DARIUS“Alpha, she is not in her room,” the guard said, his voice shaking as if he knew how much trouble this news would bring him.I set my glass of whiskey down, my fingers tightening around it until I thought it might shatter. “What do you mean, she's not in her room?” I growled.“No one has seen her, Alpha,” he stammered. “We’ve checked the immediate quarters. She’s… gone.”For a moment, I just stared at him, my mind working overtime to process what he’d just said. Gone? How the hell had she managed to pull that off?“Get the rest of the guards,” I ordered, my voice cold and clipped. “Search the estate. Every hallway, every damn corner. Don’t come back to me unless you’ve found her.”He nodded quickly and practically sprinted out of the room like his life depends on it—which, honestly, it might. I was left alone with my thoughts.Fifteen minutes later, the same guard came back with a group of others. Their faces were pale, and they looked like they’d rather be anywhere but here.
EMMELINEI woke up to the softest thing I’d ever felt beneath me. It wasn’t the hard, scratchy mattress in my room. No, this was something entirely different—softer, warmer.My eyes snapped open, and I sat up, gasping.The room around me was massive, decorated in dark tones with sleek furniture and thick curtains. It carried a faint scent of cedar mixed with something… something undeniably masculine.Oh no.I was in Darius’ room.I started to panic, and it got even worse when I noticed something strange—my clothes had been changed. The ripped dress I had been wearing was gone. Instead, I was in a loose, clean shirt and soft pants. My heart raced as I tried to figure out who could have done it and when.What the hell?Did he…?Before my thoughts could completely spiral out of control, the door creaked open.And there he was.Darius.He walked in with a calmness that sent a chill down my spine—it was the kind of calm that made you feel like he was ten steps ahead. Behind him, two maids
DARIUSDawson kept talking about trade deals, alliances, and some shipment plans, but I wasn’t paying attention. I sat in my chair, staring at the papers on my desk without really seeing them. Every now and then, I’d nod like I was following along, but honestly, I wasn’t. My head was somewhere else entirely.It was on her.Molly.The girl who had tried to kill me twice. The girl who somehow survived things most people wouldn’t. And now, she was here—alive, bold as ever, and still looking at me like she wanted me dead."Alpha?" Dawson’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts."What?" I blinked, realizing I had no idea what he’d just said.He frowned. "I was asking if you wanted to approve the shipment for the southern border.""Yeah, sure. Do whatever you think is best," I muttered, waving him off.He raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong? You seem... distracted."I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "I’m deliberating on something. I think it's best if you come back later."Dawson paused
EMMELINEI stood outside the grand door of the new overly spacious room Darius had just shown me. His excitement was almost like that of a child, like he expected me to leap for joy or shower him with gratitude. I wasn’t about to do either.I couldn’t help but wonder what on earth was wrong with him.First, he saved me.Then, he had the audacity to try and kiss me.Oh, the kiss.How had I not stepped back? How had I stood there, frozen, letting the moment linger far longer than it should have?I’d sworn to myself that I would never let it happen again. Never.And yet, if we hadn’t been interrupted yesterday, I might have kissed him back.My heart clenched at the thought, and I frowned.Maybe it wasn’t him.Maybe I was the problem.“This is your new room,” he said, smiling like he’d done something extraordinary. His hands were tucked in his pockets, and his tone was so smug it made my skin crawl. “Take a look. I’m sure you’ll love it.”Love it? That word didn’t exist in my vocabulary w
EMMELINEI wiped my face with the back of my hand. My eyes were puffy, my throat sore from crying. Hours had passed since the mess in the garden, but the tightness in my chest hadn’t let up. I hated this place. I hated Darius. And I hated myself for being here.But damn, I was starving.I should go check the kitchen for some snacks. It was almost midnight.Grumbling, I slipped out of my room. The Estate was dead quiet, the kind of silence that would make your footsteps sound like thunder. I crept toward the kitchen, hugging the walls like some thief in the night.When I got to the door, I heard voices.“Have you noticed how strange the Alpha’s been acting lately?” one voice whispered.“Oh, absolutely. That girl must’ve done something to him,” another replied. “She’s not just some regular slave. She’s probably a witch and must have charmed him.”My blood boiled instantly. A witch? Really?“Think about it,” the first woman said, her voice dripping with disdain. “Why else would he give h
EMMELINEThe clinking of forks and knives against plates was the only sound in the room. I sat across from Darius at the long dining table, picking at the eggs on my plate. The silence was suffocating, the kind that wrapped around your throat and squeezed the air out of you.Darius sat with perfect posture, his piercing gaze locked on his food. He hadn’t said a word since I walked in. It was like we were strangers, but after everything that had happened last night, I couldn’t just ignore him.I stabbed a piece of sausage, chewed, and swallowed. Then, finally, I dared to look at him.He was already staring at me.My breath hitched, and I quickly looked away, focusing on the plate like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.I couldn’t take it anymore. “Why did you give me a special room?”His eyes narrowed slightly. He leaned back in his chair, his fork resting on the edge of his plate. “Because you asked for it.”“That’s not my real question,” I blurted out, my voice sharper t
