KiraMy ear throbbed in pain as I lay on the hospital bed. Luckily for me, the poison-tipped weapon only brushed the outer part of my ear, and the doctors had successfully removed the poison and applied a topical antiseptic. They covered my ear with a bandage to stop the bleeding.I lay there, and my mind raced with worries about D'Angelo's whereabouts and, more importantly, whether Alexis was alive. I owed her no love or obligation, but I didn't hate her, and the thought of her friends turning against her was pitiful. Also, she was pregnant and didn't deserve to endure such stress.Tired of laying in bed and feeling helpless, I peeped into the hallway to check if any nurse or doctor was nearby. Finding the coast clear, I seized the opportunity and made my way out into the hallway. I didn't need to go far before spotting Caleb and his twin engaged in a hushed conversation at the far end."Caleb," I called out, and he turned around swiftly. His eyes doubled in size with relief written
Part 2Fated to my brother-in-law (Zina's book)Everywhere I looked, there was a sea of black—black gowns, black veils, black suits, black fishnets, black whatever the hell anyone had on. We had gathered to lower my husband to his final resting place.The husband of my youth had died while saving the Alpha, who doubled as my best friend. It felt unnatural and unfair to put Grey and death in one sentence.How could someone so young, who'd been full of life, be reduced to such a pathetic state and placed in a coffin?I couldn't understand it.Mourners streamed into the tent where he was lying in state. I'd ban people from seeing him if it were up to me. They were all alive while he was not. And after today, most of them will move on."Grey didn't deserve to die,” a chubby woman with a grating voice trembled as she sobbed.
AnthonyThere were no words to describe the shock that passed through my veins when I realized my mate was no other than my brother's widow.What kind of twisted sorcery was this?The second our eyes met, I knew she was the one.She looked uncomfortable, and a flush of pink stained her cheeks. She wore a black veil that obscured her hair, but beneath the veil, she was drop-dead gorgeous.My brain turned to mush. I was rooted to the spot, unable to think or move. This was, by far, the craziest experience of my life.“I told you, she’s a bloody witch,” my mom whispered harshly to Aunt Olga. “Look how she took off. Who leaves in the middle of their husband's funeral?”“What did you say to Zina?” D’Angelo, the pack alpha and my late brother's best friend, asked, walking towards us
ZinaI woke up angry.Nothing made sense to me any longer. My husband died, leaving me pregnant, and now I had to deal with this forbidden bond with his brother.I'd spent the next two weeks locked up in my room, ashamed to admit that I was already betraying Grey with my lustful thoughts about his older brother.After the funeral, I was forced to meet Grey's family once for a compulsory meeting to discuss the division of his property. I refused to attend because I felt it was too soon, so his mother and Anthony came to the Alpha’s house to see me.Gwen was trouble, but with the Alpha present, she restrained herself.Anthony was the spitting image of my husband. About eight years ago, he moved to another tribe and only returned to bury his brother.I got out of bed and lifted Grey’s portrait from the nightstand in the bedroom we had shared for over five years."Why did you leave me?" I whispered, placing the picture on my stomach. "You need to help me now. I can't stop thinking about y
Zina"I don’t need babysitting," I said flatly to Anthony when he opened the front door. I was annoyed with myself for entertaining stupid thoughts about him.Unfazed, he responded with a lazy smirk. I was 5'7" and not exactly short, but he was several inches taller, so much so that I felt like a dwarf next to him and was forced to tilt my head back to meet his gaze.Grey was tall, but I never felt small or insignificant in his presence. Anthony made me feel like a child. "You need to tone it down. I didn't kill your husband. You’ve been condescending with your words and actions ever since we met."I silently pleaded with myself to get a grip on my emotions. Grey and his brother might have shared similar striking features, but their personalities were opposites. Grey was sweet and gentle, unlike this one."Please excuse me.”His hand remained on the door. "Don't you think hugging the Alpha like that is very unbecoming of a grieving widow?”"What’s that supposed to mean?" I bristled.
