Natalia’s POVThe dream felt so real. I could feel his hands on me. His lips traced the tender spots on my neck. His touch sent shivers down my spine. I closed my eyes. I hoped it would never end. But then, his voice cut through the air."Never."I gasped. My eyes flew open. The room was empty.It had been two years since I married Adrian Miller. He was the future alpha of the Crystal Blood Pack. Two years of trying to win his affection. Two years of failing. I tried to prove I was worth his love. I tried to show I was worth being his true mate. But he never marked me. In the world of werewolves, that was everything. The mark meant connection. It meant devotion. It meant belonging. But I never received it, even though I was his wife. He wasn’t home most of the time. I longed for his touch.I sighed heavily. I sat up and yawned. My eyes landed on the clock. My stomach dropped."Shit! I’m going to be late."I rushed through the morning routine. I was desperate to make it to my checkup w
"You really impressed me," he sneered. "Do you even know what you’re saying?" He released his grip on my hands, letting them fall to my sides.He stared at me, waiting for my answer, but there was no answer to give. I had expected this, yet it still hurt. It hurt that he didn’t even try to understand me.I fell in love with Adrian at first sight when I was in high school. I was just 16 at the time and I had been bullied by my classmates, taunted and locked in a bathroom, helpless and alone. I was so scared. Then, Adrian passed by. He stepped inside and helped me.Flashback:The girls locked me in the restroom and they were taunting me. I didn't understand why they hated me so fvcking much, maybe just because my identity of an orphan. I just cried and cried... until someone broke in. Adrian."A...Adrian, What are you doing here? This is the girls' room," Hannah, as their lead said, trying not to show how scared she was."Well, I can go anywhere in this pack. Got a problem with that? Wh
“Ring, Ring, Ring”The phone call from my adoptive father, Jeremy Pierce, Gamma of the pack, jolted me back to the present. My hands trembled as I answered the call. "Why do you always embarrass me, you stupid bitch?" His voice rasped on the other end. "You set Lynda up!"I clenched my jaw. The accusation was ludicrous. "I didn’t poison her, dad!" I shot back, trying to keep my voice steady. "Why would I do that?"But my father wasn’t listening. His anger surged, unchecked. "By the way, why haven't you paid me this month? How ungrateful! Have you forgotten that if I hadn’t raised you, you’d be an orphan?" The words cut deeper than he could ever imagine. I had never forgotten what he had done for me, raising me after my parents died, but that didn't mean I owed him everything. Still, I fought back the urge to scream. I wouldn’t let him control me anymore. "Don't ever call me again, if you keep gambling I will tell Alpha Lucas!" I said, my voice hardening with each word. It was th
The Next Day.I was awake early and went to the kitchen, making myself a simple breakfast: toast and eggs, nothing fancy. In the past, I would have spent time preparing a hearty meal for Adrian, making sure everything was just right for his sensitive stomach. But today, I wasn’t in the mood to help him.As I sat down to eat, I heard footsteps descending the stairs. Adrian appeared, he glanced at my breakfast and raised an eyebrow.“Where’s my breakfast?” he asked, his voice cold.I didn’t even look up. “I didn’t cook yours. You can ask one of the maids to prepare it.”His eyes narrowed. “Oh, I see. Is this your new way of getting my attention?” He sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm.My lips curved humorless smile. “Say whatever you want. We’re getting a divorce anyway.”The words stung more than I wanted to admit. It wasn’t the way I had imagined ending things, but here they were. I didn’t need to explain myself to him any more.Adrian’s frown deepened, and for a moment, I though
When I got home, I couldn’t wait to call Kelly, my only friend. I picked up my phone and dialed her number. My heart pounded as it rang. She was my rock, the one person who always had my back.“Hey, what’s up?” Kelly’s voice came through, warm and familiar.“Kelly, I’ve decided to divorce him,” I said, my voice cracking. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or sadness, maybe a little of both.There was a pause. Then, Kelly said, “What? Why? Is it because of Lynda? That girl is pure trouble! I’ve heard things about her.”I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “No, not just because of her. Adrian brought it up, and I agreed.”Another long silence. I could feel Kelly processing it all. “Wait, are you serious?”I took a deep breath. “Yes. I’m done. I’ve made up my mind.”Kelly didn’t hesitate. “What now? After the divorce, where will you go? You can come stay with me. My pack would welcome you.”Her offer was so kind. It made my eyes sting, but I didn’t cry. “You’re too good to me,” I s
Natalia’s POVWhen I opened my eyes, I found myself in a hospital cabin. The last thing I recalled was a discomfort in my stomach. Panicked, I sat up and put my hand on my belly.“Don’t worry.” Dr. Harold's voice met my years. “Your babies are totally fine. But...” "What is that?" I frowned and asked."One of the embryos died, so now you still have two babies in your womb." Hearing his words, my heart sank. I recalled the scene earlier—Adrian didn’t save me. If he had saved me instead of Lynda, I might not have lost that child! I cried silently.As I turned my head to see him scanning what looked like reports.“Where is Adrian?” I inquired about him.He placed the papers on the tiny table that was located close to the bed, then turned to approach me. “He’s at the other room with...Lynda...”Disappointed again. It turned out he had been staying with Lynda all along and couldn't even be bothered to glance at me.“Does he know about my pregant?” I asked, trying not to let terror com
