Betrothed. Rygan was betrothed. Elise could barely make out any words as those words came out of Kaide’s lips. Elise waited for Rygan to say it was a joke, a lie, or at least pull away from Alvira, but he didn’t. And then she felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. In Rygan’s defense, he did look like he was about to throw up from that information about his betrothal coming to light, and Elise prayed and wished the ground could open up and swallow her right that instant. “El? El.” Kaide called again, his voice finally reaching and breaking her clouding thoughts, and Elise forced herself to give a short, reserved smile and bow to Alvira, whose cold stare never left Elise. “We all need to talk to the moonhouse now,” he tells Tazmin, Alvira, and Kaide, who give a nod of agreement. “Her too,” he says, addressing Elise, who still hasn’t said a word. The meeting point was in the white-stoned chateau; its name was called the Moon House because of the intricate design of the
Rygan’s POV I should have stayed away. The first time I tasted Elise’s body, I felt her alluring skin against mine, scented because of my rut. I took it as just my wolf reacting to any female, repeating it like a mantra in my head. Kyren had forced many females onto me before, so it had to have meant nothing. But it was no mistake the second I took her to bed in that abandoned cabin. Something changed. Elise felt perfect in my arms; my wolf was hungry and yearned for more of her; and a sinister yet feral part of me was satisfied that I was the one who took her virginity and that I was the only one who tasted her skin and virgin hole first. But it was all a mistake, it had to be, especially when I woke and remembered the promise that my family made to Alvira's parents, who helped my father, with a promise to join our house, a betrothal to have Alvira as my future mate. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, knowing that I had to avoid her. I couldn’t bear the crestfallen loo
ELISE’S POV. I didn’t go down for dinner; I couldn't stomach the thought of seeing Rygan and Alvira together; it made something in me want to come out and claw them apart. I couldn’t even control my wolf anyway. My pack made me weak; females were never taught anything but to be weak or never taught to control our wolves until we were mated and obeyed our mates' wishes. "He’s going to reject you soon; you are nothing; you are weak; you are a burden and a curse!" Those thoughts swarmed my head. I buried my head in my pillow, but a knock pulled me out of those thoughts. As I sat up, I wondered if Kaide was back. Kaide was caring enough to bring me food early, but I could only stomach a half-sandwich and an apple. I trudged up to the door. “Kaide?” I called but was surprised to see who was at the door as I opened it, meeting face-to-face with Rygan. He grunted the moment our eyes met, his brows furrowed in annoyance, maybe because I called Kaide's name. “Why we
The training grounds for the troops were crowded with males that surrounded the entire ring. Elise could not help but feel intrigued as she walked closer, finding a part to squeeze through as she noticed who stood on the ring. Kaide and Taz were both shirtless; Taz's muscles were hard and thick; his left arm was covered with a black band; and he had two striped tattoos. Elise had noticed that it was on all the males' left arm; one band meant you were delta, two bands were beta, and three bands were alpha, like the one she saw on Rygan's body. She hated that even at this moment that she thought of Rygan's ravishing sculpted body right now, shaking her head to get rid of the thoughts. “Don’t think about it,” she scolded herself as her hand tightened on the railing around the ring to focus on them. Kaide's body was more lean-muscled, but his body was not lacking in any way, just less jacked than Taz's. A blush crept on Elise's face when she looked up to see Kaide staring at h
The banquet continued in full swing as the circle converged on different tales. Elise found relief in Tazmin's stories and world adventures while Kaide watched and added a few bits and pieces to the story, which made her laugh. She didn’t shy away from Taz’s advances, especially the moment he tucked her hair behind her ears. She found relief in his distraction. Meanwhile, Rygan, on the other hand, looked like his chair was too uncomfortable to keep sitting down, as he tried hard not to look in their direction. Alvira was busy explaining that she had talked to the elders, who were willing to have the mating date set at any time, but Rygan was half-listening at this point and was more focused on Elise's voice. Especially when he saw Taz’s hands on Elise, she didn’t pull away; he tore himself to control and contain his pheromones seething with anger and irritation as much as he could. He wondered if Kaide had noticed but looked away, not bearing to look at his third in comm
Meanwhile, after Kyren had found out about their escape from his prison, he was filled with so much rage that everyone walked on eggshells back at the Darknight pack, looking for ways to appease their alpha king, Kyren, who had been in a maddening mood for days with no end. Even now, as he downed another bottle of wine and had sex with a female without mercy, her body slammed against the wall, his thrusts so barbaric that they pushed against her, her hips bent as Kyren's hard cock moved inside her, his grip hard on her nape. There was no mercy or softness in the sex, only anger and a harsh sex drive. He put his fingers into her mouth to keep the female quiet as his cock stroked deeper into her. “Ugh..hmm Ngh-agh!” The female cried out as Kyren pushed deeper, thrusting animalistically into her. There was a startling knock at the door, but Kyren made no move to stop as his beta guard was let in. The beta knew it was a death sentence to look at his alpha, who was deeply engaged