“Are you okay?”My heart banged against my ribcage. What was I supposed to say? That I had been dreaming about him, dreaming that he was my savior when, in reality, he was the one causing my turmoil?“I’m fine,” I lied, my voice betraying me with a slight quiver.Anthony’s eyes narrowed slightly as though he could see right through me. “You don’t look fine,” he said boldly, stepping closer. I backed away, but there was nowhere to go. The large room suddenly became too small and suffocating. Even from the few feet that separated us, I could feel the heat in his body.“I heard you shouting when I was in the hallway.”Was I that loud?“Why were you in the hallway at this time of night? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”He smirked and leaned against the door; it was a struggle not to drool. “Don’t read too much into it. I couldn’t sleep, that’s all. But if you don’t need my help, I’ll leave.”He turned to go, but I stopped him and regretted it almost immediately, for the look in his eyes seemed l
Anthony's POVI felt a violent and uncontrolled anger and let out a guttural roar. The audacity of this bitch to show up here and introduce herself as my wife was beyond anything I could have imagined.Zina bolted from the dining room and headed to the bathroom. The shock of meeting Vivian must have hit her hard. The betrayed look in her gaze stung me. She had no reason to believe me, and I didn’t blame her. No one would believe me, especially not my mother, who was eating up Vivian’s lies without hesitation.“Why the hell did you get married without telling me anything, you reckless child?!”Her eyes were wild with anger, and before I could even attempt to explain, Vivian interrupted her. "We even have a three-year-old daughter," she said with a feigned sweetness that made my blood boil.My mother’s face crumpled as she began to cry. “Oh, Anthony, you're so mean. Why hide your wife and daughter from your family?”I glared at Vivian, but she shot me a triumphant smirk when my mother
Zina My throat constricted, and I was seething with anger, barely able to contain the fury boiling inside me. How dare Anthony have the audacity to tell me to go inside, as if I were some servant at his beck and call?The command in his voice pissed me the fuck off. I was not someone to be controlled, and I wouldn’t let Anthony talk to me like that. Even when Grey was alive, he had never spoken to me with such disrespect. And here was Anthony, an irresponsible man who couldn’t even keep his life in order, thinking he could order me around? “Watch your words, Anthony. Don't you dare talk to me in that tone?”He didn’t respond immediately; he just stood there, making eye contact with a brutal look. I felt chills and looked away. A small voice in the back of my mind whispered guilt. I had always believed in hearing both sides of a story before judging, but this situation felt different. I had been raised with strong beliefs in women’s rights, and I’d always been a hardcore feminist.
My mind fluttered away, anxious that D-Day had finally arrived. Aunt Helena didn't make it, and I was sure that I would see her on the mainland.Half in anticipation and half in dread, I prayed that everything would work out smoothlIt wasn't as exciting as a competition usually is, as the girls already knew the winner, but that was the least of my worries. All I wanted was for this to be over so I could live happily ever after with Adonis without anyone interrupting uOn D-Day, we were getting dressed, and the private helicopters were already outside to take us. I felt a little sad to leave this beautiful place, so full of peace and far away from the madness and complexities of lif"What's on your mind, my queen?" Natalia joked behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I need to make sure that your makeup is perfectMy stomach churned, and I grew anxious by the gazes that I would get from people, knowing that there was no way in hell my father wouldn't find out. I didn't know what
Sophia looked over her shoulder and shot Iris a glance from the corner of her eye.She hated her so much that anytime she saw her, her skin would crawl. Sophia didn't think she was capable of hating anyone that badly. Iris was an insignificant pest and would soon be crushed. She was blocking Sophia's path and stealing what belonged to her.The silly girl didn't know what was about to come for her, and Sophia just couldn't contain her excitement at the thought of watching her crumble when the truth came out.Let the show begin!A muscle tic jumped in her cheek, and she felt a flush of warmth spread through her body, making her lightheaded with thoughts of how the fool's lies were about to be exposed.Sophia had always known there was something off about Iris, and now her suspicions were confirmed—she was the Syndicate Alpha's daughter.The deceit made her blood boil, and she vowed to expose Iris for the fraud she truly was.How could she have the audacity, the sheer audacity, to partic
Iris I struggled to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt heavy, and my vision was blurry. When I finally managed to pry them open, the world around me was hazy.Confused, I closed my eyes again, trying to clear the fog from my mind. I opened them a second time, and my vision was clearer, but I realized that something was amiss.I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my back, making me gasp. I reached around and felt a thick layer of sterile dressing covering my skin.Then the memories of that horrific moment came flooding back: the scorching acid pouring down my back, the pain that seemed never-ending.Damn it, I couldn't believe that this wasn't just some nightmare in my head—it was all too real. My back would never be the same again, all because of some jealous psycho's twisted actions.My heart broke miserably, and I swallowed hard. Whoever was behind this was heartless, and all for what? Adonis, who would never choose them anyway?They had no shame. It was disgusting how l
