"He doesn't have bronchitis," says Selene, staring intently at the doctor.The doctor dismisses her words with a haughty smile, taking the opportunity to smooth her coat and display the identification badge hanging from one of her pockets."Excuse me, Luna, but I believe you don't understand this. Meddling in an area you know nothing about can be dangerous; someone could end up dead. I really must call the alpha to inform him of what you're doing.""And what exactly am I doing?" Selene releases the child and stands to face her."I already said, you're meddling in something for which you are clearly unqualified, given the incoherencies you're spouting. I am the doctor here, I've been practicing for over 10 years, and my diagnosis says the boy has bronchitis. Besides...""He doesn't have bronchitis," Selene interrupts her. "Didn't you hear what I said? Your diagnosis is wrong. If he had been treated correctly, he...""Are you calling me incompetent?!" The doctor, who Selene now knows is
Selene's eyes dart to the armchair and she notices a large figure seated in it. Connor growls softly before whispering, staring directly at her. His eyes glow a fiery orange in the darkness. Selene closes the door with her head held high."Come here, Selene," Connor's voice is so cold that Selene can feel her mate's anger deep within her chest, but she is also angry; he is incapable of listening to her and believing in her."Why should I go there?" She maintains her firm position in the middle of the room, standing confidently a few meters away from him."The punishment will be worse than it was going to be if you don't do what I ordered once since you came here."Selene's ears buzz at those words. Her hands tremble, not from the cold that is seeping into her bones, but from rage."I don't have to put up with this," Selene turns around, ready to open the door again.The creak of the armchair makes her hasten her steps. She throws the door open, but it is slammed shut by a powerful han
"Is this all the strength you have? Because if it is, it didn't hurt," Selene spits with arrogance and boldness. "I can assure you that my grandmother, who is almost 80, can do better than you." Half a dozen more smacks on her backside, now harder, make her swallow her words as he lashes out furiously and without pause. "Connor..." she moans after the last slap. The deep, low growl of the alfa in response makes Selene's cheeks puff up as she smiles despite the tears from the pain of the punishment he has just given her. A twisted sense of pride swells within her, knowing she has made this man, much larger in every way, lose his composure for her. If she were wearing underwear, it would be soaked, but she isn't as this morning, in her delirium to drive her partner crazy, she decided not to wear any. "Are you sure you want to punish me? Because your hard erection pressing against my belly says otherwise." The alfa's muffled gasp at Selene's comment makes her smile even wider as
"That damn woman!" Inés's fury is evident when she hears Selene's moans coming from the alpha's room. "Wasn't he supposed to punish her for what she did this morning? What kind of punishment is this? Why does that woman always get her way? Argh!""It's clear that Connor is a weakling when it comes to that hybrid; she just spreads her legs, and he's totally at her disposal like a wimp," Carla spits out, pacing back and forth as furiously as Inés upon hearing the couple's interaction in the main room. "But don't worry, she might get away today, but tomorrow she'll get what she deserves."Carla smiles, and Inés frowns."What did you do? Are you going to kill her tomorrow in front of her family?""I don't need to kill her to show her who's boss here."With that, Inés also smiles, although the bitterness in her stomach doesn't completely disappear because of what she heard in the hallway. Her head hurts just imagining those two mating, giving themselves to each other. That shouldn't be hap
"Time to wake up, rebel," a singsong voice echoes in the alpha's main room of the Redwood Wolves pack. The curtain is drawn back abruptly, allowing the full splendor of the sunlight to flood the spacious area. Today is a clear day, perfect for celebrating the Luna ceremony and the wedding of the pack leaders.Selene stirs in bed, lazily. She is still exhausted from last night but calm and, in a way, sated."Just a little more, I'm sleepy," Selene murmurs, covering her head with the blanket."Come on, it's almost noon. You're still as lazy as ever, little sister."Selene lifts her head abruptly, realizing it's the voice of her sister Rouse. Her sister is here, and not just her, but also Ethan and his mate, Milly.Selene's happy screams can be heard throughout the mansion. She gets up and jumps into the arms of her twin brother, who welcomes her with open arms."I… missed… you… so much," she sobs, as Alpha Ethan gently strokes his sister's head and kisses the top of her head."We missed
“You have no right to decide, mother. I believe we already had this discussion earlier,” Connor turns his head slightly and meets her dark eyes with confidence. “Alpha Ragnar is not only my father-in-law but also the man who helped us in our most critical moment. Thanks to him, we are now a prosperous pack. You should also be grateful.”“Are you giving all the credit to that hybrid? Don’t you trust the hard work we have all done here?”“Why are you questioning this, mother? You, more than anyone, know the truth,” Connor retorts without backing down. “Why is it so hard for you to accept the nature of Selene and her family? They are incredible beings, in my opinion. I love my mate; I don’t believe the moon goddess made a mistake in giving her to me, and my desire is to form a beautiful family with her, just like the one her parents have.”“You are completely out of your mind, son. That woman has you blinded, enchanted. Our pack will go to ruin if our blood mixes with theirs. And what ab
"My dear!" Katrina opens her arms to Selene, who doesn’t hesitate to seek warmth there, listening to her mother’s heartbeat. "Why are you so flushed? Were you running?"Her mother’s comment makes Selene blush even more. Her mind drifts to the moment when Connor was between her legs just a few minutes ago, and her femininity throbs with need once again.The alpha clears his throat slightly before answering."She and her habit of running up and down the stairs," he excuses, in a husky tone. Unintentionally, his virility swells inside his pants as he feels his mate's excitement, and he mentally scolds himself for not having self-control when it comes to her. "But let’s move on to lunch; the food is ready."After the welcome from Alpha Ragnar and Alpha Katrina, everyone heads to the dining room. Selene is very happy; it’s the first time Connor has seen her smile more than once in a day since they came to Redwood Wolves."Welcome," says Carla without enthusiasm, though she feigns a smile.
