RAI I stared at my reflection in the mirror, and realized that for the first time in a very long time, I looked and felt alive. At the mere thought of Raelynn, my heart rate would accelerate and a smile would ghost over my lips. I wanted this feeling to last forever. Rolling my shoulders, I stepped away from the mirror and slipped on a bath robe. Then I made my way to my room. I'd just slipped on a pair of grey sweatpants when I heard the frantic knock on the door. Puzzled, I stormed towards it and pulled it open. My eyes widened when Nadia fell into my arms and went down on her knees before me. She was trembling and sobbing like she'd just seen something terrifying. Confused, I crouched in front of her to study her features. "What is the matter?" I asked and she latched onto me, burying her face against my chest as her shoulders heaved. "Kyan..." She sobbed and I furrowed my brows, a sickening feeling of unease bearing down on me."What are you talking about? Did you see h
RAELYNN It was merely a gut feeling but this feeling was so strong, I was convinced that something was off about Nadia. I didn't have evidence. Hence, I was worried that Rai wouldn't believe what I had to say."Tell me, Raelynn. What do you think?" he insisted, a worried look on his handsome face. I should've listened to him when he'd constantly asked me to stay away from Kyan. Back then, I'd believed he'd only warned me because he couldn't stand Kyan. "I think Nadia is on the same side as Kyan," I stated and Rai's frown deepened. "What do you mean?""I don't know. I can't explain it. But, they both give off the same aura whenever I'm around them," I said to him and he fixed an incredulous stare at him, clearly still confused."I know it doesn't make a lot of sense. It might sound like utter gibberish but I'm telling you how I feel," I said and he heaved a sigh, bringing a hand to his forehead."I can understand that you feel uncomfortable around the both of them. But, I don
RAELYNN "Kiss me," I whispered, bringing a hand to the back of his neck. A slow smile spread over his lips and he kissed me again, his hands exploring body deftly. "Look at me, Rae. Keep your eyes open," he whispered as his fingers found the sensitive nub in between my thighs. Waves after waves of pleasure rocked my body as he pleasured me until my hole was soaking wet. When he entered me, my body trembled and tingled, my breath quickening. My nails dug into his back when he began to move, soft moans escaping my lips.In the spur of the moment, I felt his fangs sink into my skin and I gasped, electricity racing down my spine.After our release, a sleepy smile curled my lips as I curled into him, feeling warm and sated. Closing my eyes, I nestled against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heartEverything still felt like a dream. But lingering in the back of my mind was the fear—what if this was just a fleeting moment? What if the past still had the power to tear us apar
RAI A few hours before the call, From the corner of my eye, I watched Nadia as she prepared breakfast in the kitchen while humming an eery tone. Everything had taken a horrid turn when I'd returned to my house a week ago. I couldn't figure out what it was, but something had happened that day. Nadia had walked up to me to embrace me. And in that moment, I'd suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure in my chest. I'd shrugged it off. But, eventually, I realized that my feelings for Raelynn were beginning to get distorted. Each time I thought of her, a sudden wave of disgust would hit me. As the days passed, it only worsened. On the sixth day, I'd realized that I was under some kind of spell. Only then did the pain finally hit me. The cold spells returned and so did the headaches. Despite this, Nadia didn't act out of character. She tended to me like she used to. She never brought up Kyan's attack. "Breakfast is almost ready--" "Cut it out," I interrupted her and she tur
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 '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