Cerelia’s POV I opened my eyes to a soft, feathery touch on my cheek. It scalded me almost making me gasp. When I opened my eyes, I gasped at the sight of my mate hovering over me. His hot breath on my face played havoc with my senses. “Xandrios? What are you doing in my bed?” I gasped, looking down at myself. Thankfully, I was fully clothed. Then why was he here? He rolled away with a smile hovering on his lips. “Don’t you remember anything from last night, Cerelia?” He held my jaw-dropped gaze with amused eyes. I blinked in confusion. Last night? How could I not remember a thing after the kisses? I had gone off to sleep. Did he sneak into my room and claim me? Surely I would have known if he did that. “What did we do last night? Did we..?” My face paled as his smirk widened in response. “Hell, no. You had a nightmare. I heard you screaming. You were under a panic attack and I came in just in time to comfort you. Later, you stopped me from leaving. That’s it.” I watched the amu
Cerelia’s POVI rushed inside, panic settling in my heart. If the Red Wolves were here for me, it wouldn’t take them long to get to me. I just hoped they wouldn’t harm my mate and his hospital to get to me.For the rest of the time, I stayed inside. I didn’t want them to know my exact location in this enormous hospital. It would be easy for them to get me if they knew.The door clicked open, and I jumped up, startled out of my wits. Did they break the lock? I sprang from the couch in my room and took on a fighting stance. Before I could find anything, my bedroom door opened and Xandrios peered in.“Hey, are you planning to kill me?” he chuckled, making me blush.“Not at all.” I relaxed and walked out of my room with flushed cheeks. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have any patients to check?”He smiled and gestured towards a large food packet kept on the dining table. “I brought lunch. Help yourself.”I felt relieved at the sight of the food. Seeing the Red Wolves had disturbed me
Alexandrios’s POV I swerved and picked up speed to get rid of our stalker. When I reached Aunt Syble’s house, I would inform Homer and Stavros about the enemy. “They’ve found me, Xandrios. They’ll capture me.” Cerelia looked pale as a sheet. I knew she was going through a panic attack, but I couldn’t stop the car now. The stalker would catch up.“They can’t. Just relax, Cerelia. Once we reach Aunt Syble’s house, I’ll ensure our stalker is captured.” I could see the wolf still chasing us at a distance through the rear-view mirror. His red eyes glittered in the darkness as he picked up speed. He didn’t look like any of the normal pack members. If we couldn’t lose him yet, it meant he was more cunning than I had expected him to be. I swerved into another lane that opened onto the highway. Crossing the stretch as fast as I could, I swerved onto the highway and into another lane. Cerelia sat gripping her seat handle while I swerved into innumerable lanes and out again until we reached t
Alexandrios’s POV Strangely, the door was open, and I ran inside. I knew something was wrong because I had closed the door when I left. “Cerelia!” my voice echoed around the empty house. There was no response. Panic settled in my heart and I ran from room to room. The house looked ransacked, with things strewn all around. A fight seemed to have taken place here. “Cerelia? Lena!” No response. My worst nightmare had come true. It seemed Delta Maverick had barged in and taken my mate away! “No, it can’t be possible!” I screamed in the still house. I flung open the door of the last bedroom to see Lena lying unconscious on a couch near the door. There was no sign of Cerelia!I immediately mind-linked with Zephyrus. ‘Come to the house, fast. Lena’s unconscious and there’s no sign of Cerelia. I think they’ve taken her, bro.’ ‘I’ll be right there.’ He disconnected the link, and I leaned over to pat Lena’s cheeks. “Lena?” I checked her pulse, and it was normal. Lena opened her bleary
Cerelia’s POV Alpha Achlys carried me all the way through the tunnel under the McDougall Trail. It was so well concealed I doubted if Xandrios would ever find me. They fed me some herbs to camouflage my scent and theirs as well. It was so effective that I couldn’t even get their pungent scent.Delta Maverick drugged me so that I had no strength in me to fight. It worked, but not enough to make me lose my consciousness. I couldn’t retaliate or fight but I could see where they were taking me. Was it to their hideout in the Pikes Peak, Colorado? I remember my dad mentioned it once before going out to save the pack. If only I had known it would be the last time I would see him!“Which tunnel now, Maverick?” yelled Alpha Achlys, his voice echoing around. At thirty, he was the most powerful and evil of the lot. I lay limp in his arms, unable to move a muscle. But this couldn’t go on. I had to plan my escape before they injected the potion into my system. I didn’t hope for a rescue. Maybe
Alexandrios’s POV I drove back to the McDougall Trail area where Alpha Alexios had promised to meet me. There had been no update from Stavros, and I was on the verge of losing hope. I would have been clueless if Alpha Alexios hadn’t agreed to help me. This wasn’t a mission I could succeed on my own. Whatever the case, I would never have given up.I reached the location and noticed an agitated Zephyrus, waiting for me with Stavros and his team. Zephyrus didn’t look pleased with me, but I didn’t care this time. My mate’s life was at stake here, and I didn’t need anyone’s permission to seek her. I didn’t understand Zephyrus’s attitude towards Cerelia. Why was he so biased towards her when he was a just and benevolent leader? “There, Dr. Alexandrios is here.” Zephyrus came towards me with a scowl. I got out of the car and faced him. “Did you call Alpha Alexios? Shouldn’t you have waited for me instead of taking matters into your hands, Alex?” “You weren’t there and time was running ou
