Jaselyn's POV
I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat, primal and raw, as my body was wracked with fresh pain. The noise was shrill and broken, a desperate wail that echoed off the walls and filled the room with a suffocating tension. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest as Zane shook me, his grip bruising my shoulders, jerking me back and forth like a rag doll. My head snapped back, my neck straining painfully, and my vision blurred with tears, making everything around me swim in a dizzying haze.
It felt like my insides were being ripped apart, my body rebelling against the assault, every nerve on fire. My belly clenched violently, and a new wave of terror crashed over me. I could barely breathe, each gasp of air a jagged knife to my lungs. My limbs flailed weakly, trying to push him away, to make him stop, but I was too exhausted, too broken to fight back. I felt like I was drowning, suffocating under the weight of my own pain and fear, my hea
Jaselyn's POVI jolted awake, my heart pounding in my chest like a wild animal trying to escape its cage. For a split second, I thought I was still in that icy bathtub, the cold water dragging me under. I gasped for air, my lungs burning as if they’d been starved of oxygen for hours. My eyes flew open, darting around frantically, trying to make sense of my surroundings.A woman with a kind smile leaned over me, her eyes soft and calm, and I felt my panic begin to subside. “It’s okay, Jaselyn,” she said gently, her voice soothing. “You’re safe now. Just take deep breaths for me, alright?”I blinked, my vision cleared, and realized she was wearing a white coat, a stethoscope hanging around her neck. A doctor. Relief washed over me, mingling with the remnants of my fear. I wasn’t in the bathtub anymore—I was back in the bedroom, the very same bed where Zane had violated me. The sheets had been change
Rion's POVI was in shambles. Two days. Two agonizing days had passed since Jaselyn had disappeared without a trace. Two days since I last felt her presence in my life, like a light suddenly snuffed out.The emptiness in our bond was unbearable, a void that stretched endlessly inside me, making every breath feel like a stab in the dark. There was no more gentle warmth of her thoughts, no comforting whisper of her feelings brushing against mine.The connection that had once been our lifeline, a constant, unbreakable thread between us, was severed, cut clean by a force I couldn’t comprehend. It felt as if a piece of my soul had been torn away, leaving a gaping wound that throbbed with every heartbeat.I couldn’t make sense of it. Our bond wasn’t just faint or fading; it was mutilated, tampered with by someone with the power to rip it apart. Someone who had to be behind her disappearance.My mind kept circling
Rion's POVIt was a gut-wrenching feeling, like my soul was being yanked out of my body. Her fear hit me like a tidal wave, crashing over me, filling me with a dread so intense it left me breathless.Before Erik could even speak, I was already running for the car, desperate to reach her. My heart was pounding in my chest, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts, all centered on getting to her, protecting her. But then, just as suddenly, it stopped. The bond went silent, like a radio switching off. There were no more feelings, no more words, no warmth. Just… nothing.I drove as fast as I could, following the last trace of our bond, my hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. But when I got to the market, she was gone. Completely gone. I called her name, my voice hoarse with desperation, but there was no answer. The market was empty, eerily quiet, as if it too had been swallowed by the darkness that now filled my he
Rion's POV“All I care about is finding her,” I snapped, my voice cracking with exhaustion and desperation. My hands were shaking, my body barely holding it together. I felt like I was unraveling, piece by piece, my sanity fraying at the edges. I couldn’t let myself rest, not when she was out there somewhere, possibly hurt, possibly worse. The thought of her suffering alone was a knife twisting in my gut. “I can’t just sit around and do nothing while she’s out there. I need to be out there, looking for her. She needs me.”Rafayel’s eyes softened, and he stepped closer, his hand squeezing my shoulder. “I know, Alpha,” he said, his voice dropping to a soothing tone. “I know how much she means to you. But you can’t find her if you fall apart. You’re pushing yourself too hard, and it’s not helping anyone. Just rest for an hour. Please.”I stared at him, the fight draining
Jaselyn's POVZane's words hung in the air, heavy and impossible. I stared at him, my heart hammering in my chest. Our son is alive? It couldn’t be true. It had to be another one of Zane’s twisted games, another way to manipulate me and mess with my mind.I’d held Celio's tiny, lifeless body in my arms after his birth. I remembered the weight of him, the way his little fingers were curled as if grasping for something he would never hold. My heart had shattered into a million pieces that day."You’re lying," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I don’t believe you. You’re just trying to play with me again."Zane sighed, as if he had expected this reaction. "I’m not surprised you don’t believe me," he said calmly. "It was difficult for me to believe at first, too. But I have proof."He stood up and walked over to a drawer, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he wanted me to see every s
