Author's POV:“Asher, do you really think that—” Orion began to scold Asher in a stern tone as he glared at him in anger, completely ignoring the fact that this boy was soon going to rule over him as their next Alpha, or that he had once desired the idea of him marrying his daughter. At that moment, his rage on Gemini’s behalf was riding high, driving away his attention from any other concern in his mind. After all, it was Gemini he had always cared about, and even though he had started to care for Vienna too, because of the pressure he was suddenly receiving from everyone else… there was no way that he was going to let his favorite daughter get hurt because of her, and that too in front of everyone. But before he could finish, Orion himself paused abruptly, Gemini's words finally catching up with him. The reality hit him to the core, that the girl he had always assumed to be a disgrace to him might be on the path to prove it true right now. “Wait a minute… What did you say?” Hi
Author's POV:Kai leaned back against the leather couch in accommodations at Alpha Lance’s farmhouse in the Stemond pack, kicking off his boots in front of the fireplace. He had finally retired to his room after a day of discussions and negotiations, that had gone surprisingly well. The Stemond pack had been their allies during his grandfather’s reign, and the new Alpha seemed eager to rekindle the friendship with the Azuremist pack. Kai should have been pleased at the thought of gaining a new supporter, as well as the prospect of returning home sooner than expected. But there was a single thing that was bothering him more than anything else. He dialed Vienna’s number for the fifth time that evening, and got the same result: she was unavailable to attend his calls. His chest tightened as the anxiety returned with a jolt, he couldn't tell himself that it was a coincidence any longer. This couldn't be a coincidence, and finally dialled Fynn’s number. The phone barely rang twice be
Fynn's POV: As I drove towards the farmhouse where Vienna had last been seen, my thoughts churned with frustration. Part of me wanted to call Kai and tell him to handle this problem about his mate, on his own. After all, wasn’t this his responsibility? I hadn’t returned to this life, just to get stuck in the same old pattern and deal with the tangled mess of this mate bond. I had made a promise to myself before returning to Camden Falls: to maintain strict boundaries and stay as detached and distant as possible…to save us all the trouble. Yet here I was, just two days in, enmeshed in their matter and driving through the night to clean up a situation I had tried so hard to avoid. I shook my head sharply, forcing that thought out of my mind. No, this didn't make any sense… my mind was just coming up with creative ways to escape the guilt that was making my stomach twist, and attempting to take away the burden of responsibility from my own shoulders. I had chosen to turn a b
Fynn's POV:"Wait, are you for real? We thought she was just capable of fooling her dad! But turns out she’s even fooled you!" The man laughed after noticing the colors draining from my face. His voice felt like nails on a chalkboard, but apparently my torture wasn't over yet. The woman who had first recognized me smirked at her friend's comment. “Well, I guess she wasn’t as innocent as everyone thought!" "Yeah, especially not as angelic as the Alpha’s son seemed to think!" "The list of men she has cuckolded is growing longer day by day!!”I didn’t realize how furious I was until I felt the lava flowing through my veins and my body moved on its own, before my mind could catch up with its intentions.In the blink of an eye, I had the man pinned against the wall, my forearm pressed firmly against his neck. “Shut up!” I snarled at him, my voice more of a growl than anything human-like. “You know nothing about that girl. Nothing!” The man’s eyes widened in terror, and he clawe
Fynn's POV:It was a foolish idea. The moment that thought appeared in my mind, I was ready to shoot it down. What was the point of turning on my mate bond when Vienna might not even see me as her mate anymore? If Kai was here, it would be a different story. Because she had clearly chosen Kai, and mate bonds couldn’t work while being one-sided, could they? I scowled at myself, running a hand through my hair. The idea was ridiculous from the start. I turned back toward the woods, determined to search every inch of the forest again. But after another fifteen minutes of running in circles and finding nothing, I came to a halt. I couldn’t afford to waste more time chasing shadows. I stopped in the middle of the clearing and closed my eyes, forcing myself to find the tether that had been buried deep within my chest, and tug on it. But even when I tried to tug on the string and follow its pull, I could feel my subconscious running into a wall. A wall which I had built, brick by bri
Fynn's POV:I felt the faintest ghost of a movement in Vienna's body and immediately lowered her gently into my lap, trying to make sure that she had actually shown signs of consciousness. Cradling her, I quickly assessed where she was bleeding from. There were deep, angry stab wounds across her body that seemed like they had just started to heal some seconds ago. Her head had a gash at the side, blood trickling down from her temple and into her hair. My hands trembled as I pressed against one of the wounds, trying to stem the flow of blood.My hands shook as I pressed against the deeper wounds to stem the bleeding. Each drop of her blood felt like it was draining the life out of me, and my mind was occupied by a storm of curses. How could I have let this happen? I was solely responsible for every wound on her body, for every second which she had suffered in this agony…But before I could spiral further, I heard her voice. A faint whisper, no louder than a breeze. "Fynn… Fynn… yo
