KAEL.“Was she sad when I was in a coma?”“She was miserable.” Landon glanced at me and gave me a weak smile before turning his attention back to the road. “Her eyes were always puffy by morning, so I knew she was crying herself to sleep. But she would still do her duties, running the household and making decisions for the pack. She lost weight. The colors in her eyes were gone. She would smile, but not the same smile she carried before. She kept her agony to herself, but she made sure the surroundings looked happy. She added more flowers around the house and your room so when you wake up, the house wouldn’t look dull.”The flowers that Miranda said were Desiree’s doing. This was, of course, a lie, as since Adessa left, the house had never had any fresh flowers around. “And you know what’s funny? She would dress up every day in blue because that’s your favorite color. She wanted to look pleasant in your eyes once you wake up.”“And I told her to fuck off when I did,” I mumbled under m
MIRANDA. I was supposed to be at my friend’s housewarming party, but I had to cut short my presence because my incompetent mate failed his task again. Dexter had only one job—to eliminate Kael before he realized who was running the show in his life—but he couldn’t do it perfectly. I was getting frustrated.He was supposed to eliminate Kael and Landon in the accident that took Kael's memory. For some reason, Landon didn’t drive Kael that day, and poor Onald became the victim. But Kael survived. Again.This was not the first time Dexter staged an accident for him. Dexter also attempted to set fire to one of the warehouses he and Kael visited. Kael was in the middle of the warehouse and was far from the exits when the fire broke out, but someone noticed it right away before it reached an explosion. No one was harmed, and Kael didn’t get even a scratch.Today, again, he failed.Dexter made sure he had an excuse to stay behind and let Landon drive them to their deaths, but like a cat wit
DELTA LANDON.“Adessa is in danger.” Alpha Kael said, and I wanted to jump out of my seat. What the fuck happened to his statement: “I can’t trust anyone at the moment?” I wanted to laugh, but the seriousness on the Alpha’s face made me swallow my chuckle. I had no idea what he planned to do, as he didn’t tell me anything, but I guess I just had to wait and see. “What do you mean Adessa is in danger?” Dexter asked. “Where is she?”“I thought she left.” Desiree butted in, her arms crossed against her chest. “Did she accidentally trip on her own feet and land face down on the ground full of shattered glass so she looks so awful that she became a danger to herself?”“Enough, Desire…” Miranda cut her off, and Desiree just rolled her eyes before letting out a huff.Miranda then turned her attention to the Alpha. “Where is she? And why is she in danger?” She sounded so concerned that I wanted to laugh again.If anyone here didn’t like Luna Adessa, Miranda would be the first on the line.
MIRANDA. I couldn’t believe Kael’s revelation!How on earth did he find Adessa? And why did Alpha Draco not call me to inform me that Adessa had escaped him?I was not sure if Adessa knew or met Alpha Draco when she was kidnapped or if she was able to run away before she realized where she would be taken. So I had to be careful, as she might have told Kael about him. Even if I wanted to confront Alpha Draco, I knew I shouldn’t do it, as Kael might be watching him closely if Adessa dropped his name. This was getting messier! Everything was spiraling out of my control. If Dexter had driven with him to Bayson City instead of planning the failed car accident, then he could have known where he had taken Adessa. But he was stupid to think the car accident timing should be today.Aah!I was fuming mad, and even if Dexter wanted a word with me after we left Kael’s office, I pushed him away as I thought Landon would come out of the office and might realize we were talking or had gone off som
KAEL.After my conversation with Landon, I asked him to drive me to the center. I bought a new phone and called Rasmus. It took three transfers before I was finally able to catch him. "Holy shit! Is that you? Damn, Kael, I thought you're already dead." He began as soon as our lines connected. I chuckled. "What do you mean?""I haven't heard from you for a long time. The last time I called you, Dexter said you went out hunting. I called three times that day, and you were still out hunting. I called a week later and was given the same reason." He snickered.It must have been during the time I was in a coma. I wondered why they didn't tell my closest family about my condition. "I didn't know hunting has been your new favorite pastime." He continued. "I thought no one can beat fucking, especially when you have a Luna...""I need help." I cut him off. As much as I wanted to joke around with Rasmus, I had no more energy today. Not when I had many things in my head."Should I feel hurt?
