Kaden’s POV:Colton taps my shoulder, which is the only way I was able to snap out of my trance.“What’s going on, man? You tapped out,” he chuckles. I shake my head. When I turn, Viktor’s car had already driven off past the pack’s gates. I grit my teeth.“Want me to go after them?” Colton offers.I shake my head, “No. She’ll be back.”At least I hoped so.The look in her eyes when she told me about the rejection was so intense it left me speechless. Even my wolf was caught off guard.“Then I can keep watch on her little friend, Abbie. Her moves are pretty interesting,” My beta hums to himself and turns, practically eye-fucking my mate’s innocent friend. The little lady had no idea we were watching her as she moves to take over Eloise’s batch.Reminding me once again how she walked out on me with her father.I roll my eyes, “You mean how you’ve been watching her ass in every demo?” I scoff. Colton shrugs.“Maybe.”I shake my head. Still, Viktor mentioned Eloise’s mother.I didn’t know
Eloise's POV:I should have known something was off when my father drove past the hospital. My hands grip the edge of the seat as I stare out at him, my pulse quickening with the serious look in his face.“Dad,” I say, my voice laced with suspicion.“This isn’t the hospital?”He doesn’t answer. His knuckles tighten on the door, his jaw locked in a tense line.“Dad.” My voice hardens this time.“You’ll see,” he mutters.Against my better judgement, I slip out of the car and face the house. The sight of it sends a wave of nostalgia crashing over me. But the comfort of familiarity is drowned by the unease twisting in my gut.Dad looks at me and turns on his heel. I hesitate before following him up the steps, my boots heavy against the wooden porch.“Why are we here?” I ask again, but my father is already unlocking the door. He doesn’t meet my eyes as he steps inside.“Come in, Eloise.”Every instinct screams at me to turn around. To run. But I don’t. Instead, I step inside. If he tries a
Eloise’s POV:She hisses and giggles, yet the bloodlust oozing off her was unmistakable.“When… How…” I glance at my father.“She was attacked,” my father says gruffly, his gaze on the floor. “Months after you were gone, we had a fight… That day, she was going to find you, but I restricted her from looking for you since news that rogue vampires are on the loose. She escaped,” he croaked, and I turn to see my father looking utterly defeated. So unlike the man I always knew as my father. Strong-willed, determined. Now he can’t even look at Mum.My heart broke and my eyes move to my mother.“She turned the day Kaden created that law.”“What law?”“Kaden,”“He ordered that any wolf turned vampire is to be executed. No exceptions.”The air in my lungs vanishes.“You’re going to kill her?” My voice shakes.“I don’t have a choice,” he murmurs, guilt wrapped in his voice.I whip around to face him, rage and desperation colliding inside me.“You had a choice when you locked her in a fucking ca
Eloise’s POV:Staring at the door, I could still hear her. Could still hear her silent cries and small whimpers, and the faint sound of her voice calling out my name.It breaks my heart to know she’s suffered like this. All these years…No wonder she has never reached out to me. She can’t.And the part of me that was angry at her for not trying to get into contact, vanishes.“Eloise, I—” my father speaks reaching out for my arm, but I yank it off and step back, away from his reach.“Does anyone else know about this?” I ask.“No, just me,” he answers, “And now you.”“Why did you bring me here?” I whisper.Removing my gaze from the door, I look at him.“This is the reason you gave up being Alpha,” I say, realization slamming into me.Dad looks at me, surprised. “How did you know?”I heard one of the warriors talking about it on one of their breaks. When I heard my father’s name, I can’t help but listen.“Doesn’t matter how I found out.” I say.Dad sighs, “I brought you here because I th
Eloise’s POV:The sound of my beating heart echoed in my ears, pounding fast and hard I was afraid my body couldn’t keep up. Everything I thought I knew suddenly shatters before me. Everything…How did this happen? How could this happen?All this time I thought they had moved on without me.I should have been there.For her. And as much as I didn’t want to admit it, for Dad, too. Regardless of what he did to me, I can’t say I don’t love him enough to forgive him.I can’t imagine what he suffered all these years. Losing the pack, his name, me, and now, Mum. It was a miracle no one else found out about her, until my father decided to show me himself.Adeline stirs. She can feel my frustration and guilt as I navigated my way into the woods and the darkness. I was determined to make my way back, but I hadn’t thought of using a form of transportation with the chaos surrounding my mind. I look forward, my chest heaving as the thought of shifting consumes me.‘Are you ready?’ my wolf asks.S
Kaden’s POV:It was my first priority to follow where Viktor was planning to take my mate. After what I found out about his reaction to the scandal, I did not want to take any chances.Hell, if I fucking knew she was pregnant, I would have hauled her out of there with her kicking and thrashing on my back. There’s a lot I could have done…That is why I am dead set on setting this right.Being head of the city council, I cannot miss any of this shit. Instead of me, I sent Colton to follow her.He had just mind linked me and said they were in their old house.‘I thought she was in the hospital?’‘I thought so, too.’ replied Colton, ‘Probably an at-home patient?’I furrow my brows.‘Relax, she’s safe.’ He assures me.I internally sigh. At least I know she’s still under my watch. The last vampire attack happened a week ago, chances of running into one now was zero to none. The area is secured, and with Colton around, I can set my mind on this damn meeting.Alpha John was driving me fucking
