RAELYNN Air rushed into my aching lungs when I stumbled out of the closet I'd been locked in. Disoriented, I kept my eyes closed while I tried to catch my breath. Rai's soothing scent surrounded me, making me relax. Slowly, I opened my eyes and pulled away to look at him. My throat constricted at the sight of the tender gaze in his amber eyes and my heart started to race. Everything else seemed to have faded and it was just the two of us trapped in our world."Rai..." I breathed, tears filling my eyes when I noticed the way he held me in his arms. It was surprisingly gentle and warm. For a moment, I let myself believe that I was dreaming. "Rae? Are you alright?" He whispered, bringing a hand to the side of my face. I stared at him through blurry vision, fresh tears welling up in my eyes at the realization that I could've died today. If I'd died, I wouldn't be able to see my little girls again. Rai had rescued me. "Thank you," I croaked and his frown deepened. "Are you hu
RAISeveral Years Ago, I fixed my gaze on the white ceilings of the ward I'd been admitted to, my brows furrowed. My parents had left a few minutes ago. I could sense them lingering along the hallway. I couldn't blame them. The doctor had told them that I had barely escaped death. While I thought about this, my frown deepened. I couldn't recall what had happened to me. The door slid open and an unfamiliar girl walked in. She had roses in her hands and a bright smile on her face."Hey," she said and I blinked at her, puzzled. She leaned over to embrace me and when she pulled away to gaze at my face, I could've sworn that for a moment, her eyes turned purple."Who are you?" I asked and she froze. "You don't... remember me?" I nodded and she turned pale. Wide eyed, I watched as she sank to her knees by my bedside. "It's me, Nadia. I'm your girlfriend, don't you remember that?" She said and I froze."Girlfriend?"If felt off. Something was wrong but I couldn't figure out what
RAI I didn't stop to think, I went after the shooter in a blur of movements. He didn't have enough time to react. Before he could attempt to flee, I'd grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him while prying off his fingers off the gun. He screamed in pain as I twisted his fingers and pushed him to his knees. The gun fell to the ground with a dull thud and he flinched."Who are you?" I demanded and he kept his gaze lowered. Raelynn approached us with hesitant strides. Eventually, she halted right in front of us and slapped him across the face, twice. "How dare you?" She spat, her brows were furrowed at him. I could see the fiery rage in her eyes. "Who sent you?" I said to the shooter and he snarled."I'd rather let you kill me," he responded with a gruff voice and Raelynn picked up the fallen gun. I watched with wide eyes as she pointed the gun at his forehead."You really aren't afraid of death, is that it?" She demanded but he kept silent.In the spur of the moment, she aimed th
RAELYNN For the umpteenth time, I declined an incoming call from Rai. Sitting on my desk was a wedding invitation card, one that I'd received a few hours ago. Nadia had probably sent it to me, hoping to get a reaction out of me. But it was of no use. She belonged with a jerk like Rai. Hopefully, Rai would stop chasing after me once he gets married to Nadia. The door to my office was pushed open. Rai stormed in, his eyes filled with desperation. "Why are you ignoring my calls?" He asked and I leaned back on my seat, grinning up at him. "What's funny?" He demanded."You don't know? All of this is just so funny. Why are you here, Alpha Rai? Oh wait...I should congratulate you," I said and his frown deepened."Raelynn," he said in a warning tone. Picking up the invitation letter on my desk, I waved it at him. "But it's true, isn't it? You're finally getting married to the woman you love. Isn't it the reason you divorced me in the first place?" I asked. "I know that I've--"
RAELYNN I turned to fix my gaze on Rai who looked as though he would explode in a few seconds. For reasons unknown to me, I felt terrible. Taking a step back from Kyan, I sucked in a sharp breath. "Raelynn, what --" Kyan started to say and I shook my head. "I can't...I shouldn't do this...” I breathed and he reached out to grab my hand. In the blink of an eye, Rai had stormed over to us with a speed I didn't know he possessed. Grabbing Kyan by the front of his shirt, he slammed him against the wall, his eyes turning a bright silver."You bastard," he growled, punching Kyan in the face. Wincing, I attempted to break up their brawl, only for Kyan to break free of Rai's grip and punch him in the face. "Can you two stop it already? What if someone sees this?" I asked and they both froze. They were supposed to be affluent individuals with the perfect image. "Stay away from her, you hear me?" Rai spat and Kyan growled at him, his eyes turning a bright orange."Shouldn't you
RAELYNN "Congratulations on your wedding anniversary, Lynn," Judy, my childhood best friend, said, beaming at me. I forced out a smile, scanning the venue of the party. I was supposed to be having the time of my life tonight. However, all of this was just a pathetic cover-up. "By the way, where is your husband? He's nowhere in sight," Judy said, and I shrugged."He's an Alpha, you know? He's probably going around meeting the guests," I said, and she snickered."There you are. I've been looking for you," a familiar voice said from behind us, and I stiffened. Plastering a false smile on my face, I turned around to face him. Rai Vidal. He was the Alpha of Black Claw Pack, the strongest werewolf pack in both southern and northern America. He was my fated mate. And he was also the man to whom I was bound in a contractual marriage.Flashing me a grin that was definitely not genuine, he held out a hand towards me. Without a word, I placed my hand in his and let him steer me to