KAEL.“I don’t know. I can’t remember anything about her, but…” I paused.“But?” she asked.“But I crave her.” I didn’t know why I let those words slip out. I couldn’t even admit that to myself, but for some reason, it flew out of my tongue as if it were the general truth. Desiree’s chest heaved as her nose flared.In just two steps, she was in front of me. Her hand flew and landed on my cheek. She slapped me hard, and it sting. But it didn’t break anything within me. It didn’t rattle my senses, unlike when we were younger, whenever she was fuming mad at me. So I knew this was the end of us.I didn’t want to hurt her, but I also didn’t want to shower her with words she would rather hear. “Shame on you, Kael! Adessa tricked you into marrying her once, and she’s doing it all over again! And you’re just letting her! Who knows, maybe the danger she's in is just a game she's playing to get your attention!" She stopped to take a deep breath, but then she continued. “Oh, how I wish she was
ADESSA.It had been a week since I got here, more than two weeks since I left Kael, but the sickening feeling of someone watching me all the time had never faded. Being grabbed in a place I considered home and safe was traumatizing, and ending up killing two people was a never-ending nightmare I was still trying to get away from.Most nights, I would wake up sweaty and shaking as they invaded my sleep. The men I killed would crawl up from the ground and reach for me with their bloody hands. I had no idea what I feared most lately: being found by Alpha Draco’s men or dying from my nightmares.Why did it all come to this? All because I let Kael into my life. I didn’t see anything wrong with loving him. And whatever I did as his Luna was all done with a good heart. I never took advantage of my position nor talked down to anyone like how Miranda had always made it seem. Miranda. I wished I could tell people how badly she treated me. But of course, no one would believe me. She was the s
ADESSA.“Kael…” I had no idea how I was able to speak as my throat felt dry.I felt like I would collapse—tired from all the running and shocked upon seeing him before me. Was I imagining things? But the warmth of the hands that went up to my arms and began rubbing them was real. I could feel him. “Did you sell me to Draco?” I asked him in a hoarse voice. I could say many other things, but I wanted to know if I was right that I was feeling relieved to see him. That he wasn’t the person behind the mess I was in.“What? Why would you think that?” He asked back, but before I could respond, he was already cursing. “Fuck!”My body was abruptly turned around, and I ended with my back slammed against the cold, rough wall. Kael pressed his body against mine with his hand resting on the wall beside my face and our foreheads touching each other’s. My eyes grew wider when I realized the position we were in. He was hovering over me, covering almost my whole body, and if you were looking from
ADESSA.Meeting Erika was a pleasant surprise. She was very motherly and immediately offered a home-cooked meal that I’d been missing. In the last three weeks, my only good meal was when I was with Aunt Aria, so my growling stomach welcomed the warm meal she shared with us.During mealtime, she finally confessed that she had seen the news that the King’s Court was looking for me. But the moment I showed up here with Kael, she knew there was something more to it than just me killing them. And I was grateful for her honesty.Kael then talked about his accident and him losing his memory. She didn’t hide her animosity with Miranda and directly told Kael how disgusting her behavior was toward me. I was glad Kael didn’t defend her stepmother this time. “I’ve heard about the accident, but I never thought it was that bad as I called, and I was told you were resting. I called twice after that, and I was given different excuses. The excuses seemed like you were working and not in a coma.” She
ADESSA.“I’m not complaining. It was a good one year.” I told him, still smiling, and this time I nodded my head to convince him more.He took my hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. “The best is yet to come. I promise…”He lowered our hands but kept holding mine as we continued to drive in silence. Despite losing his memory, Kael was still the same Kael I knew. He was always calculated and never seemed fazed by uncertainties or danger, but something about him changed. He became more expressive.Before his accident, he would always kiss me or hug me, which frequently ended up with us having sex. But lately, he would do the same but never push more. He was content to simply hold my hand or give me a hug. And I liked it.If I were being honest, I had no idea if I should be grateful for all the things happening in my life at the moment because Kael was being extra protective and attentive to me like he had never been before.“We’re here.” His voice snapped back to the p
KAEL. Adessa’s eyes fluttered open. She was looking straight ahead, still lost in her thoughts, and I just let her be. We were already threading a narrow, rough road through the deep part of the forest. The canopies of the trees filtered the sun, casting shadows across the path and making the area darker and gloomy, even if it was already midmorning. The road was barely wide enough for a car, but it only meant I was in the right direction. It had been almost a decade since I’d been here, but it looked and felt the same. “Where are we heading?” she finally asked, breaking the silence between us. “We need a place to stay for at least a day so you can rest, and I can make some adjustments on our way to the north.”“This seems to be too far from civilization already.”“Are you scared of where I would take you?” I teased her. She turned her head to me, and a smile slowly curled on her red lips. “You can tell me we’re on the road to hell, and I will still come with you. Hell with you s
KAEL. Adessa’s screams were drawn by the explosion behind us as we made it to the next exit.I shifted my eyes from the side mirror to the rearview and caught sight of her looking through the back window. I could only see the back of her head, but I could tell she was shaking. I wanted to check on her, but I needed to be far away from here before any of their backup came, or worse, the police officers.I reached the end of the bridge and found myself at a roundabout. I had no idea where the road I chose would lead us, but I kept driving. Anywhere would be fine, as long as we ended far away from the scene. It didn’t take long for the siren’s sound to reverberate through the air, but it quickly faded as my car accelerated away.“Adessa…” I was finally able to utter a word, and it snapped her from looking at the back window. It had already been a long time since the explosion was no longer visible, yet she remained staring. She moved swiftly, crawling back to the front seat just in ti
KAEL.The moment Brooke entered the shop, I knew she was trouble. I had no idea if she was among the ones sent by Draco to find us, but I wasn’t taking chances. She belonged to his pack and was part of his Delta’s Shield—the top security squad of a pack. Brooke also attended the Alpha Academy as she belonged to an affluent family. I was sure Draco had been ignoring her existence until she hooked up with me, and the next thing I knew, he was fucking her too. So, I cut off all ties with her, and he eventually moved on from her as well. It only went to show that Draco had an obsession with taking females from my arms—whether I was serious with them or not. I knew this was the reason he was after Adessa.I discreetly removed my ring, not wanting Brooke to associate me with my wife in case she was sent to track us. Like I believed it would happen, she showed interest in me, whether ordered by Draco or she was simply flirting.I heard the door to the restroom open, and my heart stopped.