Eloise’s POV:Once the other alphas decided upon themselves whether or not to make the challenge viable as well as its underlying conditions, they emptied the chamber and left.I could feel Kaden’s stare at me the whole time while settled on my father’s previous seat in the council. It was fun while it lasted. His irritation bled through his skin from the moment I accepted Alpha John’s challenge.Goddess knows how the hell I managed to dodge the glares he kept throwing at me in my spot. Even the other Alphas began strutting out when his aura has gotten stronger and stronger.I have to admit, his aura was strong. Perhaps one perk of being his ex-mate meant I was immune to his deadly gaze. And his scary aura.But my mind is too preoccupied with thoughts of my mother, who is now my main priority until I find a damn cure.I need to find out who turned her, how she was turned. Well that last part I have figured out from my father. I can’t help but feel guilty for everything that happened t
Eloise’s POV:My eyes blinked. Once. Twice.Then, I looked up at the man whose face I had slapped harder than I did anyone my entire life.But to my surprise and disappointment, the man before me had a different face from the one I was expecting.While Kaden stood stiffly right behind him, Colton was shoved a few steps back. He was rubbing his cheeks. His eyes are glassy. Why are they glassy?“Arrrghhhh…” Colton grunted. I could feel his pain even through his voice as he whined. I gasped, touching my lips that parted in my shock.He blinked back tears, “What the fuck?”I stepped toward him, attempting to touch him and he moved away. His head shook.“No, stay where you are, what if you attack me?” He sputtered and raised his hands in mock surrender. He lifted his teary eyes, the look on his face now reminded me so much of Kael with his teary, puppy eyes whenever he wanted something.I shook my head, when a sharp pain burst from my hand.Shit. My hand is throbbing. Just how bad did I hi
Eloise’s POV:“Let’s go.” I look at his hand, then take it, allowing him to lift me to my feet before we walk out the door, side by side. My heart felt light and warm with his hand wrapped tightly around mine.“Where are we going?” I ask him, and a smile curls on his lip.“Don’t you want to see your friend?”My eyes lit up at the mention of Abbie. I have been worried about her, and the conditions she is in when Kaden opens a door just to my right.Kaden gestures me to enter so I did, and the moment I reach a few steps my eyes caught sight of Abbie.“Abbie!” My breath caught in my throat as I practically make a beeline straight towards her on the bed. To my surprise when I walked in, she’d been squinting at the huge TV, in her hand a remote and had been switching the channels with a deep frown on her face.“Oof,” she blew out a breath as our chests collided. “Eloise, you’re squishing me,” she grunts, and I immediately let go of her before looking her up and down, checking for any kind
153Eloise’s POV:Kaden promised to let me see Abbie, on one condition. I have to meet with my father and get him to let me see Mum.“How do I know you won’t hurt her?” I ask, searching his eyes. I want to know.Kaden pins me with his dark gaze, and slowly he lifts my chin to meet his orbs. They had turned pitch-black which means his wolf has surfaced.“He won’t.” a deeper, huskier voice rasps, making me gasp. It was his wolf speaking.Dark, dangerous eyes peers into me, leaving a burning sensation down my spine. A familiar feeling.“What’s your name?” I ask, looking at his wolf. I have barely seen him in action, and my wolf’s growing curiosity at what he looked like was killing her inside.“Rictus,” he says his name was, as he looks at me like he wants to devour me whole.‘Gladly. Hell, I’ll even offer myself up to him,’ Adeline snorts, and I roll my eyes at her comment. Horny-ass wolf.“I promise you, my human may appear all tough and stubborn, but he’s kind and wants to protect you
Kaden’s POV:I wipe the tears from her eyes. The hurt flashing across them tells me I may not be the only one who feels regret. We both made mistakes. But now, all I want is to gain her full trust. I want to show her I can be her mate, to support her, protect her, and love her all the days of my life. I want to give my life to her and our pups if that means keeping them safe.“I will protect you, protect our pups.” I say with determination and promise, “That is,” I lean down and move closer until our foreheads press together, “If you let me?”Eloise slowly lifts her head, staring up at me and searching for even the slightest hesitation in my eyes. But I could feel her own fade away as she bit her lip, and damn, did I want to crash mine against hers.“Okay,” she finally says.One word. Soft. Fragile. But it shatters me inside out like a damn grenade.I exhale shakily, pressing my forehead harder against hers, memorizing this moment because I know it’s everything. It’s Eloise, my Eloise
