RayneI close the window once the air gets a little too crisp and move closer to my bed.I lie down, exhaustion creeping deep into my bones. I’m tired of thinking and always wondering what happens next. I wish I had answers. I wish I didn’t have to be this afraid. I think back to the man I spoke to this afternoon. Should I believe everything he said? The day after the mating ceremony, Denise told me that the GrayLeaf pack wanted revenge for what happened. What if that man lied to me and used Denise’s name to lure me out? Albert wasn’t mean to me but that didn’t mean it wasn’t all a strategy to get me to relax and believe that everything was fine. Too much power was involved. Some people lost many opportunities because of me. Why shouldn’t they be angry?I had to be alert for everything and anything. The Alpha said I was forbidden from going to the garden and it upset me, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. What if he had taken me? What if there were more of them? I wouldn’t be able
RayneI wake up with the sun in my eyes. I sit up immediately in alarm. I'm on the bed and not on the divan, and this causes my heart rate to accelerate significantly. I don't remember getting here.I look around. The room is empty. Max isn't here. It calms me down but I'm still searching my mind for a memory of rising from the divan at any point during the night and deciding to sleep on his bed. I didn't. I never would and no, I'm not a sleepwalker and never have been. Which could only mean one thing...The door opens, surprising me. Veronica walks in first, and she's accompanied by two maids. One of them is carrying a tray of breakfast. The other has a folded dress in her hand. I know that dress. It's mine. "Rayne," she says, tilting her head. "Darling."She walks up to me and hugs me. I hug her back awkwardly. It's hard to do so when I'm sitting and she's standing. She pulls away and says, "You've been so brave. So very brave. I can't believe what happened last night. Max told
MaxOne of the Gammas opens the dungeon gates for me and I make my way inside. I walk farther and ignore the call of the prisoners from the other cells. I came here for one purpose and one purpose only; I want to know what that man intended to do with Rayne. Who sent him? Where did he come from? If Denise is truly behind her, I’ll chase her down and throw her in here, which is something I should have done a long time ago. The guards have prepared everything for my arrival. The prisoner is waiting inside an empty cell that has been cleaned out except for two chairs, one that the prisoner is occupying and the other that is for me. He looks at me with hard eyes as I approach, with hatred in his eyes. I meet his gaze steadily and sit down. He’s bound to the chair but he isn’t gagged. This is why he moves forward and spits at my feet.“Bastard,” he says venomously. “You and your father are bastards and cowards! Cowards! You should be dead for what you did to us!”I tilt my head slightly
RayneI'm yawning by the time I'm escorted back to my room. My guard—Herbert—is right behind me. His demeanor toward me has changed completely and I can’t quite understand what has caused this massive change. During our earlier interactions, I had the feeling that he hated me. Now, he follows my every move, even when I have to go to the bathroom. He doesn’t look upset about it either. He nods at me whenever we make eye contact and I nod back. I prefer it this way. Being hated is…awful. He opens the door for me and I walk inside. It’s the same room I was in earlier. They fixed the window and they’re busy putting bars on them from the outside. I frown. This will completely alter my view of the garden. This isn’t at all what I wanted. But since I can’t complain, I say nothing. Besides, this is better than being in Max’s room. I don’t want that to happen ever again. Herbert checks the room to make sure there isn’t anyone hiding under the bed or in the closet and then nods at me and
RayneMax is still standing by the window. It's been quiet after he said I would believe it even if he told me, but honestly, this has made me more curious. What could she have done? I keep thinking and thinking and all that comes to mind are terrible things. Something that could make him hate her so intensely can only be bad. Unforgivable. But why then did he keep her working here? Why didn't he fire her as soon as he became Alpha? This is the part that makes no sense whatsoever. I don't know why I say it. Maybe it's because he's still in my room for some reason, which means he must have something to say. Or maybe it's because of the Moon's pull. Or maybe it's just the thrill of having him standing so close to me. I say, "I can keep a secret."A small and sad smile graces his lips. He turns to look at me and the expression on his face makes my heart skip a beat. He's a different person when he's in this kind of mood. The man who stormed into my room the day after the ceremony to s
MaxI know I shouldn’t be doing this. Kissing her is wrong. So wrong. Frankly, I don’t even know why I decided to come all the way here. Somewhere in the back of my mind, there was a voice telling me I was making a terrible mistake. Nothing good could come of indulging in my deepest desires, especially during a full moon. I should have stopped myself when I had the chance. If I had just stayed put, this wouldn’t happen. I wouldn’t be here. But telling someone about all of this felt damn good. I was keeping it all in for too long. Not having anyone to talk to was driving me crazy. What’s the point of telling someone who already knows, which in this case would be Veronica? And frankly, she doesn’t like talking about this either. She always avoids the topic whenever I try to bring it up. I guess that for her, it was harder because her mother did this to us. She wasn’t my mother, so although I was upset at the time, my feelings weren’t hurt. What I’m trying to say is that I didn’t expe
RayneThe realization of what happened between Max and I only hit me when the sun rose. Heat crept up my neck as soon as I woke up. Or maybe my embarrassment was only amplified because of the dream I had. A dream where he peeled my nightgown off and slowly worshipped my body. I don't know where those thoughts came from but they did, and now without the Moon's influence, it just feels wrong. All of it. That doesn't necessarily mean that I didn't like being kissed by him. It was an exotic experience, one that will never cease to amaze me. It's so strange to be held and kissed by him, mostly because his lips and his tongue and his breath feel like home to me. It's all so familiar. I had never even seen him before this and yet it felt like he was always there, right next to me. This must be the mate bond's doing. A blood pact of sorts formed between us. Now, it feels like he was always there. A permanent part of me. Like a limb. "Focus," I tell myself. "Focus."Breakfast comes and I e
Rayne I stand when Greta has left us alone in the tea room. Veronica does the same yet she gives me a bewildered look. “What’s the matter? Are you going somewhere?”I give her a confused look. “Should I?”“Why should you?” she asks, opening her arms wide to gesture around the room. “You are not an enemy of ours, Rayne. There is no reason why you should not be here.”I’m confused by this but I say nothing whatsoever. She says, “You can wait here for me. I believe I won’t take long. I’ll ask for more tea. Sit. We have much to talk about still.”I nod and sit down though I wish I could leave. I watch her leave the tea room and wish that I could be more strong-willed. There is genuinely no reason why I need to be here while Alaska will probably be roaming the palace. This is why I was put downstairs, right? So we don’t cross paths? Because Max won’t appreciate the two of us being in the same place? I don’t understand anything that is happening now. Things keep getting more and more conf