NADINE.
“Damn, Nadine… I can smell your arousal…” He groaned as he pressed his bulging erection against my front and I couldn’t help but grind mine onto him.
“Fuck!” He growled as his hand gripped my hair, and our eyes met. “My wolf wants you!”
“Yes.. please…” I moaned. “Take me…”
His hand moved, and goosebumps raised on my skin as he trailed his calloused palm along my thigh while our mouths fought for dominance. His fingers brushed on the tiny fabric covering my core before he slipped it to the side and began touching my folds. His touch was rough, but I reveled in it, and in no time, I could feel my pussy leaking.
He pulled away from my throat and pushed his body up so his face paralleled with mine. I whimper in disappointment because I wanted his lips on my skin.
“Aren’t you too wet for me, mate?” He asked as he licked his lips. His eyes dilated again while his two fingers slid in between my folds and penetrated my pussy - stroking in and out of me.
Whimpers and moans escaped my throat until I began gasping for air. He was finger fucking me hard while grunts and groans rumbled in his chest as if he couldn’t get enough of me.
“Is this what you’ve been looking forward to, little mate?” He asked and my delirious state wouldn’t let me answer.
Instead, I wrapped my legs around his waist, and arched my body, wanting to make more contact with him.
This caused my dress to slip, revealing the skin of my thighs.
I was still lost in the sensation, rubbing my core against his fingers as I kept moaning, when I realized he had stopped moving and that his body had become rigid.
My eyes snapped open. I saw Xander as his expression turned into a scowl. I followed his line of sight, and his eyes were directed on my right thigh, where my big tattoo was — a rose with a snake coiled around it.
I could tell from his expression that he didn’t like it. Was a tattoo a deal-breaker for him?
“Who are you?” He growled as he pulled his hand under my skirt.
“What?” I asked, confused. I propped my elbows on the mattress and pushed my body up.
His gaze met mine. His eyes dilated as he let go of my body completely and rose from the bed.
“Who are you?” He repeated.
“Nadine…” I answered, but my heart was thudding too loudly, as if it would jump out of my chest.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m your mate.”
“Really? Are you here for me or for Tristan?” He was growling again.
My eyes widened at his words.
Shit! How did he know about Tristan? Tristan was the former Beta of this pack and I was sure he had never told anyone about us.
He was my ex-boyfriend. He went missing, and the next thing I knew, news spread out that he had died of a rogue attack. Others might have believed that, but I didn’t. But I had no way to prove that my theory was right — that he was killed by Alpha Maddox and not by rogues.
But if he knew I was Tristan’s girlfriend, would I be in jeopardy?
“Fuck! Fuck!” He brushed his hands over his long hair as he kept growling.
“You’re scaring me!”
““Don’t lie to me! You’re Tristan’s girlfriend! Are you here for him? Too bad for you, you will never hear or find answers about him!” He said in a cold voice.
I opened my mouth to speak. I wanted to defend myself, but he beat me to it.
“Do you love him?”
“He’s dead already!”
“Do you love him? Answer me!”
“What is the sense of that question when he’s already dead?” My eyes widened when the realization hit me.
What if he had something to do with his death? I had always assumed the Alpha killed Tristan, but what if his Beta was also an accomplice?
“Just fucking answer me!” I felt jealousy rise in his aura, and for some reason, I wanted to clear up any doubts he had.
I shook my head as I tried to reach for his hand. “I’m here for you.”
“Stop with your lies. You’re not here for me.” He moved before I could touch him. He went to my luggage, harshly opening the zipper.
I rushed to him and tried to get him off my bags. “What are you doing?”
“Stay back there!”
“Those are my personal things! You have no right to inspect them as if I’m hiding illegal items!”
“Don’t you?” He asked, his eyes dilating, before he pulled a pair of black leggings from the stack of my folded clothes. “Put this on.”
“No…” I shook my head as I inched backward from him. Was he throwing me away from this territory, and he wanted me to have more suitable clothes than this dress?
I didn’t want to cry. I already knew many things could go wrong today, but I didn’t expect my heart to get broken by how he treated me. I thought I could take everything, but the pain coming from his blatant rejection was something I wasn’t prepared for.
Focus, Nadine. Focus. I need to stay here. I told myself.
“Please… I have nowhere to go.” I kept moving backward. I didn’t notice the bed until I bumped into it, and my knees bent, making me fall back on it.
