XANDER.The whole day was too slow, and there were too many things to do.My new worker, a beautiful female named Nadine, whom I couldn’t stop staring at, ended up doing nothing but watching and following me wherever I went.For once, I felt secure and at peace just doing my routine, knowing she was just around me. But more than that, I took pleasure in all the little gestures she showed me that let me know how much she always wanted my presence around her.Nadine was a natural when it came to interacting with people. She knew how to make them comfortable, and she knew the right words to make them feel good about themselves.I always knew Nadine to be smart and tough, but seeing her soft side was mesmerizing. It took her only hours to gain their trust, a feat that took me days to accomplish.By nighttime, most of the workers in this place were already calling her Miss Nadine, and some had asked if she was a close friend or more than that. I always tell them to ask her instead. And she
XANDER.“I only have one heart, which belongs to the wildheart standing before me.”Her eyes watered, and I didn’t miss the quivering of her lips. Was she struggling not to cry?“It’s beautiful.” She mumbled.“Not as beautiful as you.” My finger brushed against her soft cheek. She cupped my hand and tilted her head, pressing it more to her face as she closed her eyes, stopping her tears from falling. “I didn’t know you’d notice the tattoo,” I told her. “I did, but I want to make sure I’m not hallucinating.” She replied.Because her head was tilted, my gaze landed on her marked skin, and a surge of hunger ignited within me. Her heat scent was driving me wild, and it was getting harder to control. My cock was already too painful.I couldn’t wait anymore. My head dipped, and my mouth landed on her soft spot where my mark stood, and I began sucking on her skin. Soft moans escaped her lips, and after a while, she grabbed the waistband of my jeans, tugging it lower. She bent further unt
NADINE.Xander gave me more than what I was hoping for, and I just found myself digging my fangs into his skin. I’d been dreaming of carrying his mark and marking him even before I was imprisoned—despite not knowing what lay ahead of us—but I couldn’t because of Mindy.Now that I had him in my arms, with Mindy in a good place and Maddox gone for good, there was no reason not to claim him. “Hmmm…” I moaned as his blood traveled down my throat, and a deeper connection bound us, enveloping my whole sense with warmth and security.Xander was finally mine. All mine.My eyes shut open, and I abruptly pulled away from his neck, scrambling on my ass as I moved away from him. My head tilted to look at him, and his expression was dark. I was right. He was upset. “I’m sorry… I got carried away.” I mumbled.It was a crime to mark a female without her consent, and I was sure it was the same for males. “Sorry for what? For marking me?” He asked.I nodded my head. “I should have…”“You should hav
NADINE.I was still far from seeing the possibility of him coming home with me, but I would take this—I would take what he could give me. And maybe one day, maybe soon, he would understand that there was also a life waiting for us at the Dark Forest Pack. “You’re so beautiful... Every day, I’m still in awe that I was paired with you.” He mumbled, and his eyes told me he wasn’t joking. “You look good in my shirt.”“I love you, Xander,” I said in a soft voice without taking my eyes off him. I was not good with this, but I hoped he could feel the sincerity of my words.“I thought I would never hear that from you.” He said as his eyes watered. “It’s an honor to be loved by you, Nadine. I hope I can be good enough and live up to your expectations.”“Why are you saying that? You are more than enough.” He didn’t say anything and just smiled at me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and his hands on my waist pulled me closer to him before our lips brushed against each other.“I love you.” H
NADINE“Fine, I’ll go. We’ll talk later.” He said, shrugging his shoulders and ready to turn around. “Xander, please.” I was getting frustrated. “Don’t leave.” It was Kenzo. “I’m sorry I came unannounced. But this next information affects you too, so I suggest you stay. After this, I’ll leave.”“What about it?” Xander asked. “Can we all sit down?” Kenzo requested.Xander sat on the couch in front of Kenzo. I went to the same couch and sat beside him but he didn’t even look at me. “One of the pack doctors visited us at the packhouse. She was worried and wanted us to know if we knew anything about Carlotta.”“Why?” I couldn’t help but ask. “She said Carlotta is pregnant, and she didn’t know she was no longer part of the pack, so when she didn’t show up for her scheduled appointment, she tried reaching out to her, but she couldn’t reach her anymore.”I sank into my seat, pressing my back against the couch. Pregnant? Was it Maddox’s pup?“Only then did she find out she left and deno
NADINE.“How about you?” I asked Xander. “I’m staying. This is my life now.” He replied coldly as he walked toward our bedroom.“Xander… Please, come home with me.” I said as I followed him. “This is my home.”“How can I convince you to be with me?”“You should have started by telling me everything. I feel like a fool believing you gave up that pack life to be with me. I thought the constant conversation about them was just because you were missing it from time to time. I didn’t know you still have a life there.” He grabbed my suitcase and began filling it with my clothes.“Why are you finding it so difficult to accept the pack? You asked me earlier why Arlo was just a temporary Beta, because I wanted to offer you that position. We can be a team. I know I will never trust my life with anyone but you. But I’m also willing to share the Alpha post if you want to give it a try.”“I don’t want anything from your pack. How many times do I have to tell you I never wanted to be an Alpha or
XANDER.The last two weeks were painful without Nadine. The farm was doing and thriving well. The people, like always, had been wonderful, but the place was no longer as amazing and exciting as it used to be when she was around. It no longer felt like home.I had a hard time getting up from bed to start the day, but staying was harder because every moment I wasn’t doing anything, I would only think of her.On the third day after she left, I moved to the big house. I thought having a place with no memory of her would make it easier for me. But it was the opposite. I hated that every corner of the big house seemed bland and frustrating. It was not even twenty-four hours since I moved there that I went back to the house I shared with her and cocooned myself in the same blanket we had before she left. But her scent was already fading, and I was getting tired of answering people where she was. They missed her, and I wondered if they knew I missed her more. “You’re leaving.” My hand sto
NADINE. I closed my eyes as I relaxed my shoulders. According to the taxi driver who was taking me there, I was just less than ten kilometers from the nearest border of the Dark Forest Pack. I waited all my life for this moment. I wanted to enter the Dark Forest Pack territory. The pack that rightfully belonged to my family. The pack that was taken by the Trevinos under the false pretense of friendship. They killed my grandfather, the then-Alpha, while he was sleeping, while they were in our territory posing as comrades. I was not born yet when that happened, but I lived my whole life knowing about their treachery, and I had made it my goal to make the Trevinos fall to their knees. I would take our pack back at whatever cost. Even if it meant losing my own mate. The Goddess surely knew how to play games. She gave me a Trevino for a mate. Beta Xander Trevino of the Dark Forest Pack.Two weeks ago, I met him at the Claiming Ball. But instead of claiming me, he went away with a pro