151Eloise’s POV:The sight of him being vulnerable, losing control beside me makes my heart clench. As I watch his lower lip tremble, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. It felt like stealing a part of his life. One I can never give back.A lump forms in my throat. I swallow, instantly feeling the dryness of it in my tongue as I drown in my own guilt.“They’re beautiful,” he says finally, his voice hoarse. “F*cking beautiful,” he chuckles, wiping the tears off his face as if to get a grip.I nod, “They are,”Kaden takes his eyes off the screen for a minute and looks at me. I bite the inside of my cheeks, holding his gaze. There is an intensity in it that made knots in my stomach. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.Until he rips his gaze away and I let out a breath.“Are there more?” he asks, in a gut-wrenchingly polite way. His eyes move between our triplets back and forth.I press my lips in a line, and we both focus on the screen before I show him other pictures of them growing up
Eloise’s POV:We make our way back to the grounds. I’m relieved Kaden at least saw through the wolf for who he is. A man, and for years, he’d been lost after losing his mate and unborn pup. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how he felt that day, when the rogues clamped their teeth around her belly and ripped it out of her. Even now, outside that memory, I can see it. All the blood, and his hands covered in Maya’s blood and his unborn pup’s, makes my heart break.I couldn’t imagine my life without my pups. They are everything, and I would give my last breath for them in a blink.Still, the anguish and excruciating pain he felt was devastating. He lost everything, and I couldn’t help but feel, in some way, how it must have felt for Kaden.I glance at Kaden walking by my side. He had been awful silent for a while ever since Walter shifted. I noted the shock on his face, but his lips had been sealed shut.Logan left to run some errands, but before he left he winked at me and smiled, earnin
Kaden’s POV:Eloise’s body is flush against mine. I could feel Logan’s piercing gaze glare holes into the back of my head, but he’s the last thing I should worry about right now. I’ve just witnessed my mate search through a rogue’s memory, which is near to impossible, unheard of. I can tell by the way her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Also by the way the wolf whimpered and his eyes flicker like his life had flashed before him. And also because Rictus told me.But how could this be? Even Rictus have no idea. But something else stirs inside me, unsettled.Eloise sobs into my chest. Her body shaking uncontrollably.I lift her chin with my finger, whispering sweet nothings into her ear before she lifts her eyes, locking onto mine.“Tell me,” I rasp, “What did you see?”Her bottom lip quivers before she finally speaks, and proceeds to tell me everything. Apparently, this wolf right here is beta to some unknown pack. And her pregnant mate was attacked by rogues who had the unquenchab
Eloise's POV:Kaden slits his eyes and looks at me, "Eloise," "No." I glue my feet to the ground, letting him know I am not going anywhere until he listens.Why does he want me to leave so bad?"You have to listen,"Kaden moves his gaze between me and Logan who tosses a knowing smirk my way.Kaden sighs, "Fine." He grunts.Logan gives me a nod, and I turn back to the wolf, Walter.I extend my hand, slipping it between the bars which inevitably elicits a growl from Kaden. I shoot him a glare and he does not move, but his eyes are glued to my hand, preparing for the worst.Before I can place my hand on the wolf's fur, he leaned forward, pushing his forehead onto my hand instead. The moment my fingertips brushed his fur, my eyes roll to the back of my head as I am transported to a place where my feet is rooted to the grass. I felt my soul leave my body as visions began to flash before my eyes in nanoseconds, but I feel as if I am right there.I blink, opening my eyes slowly. When I look
Eloise’s POV:The cells is probably the filthiest place in the pack house. While everything above these old cages are filled with luxurious pieces from floor to the damn ceiling, everything down here gathers dust and filth. What’s more, I feel like the prisoners here were plucked and tossed into the pit of the abyss, never to be seen or heard from again. And it reeks of blood and feces that can never be seen clearly as not a single ray of sunlight touches these dark cells.Is this what the rumors were all about when they labeled Kaden as the notorious, merciless alpha ever known?I can’t believe this. I can’t believe him.I step towards the cell Logan has brought me to see, and I duck my head to see the same wolf who took my side unexpectedly that day I was attacked in the forest.“Hello,” I speak out, trying to reach him. He was still in wolf form, curled up facing the far wall.“Can I talk to you just for a second?” As my eyes focus on his form, I furrow my brows when I see blood co
146Eloise’s POV:Shaking my head, I hold back angry tears before they rise to the surface. The hallway is wrapped in suffocating silence, which also means he did not follow after me.Good. If he really wants my trust, he would let me wallow in my regret for ever coming back here in the first place. I swallow the lump in my throat, and walk faster before turning around the corner.The next moment, I slam into a hard chest that has me stumbling backwards, and I lose balance. I brace myself for the fall as I feel my body leaning back. I squeeze my eyes shut knowing this has got to hurt but surprise fills me when a hand wraps around my waist and my back hits something hard. And that is not the cold, tiled floor of this ridiculous mansion of a pack house.“Look who finally woke up,” a deep chuckle resounded in my ear, and I blink my eyes open.“Logan,” He flashes me his handsome smile and places me gently back on my feet.“You scared the shit out of me,” I chuckle, unable to hide the ne