Xander moved fast and, without warning, slipped the leggings onto my feet and into my legs.
“Stop!” I tried to kick him off, but aside from his strong grip, the pain in my heart made me weak. “Xander, please!”
“Don’t let anyone see this tattoo!” He said, his teeth gritting. He was holding my hands together while his other hand pulled the tights up on me.
“Why?” I finally gave up fighting.
“Just do what I say!” He successfully did it, and once he was done, he coiled an arm around my waist and pulled me off the bed, taking me along with him. The band holding my hair snapped, and my hair ended up almost covering my face, but I didn’t have the energy to fix it, even if it was blocking my sight.
“I want to understand what’s going on. What did I do wrong?” I asked in a painful voice.
Xander didn’t answer and proceeded to open the door. He looked along the corridor, and when he saw no one, he took me out of the room and locked the door.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Stay quiet.” He said in a hushed tone, and it was taking all of me not to freak out. He was holding me by my waist, almost half carrying and dragging me. It was painful, but I knew complaining would just lead me nowhere.
So I tried to numb myself. I had no idea what happened. One moment, we were into each other, and the next thing, he was throwing me out.
We walked down the corridor and down the stairs, but instead of going to the ground floor, we proceeded to another staircase going down, which I believed was the basement of this packhouse.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I said don’t make a noise.” He said coldly.
I wanted to scream and defy him, but I was too tired. It had not even been hours since I came here, and I already feel defeated.
“What is this?” I asked when he opened a metal door after he punched in the code.
“Get inside.”
“No. No.” I pushed him off me, but he was faster. He grabbed my waist again and placed me in the secluded room. He dropped me on a single bed before walking away with a fast stride, closing the metal door without even looking at me.
“No!” I screamed as anger surged through my whole body. He had put me in a bunker, and without a code, I knew I would never be able to get out.
I pushed my body off the bed and went to the door, trying to punch all the possible codes I could think of, but it kept beeping. I kept trying until I got a warning.
One more wrong code and it would notify the Alpha directly.
My body shook as I screamed. But I kept fighting to keep my tears from falling. As much as I wanted to get away from this bunker, I didn’t want to deal with Alpha Maddox, as I knew my heat would come soon.
Females who met their mates and were not marked would go into a wild heat every full moon, releasing a scent that would attract every unmated male. The unmated males would go into a haze with only one goal: to fuck the source of the heat.
And the last person I wanted to be around when I went into heat was Alpha Maddox. Given his reputation, I was sure he would take advantage of me.
I kept slamming my palms on the metal door before I rested my forehead against it as I murmured while my tears rolled down my cheeks. “I will make you pay, Xander Trevino! Mark my words!”
NADINE.As soon as he left, my heat came. And it was the worst feeling that I ever had in my whole life. I was burning and miserable.In the beginning, I kept myself composed and did my best not to even flinch at the first sign of pain when it came. But as time went on, I couldn’t stop myself anymore.I was burning. I thought I was about to die. I couldn’t stop my cries anymore. So I just let the pain consume me and added my mate’s name to the list of people who had wronged me. I thought Xander was different. I thought being his mate would make me special in his eyes. But I was wrong. He was one of the worst kinds. I spent the whole night crying, cramped up in my little bed. I didn’t know when and how I fell asleep. Or maybe I passed out. I woke up with my clothes soiled from my sweat and tears. I was sure the whole room was reeking of my juices because of how many times I touched myself until I couldn’t remember anything anymore. I was the only one in the bunker, but I felt used a
NADINE. “Nadine!” Xander’s voice rang in the air before another one came.“In my office, Beta,” Maddox ordered him. “Give me ten minutes, Maddox,” Xander answered, and soon I heard footsteps following me. I hurried my steps, and the moment I reached the second floor, I ran to my room. “Fuck!” I heard him mumble before he ran as well. I was able to reach my room, but it was locked, and I had no idea where the key was. I was still holding my doorknob when I turned around, my eyes glaring at him as I spoke. “Don’t come near…”He stopped right away and raised his hands. “I have the keys in my pocket.”“Give it to me.”With one hand still up, he reached for his pocket and pulled the key from it. I grabbed it from him and inserted it into the keyhole. With my body facing him, I pushed the door open. “Don’t you dare attempt to come inside my room, or I will scream.”“I just want to talk.”“You had your chance last night!” I snapped at him, my teeth gritting. “Can you fucking calm down a
