me. He hadn’t spoken much since we brought my mother here, but I could feel his gaze on me, like a weight pressing against my skin.“You did what you had to,” he said, his voice low, measured.I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. Not yet. “I did what I had to,” I repeated, though the
162Eloise’s POVThe drive to the safehouse was silent. Not from lack of words, but the weight of too many.My mother sat shackled in the backseat, her eyes hollow but watching. She didn’t speak, didn’t ask where we were taking her. She just stared. Like she already knew... It was either salvation or damnation waited at the end of the road.I glanced at her, my chest aching. She was once the fiercest she-wolf I knew. My idol. My protector. Now, she was gaunt, her skin too pale, her veins shadowing like black ink beneath the surface. The only thing that remained the same were her eyes.Haunted. But still hers.Kaden’s hand brushed mine on the console. “We’re almost there.”I nodded but said nothing. My gaze drifted to the horizon as trees thickened and the gravel road narrowed into a clearing I barely recognized.The safehouse was hidden deep in neutral land and borderless, claimed by no pack. The kind of place that only existed on whispered maps and old bloodlines. Its magic pulsed th
Eloise's POV:I didn’t flinch when she lunged at me. Maybe I should have, maybe I should have been scared out of my mind, but all I felt was a surge of determination. This was my mother. This was the woman who held me when I was a child, the woman who sang me to sleep and fought for me in ways no one else ever could. I wouldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever.But as her body collided with mine, the raw power of her vampire strength almost knocked the wind from me. She was faster than I’d remembered, her movements sharp and deadly, her eyes glowing with a hunger I had never seen before.Her fangs were inches from my throat when Kaden moved in, quick as a flash, and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her back with a force I knew she wouldn’t have been able to fight. Not against him. He had the strength of an alpha on his side.“Mum!” I shouted, voice trembling, but I stood firm.The vampire hissed, snapping her fangs at him, but Kaden held her back with ease. He was always the protector
160Eloise's POV:The moment the door opened, I was hit with the stale, oppressive air of the basement. It was as if the darkness had been festering for years, and every inch of the room held the weight of secrets and regrets I’d buried for far too long.My heart slammed against my ribs as I stepped inside, the cold stone beneath my boots sending a shiver through me. I knew Kaden was right behind me, his presence a silent reminder that I wasn’t doing this alone. Not anymore. But even with him there, I couldn’t shake the weight of the task ahead of me.My mother had become something I barely recognized. The last time I saw her, before the transformation, before the curse took over, she was strong, powerful, a force to be reckoned with. Now, she was little more than a shadow. The woman I remembered had all but disappeared, swallowed up by the monster she’d become.I swallowed the lump in my throat as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. And there she was, in the farthest corner of the roo
159Eloise's POV:We took a quick shower together and went outside.Afterwards, Kaden kept giving me the 'look' as I got to get dressed. Apparently, he can't get his hands off me. Even in the shower, he rubbed soap all over my body. There wasn't an inch of me he did not touch, and he might or might not have slipped a finger or two deep inside my wet cunt.I must say, I loved it. I wanted to shower like that every time, until I have no clue as to whether the wetness I feel pooling in my core was because of the water, or the product of my arousal.Suddenly, I felt a large hand grab ahold of my panties, pushing it to the side just before he thrust a finger in. There was no warning, and sure enough, my panties are soaked.I squeal, "Kaden!" I slap his arm with a mock glare, cheeks flushed and still burning from the memory of his fingers teasing me beneath my panties just minutes ago. “You’re insatiable.”Kaden smirks, eyes gleaming with no hint of remorse. “Only for you.”I roll my eye
Eloise's POV:Shortly after I came, Kaden puts a few more thrusts before a long, guttural groan and a moan leaves his throat altogether. The sound music to my ears. I never would have thought a man's moan could be so damn sexy. I bite my lip, letting my eyes trail from his perfect abs, up to his clenched jaw as he rode the waves of his orgasm.I smile, wrapping my arm around his neck and pulling him closer until he's breathing in my neck."That was..." I began, a chuckle leaving my lips at the last word."Amazing?" Kaden speaks, a smile in his rough voice.I chuckle, and nod. "I was going to say breathtaking but," I pause, gasping for breath as I was still deep in the aftermaths of his intense thrusts, "amazing works too," He pulls back a little and we lock eyes. His gaze burns with an intensity that keeps me in place. But when the words leave his mouth, my heart jumps a little."I love you, El." He whispers, but that does not weaken the power behind his voice, or the promise in his
Eloise's POV: "So you do care about him, like a lot," Ever since Kaden left through the door, Adeline had been throwing the words at my face while I just take it. I couldn't really disagree with her. When I saw that poison, fear creeped into my veins. It turns out, I can't bear the thought of losing him to something as fragile as that, or anything at all. "So, you do love him? Come on, admit it." She pushed, and I sighed. "Whatever you say, Ade." I shrug. Kaden set out to check the omegas working in the kitchen. Although he promised me I can stay in my room and prepare for tonight, I feel a little uneasy. Tonight, I am going to my father's house and get her to come with me and Mum. I have to convince him in some way. But knowing dad, once he had his mind set onto one thing, there will be no changing that. But I hope when it comes to Mum and his own safety, he would give and allow me to help them. Getting up on my feet, I slip out of my clothes and head into the shower. Ten m