EMMELINEMy legs felt heavy as I made my way to Darius’ meeting room. His guards had told me he wanted to see me, and the whole time I walked there, I couldn’t stop wondering why.Was it to apologize for what happened last night? An apology? Did I even need one?My head had been a mess all day. I kept replaying everything in my mind, trying to figure out what went wrong. Was it because I touched that strange mark on his chest? What was that mark, anyway?I let out a frustrated sigh. If he wanted to apologize, why wait until nighttime to call me? Why not come to me in the morning, like any normal person would? It didn’t make sense, and the more I thought about it, the more irritated I felt.When I reached the door, it was open just enough for me to see him inside. Darius stood near a massive wooden table, leaning forward with his hands braced on the surface, his head slightly bowed. He looked… distracted.I walked in quietly, and the moment Darius noticed me, he straightened up. His ey
DariusThey found out so easily.The thought wouldn’t leave my head. How the hell did they find out so fast? How could the news have traveled this quickly, and why was it so damn easy for them to trace her? I paced back and forth, my mind racing with possibilities, each one worse than the last. I felt like I was suffocating.One of the Alphas, Crock—the same one who had always been the most eager for blood—spoke up. “What do you plan to do now, Darius? It’s important that the girl dies. We can’t have this turning into a mess.”I didn’t have the patience for this. I clenched my fists. “Once she’s caught, I’ll kill her myself,” I said, trying to sound calm, like I had control of the situation. But inside, my blood was boiling. They couldn’t know about her. They couldn’t.Crock nodded, the smallest hint of approval in his eyes. “Good. We’ll handle the trackers. They’re already on her trail. Three of our best are on the job as we speak.”I ran a hand through my hair, trying to keep my com
DARIUSA sharp knock at the door interrupted the quiet hum of my thoughts. “Come in,” I called out, my voice a little rougher than usual.I had been staring at the same patterns on the bedsheets for over an hour, the swirls and shapes slowly losing their meaning. No matter how much I tried to focus, my thoughts kept wandering. The soft sheets felt heavy, almost like they were holding me down, trapping me in a silence I couldn’t break.My mind was elsewhere, replaying the scene with Emmeline earlier. Her hurt, her anger...The door opened, and Lydia stepped in. She was wearing a thick, plush robe, the kind usually reserved for after a bath. It struck me as odd. Even odder was the heavy makeup she’d applied – her lips were a vibrant, almost aggressive red.What the hell was she playing at?She bent her knees and bowed slightly, her eyes fixed on the floor. “I’ve come to serve you, Alpha Darius.”My eyebrows shot up. “Serve me?” I echoed, a knot of unease tightening in my stomach.The
EMMELINEI let out a slow breath as I poured water over the bed of roses, watching the droplets slide off the petals. The garden was supposed to be peaceful. A place to clear my mind. But my thoughts are tangled in knots, frustration bubbling under my skin like a volcano about to erupt.Darius has a mistress.Not just any mistress. A mistress he forgot to mention.I gripped the watering can tighter, trying to focus on anything except the burning anger in my chest. Of course, he didn’t tell me. Why would he? That would require a level of honesty I should have never expected from him in the first place.And the maids… oh, the maids knew. That much was clear from their judgmental little stares and whispered conversations. I had walked into that house thinking I was just dealing with Darius. Turns out, I was walking straight into a pit of fucking vipers.I took a deep breath, forcing my hands to steady.I knew something was off when i first arrived. The maids wouldn’t meet my eyes. They w
DARIUSThe knock on my door came just as I took my first sip of coffee.I exhaled slowly, already bracing myself for whatever nonsense is about to unfold. “Come in.”The door creaked open, and the moment I saw Lydia stepped inside, I suppressed the urge to groan.Ah. Right. Lydia.In the heat of everything, I had completely forgotten about her.She had gone home to visit her sick brother, and I hadn’t thought about her once since she left. Now, she was back, standing in front of me with her arms folded over her chest, her expression tight.She bowed stiffly. “Alpha.”I took another sip of my coffee and leaned back. “What do you want, Lydia?”She sniffled. Then, without warning, her eyes welled up with tears.“I thought… I thought you would miss me.” Her voice wobbled, and she blinked rapidly as if forcing herself to look pitiful. “I thought—”I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I hate tears. Especially the pathetic kind.“Get to the point,” I said flatly.She swallowed, then straight
