“This place is beautiful, isn’t it?” A deep, masculine voice said behind Hazel. She was standing at the balcony of her room, and hid her surprise over his sudden presence behind her. She didn’t turn, rather, her fingers tightened around the cold iron railing as Rodrigo’s voice drifted through the evening air. His tone was calm, almost like he was expecting a response from her, but she knew better than to trust it.She exhaled slowly as her eyes remained fixed on the estate beyond—on the perfectly sculpted gardens, and the fountains in the palace grounds. “It must be nice to stand here and admire everything,” Rodrigo continued when she didn’t respond. “But I wonder if you have ever found any of it enjoyable.”Hazel’s lips pressed together. She gave the shortest answer possible. “It’s fine.”“Fine?”“Yes,” she said, wondering where this conversation was headed. It took everything she had in her to stop herself from looking back at Rodrigo to get a glimpse of his face. She wanted to k
A short while later, Rodrigo looked up at Hazel again. She seemed to be focused on eating the food before her and actually enjoying it. Without knowing, his fork noisily dropped to the plate, making a fluttering noise. Hazel jerked her head upwards and shot him a glance. “Oh, no,” he muttered and swallowed hard. He blinked as he realized that Hazel was now looking at him. Her golden-brown eyes were locked onto his. There was a mix of curiosity and suspicion in her looks as she eyed him.Damn it! He cursed under his breath. He hadn’t realized how intensely he had been staring—how deep he had fallen into his own thoughts.She had caught him—again. He felt a blush rise in his cheeks as he picked a piece of napkin and dapped it at his lips to distract himself from Hazel. “I know this is none of my business, but...are you okay?” Hazel asked with a small voice, breaking the silence in the room. Wait...what? Did she just speak to him twice in a row without being spoken to first? A s
Standing on the elevated training grounds, Rodrigo had his arms folded across his broad chest as he observed the warriors of his pack. The afternoon sun was already setting, and he could notice the sheen of sweat on the men who threw fists at each other below. There was also an occasional grunt of exertion in the air.His warriors were strong. Loyal. Disciplined.And yet, his mind was elsewhere.Hazel.Rodrigo clenched his jaw as he forced himself to focus on the drills taking place in front of him. He had barely slept the night before, haunted by the image of her—those sharp golden-brown eyes, the way her lips parted ever so slightly when she was lost in thought.His wolf stirred within him, pacing impatiently. Go to her.Easy. He told himself. Rodrigo let out a sharp exhale. His discipline was absolute, and he would not be ruled by impulse, especially not over a woman who had yet to yield.Thorne approached with short strides, stopping just behind him. “Alpha, the eastern border pat
Rodrigo strode down the hall toward his bedroom, his Beta, Thorne, tagging close behind like a cat chasing a mouse. A wicked laugh broke past his lips as he brushed his chestnut hair back.“At last, fresh pawns for my games. It won't be boring,” cursed Rodrigo, his eyes wickedly gleaming.No sooner had he entered the chamber than he picked out his neatly bought black suit from the closet, slipping it over his head and adjusting his cufflinks. His signature scent spread through the air as he reapplied the cologne. He felt very fulfilled and satisfied with his appearance, then he smiled very wickedly.“Get the driver ready,” he ordered Thorne, adjusting his black silk tie.Thorne nodded, slipping down the hall, leaving Rodrigo lost in thought. As Rodrigo stepped out of the chamber, he saw Eleanor walking close. She stopped still, bowing her head as a sign of respect.“Eleanor,” ordered Rodrigo smoothly, his voice subtly tinged with authority. "See that she’s well. And if anything as litt
In another grand estate which was hidden behind thick iron gates, Ryland stood in one of his torture chambers, the cold, wet air thick with the smell of blood and hot coal. The dim light flickered, its deformed shadows rising across the shattered concrete walls.There were some men hanging upside down, wrists securely bound with silver chains, breathing short, and sharp shallow breaths. Their stifled groans filled the room.“So...” Ryland drew out the word, moving slowly, his shiny black shoes clicking out a staccato beat on the stone floor. He stopped to regard them, his dark eyes flashing with something a great deal more dangerous than rage. “What have you done with Hazel?” His voice was unnervingly even.One of the men shook with fear, trying to answer, his parched, rasping voice. “W-we did exactly, exactly as you ordered, Alpha,” he stammered, desiring only to deflect what he sensed was coming.“Yes, Alpha,” another barely repeated, blood trickling down his temple, he wasn't sure
They arrived at the Ryland Organization where a meeting was to be held.They walked hastily towards the board room, staff bowing as they made way for them to pass.“I hope they are all in there?”“Yes, Alpha,” Beta Caleb responded as he brushed through his tablet.Shortly after they left the torture house, he had gotten new clothes for Alpha Ryland and was just making sure payments were made.“Alright,” Ryland turned the door knob down, pushing open to reveal the worried faces in the room.“Alpha Ryland, what's with the emergency meeting?” One of the three men who met up with Rodrigo inquired, “Hope all is well?”“Sure, all is well, but not with you and your subordinates,” Ryland sneered, eyeing him, his eyes sending daggers his way.The man quickly looked at his two friends, and they gulped unconsciously, fear evident in their faces.“Now if you may all sit down,” Ryland said, gesturing for them to have a seat.Ryland took a seat at the head position, swirling it around, “I have impo
