Lynn almost knocked me off my feet with her hug. She stepped back like she was the bigger sister to inspect my physical state. Her eyes were swollen, and the tip of her nose was red. Alarm bells went off in my head as I pulled her in for a tighter hug.
“It’s not as bad as it looks. But I’m fine,” Lynn murmured into my chest.
Waylen said it wasn’t that bad, but her face and reaction revealed otherwise. I broke the hug first, my smile jittery as I wiped the under of her eyes. I was her big sis, and big sisters didn’t cry in front of their baby sisters, but tears clung to my eyelashes. If anything happened to her or our mom…
An arm snuck around my waist, stopping the thought in its track. The familiar scent of Malik’s cologne tickled my nostrils. The urge to turn around and hug him tight while he comforted me was intense. But Lynn was here. And as far as she knew, Waylen was my one and only boyfriend.
“Who are you?”
WAYLENI made sure Beth was out of earshot before shoving the bastard in front of me. He staggered but quickly regained his footing. His confidence annoyed me. Only a few days in Beth’s life and he had ruined the perfect dynamics I struggled so hard to build. “You had to come after my mate. Is that how it is now?” I spat out. Malik adjusted his jacket. Dude didn’t understand the meaning of casual outing. What was it about him that made Beth smile so much? Made her act so in love? “She’s mine as well,” he replied. Wrong answer. I smoothed the front of my shirt. Today was another day for me to be grateful for those history classes Father forced on me. “Not unless I say so, and I’m not one to share.” Our eyes held, but Malik remained composed. He had nothing more to say to me. Quickly scanning the lot for any uninvited guests, I poked his shoulder. “I know what the council did to my father.” “He broke the rules.” “And here you ar
WAYLEN I grabbed her wrists before her hands connected to my chest in a second punch. My lips captured hers in a bruising, demanding kiss. “My emotions got the best of me, baby,” I admitted. Having an animalistic side meant behaving like a fucking fool sometimes. A moron. Beth’s eyes softened, but she didn’t return to touching me. I craved her touch, her essence. “Malik is delusional to think he can fuck you. Ignore him. I’m sure he has a guest room. You’ll stay there, Beth.” “Ezra, I’m attracted to Malik. I can’t help it.” I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear any more of this nonsense, but she palmed my cheeks. It was impossible to resist her when she had me in this hold. Fuck the mate bond. “I know what you are, Ezra. I know why you love me so much. I know why your eyes change colors. I know why my body and heart react like it does to you, even when I’m pissed and want to hate you. I know why you’re so possessive and intent on protecting me an
Malik hasn’t said a word since I entered his car. I tried not to show my discomfort as the silence grew. Waylen had left with Lynn. Telling her about the change of plans had been tough. I still wasn’t convinced by their explanation of us staying apart, but I wasn’t about to jeopardize my family’s safety because of my uncertainties.The car glided down the quiet streets. Malik lived in a massive estate I never got to inspect the first time. There were other houses around, but the place was so isolated from the rest of the city. I didn’t know places like this existed in Indiana.What did I even know at this point?I rested my head against the window, eyes fluttering as I battled sleep. As the car reduced speed, I sat up. Compared to other houses surrounding the white duplex, Malik’s house looked small. It could be because he lived alone. Plus, there were enough rooms there.Unlike when we left, Malik did
MALIKBreakfast was almost ready when Elizabeth entered the kitchen. I struggled to keep calm as I recalled last night’s events. She was asleep when I snuck out of her room early this morning. I had to admit I could only sleep with her in the room. I flipped the pancakes, my body reacting to her presence. Elizabeth was dressed. She wore a pencil dress and block heels, adding an inch or two to her height. Yet, her head only came up to my shoulder. I said nothing as she skipped to the sink for a glass of water. Since she was here, I dished the pancake into two plates and placed hers on the same spot we ate dinner. She hadn’t said a word to me yet, only stared out the window with the glass in her hand. I chose to break the quiet. “Good morning, Elizabeth.” Her eyes flitted in my direction for a second. “Sleep well?” No response except for the loud sip from her cup. I massaged the back of my head and offered her a thin smile. This was not good.