Fynn’s POV:The world has stopped spinning ever since she had been wheeled inside the operation theatre, and the only thing that kept spinning was my head… because of the unbearable pain I was going through right now.My conscience was still adamant to make me believe that the title of the greatest idiot indeed belonged to me, but the punishment I am getting for this is still too little. When I should clearly have thrown myself into the streaming lava to apologize for the blunders I have created in the past, and the ones I was going to repeat today as well.The thoughts that something worse than this had already happened to her all because of my idiocy and the delays I caused willingly, were making it hard for me to breathe. All this pressure and the weight on my chest has completely made me disconnected from the outer world– probably, this is why I had missed three calls from Kai.And I have might missed the forth one too, if the nurse wouldn't have nudged me with her words;“Ah! Ma
Author's POV:Gemini was on cloud nine, knowing that this time, her plan had finally made it to the end and that too with flying colours. Not only had she managed to turn Alpha Blackwood against her biggest rival, but had also managed to get her Dad back on her side… and the best thing in all this was that finally, Asher was going to be entirely hers.And there would be no one who'd ever dare to come near anything that belonged to her. This thought was enough to make her so happy from the core that she was humming and strolling near the balcony, even though it was already past midnight. Just then, she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and panic crawled down to the base of her spine.Whirling around, she quickly took a look at the person standing behind her, and a soft scream left her mouth. “Gosh! Mom! You scared me so bad–”“I am sorry my darling, I was just here to ask you something.”Tessa showed no more reaction to Gemini's shocked expressions. Hearing her words, Gemini lowe
Vienna's POV:I slowly became aware of my surroundings as I woke up, wrapped in a bundle of warmth and love. Kai’s arm was wrapped over my waist, while I could feel Fynn’s steady breathing against my back. At some point during my slumber, Zeke must have wandered into our room and climbed on top of me. His little body was curled into mine, his soft snores puffing against my collarbone. For the first time in three years, my heart didn’t ache as soon as I opened my eyes. Carefully, I turned on my side so Zeke slid gently onto the mattress, still fast asleep. I kissed his soft cheek, then turned to place a light kiss on Fynn’s jaw, then Kai’s. None of them even stirred a little, completely exhausted from the past few days. I smiled as I slid off the bed, padding barefoot across the floor and down the stairs, wrapping my face into a low bun so that it would stay out of my face. The kitchen was glowing in the golden afternoon light, since it had been early morning when we returned h
Author's POV:The morning dawned on the Oasis Pack like a pack of vultures. The air was heavy with tension, and inside the grand mansion, Alpha Axel stirred with a groan, clutching his temples. The wine from the previous night still lingered in his veins– it was lined with heavy sedatives that hwd put him to sleep. He blinked against the pale morning light, fury simmering just beneath the pounding in his skull.“That bastard,” he muttered.The gifted wine from his selection had knocked him unconscious the entire night, and this was no accident at all. "Bring Fynn to me!" he roared, kicking off the tangled furs. "NOW!" Two soldiers hurried to obey, disappearing before he could spit more venom. He paced the room, grabbing a nearby pitcher and dousing his face with cold water, trying to shake the ache from his mind. He was sure Fynn was behind this. That traitor. That worm.But when the soldiers returned, one of them hesitated before speaking.“Alpha… Master Fynn is no longer in the
Vienna's POV:Kai's breath hitched as he looked down at me, his thumb brushing a tear from my cheek. His gaze, dark and tender, searched mine like he was still afraid I might vanish.But I didn’t move away this time.Instead, I rose on my toes, my fingers tangling in his robe, and pressed my lips to his.It started soft—tentative, like a question. But when Kai responded, his mouth parting for me with a desperate kind of reverence, it became something else entirely. Years of unspoken words, of aching loneliness and buried desire, surged to the surface in that kiss.I gasped against his lips as his arms tightened around me, lifting me slightly off the ground like he couldn’t bear the distance anymore. My fingers clutched the nape of his neck, and I poured everything into him—every apology, every longing, every shattered moment we hadn’t shared.“I need to feel you,” I whispered breathlessly against his mouth. “Both of you. Claim me again. Let me come home.”His lips hovered over mine fo