It had been two weeks now since Rodrigo got over with the three informants from Ryland's company, and he had been lazily sitting around, observing Hazel's movements, or was she the one observing him? The quiet morning hours had grown into a routine of silent glances, and lingering thoughts. It was now 7:00 AM, and the soft light of dawn filtered through the windows as Rodrigo eagerly anticipated seeing Hazel’s lips move while eating with him. They had been maintaining their usual eating routine, with him staring at her, and her gobbling down all the food she could, as if each bite was an act of defiance against the confines of their daily existence.He walked hastily towards her room, and stepped in without a knock on the door. Something he had never done before.He observed Hazel's dainty figure, his eyes darting through her body.“How soundly she sleeps,” he mumbled to himself. Then he quietly sat on the bed, next to sleeping Hazel. His heart was skipping fast as he admired her be
Ryland tapped his phone's screen after it had been buzzing for a while, he was staring at the screen, but his mind was blurred with the events that happened earlier in the night.“Sir, the remaining captives are ready to confess now,” the speaker simply said. Ryland listened quietly, his brows knitting together as his lips pressed into a deep frown. Then he dropped the call and walked out of his room swiftly.“Alpha, are we going somewhere?” Caleb asked as he saw Ryland coming downstairs, his voice firm, but still worried, he has always tried to stay calm even under tense situations.“Yes, get the car ready,” Ryland replied sharply, his tone leaving no room for discussion. His strides spoke nothing but determination, thus making Caleb quicken his pace, as he bowed and left quickly.As soon as Caleb was out of sight, Serena showed up. The atmosphere felt cold the moment Ryland saw her, and suddenly his breath hitched. “Not again!” Ryland cursed inaudibly under his breath. He wasn't re
"Baby?" Serena mewed like a cat, her voice loud yet shaky. She waved her hand in front of his eyes to make sure the sleeping pills were effective. Slowly she got out of bed, rushed towards her bag, and they took out the layers of napkin while rubbing her sweaty hands against her lingerie.Serena pulled out the bottle Rodrigo had given her. She pierced it, and drew out the green colored liquid, cringing at the sight of it. "This looks concerning," she whispered to herself, staring at the syringe. Ryland made a sound and she froze in fear. Slowly she turned back to find him still asleep. "Goddess help me," she muttered, walking towards him with the poison in hand. She took his hands as she placed the syringe on his shoulder. Her heart pounded and just as she was about to inject the substance into him, his eyes peeled open. "What are you doing?" Ryland's voice came sharp and unexpected, making Serena freeze in shock. Her whole body trembled as she slowly stared to see a pair of glow
Serena sat in Ryland's room in dark purple lingerie. It had been so long since he had touched her and she found herself cringing at the thought. She sat on his bed passing a hand through her hair. Even though she hated to admit it, she was very nervous and anyone could see it with how sweaty she was. Letting out a groan, Serena went through her bag, pulling out her napkin. She dabbed her face and neck with it until she felt dry enough.Shoving the used napkin in the bag she took her phone staring at the text she had sent him. "Still no reply," she muttered, becoming impatient. She looked around his room trying to snoop for anything that could help Rodrigo, but found nothing; most of his drawers were either empty or locked. She let out a frustrated sigh, falling back on the bed. "Should I call?" She asked herself as she picked up her phone, but she thought against it and dropped it. A yawn left her lips and soon she fell asleep. The sound of the door being pushed open woke Serena u
Ryland stared at the elders in front of him. They had decided to meet up after Adam's death and this was one of the few times he had been free since then. Unfortunately, Adam's death still had no murderer tied to it. Even though he did play a vital role in the pack, a part of Ryland was happy he was dead. The plus side being that he didn't even have to do it. Ryland fought a yawn, staring straight ahead. He checked his wrist watch, mentally groaning when he found out that they had barely made it through half the time. The buzzing of his phone rang through the hall, and this made the elders halt in their discussion as they turned to stare at him. Some gave him bitter glares, but swallowed their words, not brave enough to say a word. Ryland apologized to them before picking his phone from the table. He had no intention of receiving the call, but seeing the contact name, he was shocked. Aaron?With that he got up, "You can go on without me," he said to the elder beside him, walking