NADINE.“Would you like to work for me personally?” The Alpha asked and my head automatically nodded. I knew there was something fishy about the way he offered it, but I was willing to do anything to stay.I would not let Xander throw me out of this pack. Since my mate didn’t want me, I would go back to my original plan and lure the Alpha for my revenge. “What kind of work will that be, Alpha?”“Will it matter?” He asked.I smiled at him and shook my head.A satisfied grin tugged at his mouth as he licked his lips. Well, let the games begin. “How old are you?”“I’m turning twenty-two soon.”“Interesting. You look younger.”“Will that matter? Will you let me join your pack?” I asked, biting my lower lip. “Yes.” He said slowly before he stood up from his chair and opened his drawer. I saw him pick up a dagger, and it made me swallow harder. I knew the dagger was needed to draw blood, but I reminded myself to be wary and observant. He rounded his table and leaned back on it as he s
NADINE. ‘Can you hear me?’ Xander’s voice rang in my head. ‘Yes.’ I replied, and I made sure he could hear the animosity in my voice. “Alpha, we will go now.” His arm coiled around my waist as he pulled her closer after taking the glass away from my hand and placing it on the shelves near him. I discreetly wriggled out of his grasp, and I was sure Alpha Maddox saw it. I felt his chest heave as he continued speaking. “I will take the two days off that I asked you for yesterday. I’ll make sure Gamma Kenzo is aware so he can take over as needed.” “I haven’t agreed on it,” Maddox replied as he turned his back on us and walked back to his chair.“You told me I could have days off once a month. I’d been here for more than two months and had never taken a day off. I’m asking for just two days.”“Trying to run over me in front of your mate?” Maddox asked, furrowing his brows. “No. Just two days. I want to spend time with Nadine.”“Does she want to spend time with you?” He asked, and a s
NADINE. We bumped into four Omegas, including Mindy. My hands curled into fists, but I did my best to stop my chest from heaving. “Good morning, Beta Xander.” One of them greeted him. “Good morning.” Xander stopped walking, making me stop, too. His arm went around my waist as he pulled me closer to him. “This is Lady Nadine, my mate. Future Beta Female of this Pack.”I saw shock registered on their faces, except for Mindy, who smiled at me. But it also didn’t slip my eyes the way the other Omegas tried to look at her discreetly. They were probably checking her reaction to Xander’s introduction.“Welcome to the Dark Forest Pack, Beta Nadine.” Mindy greeted me, tilting her head to bow down. The rest of the Omegas followed her and said the same thing before they bowed in respect. I wanted to cry and walk away, but I kept my head high while doing my best not to sound sarcastic. “Thank you,” I replied. And then I saw it. Mindy’s eyes flecked white, and I slowly tilted my head to look a
XANDER.Before Nadine showed up at the border, I had asked Maddox to give me a day or two off to find my mate. I told him I had no plans to claim her — that I didn’t want her. But I needed to find her for the rejection. That was a lie. I wanted Nadine. My whole being craved the female I smelled two weeks ago at the Claiming Ball, but I knew I had nothing to offer her, not with Maddox around. In the two months I was here, I had seen females that my brother fancied, and I was terrified his attention would fall on her. My mate’s beauty was exquisite. She might be innocent-looking, but there was a fire in her eyes — something that my brother would surely take notice of, and the last thing I wanted was for him to add her to his conquest.Some of Maddox’s conquests were willing females who would open their legs and let him have his way with them, but others were victims of his games. Mindy belonged to the latter. I had to let my brother think I wanted Mindy so he would leave her alone.
XANDER.So here we were, heading to the Security Building so I could explain things better.I had never had to explain my actions to anyone, and I was at a loss for every question Nadine would throw my way. I had no idea how to make her believe my intentions were real — that I wanted her, not anyone else.Seeing the desire in Maddox’s eyes for my mate woke up all my senses. I didn’t care anymore if Nadine was still in love with Tristan or if she was an accomplice to him. All I knew was that I wanted to protect her, and I wanted to claim her. But earning her trust would be hard after everything I did to her in the last twenty-four hours. “What are we doing here?” She asked as we stopped in front of the door where SECURITY was written. I didn’t answer. Instead, I opened the door wide and let her in. There were four men inside, including Gamma Kenzo. “Good morning, Beta Xander.” The rest of the men greeted me, while Kenzo just nodded his head toward me. “Good morning. This is Nadine.