Biting wind beat against my face, and whipped at the folds of my long white dress. I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked, wishing the dress had long sleeves. But it wasn’t just the weather that sent shivers down my spine. No, something deeper and far colder, that resided within me. It was as if my heart had turned to ice, frozen and unyielding.Yet, a heavy pain weighed upon my heart with an unbearable intensity as well. With every step, I could remind of Adrain’s face. He might know by now that I'm gone. Was he finally satisfied with me?The driver of a passing vehicle yelled at me, and I realized I’d wandered into the middle of a road. With no specific destination, emptiness filled me. A route through the forest grabbed my attention and became my destination, at least for the moment. As I entered the woods, the sky began to darken, so I didn’t waste any time resting. Though I wasn’t sure where I would end up, I kept pressing onward. After a long time, my legs grew tired, and I
His answer shocked me."How is that even possible? I am an orphan." I said to him with a confused face.How did I reach this pack and get a family here? I had been told throughout my entire life that I did not have anyone. However, how did it come to pass that I was suddenly a member of a royal family?The young man named Jason looked older than me. I could guess that he was three or four years older than I was, which would put his age somewhere around the same as Adrian's.His demeanor was impeccable. The way he was conversing with me made me feel a sense of warmth. However, how could I believe that what he was saying was true?As if he tried to ease my mind a little, he changed the topic and asked me,"Are you feeling pain anywhere, Jessica?"I was dumbfounded.Jessica?Who was he talking about?It made me believe that he caught the wrong person.I took his hand away from my head and said,"See? I told you that it's impossible. You mistook me for someone else. I'm sorry to say, but
It was quite late at night.Jason had left the pack house. The Leightons went to the guest rooms, which had been prepared for them by the maid. Hazel also went back to her bedroom.Adrian was sitting on the couch with his parents beside him. There was nobody else in the living room."Adrian, you made the right decision when you said you wanted to make Hazel your mistress," his father, Lucas Miller, said.His mother, Grace, was silently listening to them."They had come to recreate the past. This time, don't repeat what I did years ago," Lucas added.Adrian did not respond; he was staring at the marble floor the entire time.As if he were experiencing numbness on the inside, he was unable to make any expressions.His mind went completely still as he listened to the voices.He shut his eyes. He took hold of his head and used his fingers to massage his forehead. He had felt this since waking up today.By the time he regained consciousness after the accident, he was already in the hospita
The sharp eyes of Ansel were able to observe Hazel. It was clear that she was not in the least bit pleased. "Hazel, don't forget why you are here."“I-I asked you something. Didn't you say—”"Shut up!"Hazel bit her tongue and averted her gaze from Ansel. Ansel grabbed Hazel's hand and looked around to see if anyone was there.When Ansel saw there was no one, she leaned close to Hazel and said angrily,"If I hadn't come here, you would have spilled all the truth to Alpha Jason."Hazel looked at her, intending to speak, but Ansel shook her head. "No, no, honey. You are not brave enough to do it."Ansel's hand moved toward her belly, raising her brows. Hazel tried to push her hand, but Ansel pressed her hands against her belly."Don't dare to lose the track, or I will kill your child."Hazel gritted her teeth, nodding her head. "Don't kill my child."Ansel grinned evilly as he examined Hazel's belly. "Who wishes to kill it? It will get Alpha Adrian's name. If your brother had not been i
Hazel let out a painful hiss. She remembered the time Natalia had grabbed her by the neck. She became aware that both of the siblings were easily agitated. Turning her head away from Jason, she muttered,"I—I didn't know he was your sister's h-husband; otherwise...""Otherwise? Otherwise what? You would have slept with some other guy?" He let out an angry laugh.His jaw clenched as he stared at the woman. There was a burn in his chest, making him feel irritated.He could never describe what he was feeling inside. All he wanted was to kill this woman."You were here, living a luxurious life in this pack while carrying another man's child, and there I..."He paused, attempting to hide his emotions from her.Hazel cast a slow glance at him. She took a shaky breath before asking,"You what?"His hand gripped her jaw and he pulled her face toward his. Their faces were close, which caused her to remain still."And there I have been looking for you throughout your entire pack. I thought your