Inés’s nerves are on edge. She’s eagerly anticipating Selene’s defeat when she realizes what has happened to her dress. Finally, Selene will know who’s in charge here.She and Carla are seated at the front, just a few meters from Selene’s parents' table and the main table where Alpha Connor and Selene will dine after the oath is taken.Inés’s gaze is fixed on the main door, where Selene is supposed to enter. Connor, dressed in an impeccable beige suit, stands there, nervously checking his watch repeatedly. Selene is nearly half an hour late. Alpha Ragnar is beside him, trying to distract him with conversation while they wait for his daughter.Both Inés and Carla rise and walk over to Connor, but he barely pays attention to them despite their efforts. Ragnar excuses himself and steps away to be with his family."Doesn’t she look gorgeous?" Carla asks her son, but his furrowed brow indicates he doesn’t know what she’s referring to. "Inés," Carla gestures towards her, "she looks stunning
The alpha watches Selene and knows something is wrong with her. Her hair moves in the same spiraling motion it once did when she was very angry in her room, and a whitish aura emerges from her body. Something is about to happen, and the sharp gasp from Alexia at his right confirms it. His gamma can feel every one of her emotions. Suddenly, Selene opens her eyes, and although she says nothing, Connor senses that she’s trying to warn him, so he speaks to all his members present through the link. “Everyone. Down. Now!”Immediately after that, a strange but powerful explosion knocks everyone down; a hellish noise, a blinding light, and a strong tremor spreads across several meters in diameter. The alpha lifts his gaze slightly, still dazed and with a piercing headache from the impact, and he can see Saya crushing Augusto beneath her massive, furry body. The tables had clearly turned. The rain falls even harder, but everything is still visible thanks to the light radiating from her
A terrifying silence spreads through the entire forest for what feels like an eternity, one that makes Carrie hold her breath, anticipating the impending disaster. Until the first movement happens. A massive orange wolf with white ears growls fiercely as it leaps and positions itself just inches from Selene. Carrie lets out a small gasp, startled, but it's too late. As she brings her hand to her mouth, Sorem can see exactly where she's hiding, and he makes it known by flashing his powerful and terrifying fangs. Before the huge orange beast can react, a black, unpleasant-looking wolf, though equally large, lunges at him, and they both begin tumbling through the underbrush. At that moment, a pair of female wolves surround Selene to protect her as an all-out battle breaks out just a few meters away from her. Several wolves, all renegades, attempt to get close to Selene, but none have any real success against the beta and the Redwood Wolves' guardians.The noise in the forest is i
Carrie waits for just the right moment when Augusto and his henchmen move far enough away to dart out of her hiding spot. She needs to reach Selene before Augusto does. Twice, in the past two days, he’s come dangerously close to her. Even though he can’t see her due to the protective bubble, he might sense that someone is nearby and realize something is off.After running non-stop for several minutes, Carrie finally reaches Selene. She makes sure no one has followed her before taking a closer look.Selene is curled up in a fetal position, her face twisted in pain, softly whimpering."I’m sorry, but tonight I have to break your bubble," Carrie whispers near her. Her brow furrows, it's not what she wants to do, but she has no choice. Selene needs care while she remains unconscious, and another storm is predicted, bringing even colder temperatures. She also overheard Augusto talking about what he’d do if he found her, and she simply won’t allow him to hurt her. If Alpha Connor finds her
"That’s enough!" Clarisse shouts, seeing Connor completely out of control, hitting Jackson for the thousandth time for neglecting the security near the ceremony. "This isn’t his fault! What had to happen, happened. Period. You need to get a grip, brother, in this state, you’re not going to achieve anything.""I just…" Connor’s voice is barely a squeak, his exhaustion evident. "…I just want to find her. Damn it!"It’s been more than 48 hours since Saya ran from that place, and none of them have been able to track her. A storm hit the following morning, but even then, the alpha didn’t rest from his search, nor did he allow anyone else to. He’s exhausted, as are the others, but the weight of losing his mate, combined with the pain he’s feeling in his chest, is hitting him harder than anyone else."I already told you," Jackson gasps, looking at the large wound on his side after trying to fight off Sorem just moments ago. "Everything was covered. I personally checked every spot for a week,