Cerelia’s POV The air was thick with dust and the scent of damp stone. The rough walls of the cave pressed on all sides. I had been imprisoned here for a few hours, but it was already taking a toll on my health. I could hardly get up from the stone platform that served as my bed. Alpha Achlys had planned my Luna ceremony tonight, but my health deteriorated after reaching his cave. Although he hadn’t yet forced me into anything, I knew it was a temporary lull before the impending storm. Alpha Achlys had other plans in store for me. All hell would break loose when I refused to cooperate with his plans. Ever since he brought me to his makeshift home in the caves of the Pikes Peak, I had fallen sick. The strenuous journey, coupled with the sedation and herbal concoction, had taken a toll on my health. I just wished Xandrios would rescue me and treat me. These Red Wolves had left me tied up in a cave to die with no medication or food. I needed energy to heal myself naturally, summon my
Alexandrios’s POV We reached Pikes Peak in the wee hours of the morning, but the place was deserted. “F*ck! They’ve escaped again.” Alpha Alexios and his team inspected all the caves occupied by the enemy. They had left behind plenty of belongings in their hurry to escape. I gasped as I entered a cave. There, lying on a stone platform, were Cerelia’s burgundy parka and clothes. “Her clothes!” I gasped, checking them for blood stains. Had they harmed her? Why were her clothes here? Did she shift?“Oh! It seems they had tied her up,” said Alpha Alexios, picking up a rusted chain with a lock. “I wonder why they untied her!” I looked around to find a plate of half-eaten food. “At least they gave her something to eat.” However, Alpha Alexios was more interested in staring at the ground. I followed his line of vision and found strange footprints on the floor. They didn’t look like normal shifter footprints. These were of a slender wolf who hardly pressed her heel on the soft ground. Her
Cerelia’s POV I had all the luxuries in the world in the room I was locked in but lacked the most important thing: my freedom. All night, I waited for Nikos to update me about my mate. But he didn’t return. A sense of dread gripped my heart. Why didn’t Nikos return? Did something happen to my mate? All the time I was locked in, no one took an update on me. At dinnertime, an attendant brought me my food. It tasted so weird that I spit out the only bite I took. It made me suspicious. Had they mixed something into the food? It was better to sleep on an empty stomach than to have their food.It was morning, and I was ravenous. How long were they planning to keep me here? I would die if I had to stay here another day. There was nothing in the room to keep me occupied. It was a weird house where no one cared about me. Then why did my grandfather want me to come here? Was it only to separate me from my mate? What difference did it make to him if we were together? While I fumed in anger, t
Alexandrios’s POV I drove Leandros’s pickup truck to the packhouse. The sun was already up, and Zephyrus would hold a quick meeting before heading to work. I would address my mate’s issue in everyone’s presence. It wasn’t time to wallow in self-pity. I needed to pick myself up and act. I had to seek Alpha Alexios’s help in first clearing Cerelia’s name and then rescuing her. I wouldn’t sit back here and just try to mend my broken heart.Parking the car, I alighted and strode towards the packhouse. Zephyrus hadn’t arrived yet, but Stavros’s car was parked a few feet away. Taking two steps at a time, I headed towards his room. Maybe Stavros would help me. I saw him in the lobby, talking to Michael, our Zeta. They turned to look at me, sensing my presence. “Hey, Alex! So nice to see you back!” said Michael, smacking my arm playfully. “When did you return? Is Cerelia fine?” asked Stavros. My shoulders drooped at the mention of her name. “I lost her, bro.” My voice trembled with grie
Cerelia’s POV “Why don’t you freshen up for lunch, Cerelia? Come, I’ll show you to your room. Your luggage is already there.” I smiled at my aunt Elena. She was a true silver wolf and my uncle Alarik’s mate. Alpha Alarik was my dad’s older brother and the ruling leader of the Silvermane Warriors. Even my grandpa didn’t interfere with his rules. His twin sons, Nikos and Alekos, were five years older but kind to me. I met everyone here, yet my eyes sought my mate. Where was he? What was the holdup? What was my grandpa discussing with him?“Umm, I’ll just check on Alexandrios, my mate. He’s the one who brought me here.” I walked out of the living room, but four guards blocked my path. “Alpha Cassius has gone out, miss. You cannot go to his study in his absence.” I gave them a bewildered look. Wasn’t this my father’s house? Who were they to stop me? It seemed I was a prisoner in my house. “I’m not interested in his study. I just want to know about my mate, Dr. Alexandrios Vasiliou. H