RAELYNN A year ago, I discovered that Rai Vidal, the man I'd had a crush on for the longest time, was my fated mate. My father had been overjoyed because being mated to Alpha Rai would mean that I was to become Luna of one of the strongest packs. However, what he didn't know was that Rai didn't want me. He was in love with Nadia who was not ready to settle down for marriage. Since he didn't want to taint his reputation, he made me sign a contract with him in secret. I was to become his contract wife until Nadia became his wife. It was stupid. Even so, for the sake of my father, for the sake of the feelings I had towards him, I agreed to it. A part of me had believed that I would succeed in winning Rai's heart. Yet there I was, standing in front of my childhood home. I'd just been stabbed in the back by both my father and my husband."You don't mean that--" I started to say, tears blurring my vision. Before I could say anything else, my father slapped me across the face. It s
FIVE YEARS LATER,RAELYNN "Doctor Lynn, your phone has been ringing since you entered the surgical room," Rose, my assistant, said to me as soon as I stepped into my office."An unknown number?" I asked, and she nodded. "It's quite strange. This person has called you twenty-six times already. Maybe an ex?" I chuckled, accepting the phone she held out to me. I had a feeling that the caller was no other person than my father. It was just about time. After the incident, five years ago, I faked my death and stayed in the region dominated by Lycans, with the man who had rescued me from what could have been my death. Only recently did I pull some strings to get my father to know that I was still alive. While in my grip, my phone rang out. The call was from an unknown number. "You can go now. Thank you, Rose," I said to my assistant, and she nodded before walking out of my office. Sinking into my seat, I picked up the call and brought the phone to my ear. "Raelynn, it's me. Yo
RAELYNN I turned to fix my gaze on Rai who looked as though he would explode in a few seconds. For reasons unknown to me, I felt terrible. Taking a step back from Kyan, I sucked in a sharp breath. "Raelynn, what --" Kyan started to say and I shook my head. "I can't...I shouldn't do this...” I breathed and he reached out to grab my hand. In the blink of an eye, Rai had stormed over to us with a speed I didn't know he possessed. Grabbing Kyan by the front of his shirt, he slammed him against the wall, his eyes turning a bright silver."You bastard," he growled, punching Kyan in the face. Wincing, I attempted to break up their brawl, only for Kyan to break free of Rai's grip and punch him in the face. "Can you two stop it already? What if someone sees this?" I asked and they both froze. They were supposed to be affluent individuals with the perfect image. "Stay away from her, you hear me?" Rai spat and Kyan growled at him, his eyes turning a bright orange."Shouldn't you
RAELYNN For the umpteenth time, I declined an incoming call from Rai. Sitting on my desk was a wedding invitation card, one that I'd received a few hours ago. Nadia had probably sent it to me, hoping to get a reaction out of me. But it was of no use. She belonged with a jerk like Rai. Hopefully, Rai would stop chasing after me once he gets married to Nadia. The door to my office was pushed open. Rai stormed in, his eyes filled with desperation. "Why are you ignoring my calls?" He asked and I leaned back on my seat, grinning up at him. "What's funny?" He demanded."You don't know? All of this is just so funny. Why are you here, Alpha Rai? Oh wait...I should congratulate you," I said and his frown deepened."Raelynn," he said in a warning tone. Picking up the invitation letter on my desk, I waved it at him. "But it's true, isn't it? You're finally getting married to the woman you love. Isn't it the reason you divorced me in the first place?" I asked. "I know that I've--"
RAI I didn't stop to think, I went after the shooter in a blur of movements. He didn't have enough time to react. Before he could attempt to flee, I'd grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him while prying off his fingers off the gun. He screamed in pain as I twisted his fingers and pushed him to his knees. The gun fell to the ground with a dull thud and he flinched."Who are you?" I demanded and he kept his gaze lowered. Raelynn approached us with hesitant strides. Eventually, she halted right in front of us and slapped him across the face, twice. "How dare you?" She spat, her brows were furrowed at him. I could see the fiery rage in her eyes. "Who sent you?" I said to the shooter and he snarled."I'd rather let you kill me," he responded with a gruff voice and Raelynn picked up the fallen gun. I watched with wide eyes as she pointed the gun at his forehead."You really aren't afraid of death, is that it?" She demanded but he kept silent.In the spur of the moment, she aimed th
