Izzy walks into the Alpha’s house, her heart racing as she follows Alex to the living room where Alpha Landon is waiting for them. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Certainly, she won’t jump into his arms the moment she sees him… right?As they enter the living room, Izzy can’t help but stare at Alpha Landon. He looks even more attractive than before, if that’s even possible. His dark hair is styled perfectly and his deep blue eyes seem to be scanning her from head to toe.He stands up from his seat and Izzy feels like her knees might buckle under her. He is tall and muscular — every inch an alpha in his prime. He really looks effortlessly handsome in his suit, the ideal man she always fantasized before — that is, before she decided that she doesn’t want a mate.“You look beautiful,” Alpha Landon says softly, as if he needs air to breathe.Izzy blushes at the compliment and all she can say is, “Thank you. You are very handsome, too.”Alex clears his throat and says w
Isabella ‘Izzy’ Garcia’s mornings are always the same — it is a comforting routine that helps her navigate her life as a werewolf. She wakes up before sunrise, slipping out of her bed and into her running shoes. She prefers the air to be crisp and cool. She finds it a perfect complement to the quiet stillness of her world.Every morning, she begins her run at a brisk pace while she navigates the forest. Her surroundings is alive with the sounds of howling wolves, but Isabella doesn’t feel threatened. She is one of them, a predator in her own right.As she runs, she greets her pack members, who are also doing their exercise while in their human form. She exchanges nods and smiles with anyone who would come her way. The werewolf pack she belongs to is a close-knit community to a fault. Everyone is ready to lend a helping hand or offer a listening ear. Unfortunately, they also love to gossip about everyone in the pack — like who are their mates, who had a child, who cheated, who recently
The mate finding ceremony is about to start. A sense of anticipation hangs in the air, excitement palpable amongst the crowd. The grassy field is filled with pack members, their eyes all centered towards the makeshift stage at the middle where the ceremony is being held.Izzy finds herself getting anxious by the second. She feels her palms becoming clammy and so she takes a deep breath. There’s nothing to worry about, she reminds herself.Every year the mate-finding ceremony happens, and every year, no one is deigned for her. It’s all good, she doesn’t want a mate. However, now that she is already thirty, her chances of getting a mate are higher.Then Izzy’s eyes find Miles. He is a few feet away from her, freshly groomed and wearing a necklace, signifying that he’s still unmatched, just like her. His eyes meet hers in the crowd and for a second they hold each other’s gaze. Izzy breaks it off first, turning away before he can think of something stupid again.A drum roll begins, which q
Izzy stands at the center of the spectacle called the mate-finding ceremony, her most dreaded part of being a werewolf. The entire ceremony ground is a kaleidoscope of colors and sounds that assaults her senses.The elder stands beside her, takes a hold of her necklace and roughly breaks it. The fire turns red, green and yellow as the elder reads the sign. Then he frowns, and his eyes go to someone in the group of unmatched males.Izzy clenches her jaws and stares at her feet. She cannot, she can’t possibly have a mate now, after all those years!“Ah, this is strange,” the elder whispers.‘Yes, I am strange for not wanting a mate. I know that already!’ she thinks. All the female werewolves want it, even Chloe and Aria, except her!“Ah, I apologize, but Alpha Landon Hayes, will you please step forward?”Izzy’s lips tremble. The sound of his name is already pulling at the strings of her heart, so she ensures that her eyes are fixed on the solid ground. But, the alpha?! The widowed alpha
We walk to the alpha’s house, where Alpha Landon has set up a separate house for his office. An elder, whose name is Finn O’Malley, is supporting Izzy as she continues to deny her fate.Finn decides that each of her mates needs to talk to her. To discuss what will happen in the future. He mentioned that the other mates can reject the mate bond. In that way, she will only have one mate.ONE MATE.But she doesn’t even want a single mate. No matter what they will decide, she is still on the losing end of it all.“Izzy...” This time, it is Miles who is sitting in front of her, while she is petrified in the chair.She looks up at him, but she instantly regrets it when his warm brown eyes meet hers. He looks at her with a mixture of sadness and guilt, his blond hair disheveled as if he had been running his hands through it. Worse, she can’t take her eyes off of him.Despite not originally from the pack, Miles continued to rise until he became a beta. She has always known that he is handsome,
“Three mates...” Izzy murmurs as she lays chest-first on her bed.She is still processing her situation. Won’t that be too much work? Besides, she has a job and hobbies. She also wants to spend time with her family and friends. Surely, these men will request time and attention from her.Izzy takes a deep sigh, which she has been doing for a while now. Gratefully, she is not forced to spend the night with either of them. Although her inner wolf wants to.She is bound to three mates. Miles, Landon, and Carter. Not one of them rejected the mate bond. Miles said that he will take his chances. Landon said that he needed a Luna. Most especially, Carter assured her that he would never reject the mate bond.“Ugh!” she screams on her pillow.And so, as the night wears on, she continues to wrestle with her thoughts, tossing and turning in her bed. She is torn between the undeniable attraction she feels for her mates and the fear of losing herself in the process.When the morning sun peeks throug