AdonisI was furious when I discovered that some sick bastard dared to douse Iris's body with acid.It felt like a cruel joke, a sickening slap in the face—and I couldn't wrap my head around something so despicable that could happen to a pure, harmless soul. I blamed myself for letting her leave the safety of my sight. If only she had stayed a little longer, this terrible act could have been prevented.The thought of what she must be going through filled me with rage beyond words.Machines were beeping, and medical staff in scrubs were working quickly to attend to her. My mind was chaotic as I paced around the small clinic."Dammit," I swore, breathless with rage. After they had gotten her out of danger, I was allowed to see her.I gently brushed a hair off her face while the highly skilled medical staff efficiently attended to her wounds."We've identified that the acid used is a mild form, and fortunately, it didn't affect her internal organs. She will recover quickly," one of them
🔞🔞🔞Adonis and I lay side by side on the grass. It had been over twenty minutes since the power outage had enveloped the mansion, and boy, did we love it. We had all the privacy we needed to explore our bodies. I stifled my laughter when Adonis wrenched my skirt up around my ass. He was inordinately pleased with himself at that moment, which only intensified my smile as I pulled his shirt off and kissed him softly on his chest.'Surely you're not thinking about having sex here in the open,' I said playfully into his mouth as he pulled me tighter against his naked body. He smiled as he nipped my jawline softly before kissing me harder.“Who's going to try and stop us, right? There's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here with you.”“And what if someone sees us? What if there are guards patrolling the house? Or if the power comes back on?”Adonis covered my mouth hungrily before pulling out a pack of condoms. 'Well then, I guess we'll have to hurry because I have no desire to le
The girls were fuming with envy toward me, and I noticed how they would frown and sulk whenever I walked into the room.They were unnecessarily rude, talking behind my back and giving me fake smiles, and even those who were nice enough were just putting on an act.Jealousy couldn't be hidden, no matter how hard they tried to mask it. The way the girls were acting toward me was unsettling. Their envy consumed them so much that I worried they might do something to hurt me.I hoped they wouldn't attempt to poison my food.Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I pulled out a classic literature book I had taken from Adonis' study and tried to ignore the subtle insults from the other girls.The trick was to act like I didn’t hear them, but I couldn’t deny that their words stung. It was hard to remain calm.“Let’s be real,” one of the girls, who seemed the most spiteful, spoke up. “Alpha Adonis might have flirted with other girls too. He’s probably testing to see who’s the best before making his c
The sound of footsteps outside her cell drew Helena’s attention back to the present. She tensed as Victoria, Alexander’s whore, approached her, clasping her hands together in a tight grip. The hatred Helena felt for Victoria surged to the surface, burning hot and fierce. She had never known she could hate anyone more than she hated this woman. Victoria needed to be punished for causing Mona so much pain, even up until her death.Victoria’s smirk was malicious, her satisfaction evident as she raised her chin high, wild-eyed. She looked down at Helena with a smug expression, as if relishing in her suffering.“So, how is the confinement?” Victoria asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness.Helena shrugged and turned away, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a response. “What do you think?”“You should eat,” Victoria said indifferently, setting a tray of food on the floor. “We’re just trying to find your niece.”“I won’t touch anything from you,” Helena spat back, her voice full
Helena sat on the cold, gray stone floor of the dank cell in Alexander’s house. The bastard had locked her up for three days. The stone was rough and unforgiving beneath her, seeping its chill through her thin clothing. She leaned against the damp wall, the smell of mildew and decay filling her nostrils, wondering when this madness would finally be over.Her thoughts kept circling back to her husband, Bruno. A spineless coward, that’s what he was. It angered her to no end that he hadn’t come for her. But even more than her own predicament, she was worried about Iris. The girl’s safety weighed heavily on her heart.Helena sensed danger closing in. She needed to warn Iris to flee before it was too late. She had seen the evil in Alexander’s eyes, the way he relished in others’ pain. He was capable of anything. Her greatest fear was that Alexander would drag Iris back into his cruel world, the same world that had nearly destroyed her.History was repeating itself. Helena’s sister, Mona
When I entered Adonis’ room, the lighting was dim, just bright enough to reveal his sleeping figure. The heavy curtains barely let in any light.Adonis lay still, his powerful frame resting under the covers. Despite his powerful Lycan nature, he looked fragile, as if strong medications had knocked him out.I stood there, my mind confused. How could someone as powerful as Adonis fall ill? His blood was stronger than most werewolves', making him more resistant to illnesses and diseases than any of us. Fred’s gaze lingered on me, as if he could read my thoughts. His smile was gentle, but it didn’t reach his eyes. There was surely something behind it."Don’t worry about him," Fred assured me. "It’s just stress. I’m sure when he wakes up, he’ll feel a lot better.""Stress?" I echoed, trying to make sense of it. "What’s causing him stress? He seemed fine the last time I saw him."Fred ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable. He looked away and his eyes avoided mine as if the ans