Vienna’s POVThe water was streaming down my back as Fynn pressed me gently against the tiled wall, making me feel the hard planes of his body, every trace of muscle. His forehead rested against mine, our breaths mingling in the mist, our bodies slick with heat and steam. His strong hands were steady on my hips, parting my legs without force.“I need you..." He whispered, and I left myself to his mercy. He lifted my left leg, wrapping his around his waist as he pressed into me, pinning me against the wall in the most delicious way possible. My right heel was barely a few inches above the around, and Fynn's lips crashed against mine. And then... he was inside me.My gasp echoed softly between the walls as he filled me slowly, completely, stretching me open around him. He held still for a moment, breathing hard, his eyes locked on mine like he needed to memorize my expression—like this was something sacred.The water beat a rhythm around us as he moved, each thrust deep and unhurr
Vienna’s POVThe sound of the shower was a steady hush around us… Fynn stood in front of me, his shirt soaked and clinging to every ridge of muscle as his eyes roamed over me like this was the first time he had seen me.“I thought I lost you…”He whispered, voice thick with emotion, so soft that the words were drowned by the water.“You didn’t… you can't.”I responded almost instantly and the hand he had placed at my waist tightened into a fist. Like he was still hesitating and trying hard to not lose control. But I gave him permission with a kiss, our lips meeting like magnets that had been pulled apart too long.The moment he kissed me, something inside both of us snapped and melted in the same breath. My bare chest pressed against his soaked shirt, friction sparking heat between us. I ran my hands over the wet fabric, then slid them beneath it, tracing the hard lines of his stomach with my fingertips.“Take it off…” I murmured against his lips and he did, tugging it over his hea
Fynn's POV:Zeke bounced happily in my arms, giggling every time I took a bigger step or pretended to stumble. His joy was so pure, so infectious, and yet every smile he gave me sliced deeper into the guilt twisting in my chest.He trusted me.Even after I’d turned him away once. Even after I’d doubted Vienna… and Kai.They may have forgiven me, or at least chosen to understand that I had been manipulated. But I hadn’t forgiven myself.I didn’t know how to.Zeke laid his head against my shoulder like he’d sensed my spiral. His tiny hand patted my chest as he pointed toward the room down the hall.“And that one is my room, Daddy!” he said proudly. “Where will you sleep? Will you sleep with me? I have Coco, Jimmy, and Lee there!”I blinked at the names, confused for a moment, until I looked in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, on his little bed were three stuffed toys: a giraffe, a green caterpillar, and a very old bear missing one button eye.Coco. Jimmy. Lee.I smiled, my th
Vienna’s POV:Fynn’s lips moved against mine impatiently; carrying a bittersweet sense of desperation. One arm was wrapped around my neck, the other hand splayed against my back, crushing me to his chest like he was afraid I was going to turn away from him in anger, if he loosened his grip even slightly. But the truth was the opposite… I was losing my mind just as badly as he was, my body was reacting to his touch with eagerness. Leaving all my worries aside, I felt myself melting into him, my fingers tangling in his hair. But he broke the kiss too soon, pulling back just enough. His hand slid up to cup my cheek– but still, a sudden sense of anxiety overwhelmed my mind, making me restless. Even though my lips were still tingling from the kiss we had shared, my eyes were busy searching his eyes and trying to peek into his heart… searching for any signs that he was going to return to his cold, detached self and turn my nightmares into reality. There was a flicker in his eyes– hesit
Fynn’s POV:I rushed towards Vienna, as Kai shifted Zeke in his arms.My heart was racing with the speed of a sports car and I knew if I didn't reach Vienna within this second, it wouldn't even hesitate from exploding because of the over speeding of its palpitations.Somewhere deep down in my heart, the guilt of me being the reason for everything that was happening and that has happened in the past few days was calling me out, scolding and making me feel guilty for Vienna’s condition.But half of the same heart was praising her for the bravery she has shown while fighting with Zella, because if she wouldn't have killed her, then I would have.Because she deserves to die after what she has done, as she has not just tried to erase all my precious memories, tried to kill Vienna, hurt Kai and on the top of that she has the audacity to think about hurting my child, my Zeke, whom I have met after so many years, whose childhood I have completely missed because of that selfish witch who has b
Author's POV:Zella’s eyes glowed with madness as she shrieked, “If I can’t have him, then she won’t either! I’ll eradicate the problem from its root!”But the mistake she made—the final one—was that she lunged not at Vienna, but at Zeke.“Zeke!” Vienna cried, spinning around just in time.She shielded his small body with her own, gasping as Zella’s claws sliced into her back. The pain was sharp and immediate, blood seeping through her shirt as her knees buckled slightly from the impact.“Enna!” Fynn shouted, eyes wide as he lunged forward. He shoved Zella away with brute force, sending her sprawling to the ground. “Enna, are you okay?”Vienna’s hands trembled slightly as she turned, her breath short, but her eyes—her eyes glowed silver with fury and love. She pressed Zeke into Fynn’s arms, brushing his curls with a bloodied hand.“Keep him safe,” she said softly, with a kind of strength that made Fynn’s chest ache. “And make sure he watches everything.”Fynn’s voice cracked. “Enna, w