Alexandrios’s POV A sudden jerk made me open my eyes and focus in front of me. My head felt so heavy, I felt dazed. Where was I? Then I remembered my last ordeal before I blacked out. Alpha Cassius had injected something into me to make me unconscious. He had ordered his guards to throw me into the Pieria Canyon to die. Fear gripped my heart, and I sat up with a start. Thankfully, I was still in a car that had halted. Were they about to throw me in the canyon? “Good, that you woke up. We’ve reached Thessaloniki Airport.” Pedro’s voice greeted me and I blinked to find myself in his car. How did I get here? Weren’t they about to kill me? “Airport? But they were about to throw me into the Pieria Canyon.”Pedro gave me a sad smile. “Yes, I defied Alpha Cassius’s order. I sabotaged the camera installed in my car and brought you here instead. Go home, doctor. Save your life.” He emerged from the car and unloaded my stuff. I got out in a dazed state, but I couldn’t leave without my mat
Alexandrios’s POVRealization hit me hard, but I had no time to react. Why didn’t he warn me earlier when we could retrace our steps? Now, there was no avenue of escape. Cerelia paled, giving me an agitated look. Maybe she had heard it too.The guards nudged us ahead, but I gripped Cerelia’s hand all the way to the gaping maw of an arched stone entrance. They escorted us inside a cavernous entry room where the ceilings stretched far above our heads. The entire house, made of the same opulent marble, seemed more like a prison than a home. Strangely, the décor was modern, but with a regal touch.Before I knew it, the guards tugged on Cerelia’s arm, wrenching her away from me. “Alpha Belmont is waiting to meet you, miss.”She glared at the guard and recaptured my hand in a panicked state. “We’ll go together to meet my grandpa.”The guard looked clueless but escorted us towards a closed door beside a grand staircase. He knocked and waited patiently for a minute.“Come in!” a booming voice
Alexandrios’s POV We boarded the flight just in time, and Cerelia smiled with relief. “Phew! That was a close call. I thought we would miss the flight.” I smiled at her enthusiasm, unable to share any of it. Since her grandfather sent the flight tickets, it had been a mad rush for us. He hadn’t given us much time to pack or check out of the hotel. We had to rush with everything at the last minute. I secretly wished Cerelia would decline her grandfather’s proposal. Why did she need to live with her species when she had met her mate already? Now that nothing could stop us from staying with one another, she could have returned to Lucania with me. We were mated and had every right to start a life together. Her grandfather couldn’t separate us. We only needed to stand our ground. But Cerelia didn’t. She jumped at the opportunity to live with her family. She was ready to overlook our mate bond and let go of me. It proved she didn’t love me. Maybe I had wasted my time, my efforts, and my
Alexandrios’s POV I watched my mate sleeping peacefully with a faint smile playing on her luscious lips swollen from my kisses. It has been almost three days since we checked into this hotel. Three days of unlimited se*. It seemed we were under a love spell with no rush to go anywhere. Although Cerelia hadn’t confessed her feelings for me, I could feel her love in everything she did. In the last three days, there has been a drastic change in her attitude. She understood me so well, I hardly had to articulate my needs to her. She had matured as well, trying to be more giving than taking. Yet I didn’t dare to address the elephant in the room. I still had no idea what she was planning to do. I tried hard to postpone the talk. Therefore, I hadn’t booked our flight tickets to Athens yet. Strangely, Cerelia didn’t remind me at all. It gave me hope, which I clung to for the last three days. “Xandrios!” she murmured in her sleep. It brought me out of my dazed state. The sun was already u
Alexandrios’s POV I watched Cerelia lying against my chest in a deep slumber. With her pale hair sprawled all around her like a halo sparkling under the dim bedroom lights, she took my breath away. I couldn’t believe this exquisite creature was mine. Only mine. A sense of satisfaction spread all over my body and mind. I was glad everything fell into place. The confusion I had been feeling had ebbed away on its own. Now all I had to do was convince her to return to Lucania with me. I had already started working on my mission. My first step was confessing my love to her. However, it hurt me when she didn’t respond as I expected her to. ‘Give her some time to get used to it, Alex. She’s just eighteen. There’s so much happening around her, she’s too confused right now,’ said Rio. ‘Yes, you’re right.’ Although I was disappointed, I knew I wouldn’t give up so easily. I would drill it into her head that I loved her the most in the world. No one else could love her as much as I did. The
Cerelia’s POV In an instant, he flipped me over and pinned me to the bed, his head dipping until his lips touched mine. “I won’t wait, Cerelia. We’re mates. The Moon Goddess planned our union all along. This is fate and its stronger than any force ever. No force can ever negate that.”Breathless, I nodded slowly, agreeing with him. He claimed my lips in a lingering kiss that had so much intensity it had me clinging to his shoulders for support. Intoxicated, I kissed him back; the heat spiraling down to the pit of my stomach and between my legs. A gasp escaped my lips when his hand inched downwards, leaving a blazing trail of fire in its wake. He plunged his tongue deep into my mouth and devoured me hungrily. The kiss turned fierce, yet there was a tenderness that touched my heart. His fingers roamed over my body, inching downward to dip into my underwear. He broke the kiss, and I gasped for breath as an intense wave of pleasure hit me.“Oh, you’re soaking.” His fingers thrust deep