Jaselyn's POVPanic surged through me, my heart racing in my chest. I knew if I said no outright, he’d just take what he wanted, like he did before. My body and my unborn children wouldn’t be able to handle another brutal assault. I had to find a way to protect myself, to protect my babies.I forced myself to breathe, to stay calm. “Zane,” I began softly, my voice barely above a whisper, “the doctor said I shouldn’t undergo any stress at all, including physical stress. My body is still healing. I have a tear… down there. If we do it, it will hurt me a lot. I might start bleeding again, and it won’t be pleasant for you either.”I watched his face carefully, praying he would understand. I could see the wheels turning in his head, his expression shifting from desire to consideration. He didn’t release his grip on me, but I could feel his muscles relax slightly.After a moment, he let ou
Jaselyn's POVZane leaned back, a contented sigh escaping his lips. “You did well, Jaselyn,” he said, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. “See? It’s not so bad when you do what you’re told.”I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. My mouth felt numb, my throat raw, but I forced myself to keep it together. I couldn’t break now. I couldn’t give him the satisfaction.He zipped up his pants and lay down beside me, pulling me close to his chest. “Get some sleep,” he murmured, his voice soft and deceptively gentle. “We have a lot to plan for tomorrow.”I closed my eyes, my body going still, pretending to relax against him. I could feel his gaze on me, watching me closely, and I knew I had to play the part. I forced my breathing to slow, letting my body go limp, as if I were drifting off to sleep.Minutes ticked by, each one an eternity as I waited, listening to the
Jaselyn's POVPure, unadulterated fear gripped me as I met Zane’s eyes. I could see the murderous intent in his gaze, like a predator closing in on its prey. His eyes were dark and hungry, and I felt like a gazelle cornered by a ravenous wolf. My breath came in short, ragged gasps as my body shook uncontrollably. The gun in my hand wavered, almost slipping from my grasp. I couldn’t keep my fingers steady, no matter how hard I tried. My instincts screamed at me to flee, but there was nowhere to go.Zane’s lips curled into a smirk as he watched me tremble. He didn’t even seem to care that I had a gun in my hand. He remained seated on the bed, his eyes locked on mine, confident, knowing. He was so sure I wouldn’t pull the trigger. “Give me the gun, Jaselyn,” he commanded, his voice low and threatening. “Hand it over, or there will be consequences.”The words sent a chill down my spine. Images of my brutal
Celio's POV The wooden floor creaked under my knees as I scrubbed away at the dirt, pushing the rag back and forth with all the strength my small, 8 year old body could muster. The chill of the mountain wind seeped through the cracks in the old walls, biting at my skin. My hands were raw and red, the rough texture of the rag scraping against my knuckles. I didn’t mind. I didn’t mind the pain, the hunger gnawing at my stomach, or the loneliness that pressed on me like an iron weight. I was used to it.I glanced out the cracked window at the gray sky that mirrored my feelings. The little shack we lived in sat at the base of the mountain, far away from any Pack. Isla had always told me that it was better this way—away from the people who would look at me and know that I wasn’t wanted, that I was abandoned by the very woman who should have loved me most.“Your mother didn’t want you, Celio,” Isla would say, her voice sharp and filled with disdain. “She threw you away like you were nothing
Luka's POV The day started out like any other. Mika, Sawyer, and I were playing in the woods behind the palace, chasing each other through the trees, our laughter echoing in the air. At seven years old, we were pretending to be fierce wolves on a hunt, leaping over fallen logs and dodging branches. It was perfect, like it always was when we were together.But then everything changed in an instant.I heard the thud first—a sound so sharp and heavy that it made my heart skip a beat. I stopped and turned around, the world seeming to move in slow motion as I saw Mika crumple to the ground, his face twisted in pain.“Mika!” I shouted, racing back to him. The sight that met me made my stomach lurch. His leg was twisted at an odd angle, and there was blood—so much blood—pouring out of a long, deep gash along his shin. It covered the grass, bright and red, and kept coming. I couldn’t breathe.Sawyer came running up, her eyes huge and frightened as she saw the blood. “Luka, what happened?” sh
Jaselyn's POV I took his hand, and he pulled me close, holding me from behind as we swayed gently to the music. His lips brushed my ear as he whispered, “You’re beautiful, you know that? Even after everything, you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. And I’m the luckiest man alive to have you.”Tears pricked my eyes, but they weren’t tears of sadness this time. They were tears of happiness, of gratitude. “Rion… you don’t know how much that means to me.”He kissed my neck softly. “You mean everything to me, Jas.”Suddenly, the music stopped, and a projector flickered on. I turned to see a slideshow of pictures—our memories together. Photos of us when we first arrived at the Pack, a few of the whole family, some from the day of our mating ceremony, which also doubled with the coronation, pictures of us as Alpha and Luna at a few events, including one of us at the Peace Ball. Pictures of me with the twins when they were born and finally, pictures of us with Luka and Mika. I
