RAELYNN All eyes were fixed on me as I made my way into the large hall. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I'd decided to show up at the wedding on the spur of the moment. It had taken me a while to figure it out but after my phone call with Rai the previous day, I'd realized why he'd been unable to tell me what was really going on. I'd pierced the pieces of the puzzle together, and had chosen to crash the wedding while wearing one of my best dresses. This wedding wasn't a small one. There were so many distinguished guests in attendance, just like the day Rai and I had gotten married. He was quite a popular figure after all. "What are you doing here?" Nadia snarled when I halted right in front of them. I ignored her statement, my chest tightening when I took in the haggard sight of Rai. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. He'd lost some weight too. A twinge of guilt niggled at my insides when our gazes locked. I'd been too caught up in the situation that I hadn
RAI Several Years Ago, I stared at the red roses in my hand, a nervous smile spreading over my face. It was today--the day I would finally ask her out. And by her, I meant Raelynn Hills--the origin of the fluttering in my stomach at the moment. Tonight was the school's official dance night. Thankfully, Raelynn had showed up. An hour had passed since the event had kicked off but I was yet to get my act together. "Get it together, Rai. It's not your first time asking a girl out," I groaned. However, this girl was different because as cheesy as it sounded, I'd had a crush on her for a while. And that crush had bloomed into something stronger, something I couldn't shake off. "What's up, big brother?"I flinched at the sound of my sister's voice, immediately hiding the flowers behind me. Izzy wriggled her brows at me, amusement written over her face. I could tell she was enjoying this. "Are those flowers for her? Nice choice. You should hurry up and confess your l
RAELYNN It was unnerving how Kyan had entered my house so easily. There was no sign of a forced entry. And while he stood by the door, he didn't move an inch. Folding his arms across his chest, his gaze drifted from me to Rai. "Ah...look at that. Such a lovely couple. I almost feel jealous," he said and Rai stiffened, hostility rolling off him in waves. "Cut the crap, Kyan. Why are you here?" He spat. "For a simple reason," he deadpanned and my frown deepened. "What?"He cracked a smile at me, his claws making an appearance. "I'm supposed to get rid of the traitor," he said, pointing a claw at Rai, his eyes turning a bright yellow. My stomach churned in discomfort at the realization that I'd been right all along. Kyan was indeed somehow affiliated with Nadia. Rai scoffed. "Traitor? Really? You're really going to let Nadia use you as her errand boy?" He commented. The smile on Kyan's face faded, a crease forming in between his brows. As much as I would like to confront K
RAELYNN "I want to claim you, Rai," I whisperered. "Can I?""Right here?" He rasped, his eyes darkening with lust. I smirked, leaning up to kiss him on the lips. Cupping the back of his head, I deepened our kiss and scratched his scalp gently. A moan escaped his lips and he tightened his grip on my waist. Pulling away from him, I buried my face in the crook of his neck and pressed a kiss there. Letting out a guttural growl, he grabbed my free hand and brought it to his crotch. "Look what you do to me, woman.” He groaned. Knowing that I had that much effect on him made me feel powerful. I could feel my wolf pushing to the surface, my fangs making an appearance. Rai let out a deeper groan when I ran my fangs over his skin and swiped my tongue over the spot. "Do you smell something burning?" Rai suddenly commented and I frowned, pulling away to sniff at the air. And sure enough, the food was burning.Alarmed, Rai turned off the cooker and grimaced at me."This is all your
RAELYNN "Mum... w-what's going on? Am I...dead?" I croaked, terror gripping me. "You're not dead, silly. You're just detached from your physical form," she responded and I sighed. "Rai doesn't know that. He looks terrified," I pointed out, feeling sorry for Rai who held on to my limp form in horror. "He'll figure it out," my mum said. "This strange blue light has a lot to do with my magic, doesn't it?" I asked her and she nodded."It's why I asked you to accept it. Become one with it. That way, it can't be stolen from you," she said and my eyes went wide. "Stolen? What do you mean?""There is a reason why you're destined to be Rai's partner. He's meant to complete you," she said.I blinked as she placed her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "Listen to me clearly, you must not let go..." Her voice faded and she also faded out of sight. Struck with urgency, I called out for her but got no response. Instead, I was sucked back into my body. I opened my eyes slowl