A hard knock on the door had pulled Elise from her sleep; she could barely keep her eyes open, and worse, the pain she was feeling felt like she had been barreled by a heavy boulder. Elise should have known how much she would have regretted it. Regret the decision to drink so much at the party last night. Now that her head was aching so bad, she felt like it had been split open, a punishment for her greedy and guilty thoughts from last night with Rygan. She could still taste him on her skin. She groaned as she rolled out of the gray cotton sheets, her dress draped to the floor while she had slept naked. She moved to take a robe from resting on an armchair, wrapping it around herself, as she heard Hana’s voice echo from the door. “Elise?” “I’m awake, I’m awake,” she mumbled as she pushed another lock of hair obstructing her view from the door as she sat down back by the foot of the bed. The look on Hana’s face was almost comical; she was trying so hard to burst into laugh
Elise felt like vanishing when Kaide held back her hand as she tried to enter her room—so much for dealing with it alone. “What’s wrong? What happened?” Kaide asked Elise, his jaws squared in, filled with worry and alertness as he caressed Elise's face. But Elise shook her head. “Nothing, nothing at all,” she said. “You don’t need to worry about it, please,” she said, and Kaide knew she was asking him to let it go. His hands dropped from her soft cheeks, taking a step back to lengthen the space, which he had noticed was far too small because of them. “What's in your hand?” Elise asked, her gaze lowered to what Kaide was holding in his hands. Elise then looked back when she heard the sounds of someone coming down the steps. And for a moment, there was noticeable panic on her face that Kaide noticed, but before he could ask, Elise had pushed him into her room, closing the door in haste. “Sorry about that; what were you saying?” She asked, forcing a smile that was almost co
(EPILOGUE)..The lonely, dark halls of the Black Mountains cell were Alvira's only companions throughout the passing days; she could barely keep track of the time, day, or month.It was hell on earth, a punishment for crimes that made her feel insane, and she deserved every bit of it, especially after what she did to Alana. Some days she felt like the dark halls were haunted by her sister and Kaide’s ghost, her only companions pushing her to the edge of insanity."Just look at her," one of the guards spoke, spooked as they watched Alvira sitting quietly, composed in a way that was eerie at times, making the hair on their skin stand up. Her dark brunette hair was matted and scattered in knots, hiding her face.Her nails were tattered from incessant biting, a habit she had developed; she didn't bother responding to the guards' whispers.In the first months she'd been there, she raised hell until her throat bled, screaming to be freed, but she knew there wouldn’t be a chance. "Who woul
It all felt so natural, so right, falling into each other's arms like they’d known one another for a lifetime, and with each kiss, Jax felt more completed by his omega. “You have no idea how much I love you, how much you drive me wild, Lorraine,” he muttered with a kiss to her bare shoulder. He quickly unzipped the gown, pushing it off her. The beta watched wide-eyed with desire at how confident his omega had gotten in that moment. He watched as she traced a hand from his hard pecs and abs, dipping her hands further into the water, trailing down the space between his crotch till she held his hardening cock. Jax hissed in pleasure at her touch. He watched her pupils dilate in reaction to his, and her meek honey-filled voice whispered, “Do you like this?” ”Fuck, I love everything you do, and even you—yes, just like that,” he hummed when he felt another hard squeeze to his cock; moons now she was just torturing him. “You have no idea what I want to do to you,” he whispered. ”
JAX'S POV After seeing Lorraine in that state, I never wanted to see her cry again. I knew there was no going back with my wolf already obsessed with her every call; I was hers before she even completely knew it. It isn’t long till I reach the station where I'm needed. Immediately seeing the hunched frame of my two friends, they both peer up at me with smug, knowing looks on their faces. And mischievous smirks I could spot even from a mile away. ”Damn..we know she’s yours, dude. Chill out,” Michael mutters first. “We can practically scent her on your skin,” he calls with arms up in surrender. ”Good,” I say, surprising them both; they must have expected me to try and deny it. But I wanted everyone to know she was mine, and I couldn’t keep myself from her anymore, not when my wolf was already so drawn to her. “I’ve lost to her, moons; I'm so in love with her; she is everything I could ever dream of, fuck,” I mutter, still in disbelief at how I’ve been truly enamo