Jaselyn’s POVExhausted didn’t even begin to cover how I felt. I was beyond it. No, it was more like EXHAUSTED in capital letters, underlined and bold. It had been a few days since Luka and Mika were born, and though I’d prepared myself for the sleepless nights and constant feeding, nothing could have readied me for the complete overwhelm of being a new mother to two newborns at the same time. Rion helped as much as he could. He was always there, doing everything in his power to make things easier for me. But there was only so much even he could do. There were things I had to handle myself—breastfeeding, comforting them when they both decided to cry at the same time, managing the constant pain in my body that hadn’t fully recovered from the trauma of childbirth.Luka was a good feeder. He latched on almost immediately, eager to nurse, but Mika wasn’t doing as well. He struggled with breastfeeding, and that meant more time spent trying to get him to eat, more time stressing about whet
Jaselyn's POVFive years have passed since the birth of our twin boys.And in those years, Luka and Mika had grown into mischievous, spirited children who constantly kept me on my toes. They were inseparable, their bond unbreakable, and they moved through life with a shared sense of curiosity and adventure.Completely identical, they inherited the dominant Solstice genes with their ebony black hair, deep green eyes, and strikingly beautiful features. They were so similar in appearance that even their grandmother couldn’t tell them apart.Only Rion and I could tell which was Luka and which was Mika, and the boys often used this to their advantage, tricking everyone around them. But when they weren’t up to mischief, they were the sweetest children imaginable—kind, considerate, and always eager to bring a smile to my face.They were the best of friends, always looking out for each other. If one fell ill,
Rion's POV“That’s it, Luna,” the midwife encouraged. “The hardest part is over. Just one more push, and we’ll have him out.”Jaselyn nodded weakly, her face pale and slick with sweat. She gritted her teeth, her whole body trembling as she summoned the last of her strength. With a final, desperate scream, she pushed again, her body arching off the bed as she bore down with everything she had left.The baby slipped free with a gush of fluid and blood, his tiny body wriggling and slick in the midwife’s hands. “It’s a boy!” she announced, holding him up for us to see, his loud, piercing cries filling the room.My heart swelled with emotion as I gazed at our son, his tiny face scrunched up in a wail, his fists clenched and shaking. Tears blurred my vision as I looked at Jaselyn. “He’s beautiful,” I choked out, my voice thick with emotion. “Jas, you did it. You gave us a
Rion's POVI slammed my fist against the desk, sending papers flying. The frustration had been building for months, and now it was boiling over. "Dammit!" I cursed, pacing the room in a futile attempt to calm myself. We had conquered the Rain Forest Pack with ease, but it had been a hollow victory. Hadrian, that fool, had chosen to die rather than betray his cousin, Isla. He'd poisoned himself before we could get any information out of him. Another dead end.The Fishers were a twisted bunch. Part of me relished the thought of wiping them out for good, to rid the world of their poison. Isla had slipped through our fingers, and I was beginning to fear we’d never find her. If I could only get my hands on her, I would make her pay for taking Celio. She would wish she had never been born.Blade had been another disappointment, another dead end in our search for Celio. We had pushed him to his absolute limits, hoping that the pain and pressure would force
Jaselyn's POV“Maybe we could…shower together?” I suggested hesitantly. “It might help me relax.”Rion smiled softly, his eyes filled with understanding. “That sounds like a great idea. Come on, let’s get cleaned up.”We both undressed completely, and I followed him into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, adjusting the water temperature until it was just right, then we stepped under the warm spray together.The water cascaded over us, washing away the tension and the grime from the day. Rion wrapped his arms around me from behind, holding me close as the water streamed down our bodies. I leaned back against him, feeling the steady beat of his heart against my back. His touch was gentle, his hands moving over my skin with care, never lingering too long in one place.He washed my hair, his fingers massaging my scalp in slow, soothing circles. I closed my eyes, letting myself relax under
Jaselyn's POVI agreed to see Nae, but only because I needed to know if she could give me any information about where Isla might have taken Celio. It was my only lead, and I wasn’t about to let it slip through my fingers, no matter how much I despised Nae.Before heading to see her, I turned to Rion. His clothes were torn and stained with dirt and blood from the battle. He looked tired, and I could see the weariness in his eyes despite his usual confident stance. He needed rest, and he needed to be taken care of. After everything he had done for me, it was the least I could do for him.“Come with me,” I said softly, taking his hand. I led him back to our bedroom, feeling a mixture of nerves and determination. “Rion, I want our lives to go back to normal,” I began, my voice wavering slightly. “I want to feel close to you again.”He looked at me with a mix of surprise and concern. “Jas, you don’t h