ADESSA.“Anyway, would you like to grab a coffee?” The woman asked him.My eyes rolled, and I was about to head to the counter to pay for my chips when I remembered Kael had the credit card we could use. So I put everything in my arms and walked out of the shop without looking back at them.“So, where are you heading?” It was the last thing I heard before the door closed. “So, where are you heading?” I mimicked how she spoke while rolling my eyes again as I walked toward the car. I wanted to scream. The last time I felt jealous like this was when Desiree was sitting on his lap. And while we were married, it was always Desiree but no one else.In the one year we were together, Kael never made me feel invisible around other women.I was almost near the car when it beeped, startling me, only for me to realize it was Kael who opened the door with his key. He surely saw me going out. I sat inside and tried to steady my heavy breathing.I wanted to think rationally. Maybe since the female
ADESSA.“I think we can stop here, but we need to make it fast,” Kael spoke, and I nodded in agreement.After two hours of driving from the Bellouf Theme Park, we finally stopped so he could tank up, and I could go to the toilet. I was about to unbuckle my seatbelt when he stopped me. I turned my head to look at him, and he immediately grabbed my chin before pulling me toward him. He then leaned forward, capturing my lips and began kissing me passionately. “Kael…” I mumbled against his kisses. I wanted to tell him that we needed to leave, but instead, my arms moved on their own, wrapping around his neck, and my lips started kissing him back.He pushed me back onto my seat, his upper body leaning on me as he kissed me harder and deeper, his grip tightening around my chin.He then pulled away from kissing me, leaving inches between our lips. I gasped for air as he spoke. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you for many hours now.”“Then stop talking,” I told him before pulling him closer again
KAEL.“He couldn’t walk, so I carried him out. When I was about to go back, I couldn’t anymore. The fire had already consumed the whole cabin.” I continued speaking. “They said a candle caused it, and she might not have sensed the fire until it was too late. It was almost winter, so all the windows were closed. She was trapped in her room.”“I’m sorry…”“They found my mother in the ensuite bathroom. It was probably the only place she was able to escape to. She was naked. She shifted into her wolf but probably couldn’t get out.” My voice broke. Adessa took my hand and cupped it with both her hands, squeezing it gently.“For many years, I struggled to accept the reality that I could have saved her, but I was not able to do so. While Rasmus spent many years trying to save me from everything, proving that he was worth costing my mother’s life.”Silence befell us before I decided to say more. “I don’t know what I felt when I found him with Desiree, but it must have been painful, not only b
KAEL.We’d been driving for almost two hours, and Adessa had fallen asleep. She was tired from all the running and hiding she’d been doing these past few weeks, so I let her sleep while I did my best to keep myself awake. I could take my sleep once we were on our way to the north. For now, I needed to get us as far away from here as possible. I was almost at the Bellouf Theme Park when my phone rang. It startled Adessa. Adessa’s hands flew out in the air as she gasped for breath. My hand went to her thigh, tapping it twice before rubbing it gently.“I’m here…” I mumbled loudly enough for her to hear while the phone continued to ring.She turned her head in my direction, and when she saw me, it was only then that her shoulders relaxed, and she sank back into her seat.I smiled at her before I spoke. “Rasmus is calling. You can go back to sleep.”She shook her head before she leaned her head to the window, crossing her arms across her chest, her eyes focusing on the dark road in fron