EmmelineThe ride back was silent. Too silent.Morning light spilled through the car windows, casting soft shadows over Darius’s face, but I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t.Not after what I’d heard at the ball.He had a mistress. An official mistress.Not just some random woman—a chosen mistress, selected by the pack's council.And yet, I’d never heard of her. Not once. No mention, no rumors, not even a passing comment.Why?What happened to her?Is she still around? Did she fall down a well? Spontaneously combust from the sheer drama of it all?I wanted to ask. To demand answers. To rip them out of him if I had to.But I didn’t. It wasn’t the right time. My body was exhausted, my mind too drained to argue. What was the point? Another fight? I’d save my energy. For now.So I sat there, staring out the window, pretending I wasn’t screaming inside.Darius didn’t say a word either. Soon, we arrived back at the estate.The moment we stepped out of the car, the crisp morning air hitting m
EMMELINEMy hand clung to Darius’s arm like a lifeline as we entered the grand hall, my fingers digging into the fabric of his sleeve. This was a mistake.My eyes darted around the room, taking in the sheer number of people. Powerful people. And holy moly, the women! So many of them, all dolled up and radiating an aura of confidence that made me feel like a stray kitten in a dog show.Then, across the room, The Alpha of the Greyfield Pack spotted us. And instead of waiting for Darius to approach, the man rushed toward us.Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?“Darius,” he greeted, a wide grin on his face as he extended a hand.Darius clasped it firmly, nodding. “Alpha Gregor.”“I didn’t think you would make it!” Gregor boomed, shaking Darius’s hand excitedly. “Thank you for coming.” Darius gave him a nod and a curt, “It’s good to see you again Gregor,” he said, smiling. Gregor’s eyes immediately flicked to me, curiosity flashing in them.“And who is this beauty?”“Oh!” The
EMMELINEWaking up tangled in Darius’s arms was… well, it was new and kind of awkward. My first thought was to hide under the blankets, like I could just vanish or something. Goddess, I was being such a dork.“What are you doing?” Darius chuckled sleepily.“Nothing,” I mumbled into the pillow. “Just… admiring the blanket.”He scoffed. “You’re weird.”I peeked out at him, my cheeks burning. “I’m shy, okay? Cut me some slack.”He just grinned, pulling me closer. “Shy? After last night?” He raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes.I smacked his chest playfully. “Shut up.” Just then, the door opened and a couple of maids came in carrying trays stacked with food. The smell of tea and several other dishes made my stomach rumble. We ate in comfortable silence, the awkwardness from earlier slowly dissipating. But deep down, my mind was racing. Now that I knew the truth, now that I had Darius by my side, there was only one thing on my mind: revenge.“I want to make them pay, Dariu
EMMELINEMy mind was racing wildly. Dead. The trackers were dead. Murdered. Just like that. I sat on Darius’s bed, picking at a loose thread on the duvet. I tried to convince myself that Darius had nothing to do with it and it was all just a big coincidence. But if he didn't, who could have done it? And why?The door creaked open and Darius walked in. His eyes turned dark and stormy the second they landed on me."Were you listening?" he asked.I hesitated for a second, but my guilt churned in my stomach. "Yeah," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.He sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair. "Molly, that's dangerous. What if someone saw you?"I leaned forward. "I can handle myself, Darius."He just shook his head and walked over to a cabinet, pulling out a bottle of wine and a glass. He poured himself a generous amount, the red liquid swirling in the glass. He took a long swig, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Did you kill them?" The question burst out of me be
EmmelineDinner was surprisingly… normal.Well, as normal as it could get when you were sitting across from a man who might have murdered your family.Darius and I ate without saying a word, the only sound coming from our silverware scraping against the plates. He looked completely at ease, focused on his meal, while my thoughts were all over the place. By now, I should have been used to sitting across from him, but something about tonight felt… off.Something didn’t sit right with me. It was like the air around us was heavy and charged with something unseen, as if something was about to happen but hadn’t yet. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I was just overthinking. Maybe I was being paranoid. Or maybe—A knock at the door made me jump.Darius, however, didn’t even flinch. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, taking his damn time before speaking. “Come in.”The door opened, and a guard stepped inside, bowing his head slightly. “Alpha, you have visitors. Alpha Crock, Alpha Matthias, and Alpha
EmmelineI’d been trying to keep my mind blank as I watered the flowers, but it wasn’t working. It never worked. My thoughts always wandered back to him, no matter how much I didn’t want them to.I was crouched over a cluster of daisies, the watering can dangling loosely in my hand, when I heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Two maids rushed past me, their chatter breaking the stillness of the garden.“Alpha Darius is back,” one of them said, her voice laced with both relief and excitement.I froze, the watering can slipping from my fingers and splashing water onto the soil. I picked it up almost immediately. He was back? My pulse quickened, but I couldn’t tell if it was from anger, nerves, or something else entirely.I stood there for a moment, staring at the flowers as if they could give me answers. Why the hell did I care that he was back? I set the can down, my heart pounding for reasons I didn’t want to examine. I told myself I was only curious—no, annoyed. That’s all. But bef