What choice did I have? When your own mate looks at you like... you are less than dirt... What's left to fight for? The one I had loved for three years. Drake — the Alpha of Silver Crescent, the man I thought would chose me as his Luna— had thrown me aside like yesterday's trash. I thought I could endure anything for him. Three years of being overlooked , waiting for him to see me . To love me. But when his cold eyes met mine at the ceremony.... I knew. I was never going to be enough. I had begged silently for him to consider, to change his mind but nothing. Instead he had chosen the Beta's daughter over me. Ugly and wolfless That what was he had called me. The tears couldn't stop as I was been led out of the pack very early in the morning. Allowing me to spend the night was the only good he had done for me. The pack was no longer my home and I cried silently as we got to the ends of the pack ,guards flanked by my sides like I had committed a heinous crime. I couldn't stay
Pregnant? The word echoed in my mind like a distant bell,its sound growing louder until it consumed me. I laughed,but it wasn't a laugh of joy . It was sharp, bitter, like something dark clawing its way up my throat. How could this be real? It felt like a cruel dream, and any moment now, I'd wake up in my tiny cabin — still heartbroken,but not pregnant. Not like this . "Are you serious?"My voice trembled, barely holding back the storm of emotions building inside me. I glanced at the man who had helped me ,his expression unreadable. He didn't finch, though.My hands trembled, gripping the blanket tightly.My heartbeat felt like a drum in my chest ,fast and erratic. "I wouldn't joke about something like that ?" He said softly,his tone unusually gentle. "The physician was certain." I swallowed hard. There had been no one else— Drake . The thought of carrying his child,afterall that had happened, twisted my stomach into knots. " I saw you at the Alpha's Mating ceremony, rumour
I woke up with a sinking feeling in my stomach. It wasn't just because I hadn't eaten much—a bowl of cereal and some fruits —but because I knew today will be another difficult day . Antoine's warning echoes in my mind has I prepared to head out. Who will want to employ a pregnant woman? But what choice did I have ? I have to survive. I had a child to think about now. I placed my hands slightly over my stomach and felt my child growing. "We are going to be fine." I whispered softly, hoping my words could erase the dread I had been feeling inside me The marketplace was very busy, with the scent of fresh bread and grilled meat, mixed with the underlying scent of sweat and heat. People rushed by ,merchant shouted over one another and the crowd bustled as if the world was still normal— for them at least. I scanned the job board, hoping to find something, anything to make a little money but every job either required heavy lifting or paid so little , it couldn't even cover my
LAYLAThe sound of Antoine's footsteps echoed down the stone corridor until it faded completely. His silhouette had long vanished, yes the sharp stab of betrayal he had left behind remained—a crown lingering reminder of his abandonment.How could he do this? Antoine, the perfect stranger I had trusted with my heart, had turned me over like a lamb to the slaughter. All those promises of keeping me safe, the naive hope that he had protect me were shattered in one swift act. I had been foolish to think I could rely on anyone, even him after what Drake had done to me.The darkness pressed in, thick and suffocating, broken only by my shallow breath and stifled sobs. I could barely see through the blur of tears as I sank the cold floor, my fingers clutching at the rough stone. How was I going to survive this? My thoughts were spiraling, dragging me deeper into despair. The only thing keeping me for breaking entirely was the gentler reminder of life blooming within me— the tiny heartbeat of
LAYLA The cold, damp walls of the cell seems to close in on me as the heavy metal door creaked open. I strengthened up, my heartbeat echoing in my ears. Footsteps. More of them this time. I wasn't sure I wanted to look, but I did anyway, glancing up to see several figures stepped inside. They were tall, broad shoulders, stern faces and expressions that looked like they were carved out of stone. The one who had spoken looked so tall , his face so serious. I sighed in relief, it wasn't the Lycan King. Before I could even draw a breath, rough hands grabbed me, yanking me up with a force that send a sharp jolt through my arm. I gritted my teeth, biting back a gasp. They weren't exactly gentle, not that I tell them to be. But they could have at least warned me though. I tried to pull back, struggling against their hold , but it was like fighting against steel. The more I struggled, the tighter, their gripped. My heartbeat quickened as they started to drag me out of the
LAYLAMy wrist throbbed where they had bound them behind my back, but the pain was nothing compared to the icy fear crawling up my spine. The lights from the torches flickered and there , at the end he stood— the Lycan King.I could see him only from behind at first. His back was broad, his stance one of absolute power. The long white sleeves he wore stretched over his shoulders clinging to muscles that bulged.His hands were clasped behind him, giving me a glimpse of his hands thick with veins and strength. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing a tattoo which danced in his lower arm. A king Cobra with spikes on its head.There was something unnaturally still about him, like a predator waiting to pounds on its prey.My heart hammered in my chest as he spoke, his voice a low, rumbling command that echoed through the hall reaching every corner at once."Why did you sneak into my pack?"I swallowed hard, but my mouth had gone dry. His words were rich, wrapped in a strange, terrifying