NADINE. I wasn’t sure if I should trust him about Mindy. If I just based it on how he looked at the moment, he appeared to be telling the truth. But trusting someone who belonged to the clan I hated the most was not easy, especially when lying was also the game I was playing. So, I guess I will still have to watch them and let time reveal everything. “Why are you here, Nadine? Maybe it’s time for you to tell me your story.” Xander spoke in a soft way, and with his hands on my skin, I was losing my defenses and my senses. I almost blurted out that I was here to take my pack back, but I was able to get hold of myself in time. Instead of telling him about how I wanted him, like I had practiced multiple times before coming here, I began telling him about Tristan. I had no idea why, but maybe, despite my deception, I wanted Tristan out of the way between us, like I wanted Mindy out of his life. I wanted him not to think Tristan was someone important to me. “I met Tristan three months
TEN YEARS AFTER THE BIRTH OF XAVIER.XANDER.“Are you ready, Alpha?” Xavier asked, and once I nodded my head, he turned to his side and nodded at his seven-year-old brother, Nexus. Without any more words, they hurried off into the forest for my wolf, Orion, to track them. I always give them a fifteen-minute head start before I start looking for them.Fifteen minutes—enough time for myself to soak in all the things my eyes could see and think of all that happened in my life over the last ten years.Three years after we gave birth to Xavier, Nadine fell pregnant again. This time, she extended an offer to me for the Alpha position. Like she said, I’d been doing the Alpha work whenever she couldn’t attend to it due to the nature of her pregnancy. She was going through a difficult time with Nexus. There were days she couldn’t get up from our bed and would vomit from time to time. Although our son was healthy, Nadine would always end up drained of energy. I, of course, could continue doing
NADINE.Dad and Mom arrived just a couple of hours after I gave birth. Nadia called them right away when my waterbag broke, so they were already traveling while I was in labor. Xavier’s birth came early, yet we and the whole pack had always been ready for him.With the approval of the midwives who assisted me, we began our journey home at midnight. I couldn’t wait to introduce our son to his pack and welcome Jillian as our Gamma Female. We arrived by dawn, and I expected the packhouse to be quiet as everyone should be asleep, but the sight that welcomed us was indeed overwhelming to a mother’s heart.The house was bright with lights, and the packhouse ground was decorated with lanterns and banners—both for our son and our Gamma Female—as if they had days to prepare for this and not just hours. The whole area was alive, and even without hearing anything from the outside, I was sure there was music playing as there were people dancing.But the moment Kenzo’s door opened, the whole pl
NADINE.I had just finished fixing my hair and was ready to drive to the Midnight Pack for Jillian’s debut. I came out of our room and went downstairs to find Xander. He was ready many minutes ago, and I asked him to leave me alone in our room so I could continue preparing because he kept distracting me with hugs and kisses. I found him at the bar, drinking alone. I wasn’t sure if he noticed my presence as he remained standing by the large window, gazing outside while sipping his drink.He must be thinking about Carlotta and her pup, as this had been the only thing keeping him quiet lately. Xander was determined to find Maddox’s child and give it a good life. But Carlotta had been dodging us for almost a year.But today, we got more information. We finally had a name and gender. Maddox and Carlotta had a daughter, Maxine Charlotte Trevino. Carlotta named her after her father. But we were still clueless about where they were staying. All we knew was that the child had a fever, and C
GAMMA KENZO.I unclasped her bra and tossed it aside before pulling away from kissing her, letting my eyes savor the perfect breasts that were made for me. Jillian had a petite frame, but her breasts were bigger than her size, and burying my head in between them was a fantasy I wanted to fulfill. She bit her bottom lip before her hands cupped the sides of her breasts and gently kneaded them; all the while, her eyes were swirling with lust. “Do you like them?”My eyes were surely twinkling as I nodded my head, like a boy on Christmas Day. “I fucking love them!”I didn’t need an invite as I bent over and captured one of her breasts, and a grunt filled my throat as I savored her bosom, one after the other, letting my tongue and hand play with them and her nipples while my sultry mate was fumbling with my shirt and my pants, helping in taking them off my body. After I had my fill, my lips pressed against her firm stomach. I trailed my mouth down to her inner thigh where my hand was, par