MALIKA knock on the door alerted me of my mate’s presence before she entered my home office. Elizabeth smiled, and my lips automatically copied the gesture. I reclined on the wall, drinking her in as she bridged the gap. She was still in the dress from this morning but minus the shoes, and the sight did silly things to me. I was trying to be careful. The full moon was almost here. My mood swings were growing worse. I mustn’t do anything silly to tip the balance. But my wolf didn’t care about the rules. If Otis got a chance to have Elizabeth naked underneath him with his cock buried in her pussy, he would take it. Not like I wouldn’t appreciate that, but it wasn’t the right time. He was far too emotionally and sexually starved to listen to my bullshit about waiting for Waylen’s acceptance, so I had to hold on tighter to the control gradually slipping from my palms. “Hey,” Elizabeth said. Elizabeth hadn’t wiped her makeup of only lipgloss,
MALIK“Is that it?” Governor Kane asked. He skipped to the last page of the file I dropped on his table when I entered and flung it across the wall. The staple pin holding the sheets together was the only reason they didn’t scatter on the floor. I clenched my fists at the small of my back as he stood, his fingers denting the leather of his desk. “You took a month to prepare that preposterous crap! Arrant nonsense.”A lock of blond hair fell to his forehead, and he slapped it back in place. He pinned me with an icy, disappointing stare. His chest heaved, and he tugged his tie loose.“Otis, Otis, what’s going on?”“I prepared the report—”“Uh uh. No. That was not a report.” He pushed back his chair and made his way to the connected bar. After pouring himself a glass of scotch, he returned to his desk and sat. Minutes passed as he sipped his drink and nodded to him
MALIK“What?”“Her.” He stabbed the picture on his desk. It was of a human. My phone beeped with a message containing her address. She had no name but a number. No surprise. She was just a subject among many I had killed and would continue to do so in the future. Guilt tasted bitter, and I almost threw up on myself. “She was at the party, and last night, she was spotted leaving the hospital. Guess why?”“Why?”“For a pregnancy test, Malik.”Great.“We cannot kill a pregnant human.”“The good news is, she’s not pregnant. I know the rules, Son. But she might be lucky next time, and we wouldn’t want that, right?” he asked. His finger dragged across the folder on his desk. I could only see one picture from the bunch, but I suspected all of them to be the guests at Waylen’s party. “Do it tonight.&rd
Life as Malik’s assistant was easier. Having been without an assistant for long, Malik was more organized and involved. He had already emailed me a list before we arrived at the office complex. We didn’t share an office but were on the same block, separated by a door and a not-so-narrow hallway. I could go in whenever I wanted. Plus, I had a telephone on my desk to receive calls from or for him. The other good thing was the coffee maker. Beside it was a table with a tray of sweets. I was overindulging myself with sweet treats, but how could I say no when it was right there?My phone buzzed on the table, and I automatically glanced at Malik’s door. I hated that we couldn’t see each other but also loved it. It increased the suspense as much as it frustrated me. While my office had a glass wall on one side to make it easy for my boss or passers-by to spy on me and vice versa, his was fully made of concrete. The man loved his privacy. I picked up the phone
Hi everyone! I finally got a title for book three, and it is: LUNA TO THE ALPHAS. The story starts immediately after Beth blacks out, and no, it won't be continued here on Goodnovel. To know what happens with Beth, you can become an explorer or enthusiast at Maraville. Since I've been getting a few questions about joining, I decided to answer them here for new and old readers. Q: How can I become part of the Maraville? A: Since Goodnovel won't allow me to post línks within chapters, the best place to find details about the Maraville community is on my Instâgram (maramartha.author) or Facébook page (Maramartha). Q: Do you need to pay per chapter? A: No. You pay once a month and that gives you access to everything I've written for that month. You also get to read other books in that tier. Q: What is Maraville? A: It's a community for my readers to connect and a place for me to share my works at a weekly rate with readers paying only once a month. Q: Why do I love Maraville more
The door shut after Malik, and I switched off the lights. Sleeping was futile. I tossed and turned until I fell into a fitful sleep. The following day, I was still cranky. I splashed water on my face and made my way into his room. He was seated on the bed. But I ignored him as I walked past to the bathroom to get the spare toothbrush. I finished brushing and returned to meet him in that same position. He looked exhausted. What was I even doing here in his room? I had a toothbrush in the guest room. I was supposed to be ignoring my mate, but worry gnawed at my chest. Folding my arms on my chest, I tapped my foot on the floor, and he slowly lifted his head to meet my gaze. Sad, gray eyes connected with mine. My insides tingled, but I scowled. “Are you okay?” I almost barked. “No.” His reply floored me. The softness of his voice made my arms drop to my sides. Did he transition at night? Except from the tiredness in his eyes, he looked okay. “C
No, no, no. This was not my Malik, even if they looked alike and my body liked him. One, he was acting weird and more aggressive. His eyes constantly flicked between green and gray like he was contesting with his wolf. My thighs throbbed, not only from being in his presence but because they had been forced open while his fingers assaulted my pussy. I needed him so badly that as he ignored my plea to stop and continued thrusting into my wetness, part of me wanted him to keep going until my orgasm. But I also needed to put my foot down. If I could punish Waylen, I could punish Malik too. “Malik,” I called out, my voice louder. My body reacted in all the ways it should, and he continued to use that to his advantage. “What?” he barked, an unusual chill in his voice. He retracted his fingers to suck them clean. His eyes were different colors. One gray, one green. I didn’t know who was in charge. “Wolf got your tongue? Can’t talk anymore?