"What are you doing?" Rodrigo yelled, taking hold of Hazel's arm. She glared at him, yanking it out of his grip. "I need to talk to you, and I'm tired of standing," she replied back, her chest heaving. Rodrigo studied her for a while. It was clear this had nothing to do with wanting to talk to him. She took a deep breath, and glanced at his door and his heart skipped a beat as he waited for her to try to push it open. But to his surprise, Hazel turned back to face him. "What's in there that you don't want me to see?" She asked, staring at him with squinted eyes.Rodrigo's eyes glared wide as he searched his brain for what to say. For some reason, lying to her felt difficult. "You know what? I don't even care," she snapped, turning away. Rodrigo stared at Hazel's retreating figure in confusion. Something about her seemed uneasy. Her eyes looked different from before and Rodrigo felt a chill run down his spine. "It's probably the baby," Leo muttered, and Rodrigo nodded in agreemen
"You what?" Serena yelled, and Rodrigo squeezed his eyes shut, and remained calm. "You want me to kill someone!!” she repeated in a frustrated tone. Rodrigo rolled his eyes at her childishness. "Yes, Serena. I want you to kill someone. You killed your uncle. This should be easier," he said, running a hand through his hair. The low growl on the other side of the phone told him that his words had gotten to her, but he had no sympathy to share. "Yea. He was my uncle, but he wasn't all that important. Ryland is an Alpha, and one of the strongest and richest at that. I'm going to get caught," she whispered. "Why the hell are you lecturing me? Do what I want you to do," Rodrigo yelled back. Images of him lying dead on the dirt road filled his mind, and it only made him more anxious. "Look, this is all you have to do. If you kill him no one stands in our way and you'll become my Luna," Rodrigo tried to convince her. "He really isn't in your way. He just wants his slut back," Serena mu
Rodrigo peeled his eyes open sitting up. He took a look at his surroundings, squinting his eyes. "Where am I?" He muttered to himself, trying to ignore the growing migraine. Slowly he stood on his feet and he could barely see.How did I get to this place? He took off his suit jacket and threw it. Rodrigo tried to find his way back to the pack, taking the normal route, but after walking for a few minutes it dawned on him that he was going in circles. The fog made it hard for him to see, and his patience began wearing thin. He stuffed his hands into his pocket in search of his phone, but found nothing. "Shu! Am I lost, or what?" He muttered, running his hand down his face as if clearing his views well.A low growl resounded in the air and Rodrigo paused, scanning around him. A sense of deja vu hit him, but he had no idea why. "Who's there?" He asked, his voice loud and firm, but no response came. "I can hear you; whoever you are, you had better come out before it's too late," he or
Hazel turned to see Aaron standing a few paces in front of her. She could barely make out his face in the dim light, but his eyes shone brightly. "What are you looking for?" Aaron asked Hazel, stepping closer. "You were banned from stepping out." “I am quite aware of my situation. Thank you,"Hazel retorted, anger evident in her tone because of his words. She needed him to talk to Ryland not to tell her what she already knew. "Yea, you're right. I'm sorry,” Aaron apologized, his head slightly bowed at the same time. They stared at each other for a while before Hazel looked away trying to remember why she was there. "Yes-" Hazel tried to say something, but was cut off. "I've got something for you," Aaron said, staring at Hazel. "It seems you were about to say something," he pointed out, but Hazel shook her head wanting to hear what he had to say. "Are you sure?" He asked and she nodded "Alright. Ehm, Alpha Ryland asked me to give you something," he said and her eyes lit up. "O
Hazel sat on her bed, a book in hand. Her fingers dug into the pages, her mind far away. She thought of Ryland, it had been more than a week since Rodrigo found about the burner phone and she had not heard a word from him. She tried everything to see Aaron, but it turned out to be harder than she thought. A loud sigh left her lips. Just then Maria poked her head through the door. "Don't you know how to knock?" Hazel hissed, feigning annoyance. "Well, if you want privacy, lock the door. Luna!" Maria shot back, calling her Luna like it was the biggest insult. "Why are you here?" She asked, placing the book by her side. "If you look outside you'd see that it's past sunset. That means it is dinner time," Maria said, slamming the door before Hazel could reply. A bitter chuckle left Hazel's lips, but she got up and walked out of her room.Hazel dreaded the idea of having to spend time with Rodrigo. In the past few days, they had eaten together, and even though he barely said a word bec
Rodrigo stared at Hazel, his gaze strong. His lips stretched into a cold grin as he got up to walk away. He could feel her eyes on him, but he moved on without turning back. He walked towards his office ignoring the terrified glances his workers gave him. Pushing his door open he sat, and grabbing a bottle of whiskey on his desk, he settled himself, chugging it down at once. Seeing that one cup could not quench the anger boiling inside, he filled another cup and was about to drink from it when his phone buzzed. With annoyance, Rodrigo placed the cup on the table and fished his phone out. Serena's name popped up and he rolled his eyes, memories of their last call sinking in. He casually let the phone sit on the table while he sipped his drink, but Serena did not back down as her calls kept coming. Frustrated, Rodrigo picked the phone, holding it against his ear. "What is it?" He yelled, clutching the phone so tight that it felt like it was going to break. "Seriously you need to w