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
RayneI sit listening to Veronica and Brumilda indulging in gossip about some of the members of the GrayLeaf pack. I can’t say that all of it isn’t interesting. I sip my tea and pay close attention to names and everything else that I can remember. Brumilda is the mother of Alaska’s best friend who isn’t here because he and Max don’t see eye to eye. Veronica rolls her eyes at that, and says of course. “Why would he come? That would be foolish of him to start a fight with Max now when things are so uncertain.”They also mention all the people who have accompanied Alaska this time around. There is Lesley, who is Alaska’s cousin, and her parents, who are two women named Bertha and Maggie. It seems Bertha, who is her biological mother, had a mate who died when Lesley was little, and afterward she found herself a second mate, who is Bertha, who helped her raise Lesley. The last person in the group is a man named Bryan. He is a Gamma, yet he also has a place amongst the elites of the pack.
Max After I leave Rayne's room, I feel like absolute shit and garbage. I didn't mean to say those things to her. I didn't intend to be so harsh. Everything I said to her was only a way of trying to keep her from telling anyone what we discussed last night, which was foolish of me by the way, as I should've been more careful. I shouldn't have allowed the moon’s pull to affect my mind in such a way that I told my deepest secret to a stranger. It was reckless of me.Rayne is a stranger. There is no denying that. Although I know her story and she knows mine, nothing changes the fact that we’re strangers. I know that what I felt last night was not what I feel today, but that was lunacy. It’s like I went crazy for a bit, which isn’t so shocking considering that it’s not the first time this has happened. The first time I confessed my feelings for Alaska, the same thing happened. I had a drink and then went to her room while I was spending some time at GrayLeaf with Albert. She laughed at m
RayneIt's hard to keep that mindset going when I can feel him making love to Alaska through my bond. I turn to my side, feeling anguished and heartbroken. Exhausted. Defeated. All of these negative emotions are directly tied to him. Rather, to the bond between us. The pain is similar to colics. The sun has risen and I didn't sleep a wink last night. I was kept up all night by that...feeling. That awful feeling that pools between my legs yet hurts at the same time. Is this the kind of anguish and torture I'm supposed to endure while he has the time of his life with her?There's a knock at the door. Breakfast. I don't say a word and it opens anyway. Caddie walks in, greeting me cheerfully. I feel terrible that I don't have the strength to even greet her back. I feel horribly ill. If I knew I'd feel this way after Alaska's arrival, I would have tried my luck with that man who wanted to take me away. Surely anything is better than this. I wonder how he feels. If I feel this way, then
Rayne“What can I do for you?” I ask Brumilda after Caddie has left. She’s sitting in the edge of my bed and her hands are on her lap. She appears calm, so I can’t begin to imagine what she wants to say to me. She seems to take a liking to me, though I can’t imagine why. I can’t say that I’m nervous in her presence. It’s just it’s something about this feels…off.“Meeting you the other day was unexpected,” says Brumilda. “You’re not at all what I was expecting.”I nod my head slowly. I don’t know what to make of this. “I’m not sure what you mean.”“When we heard of the mating accident, we were all very disappointed. Mind you, I wasn’t at the ceremony myself. I was not at all expecting someone like you.”I’m still not sure what she means by someone like me, and I’m not sure I want to know. I say, “I’m glad I’ve surprised you.”She offers me a wide smile. “I’m sure you’re confused by my words, and frankly, I’m not supposed to be here. If Veronica found out that I came here, she wouldn’t