MALIKThe weekend passed, and we were still not on talking terms. Elizabeth was back to the office. Except for passing vital information when necessary, she wouldn’t talk or look at me. I loved my mate, I needed her, but if she wasn’t sure how she felt about me anymore, maybe some space would be good for her. Staying in the guestroom hadn’t improved her mood. It was worse. I parked in the garage, and as usual, Elizabeth stepped out of the car without waiting for me to open her door. That didn’t bother me as much as knowing she would head into the guestroom and I wouldn’t see her until tomorrow morning. The council was a part of me. I had separated myself enough from them by refusing to be a part of the table. But I couldn’t cut ties with them. Not right now. Governor Kane raised me. I still reported to him. I followed after my mate without trying to make conversation. It was futile. Nothing I said would be good enough. After a quick shower, I turned
My head was reeling. I was baffled. He lied. Malik lied to me. I walked back to the guestroom door to be sure it was locked. God, I wanted to leave this place. But the only option was with Waylen. He would gloat. I fell back to the bed with a sob, my hands covering my face as I let it all out. Fumi could have died. What was the point? To endear himself to me? That was unlike him. Puffing out a breath, I kicked off my shoes and tucked myself in bed without changing out of my dress. I fell into a fitful sleep and woke up feeling even more awful. My eyes were bloodshot red. My mind and body were exhausted. I tried to forget the conversation from yesterday, but it rolled back in too slowly to be ignored. Slumping into the seat in front of the mirror, I patted my cheeks and forced a smile to my lips. Thinking that I still had to go to work today made me want to return to bed and cry myself to sleep again. I defended Malik against Waylen so many t
MALIKElizabeth and Waylen looked perfect with her seated on his lap. I was almost hesitant to call their attention to me, but it only took a few seconds for Waylen to notice me. My hand raised in a wave that never happened. There was something different about him, not anything callous but relaxing. I slipped onto the couch opposite them as Elizabeth smiled. I knew how to tackle angry Waylen, but this version was something else. Scary. “Malik,” Elizabeth said. I noticed his arm on her waist. Instead of creating any more awkwardness by having her come to hug or kiss me, I stretched out my hand to her, and she placed hers over it. I dropped a kiss on her knuckles, and she chuckled. She was happy, the happiest I had seen her in a while. I couldn’t say if Waylen saw it, but this was what I meant when I always said, her happiness depended on both of us. “Did you have any trouble locating the place?” “No. It was pretty easy, love.” Waylen was
WAYLENI thought my day was good when I received an early morning nude from Beth. But it had only gotten better. A sleeping Beth snuggled in my arms while I worked was better than a picture of her naked body. Her chest rose and fell with each breath. It hadn’t taken too long for her to fall asleep after her release. I kissed my mate’s hair, smiling as my fingers worked on the laptop. Kane didn’t have any more people to kill from my end. Beth was safe. Alice and Evelyn were also in safe hands. The only unresolved issue was my relationship with Malik. I agreed to the meeting for Beth’s sake. She had been so generous with those pictures, but above that was the exhaustion. I was tired of our constant fights. Kane hadn’t provided the evidence yet. But until he did, I could pretend to tolerate Malik. A whimper from my mate made my fingers halt. Beth stirred but didn’t make any other move. I finished typing out the letter and closed the file. We needed replac
Today was a good day to reach out to Waylen again. I had learned that a nude was the fastest way to get a reply from him, so I went into the bathroom to get two pictures of me before texting him. Malik had left for work already. I would join him later. If I got Waylen to meet me, then Malik would be joining us at the venue. The time for games was over. They needed to talk so we could find a permanent solution to the council and prevent another painful rut for Malik. I also wanted my freedom and independence, that of my sister and mom too. They couldn’t go anywhere without someone watching. It was an exhausting life for all of us involved. Waylen hadn’t replied yet. The message hadn’t been read, so I figured he was busy. I smeared my lipstick with my index finger, covering every inch of my lips with red. My dress was knee-length and easily accessible. Hopefully, I could get a real dick today. If not Malik’s, then Waylen’s. My phone rang as I finished with my m
WAYLENThe lines on the paper blurred the longer I stared. I tapped the tip of my pen to the sheet, creating a bigger dot on the same spot. Firing Beth or having her quit had to be at the top of the most stupid things I had done in my life. I yanked my tie, loosening it as I kicked my legs out. I hadn’t gotten a new assistant and probably wouldn’t until she returned to work. I rechecked my phone to see if she had sent another picture of her boobs. When she sent that one on Friday, I had gone into the nearest bathroom to check for her. My forgiveness couldn’t be earned so quickly, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t have fun while at it. The only genuine apology she owed me was for always throwing Malik in my face, putting me second when I should be first. I was her first mate, the one who decided how things would go with her and Malik. Thoughts of Beth took a backseat as I stared at my desk. I bunched the paper and tossed it in the trash can by the door. My finger