Jax knew he had made an awful mistake by saying those words and not being straightforward. The beta felt like a wreck the moment he saw how Lorraine’s face had crumbled. He had misspoken, and now she must have thought he only saw her as nothing more than a fling. He tried to explain himself, but the damage had been done. He quickly obeyed her wish to be left alone. There would be enough time to talk to her, and he would make sure to tell her his true feelings. Right now, she needed space, which gave him enough time to think too. The beta rushed outside to clear his head and get them breakfast since there wasn’t anything left in his kitchen. He dropped by the baker's shop for a fresh set of their renowned pie, with the pack members greeting him good morning. Jax halted in his steps when his eyes caught a beautiful pastel blue sundress in a shop, and a certain blonde immediately filled his mind. He headed in, even though he had no idea what he was doing, and bought many dresses
The kiss was intoxicating; there was no end to Jax’s desperate need for more; he wanted her more than he could ever fathom. It felt like Every control he had snapped when he heard her soft voice pleading to be touched; he knew he couldn’t fight it any longer. His hand combed through her gold locks, a firm grip causing a moan from her lips. She shuddered in desire from his touch; she felt his hand trace down her naked thighs, and a whimper escaped her lips from his touch. His hands pushed firmly on her tiny back, trailing into her shirt, touching the small expanse of her back and finding that sensitive spot on her skin that had Lorraine arching until her back pressed against the bed, leaving her a whimpering mess. She pushed Jax closer, feeling his other hand trail to her aching sex. She watched him, unblinking from his gaze, their breaths mingled and gaze locked with one another. “I'm going to put a finger in, okay, sweetheart?” He muttered with a kiss pressed to her button no
The beta scolds himself with a curse, mortified that he said something so obscene. But when he peered at Lorraine, looking at how innocent her gaze was, she hadn't understood the complication of the words he said. He was thankful but still mortified. Jax then quickly settled himself on the island table as they both munched on their food; he quietly watched the female, satisfied as Lorraine ate with a full appetite. A deep primal part of him was happy that he cooked for her. But the reason she could eat so well was that Jax assured her that Nora would be fine with Abby and was in great care. That calmed her; she felt so happy and relieved in this moment that she finally let her scent waft across the room; it made the beta visibly stiffen. Her jasmine scent wafted across the room, making the beta wolf alert and thrash around, yearning to be closer. That’s when he realized why her scent was so sweet and alluring. “You... are an omega?” he called in surprise, and for a moment, he
The walk back to Jax's home was quiet and more awkward than he anticipated, but mostly since he was trying hard not to stare at Lorraine while they walked to his cabin. "Fuck this," he thought; his wolf was barely in control, his desire to touch her and know what she tasted like underneath all her clothes was more than tempting, but right now he could barely see her face under the cloak. "Um, I don’t think I thanked you for this." "You did," he cut in quickly, and for a short moment their gaze locked; he could see a blush on her cheek spread before she turned away. Why did she choose me? He couldn’t help wondering; he barely recalled opening the doors to his home with Lorraine trailing in after him. “And don’t worry too much about your sister; she is in great hands, and Abby will take care of her, but now you need to take care of yourself. You need rest,” he adds. “Thank you..” “Jax, my name is Jax Kullin.” He tells her he could see interest glistening in her gaze, with
(Side story) JAX'S POV. . . There was a time when anyone could try to tell me true love was real, and I'd fall for it; and all the more, having a fated mate was unheard of, a love was so strong like my parents who died in each other's arms during the war 20 years ago. I couldn’t fathom what kind of love would bring someone to their knees and, all the more, die for their partner. I and my best friends have always joked about never falling in love so desperately for anyone, yet my best friend Hayden was an exception none of us ever expected. He was a goner for Elise the moment he met her. I could see why he loved her, though it took time for her to trust us. I could see the ease in her eyes, and the walls crumbled when Hayden was there. But it was never as intense as what my friend felt. Hayden, who loved El with all his heart and died for that said love, broke me beyond words when I heard the news of his death from Holden; none of us could believe it, no
Rygan was more than aroused for his mate; his tongue dipped into her coated entrance for a taste of more; he sucked and lapped greedily on her sex, causing a moan to erupt from Elise's lips from his merciless intrusion into her sex; his tongue was like a drug driving her mad. "Fuck. My love, you taste amazing," he muttered, her sex clenched from the feel of his heated breath fanning her folds, she moans out in pleasure, grabbing tight to the sheets for her dear life. There was barely an intrusion other than his tongue yet; but Rygan's tongue alone had made her climax, and now the alpha lapped at her sex like a thirsty man. She let out a cry from the intrusion of his thick finger. The pleasure felt like a torturous drag in her walls, her back arching from stimulation when another thick finger was added to her wet heat. "Look at how tight you are for me; you taste like honey; my cock would feel good inside you," he growls with a bite to her inner thigh. She flinches from his