Izzy focuses on the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. She raises her fists and begins to jab, the rhythm of her punches matching the beat of her heart.Despite the frustrating situation with her three mates, she can’t deny that she is a bit grateful that they didn’t place strict rules on the setup — which is new, knowing that Alpha Landon loves rules.Still, six days. Six days will be lost to her. She should have insisted for only a day each to her mates. It’s as if she is going with the flow — submitting her will to the pack and the Moon Goddess. She is certain, it’s all because of the mate bond! She is becoming more pliant to all their demands! She didn’t even shut Carter up as harshly, unlike before!Then, there is a laugh. She pauses and turns to the source of the voice. It’s Aria, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.“That punching bag won’t last long, you know,” she comments.Izzy shakes her head and continues with the punches. “What are you doing here, Aria?”“Wh
“Hey! Finally, you guys are mated!” one of Miles’ friends interjects. “Albeit having two extra ones in the relationship.”His arm goes around Miles’ shoulders and winks at her. “I’m certain the two of you will be together.”“We are still in the process of resolving it,” Miles replies.“Hmmm, that so,” he continues. “So, when’s the mating day?”Izzy feels her cheeks flush at the mention of being Miles’ mate and the blatant question of when she will copulate with him. She isn’t used to this kind of attention and unfortunately; she didn’t dislike it.“Hi,” she says awkwardly, hoping that the conversation will veer on a different topic.Gratefully, the other pack members approach her with enthusiastic greetings. She tries her best to be friendly, but all she wants is to disappear into thin air.After a few minutes of small talk, Miles guides them towards the buffet table. He fills her plate with grilled steak and vegetables before getting something for himself as well — a common gesture th
Izzy walks into the Alpha’s house, her heart racing as she follows Alex to the living room where Alpha Landon is waiting for them. She takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Certainly, she won’t jump into his arms the moment she sees him… right?As they enter the living room, Izzy can’t help but stare at Alpha Landon. He looks even more attractive than before, if that’s even possible. His dark hair is styled perfectly and his deep blue eyes seem to be scanning her from head to toe.He stands up from his seat and Izzy feels like her knees might buckle under her. He is tall and muscular — every inch an alpha in his prime. He really looks effortlessly handsome in his suit, the ideal man she always fantasized before — that is, before she decided that she doesn’t want a mate.“You look beautiful,” Alpha Landon says softly, as if he needs air to breathe.Izzy blushes at the compliment and all she can say is, “Thank you. You are very handsome, too.”Alex clears his throat and says w
Izzy quickly changes into more presentable clothes and meets Alex in the living room. He looks her up and down before nodding in approval.“You look good,” he comments. “I don’t think it will be hard to find something that will fit you for the party.”“I’m not entirely sure if I will take that as a compliment,” she replies, slightly self-conscious under his scrutiny.Alex only smiles and leads her out of the house and towards his car.“We’re going somewhere far?”“My brother insisted on getting the best for you.”She snorts. “Because you think I will be the new Luna?”“You never miss things, huh?” he comments. “That’s a nice trait for a Luna.”As they drive outside the werewolf’s pack jurisdiction and into the city, Alex starts a conversation with her about her life. She answers politely but doesn’t reveal too much information. Besides, he is a stranger to her.“So, what kind of clothes do you usually wear to parties?” Alex asks, breaking the silence as they drive along a series of cl
Izzy stares at the spot where Carter was standing moments ago, her lips still tingling from his sudden kiss. She blinks a few times, trying to process what just happened.In all sense of the word, the kiss is really supposed to be a punishment. However, due to the blasted mate bond, she kinda feels like it is a reward instead… Even her inner wolf is doing a little dance for being kissed by him! No, erase that — How dreadful could that be?!Izzy shakes her head and tries to ignore the fluttering sensation in her stomach. There’s only two more days and she will have a free day on her hands. She can make use of that to think about all the confusing things.She enters her room and closes the door. She better catch up on her work and all her personal things while she still has the time, because she plans to spend her Sunday lounging around and just… thinking.**********************The sun peeks through the curtains, signaling the start of a new day. Izzy yawns and stretches her arms above