LAYLAI couldn't believe my ears. This was the condition he said he had for me to stay in his pack?He couldn't be serious. "Swear your loyalty to me, body and soul."he said, his voice like a low, dangerous growl. " Become my slave and we will have a blood bond,.... or leave my pack and never return."I froze, feeling the air leave my lungs. My body...? My soul?. I came here seeking for refuge, not... submission. Not this. I felt tears stinging my eyes again. I could hardly meet his eyes, but when I did, slowly and looking away quickly. All I saw was a fierce, cold person— someone who had no heart at all How could he say this ?That moment I wished for death."Please." I begged softly barely able to hold back the pain in my voice. "There must be another way. I can't have a blood bond with you, I once had a mate...please.""Another way?" His voice dripped with mockery. " And he rejected you, correct? I don't need to hav
LAYLA I woke up to the sound of loud snoring. It filled the room, breaking through the silence. The older woman— the one who had been keeping an eye on me , was asleep, deep in her dreams, completely unaware. I sat up slowly, hardly daring to breathe, as I watched her. This was my chance and it may be my only one.If I stayed here with her and all the others, I knew I would never truly be safe. Not when the Lycan King had plans for me and I didn't know what they were. But the things they said about him... they were terrifying. I'd rather keep running , keep wandering in the woods or even live in the human world than stay here and end up facing him and whatever plans he had for me. And I will never agree to the blood bond. Never.Death was more honourable than that.It wasn't his fault. It was Derek , Antoine and even the moon goddess who had pushed me into a game I couldn't play.Using me as a pawn in her chessboard.I took a slow, deep breath , my heart pounding as I stood up
LAYLA My fingers curled around the parchment Adrian had given me and when I set the mug down the tea was just lukewarm. As I tried to read the exquisite script, the ink continued to smudge beneath my fingers. It was definitely from Drake, the man I had once believed would be my mate but who had turned me down. I was baffled as to why he sent me this. How did Adrian get it anyway? I turned to face Adrian who had somehow gotten closer to me while I was absorbed in my thoughts. His eyes were unreadable and calculated as he stared at me. His normally composed manner felt more abrasive and menacing just like that of a predator circling its victim. A darker, more eerie quality had taken the place of the warmth that had once surrounded our friendship. "How do you know about this?" My voice shook a little as I waved the letter at him.How did you even get this from Drake?."Too controlled and too practiced Adrians lips curled into a tiny knowing smile. "Drake and I go way back." he said
LAYLA.The weight of Del Morino's words began to press down on my chest in the late afternoon. Del had gotten me a new chamber and I had pease here.I tried to distract myself by arranging books on the couch in different places and running my fingers along their spines But nothing was able to divert me from our earlier discussion. Little shivers of confusion ran through my mind as his voice continued to echo. I believed I understood the strain of living in his world and I felt really sorry for how unstable his life had been from the onset. I shifted uneasily on the couch and flipped through a book, hardly reading the words. My gaze was constantly drawn to the window. I exhaled and tried reading when I heard a knock. I quickly rushed there hoping it was Del but when I opened the door, I was kind of surprised "Adrian." I said surprise lacing my tone""Hey,Layla." He said quietly. "It's been a long time." I said, moving aside to give him access. I knew Adrian well enough to fee
LAYLA Sitting across from Del, I tried to quiet the raging mental storm but it couldn't go away. Carleton Antoine Morino. That name, I have heard it before but where? The name sounded awfully familiar.Del was staring at me when I looked up. He was waiting and I sensed it. He was waiting for me to ask, for me to say something that would cause a chain reaction. I was unsure of what to say. His name *that name* weighed a lot on my chest. Even though I thought I had heard it before, the memories were so distant and out of my grasp. Why did my heart race each time I thought about it and why did it seem so important? At last,t when I couldn't hold my questions any longer, I spoke barely raising my voice above a whisper. "Del I've heard that name before, especially the name Antoine. I am certain that I have. But I don't know where or why does it seem so familiar?"He shrugged and reached for a glass of water, took a sip and continued staring at me but there was something in his eyes.S