RAI Every single fibre of my being wrestled for control over the spell that had kept my mind captive. It killed me to watch Raelynn's beautiful eyes fill up with tears and terror. The more I tried to fight the spell, the more it's grip on me tightened. Suddenly, Raelynn stopped struggling. Then she reached out to touch my face, her teary eyed gaze meeting mine. "It's okay. I won't hold this against you," she choked out and I pulled away from her, stumbling across the kitchen to slam a hand on the wall. I could hear Raelynn coughing behind me, struggling to catch her breath. My chest tightened, angry tears pricking my eyes. 'Kill her!' An angry screech invaded my senses, sending a jolt of pain through my skull. 'Damn you,' I thought, doubling over as the pain worsened."Rai?" Raelynn said as she approached me. I shook my head frantically, mentally pleading for her to maintain a good distance from me. When she continued to approach, I knew I needed to leave. However, before
RAELYNN When Rai showed up in the dining room with a worried look on his face, I knew that something was up. At this point, it felt like a never-ending saga. He sat down on a chair and the kids greeted him with cheery voices. He beamed at them, his gaze softening. He was such a natural when it boiled down to interacting with our kids. Moving over to his side, I placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned closer to him. "Did something happen?" I asked and he flashed me a tight smile. My heart sank. Whatever had happened seemed to be far worse than I'd imagined. "I got a call from Jared--" he was interrupted by the sound of my ringing phone and I glanced at it, puzzled."It's probably a call from the medical centre," he told me and I grabbed my phone from the table. Rai was right. It was a call from Rose. Swiftly picking up the call, I lifted the phone to my ear. I could hear the wailing of sirens through the phone."Doctor Lynn, it's me, Rose," my assistant said, her voice qu
RAELYNN "Come on, let's go. Can you run?" He asked softly. Steeling my resolve, I nodded once. Together, we both hurried away from the building. There was a black SUV waiting by the corner. When we got to it, Hunter opened the door of the car and I sat down on the passenger seat. He joined me shortly after, settling down on the driver's seat. A lump formed in my throat as he manoeuvred the car out of the parking space, my gaze resting on Rai who had suddenly run into the side walk, his chest heaving. Looking away from him, I folded my arms across my chest and leaned back on my seat. "Hold on, okay? I'll get you out of here soon enough," Hunter said and I released an exasperated sigh. For a few seconds, a thought crossed my mind. Was I really doing the right thing? It wasn't okay to just walk away from the chaos but I couldn't help it, I valued my own peace of mind. "Are you alright?" Hunter asked when we were a good distance away from the paparazzi. "I'm fine," I muttered,
RAELYNN 'Don't you remember what you just said to me?' Rai said to me through our mindlink and I blinked, confused. I was certain that I was only reaching out to him for the first time since I regained consciousness. 'What are you talking about?' I said, my anxiety levels spiking up. 'It has to be the drug. It's making you forget things,' he stated. I could feel his emotions as though they were mine. The panic and the rage were so intense, it triggered my own emotions."What do I do? I still can't see. I don't know where I am. Rai...I... I'm scared," I said.The words had barely left my lips when the door jerked open and two figures walked towards me. Without a word, they untied me and brought me to my feet. Then they led me out of the room. "Smile, Lynn. Don't jinx the ceremony," I heard Rose say as she took hold of one of my hands. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't flee from the unfolding scene. Anger bubbled inside of me as I was led into what seemed like a large
RAI "You should get some sleep," I heard Jared say as he walked into my study. I looked up at him with a blank expression and he released an exasperated sigh. "When was the last time you allowed yourself to fall asleep?" He asked, sinking into the chair in front of my desk. I probably looked like a mess. My mind was constantly plagued by reminders of my failures. I was barely holding on to the sanity I had left. "I can't bring myself to. Especially not when Raelynn is still missing. I don't even know if she's eating well or getting any sleep," I said and he nodded."I know you're worried about that. But, trust me, Raelynn is stronger than you think. I have news for you," Jared said and I stiffened, my gaze meeting his candid ones. "What news?" "Rose was seen recently," he said and my eyes widened, hope flickering inside of me. "Where exactly?" I demanded and he grimaced."A convenience store. Again, she parked her car in a parking lot and vanished into thin air right after.