Jason looked mad as if his blood was boiling. He was inhaling deeply as though he would harm her at any moment. His jaw clenched, preventing himself from doing anything wrong.Lastly, he could not control himself, and his hand immediately moved to grab her neck. He growled at her as he asked,"How dare you sleep with another guy and get pregnant?"Hazel's eyes grew larger, feeling difficult to breathe. She patted his hand to release her. His eyes remained sharp, glaring at her while he waited for her response."J-Jason, I—"His grip tightened, making it impossible for her to take a deep breath. She could breathe out, but she was unable to breathe in to continue talking.Her eyes began to well up with tears and her face went pale. Tears rolled down from her eyes, falling down on her cheeks. Her hand, gently caressing his, slowed down her movements. Her lips quivered in fear that her heart might stop beating at any moment.She reached up to touch her belly with her other hand. She looke
With a frown on her face, Natalia turned to face her brother. What was it that he desired that made him to assist the family, such as the Leightons? It was not unfamiliar how these people were. They were notorious and vicious people who could only cause harm to others. So why did he help them in the first place?She noticed that he was looking in a certain direction. Before her eyes could follow his gaze, Hazel got up from the couch."Excuse me. I am coming back in a few minutes," she said in a low tone.After that, Hazel walked past everyone.Natalia followed her movements until she left the living room. When she noticed that Hazel was sweating as if she had been startled, she was perplexed.Wasn't her family there for her to set up things for herself? Then why did she look so afraid?Natalia suspected that Hazel had begun to behave strangely since her family arrived.But why?As other people resumed their conversations, the living room started to emit a reverberation of voices.Afte
Hazel's sister-in-law, Ansel Leighton, was shocked. She did not expect Natalia to respond like that. Her eyes widened and glowed with anger."Did you just—"Lucas Miller, Adrian's father, stopped her from speaking when he noticed the atmosphere growing heated."Please don't take her words to heart."Natalia looked at Lucas to see why he had stopped Ansel. She wanted to hear her out before responding with what she deserved.A shameless family like Leighton deserved to be insulted rather than respected."My sister is very blunt. "She never considers who is in front of her; she always stands for the truth," Jason stated proudly.Ansel raised an eyebrow and said, "Then she should stand the truth this time as well. The truth is that someone else is carrying her husband's children. How can she not show her support for the woman? Can't she support the feelings of these two people and make her own decision?"Natalia clenched her jaw. How did she know what she and Adrian had talked about befor
Natalia was surprised to hear her brother. She glanced at the old man once again.Was what her brother said right?Her eyes quickly swept over Adrian's bandaged forehead. Before he could catch her eyes, she averted her gaze off of him.She pondered, 'Was it Old Leighton who was responsible for the burn on his forehead?’By telling herself that she did not care about Adrian anymore, she attempted to calm her heart.Through a hushed voice, she responded to her brother, "Okay."Jason shrugged his shoulders and said to the old man with a grin.“You are talking about culture and rules? In spite of the restrictions that my pack imposed, have you forgotten how I managed to make it to your pack? You are aware of the reason why I went there, right?”The expression on the old man's face changed. His thick brows furrowed, but then he let out a chuckle."I see I have offended Alpha Jason. Don't mind my words. I was only talking about terms. If that offends Alpha Jason, I apologize."Natalia was s
In the silent living roomEveryone's attention was on Natalia. The three new people scrutinized her with their predatory eyes.The pair of emerald eyes, which had been experienced by seeing many things, keened by focusing on her."How can you refer to her as this pack's Luna when there hasn't been a crown ceremony yet?"Hearing the strong voice, which did not shake a bit even though the owner was old, took Natalia aback.She turned her head to look at the old man. She felt awkward inside after meeting his gaze.It appeared that he possessed far more power than she had expected. The power of the wizarding world was something she was not unaware of. The words that he spoke pierced her heart and brought her to the realization of something that she had neglected to remember.'Crown Ceremony!' she thought, averting her gaze from the old man.She came to the realization that she had not yet earned the title of Luna of this pack. The reflection of the night the Crown Ceremony flashed on her
Natalia scrutinized the three people who did not greet her and instead went to take seats on the couches. Adrian did not even bother introducing her to them. She felt like an outsider.For once, she wanted to leave them for now.However, her brother held her hand and shook his head, indicating that she should not leave at this time."I hope we will not bring up the past. Our children made some mistakes; we will try to solve this," Lucas Miller said with a soft tone.Natalia remained composed, trying to concentrate on their conversation.The young woman had not yet sat down on the couch. She walked up to Adrian and stood beside him."Refreshing to see you again, Alpha Adrian."She was grinning charmingly, and as she gazed at him, her eyes glistened.She raised her hand and gently laid it on his shoulder before brushing something out of its way. As she slowly ran her fingernails over his shirt sleeve, she spoke again while gazing at the bandage around his forehead."You shouldn't have l