RAISeveral Years Ago, I fixed my gaze on the white ceilings of the ward I'd been admitted to, my brows furrowed. My parents had left a few minutes ago. I could sense them lingering along the hallway. I couldn't blame them. The doctor had told them that I had barely escaped death. While I thought about this, my frown deepened. I couldn't recall what had happened to me. The door slid open and an unfamiliar girl walked in. She had roses in her hands and a bright smile on her face."Hey," she said and I blinked at her, puzzled. She leaned over to embrace me and when she pulled away to gaze at my face, I could've sworn that for a moment, her eyes turned purple."Who are you?" I asked and she froze. "You don't... remember me?" I nodded and she turned pale. Wide eyed, I watched as she sank to her knees by my bedside. "It's me, Nadia. I'm your girlfriend, don't you remember that?" She said and I froze."Girlfriend?"If felt off. Something was wrong but I couldn't figure out what
RAELYNN Air rushed into my aching lungs when I stumbled out of the closet I'd been locked in. Disoriented, I kept my eyes closed while I tried to catch my breath. Rai's soothing scent surrounded me, making me relax. Slowly, I opened my eyes and pulled away to look at him. My throat constricted at the sight of the tender gaze in his amber eyes and my heart started to race. Everything else seemed to have faded and it was just the two of us trapped in our world."Rai..." I breathed, tears filling my eyes when I noticed the way he held me in his arms. It was surprisingly gentle and warm. For a moment, I let myself believe that I was dreaming. "Rae? Are you alright?" He whispered, bringing a hand to the side of my face. I stared at him through blurry vision, fresh tears welling up in my eyes at the realization that I could've died today. If I'd died, I wouldn't be able to see my little girls again. Rai had rescued me. "Thank you," I croaked and his frown deepened. "Are you hu
RAI I was anxious. For some unknown reason, Raelynn had chosen not to pick up my calls. I understood that she must've been shaken up by my sudden actions back at her office. Even so, this didn't make me feel any better. 'Rai, there's something you need to know,' Austin said to me through our mindlink and I stiffened when I sensed the worry in his mind. 'What's going on?' I asked. 'You do remember that you asked some scouts to watch over Raelynn just in case she was attacked again, right?' he said and my anxiety levels peaked even further. 'Go straight to the point, Austin,' I replied.'They reported that Raelynn indeed went home but there was a visitor at the house,' my beta communicated to me and I increased my speed. 'Was he identified?' I asked.'Alpha Stefan. He's the head of black diamond pack. He's one of the filthiest people to ever exist,' Austin said and my chest tightened, a heavy weight settling in my stomach.'How long has it been?' I asked him. My hands were be
RAELYNN My mind was reeling as I drove to Judy's apartment. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the look on Rai's face out of my mind. The moment he'd leaned into me, I'd hesitated. My body had strangely heated up and I'd instinctively leaned towards him as well. I must be going crazy, it's all I could think of as I parked the car and hurried out of it to knock on the door of Judy's apartment.She opened the door right away and I stormed in, raking my fingers through my hair."Judy, I think I'm losing it," I said and she winced. "What's wrong? I'll be right back, let me get you a glass of water," she said and left for the kitchen.My phone buzzed and a notification popped up. It was a message from my father. It said:'Today's my birthday, Rae. Would you please come home and have dinner with your family? I really want to fix things between us. I know I've betrayed your trust several times but at this point, I just want our family to become whole again.” I blew out a
RAI I couldn't sleep that night. Nadia had threatened to print wedding invitations and send them out without my approval. It shouldn’t have bothered me but it did. I'd planned to avoid Raelynn as much as I could. However, she'd called me the next morning, asking me to come to her office. Sitting directly opposite her in her office, I couldn't look away from her for a second. Whatever attraction had been growing between us seemed to have escalated. My wolf was just as unsettled."What is this sudden meeting about?" I said, trying to distract myself from thinking about how good she smelled."I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Izzy," she said, rising to her feet. I frowned at her, puzzled."Izzy asked me to examine you. She thinks there's something seriously wrong with you," she stated. I scoffed, leaning back on the seat. "Sure."Raelynn halted in front of me and bent over a little. Then she brought the chest piece of her stethoscope to my chest. I stiffened, startl
RAI Kissing her again for the first time in five years made my heart pound in excitement. I hadn't felt like that in a while. Nothing else mattered in that moment. It was petty of me to stake my claim in such a tense situation. I had no excuse. I had reached my limits at this point. When I pulled away to see the emotions in her brown eyes, I realized what I'd just done. Her eyes were clouding up with moisture and a spark of rage enveloped her beautiful brown eyes and my chest tightened. Against her will, I'd just kissed her. "Rae..." I started to say, reaching out to hold her. But then, she slapped me across the face. It stung but I knew that I deserved something worse. Even so, I couldn't stand the fact that she'd just been on a date with Kyan. Kyan lurched forward, grabbing me by the front of my black shirt, his eyes fired up with fury. "How dare you? You are her ex-husband. You have nothing to do with her," he growled. "I'm leaving," Raelynn said through gritted teeth.