RAELYNN Something didn't feel right about the nurse. As she walked towards me with a knowing smile on her face, I instinctively moved backwards until the back of my legs touched the bed."Please sit down," she said, in a voice that sounded robotic. "I'm perfectly fine. I don't need whatever you have in your tray," I said and her smile widened."Of course you do. The incident must've been a traumatic one. You need to take this to recover," she said, holding up the serum when she stopped in front of me. I was convinced at this point. I needed to get out of there. Knocking the serum out of her hand, I drove my elbow into her stomach and she doubled over. Without waiting for her to recover, I sprinted towards the door and out of it. There were two men standing there. Before they could react, I made a beeline down the unfamiliar corridor. This place was no hospital. As I ran, realization dawned on me when I noticed that I was being chased. Eventually, I arrived at a dead end. Ther
RAELYNN A few minutes ago, I tightened my grip on the envelope in my hand, anxiety sinking into me. Klaus was right. I was pregnant. I didn't know how to feel about it. Bringing a hand to my abdomen, I heaved a sigh. Nadia and Kyan were still missing. They could attack me the moment I let my guard down. It didn't help that my pregnancy was strangely sucking the energy out of me.While I was lost in my thoughts, the envelope was yanked out of my hand. Turning around with a start, my heart sank when I saw a familiar face standing there.She waved the envelope at me and flashed me a sinister grin."What is this? A sonogram?" She asked, cocking her head."Nadia," I hissed, clenching my fists.She looked perfectly fine, especially for someone who had fallen off a building.Why won't she just stay dead?"Hello there. It's been a while. I guess you've been busy making babies with Alpha Rai. What's it going to be? Baby three? Or four?" She said, her voice laced with mocker
RAI I awoke to the sound of Raelynn throwing up in the bathroom. Concerned, I got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom door, just in time for her to step out of it. With her hair pulled up into a messy, she appeared to be totally out of it.Her weary gaze met mine and my heart sank. She looked way too pale. "It's probably just something I ate," she said to me, flashing me a tight smile. Raelynn leaned into me as I pulled her into my embrace. "Come on, let's go back to bed," I said and she nodded. I led her to the bed and she laid down, curling up against me. "Everything is going to be okay, right?" She asked. "Yeah," I whispered. In a short while, I fell asleep and dreamt. When I awoke a couple of hours later, I sat up in bed in panic, remnants of the terrifying dream I'd just had lingered in my mind.Sucking in a sharp breath, I stared down at my hands, an image of Raelynn's bloodied form appearing in my mind's eye. At the sound of the shower in the bathroom, I go
RAELYNN White hot pain invaded every fibre of my being and I clenched my teeth against it, struggling with the weight of my magic. But suddenly, I was reminded of my mother's words. I needed to embrace my magic and become one with it. Once I accepted the pain, a wave of heat leaked into my veins. Power pulsed inside of me and exploded. When I opened my eyes again, I felt invisible. Nadia was stumbling down the corridor, limping. Although I wanted to chase after her and rip her apart, I felt the stronger urge to see Rai again. Rushing past Nadia, I headed to Rai's ward without breaking a sweat. Once I rushed in, I was greeted by the sight of Rai sitting up in bed. His eyes widened when he saw me. Relief sank into me when I noticed that colour had returned to his face.Drawing in a sharp breath, I hurried to his side and embraced him. "How are you feeling?" I whispered, stroking his hair.He pulled away enough to look into my eyes with a gentle gaze. "I feel... perfectly
RAELYNN I clenched my fists as I watched Rai head towards the staircase. He was trying so hard to pretend that he was perfectly fine but I could see right through him. He seemed to have forgotten about the fact that I was a doctor. Every slight tremor that racked his body was a sign that he wasn't feeling well. With my senses in hypermode, I could even detect the strain in his breathing. I waited patiently, hoping he would eventually cave in, and turn around to confess the severity of his condition. Instead, he continued to push forward. Angry tears clouded my eyes. Did he not trust me? Why wasn't he saying anything? I wondered, my insides twisting up into angry knots. "Stop," I droned, my patience wearing thin. His muscles stiffened with tension when he halted. Slowly, he turned around to look at me. My heart sank when I saw how bloodshot his eyes were. He probably didn't know about it. "It's no use hiding it. I can...I can tell..." I blurted out, my voice quivering."Yo
RAI Few Hours Ago, "You're late," Nadia said as I sat down beside her in a dimly lit bar. She was wearing a mini black dress tonight with her long hair pulled back into a high ponytail. I glanced around, but found that we were the only ones in the bar apart from the bartender. Nadia must have rented the bar for the night. "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" I said and she reached out to take hold of my hand, gazing into my eyes with a stifling intensity. I knew she was casting a spell on me. I felt it build up inside of me, lashing against my strong will like a stubborn wave. Eventually, she eased up on me and leaned in to plant a kiss on my cheek. "Did you meet her today?" She asked and the spell swelled to the surface, attempting to stop me from lying to Nadia. However, my will was stronger. Refusing to show the pain it was causing me, I kept my expression schooled and downed a glass of tequila. "I have better things to do. She doesn't deserve my time," I drone
RAELYNN Power pulsed inside of me, clouding my senses. I had never felt my wolf so strongly. It was exhilarating. Knowing that Rose had approached me on purpose and had lingered around me right up until this moment made me pissed. I concluded that she was involved in something shady. Since I didn't know exactly what her deal was, I was even more pissed. "Go straight to the point, Rose. No, wait. Is Rose even your real name?" I hissed and she grimaced."I never lied to you about my name," she said and I hissed at her, annoyed."How am I supposed to believe that?" I demanded. Rai grabbed my hand, entwining my fingers with his. When I looked up to meet his perturbed gaze, my frown faded. "I'll tell you everything but we can't talk right here. Your enemies might be listening in on us right now," Rose said and I sighed, bringing my free hand to my temple."Let's go in," Rai suggested and I glanced at him, instantly recalling that he was supposed to meet up with Nadia. "I can