DEL MORINO I was staring out the window when I felt Layla's eyes pressing down on me. The room was flooded with moonlight, which created shadows on the walls that appeared to get bigger by the moment. I couldn't bring myself to speak, not just yet, so our silence dragged on longer than it should have. Sharing was never my style as a man. Not with anyone. Not her at all. But tonight something was different. I was now staring out of the window as I sipped from a glass of Martini. There was something about the way she was staring at me that suggested she genuinely wanted to know and understand me. It made the words flow out of me in a surprising way. For a moment I believed I could ignore it—pretend like nothing was wrong—because the air between us was heavy with unsaid words. Act as though I didn't have the urge to tell her the secrets I’d long kept hidden. But I always pretended not to care. Isn't that the thing about me? As if I was independent. The silence was broken by Layla'
DRAKEIt felt like ages since dinner. The sound of cutlery clinking on dishes,Sophia's chuckles and her kind smile. The storm raging inside of me was cruelly contrasted with everything else. Tonight was supposed to be normal for me. I had shamefully returned from Corbin's pack into the waiting arms of Sophia, as I stared at her from across the table I remembered that my role was to pretend to be the man she believed me to be. But I couldn't maintain the persona for very long. It felt like an insurmountable burden was pressing down on my chest every minute I spent with her smiling and acting as though nothing was wrong. She talked about the delicious food but I could hardly hear her because I was seated across from her at the dinner table and my mind was elsewhere. Her tone was gentle, almost reassuring. I should have felt better after that. Rather it merely served to remind me of what I had just done. I told her a lie. I explained to her that I had been going about some business a
DEL MORINO I rushed into my chambers feeling the weight of the world pressing down on me. I couldn't release the rage and sadness that were boiling inside of me. Even clenching my hands into fists didn't help. Terese was gone, just like my mother, the one person who had been by my side since I was a young child. When my father had pushed me off like trash, like I wasn't his son, when my mother was too sick to look after me, Terese was there.I slammed the door so hard that it shook violently. I ran my fingers through my hair as pain exploded in my chest.Piece by piece I could feel my heart breaking. I had the feeling that I was choking and was unable to breathe. She was more than just a nanny. How could she be gone? How could I have lost the one person who had always supported me? She served as a protector, a steady presence in my life during a time of instability. And she is gone now. Only the moon goddess knows what she had wanted to tell me I slammed my fist into the wooden d
DRAKEAs I arrived at Corbin pack gates, I felt the burden of the journey pressing down on me. The pulse of my rage echoed through my veins, and the roaring beats of my heart were too loud for me to ignore. They had taken Terese, my only hope of finding the Seal.I know Corbin more than anybody, and I was sure that the idiot was going to lie that he didn't take her away, but he didn't know that I had gotten first-hand information that she had been abducted by his men and held captive for reasons I didn't know, and I didn't care to know.I wasn't here to socialize or have a peaceful discussion. No matter the cost my only objective was to bring her back and get the damn Seal. I slammed the car door with a loud bang that reverberated through the silent forestWithout exchanging words, my guards silently followed me while their eyes scanned the area. Each of us was aware of our purpose. “Remain vigilant,” I yelled, my tone steady but tense. “Corbin won't make things simple.”Before we
DEL MORINO It was unbelievable to me. The words swirled around in my mind like a nightmare until I lost all sense of reality. Terese is dead?Although the guard had said it in such a casual manner, I felt as though the earth had been torn out from under me. My heart stopped and I felt cold. I needed him to say it again. It couldn't possibly be true. No Terese. No, not her. She was irreplaceable. “What are you saying?. Dead?” I said my voice was hardly audible above a murmur. I wasn't even sure if I was saying anything. Everything seemed muffled and far away as if the world had closed me out. The guard's eyes were wide as he gazed at me bewildered. However I could only hear that one sentence repeated over and over.Terese is dead. My mind raced. I didn't want to believe it. It isn't possible.Not Terese though. She never stopped being strong, present and alive. I forced myself to pay attention and make sense of what was happening by demanding again.“What do you mean by she's dead
DEL MORINO A tiny smirk played at the corner of my lips as I watched Layla my Luna sitting across from me. She was looking at me with a soft inquisitive expression in her eyes as if she were trying to reveal layers I had hidden deep within. Since she was my mate, I couldn't hold it against her. Still there were some things I wasn't sure she needed to know and wasn't ready to share just yet. I had already surprised her earlier. I didn't expect her reaction when she realized I couldn't read because on the way she looked at me. It was utter surprise not sympathy or shock as if she had discovered a part of me that didn't match the image she had in mind. I should have dismissed it and offered an explanation but for some reason I didn't. I could see her thoughts at work during the long period of silence between us. I knew she wanted to ask more questions but she didn't press. And I loved that.More than I would ever tell herz I loved Layla's ability to respect my boundaries. It didn't