FUTURE GAMMA FEMALE JILLIAN.“Have you played hide-and-seek?” I asked him in a soft voice after he sent a message to Beta Xander. First, he asked them if Alpha Nadine had given birth and told them to call him anytime. He also informed him that “he got the girl and that he was blessed tenfold tonight.” Even though it was just a text message, I could see the pride in him as he puffed his chest while he was typing those words. Kenzo, even without him knowing, really knew how to melt my heart.“Hmmm... what are you planning to do?” He asked, his forehead creasing. We were already in the hotel lobby where I was staying. The party was already over, but my family was still there to make sure all the guests were sent off nicely and out of the border, but they let us leave ahead. I stood in front of Kenzo, walking backward as he walked forward at my pace. I placed my hand on his chest, a playful grin etched on my face. “Catch me if you can, lover boy.”I pushed him playfully before running
FUTURE GAMMA FEMALE JILLIAN.I watched in awe as my father, Alpha Lucas, took the center stage together with my mother, Luna Katarina. Unlike other parents, Dad and Mom were actually happy that I found out who my mate was as soon as I turned eighteen. Dad was glad he turned out to be the same man I was in love with. He didn’t want me to have any doubts about the man I would be in a relationship with, knowing that my mate was just out there somewhere. Although he was sad I had to leave them sooner, he knew I would be in good hands.“We would like to thank everyone for gracing us with your presence for our daughter’s coming-of-age celebration.” My father began, and the crowd gave him a round of applause. I couldn’t help but smile and playfully roll my eyes upon seeing my mother looking at him as if he held the whole universe in his hands. But then I realized it must be the same way I looked at Kenzo whenever he wasn’t looking at me, and I got to study his features. Dad looked at Mom
GAMMA KENZO.I had never driven so fast as I did tonight. Good thing that I only needed to drive along the forest road, so there were no cameras and traffic police lurking around. If I had my way, I would have run on my paws so I’d be faster, but I needed to look presentable, and I couldn’t just rip my clothes off. I was stopped at their border, and it seemed the one in there had no idea who I was. He denied me entry because I didn’t have the invitation with me. In my rush to get help for the Alpha, I might have dropped it somewhere in the packhouse. Only when I instructed him to reach out to Alpha Ledger and we conversed over the phone did I receive permission to enter.The drive to the hotel where her party was ongoing was plain torture. I was happy that I was here, but the thought of missing her dance and her not being my fated mate kept seeping into my mind. “Judgment time.” I reminded myself of this as I picked up the bouquet of red roses from the backseat of my car and made m
LADY JILLIAN.“Mine!!” The growl was so loud it vibrated through my whole body. I shoved Wes’ hand off me and abruptly turned my body around to face the direction of the voice.And my heart stopped as I stared at the man at the far end of the corridor. My eyes locked with Alonso, Alpha Aeon’s son, the next Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. My mouth parted as a shriek passed my lips, something I was not able to control. “No!”Until I realized something.I was older than Alonso. Even with him having a wolf, it was impossible that I scented him. He was not eighteen yet. —----------------------GAMMA KENZO.I ran my comb through my hair one more time, perfecting my hairstyle before pointing at myself through my reflection in the mirror. To say that I was excited was an understatement. I was beyond ecstatic.Tonight, whatever fate had in store for me and Jillian, we would finally take our relationship to the next level. I could officially claim her as my girlfriend, and we would take it fro
A YEAR AFTER MADDOX’S DEATH. LADY JILLIAN of the Midnight Pack. I couldn’t erase the smile off my face as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My hair was tied up tightly in a bun, and I was dressed in a swan-like ballerina dress. The only jewelry I had was one pair of crescent moon earrings that I had never taken off. Finally eighteen. My family was throwing a grand ball for me, and I would start the night with a ballet dance that I’d been practicing for many months. The dance was about a female coming of age and spreading her wings. I was excited, not only because I would be turning eighteen and would finally be able to do many things, but because I could officially say YES to Kenzo as my boyfriend. We could make it official. Kenzo and I started dating after he was re-inducted as the Gamma of the Dark Forest Pack. He asked me if he could court me, and I said he could, or he could come back once I turned eighteen, as I was not allowed to have a boyfriend until then. Not that