The freezing air hits Selene's face as she takes a few steps toward the room. She's shivering, even her jaw starts trembling uncontrollably. She has no idea what's happening to her, but she doesn’t feel well. Nothing here feels right.There are double doors open, curtains swaying in time with the wind, torches and scented candles, creating a romantic atmosphere from every perspective, except hers. She can hear murmurs from the back of the room, then laughter hers, Inés’s.She stands still for a few seconds and takes a deep breath before continuing. It doesn’t matter what’s in there; she has to see it, face it.As she gets closer, Inés's voice becomes clearer, but she hears nothing else except grunts from the person with her, followed by strange noises, gasps, moans.She reaches the door, which is only covered by curtains, and with a trembling hand, she pulls them aside just a bit to see. It's a room, she already knew that. It’s lit by many candles, the floor is polished wood, and ther
A chilling cold washes over Selene as she keeps a steady pace on this path she’s never explored before. In fact, the alpha had once told her that it wasn’t allowed to go this way. Yet here she is, heading toward an uncertain, unknown destination as night falls, her heart racing, but her mind set on discovering the truth.She’s already covered several kilometers, too many, in her opinion. She’s tired and sweaty, but she can see a glimmer in the distance. Could that be the place marked on the map?Moving cautiously for a few meters, she spots several guardians spread out across the area. She decides to climb one of the tallest trees to get a better view. If there are guardians here, they must be protecting something or someone.Once at the top, she carefully surveys the entire area. There’s a structure a few kilometers away, with lights and movement. That’s where she needs to go—it’s the point marked in the note; she has no doubt.With great concentration and using a technique her grand
"I don’t know what happened. I just got here and went into the water for a few seconds, and then you arrived," Selene explains, her brow furrowed. She’s confused too. Falling asleep underwater isn’t an option, especially not for so long, or she would have drowned. So what happened during all those hours she’s been here?"I’m sorry..." she whispers softly, seeing the distressed look on Connor’s face. He can’t resist her scent and kisses her. He kisses her so passionately that Selene moans at the urgency of her mate. Within seconds, the space between them disappears, giving way to an erotic and romantic dance under the beautiful and brilliant moonlight. Since their wedding night, there hasn’t been a single day they haven’t given themselves to each other. But today… now, it feels different. It’s as if every part of this nature is joining them both.Back at the mansion, they both head to the shower, much calmer. It’s almost dawn. After a shower full of kisses, they go to bed together to s
The days pass with excruciating slowness in Redwood Wolves. Connor has spent most of the week working with Jackson and Beltrán, while Selene has been helping with administrative tasks at the clinic and the daycare.She hasn't heard anything from Inés since the last time she left that note in the bush, and Selene still hasn't told the alpha about it. She’s not sure if she should go to that place or not. It could be a trap, but it could also be the truth, and it’s gnawing at her mind."We should tell your grandfather," Saya says in her mind, but Selene disagrees. The last time they spoke, two days ago, he was very agitated, even worried about something she didn't know. Burdening him with this seems unnecessary.Selene walks through the training field, heading toward the border. Some of the guardians glance at her, but they don't say anything or stop her. Taking care of the children at the clinic has been her main task these days, and fighting with the doctor and nurses, who think they'r
"Luna..." Clarisse sits beside Selene on the bench. "My brother told me I could find you here. I came to see if you needed anything.""You don't have to call me Luna, Selene is fine," Selene replies, her gaze fixed on the field where a group of three children are playing. There's a fourth child watching the game from a few meters behind, sitting on the grass. He looks pale and downcast, his expression quite lifeless."My brother is the alpha, and you're his mate, my Luna. I can't call you anything else.""Formalities aren't necessary between us, Clarisse. I consider you like a sister. Besides, you're one of the few people who’ve treated me well since I arrived here," Selene responds.Selene's eyes don’t leave that little boy. He looks about eight years old. She saw him in one of the photographs in the mansion and recognized him quickly when she took this seat half an hour ago, although, to be honest, all those children look quite similar.A middle-aged woman walks up to the boy and gr