Izzy opens the front door and is surprised to find several maids standing outside. She steps back, allowing them to enter the house.“Beta Carter paid for our services,” one of them explains as they enter the house.“Ahm, thank you,” she says, surprised. “…I guess.”She looks over her shoulder to where Carter is leaning against the wall. His wet clothes cling to his muscular frame, making him look even more enticing than usual. But there’s also a hint of something else in his gaze, a desire that matches hers.She moves towards him, and with every step she takes, his desire grows stronger. She can feel it radiating off of him like heat.“Is this common for you? Having pack members help out with the laundry and chores?” she asks, trying to distract herself from the intensity of their desires for each other.“If I am busy and overwhelmed,” he answers in a deep voice. &ldqu
As they reach the house, Carter offers to help with the chores. Izzy hesitates, but she’s too tired to argue so she agrees. She is also afraid that her desires will flare up during an argument with him.“Fine,” she grumbles. “You can help me with washing the blankets.”Carter grins and follows her inside. “I knew you can’t resist my charms.”Izzy rolls her eyes and starts taking out the blankets that smell like they’ve been stored in the cabinet for a long time. She hands a pile to Carter, who takes them without complaint.They work in silence for a few minutes, until Carter breaks it by saying, “You know, I used to do this kind of thing all the time when I lived in the packhouse.”“Oh, really?” she asks. “Why did they allow you to stay there? You have a mansion, and your chain of hotels is not too far from here.”“The elders don’t want the
Carter leans to her, and she savors his smell. She wants more. She wants him to do more than just imprison her between that same nice body and the rows of grocery items.“My dear Izzy… I know that you want me too… And if I really am the selfish man that you think I am, all I need to do is touch you and you will jump at the chance to make love to me. You are my mate, and I can sense your inner wolf begging for me.”She is about to say something when he presses his finger to her lips. “Shhh…” He presses himself to her and she can feel his hardness between her legs. “Like you, I am also starting to lose myself the longer we don’t make love. Just your smell, your voice, the heat from your skin, is making me heady… so please, don’t look at me, or I might not be able to control myself anymore.”And just like that, she tightly shut her eyes.“Good girl, just stay like that.”Then she felt his hands on her shoulders. And when he moans, she shivers. “What are you doing, Carter?”“Shhh… Let me
Izzy wakes up early on Thursday, feeling refreshed and determined to start her day. She gets dressed quickly and heads downstairs to grab some breakfast. As she is about to take a bite of her toast, there’s a knock on the door.She frowns. It’s too early for Carter. She sets down her toast and walks to the door. She takes a deep breath before opening the door.“Can I help you?” she asks coolly.Carter gives her a small smile. “I came to accompany you today…” he says. “…as what is expected of me and especially of you.”Izzy snorts but can’t help but allow him into the house. “I’m going somewhere.”“Where?”“Somewhere.”“Izzy…” he says, a scolding tone in his voice.“Grocery,” she finally answers as she returns to her breakfast. “I also need to buy a couple of items.”“I can accompany you with that.”“Ah, the young master will do such menial things, huh?”He presses his lips and she can feel his pain because of her words. She takes a deep breath and apologizes. “I’m sorry.”The hurt in
Izzy wakes up to the smell of bacon and eggs. She sits up groggily, rubbing her eyes before glancing at the clock on her bedside table. It reads 7 AM and so she goes outside of her room and finds Miles, who is already up and about. He is cooking breakfast in the kitchen of the house that he has allowed her to stay at. She watches him for a moment, still feeling a little awkward after last night’s events.He turns around and catches her staring at him. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” he says with a smile, flipping the bacon in the pan.“Morning,” she mumbles, running her fingers through the ends of her tangled hair.Miles serves them both breakfast and they sit down at the small dining table. Izzy watches him as he pours them each a cup of tea.“Other than the bacon and eggs, I also prepared you a tea, because I know that you will be drowning yourself in coffee the entire day. Don’t worry—”“About last night…” she interjects.Miles looks up from his plate, his expression unreadable. “It’s
“Hey, Izzy, I prepared dinner,” Miles says as he peeks through Izzy’s door. “Would you like to eat with me before I leave?”The answer is a resounding NO, and yet, Izzy shifts her attention from her laptop to Miles. It’s late now. However, she finds the need to pretend that she’s busy just so there would be no more conversation with him. In fact, she already finished half of her work for tomorrow!“You don’t have to cook for me, Miles,” she answers as she returns her attention to her laptop. “Besides, I am still busy.”She hears the door open wider and she can’t help but look at Miles again. He is scrunching his brows at her, as if he knows that she is just pretending to be swamped with work.“Do you really want to pretend as if nothing happened between us last night?” he asks.“Not now, Miles.”He moves closer to her desk and places his hands on top of it—making it impossible for her to ignore him any longer.“What do—”She stops because Miles surprises her with his next actions. He