DEL MORINO I stood looking out of the window on the moonlit night, I couldn't stop thinking about Layla. The vodka in my glass wasn't cold anymore, just like how my heart felt.My other hand rested in my pocket, a habit I'd developed over the years to hide my clenched fist.The memory of Layla's attempted escape simmered in my mind, growing my anger. I could still picture her desperate eyes, but I quickly pushed that image away. Weakness was not an option; not now. The punishment I had imposed was necessary—she needed to grasp the repercussions of defying me.As I thought about her, the memory of my late mate, crept into my thoughts. Layla looked so much like her that it was almost scary - they both had bright green eyes and dark black hair. It felt like fate was teasing me, making me remember the person I had lost."Your Majesty," a soft voice broke into my thoughts.I turned to see a middle-aged maid, her silver hair neatly arranged at the back of her neck. "Dinner is served, sir
DEL MORINO Dinner had been cleared minutes before I heard the sound of footsteps, heavy footsteps of the guards and something else which was light and the door was pushed open.I sat in my usual seat,draped in furs and arrogance, astwo of my guards practicallyshoved her forward. Laylastumbled, catching herself beforeglaring at them. I love that. If given the chance she had smack him on the head.She lookedworse, thinner than sheought to be, her cheekbonessharp and her eyes sunken and red which showed that she might have cried a lot. Thefire in those eyes, however,burned just as brightly as anything."Careful"' I growled at the guards."I didn't ask you to deliver herbroken."The guards muttered apologiestheir heads bowed as theystepped back. Not that I caredfor their excuses or for Layla My attentionwas entirely on Layla, who stoodher ground like a stubborn treerefusing to bow to the storm, she had even braided her hair.Nice."Leave us" I commanded with awave of
DEL MORINO It was raining heavily and the storm outside raged on,shaking the walls of my room.Lightening struck across the sky, illuminating my room in an instant. Itwas as if the weather shared thechaos inside my mind.I heard the thunder rumble even before I woke up with a jolt,drenched in sweat, my heart drumming in my ears, racing as if it could break free from my chest.It was the same dream. Thesame nightmare that had hauntedme for years. I wished it could stop but instead it continued stubbornly."Fay."Her name slipped from my lipslike a whisper, but there was noone to hear it. No spirits, nosaviors-just me and thememories. Memories I wanted to stop everyday but every night they reappear.I missed Fay. A lot. But the nightmares, I just wanted them to stop already. I knew one thing was fuelling them and it was my guilt , the power of not moving on was holding me back , feeding them every night. I rubbed my temples,trying to shake off the images which burned into
DEL MORINO The morning sunlight pushed through the tall curtains, castinga soft glow over my luxuriousroom.The cool morning air brushed in, making me welcome it all. I stretched lazily, a smirktugging at my lips. Last night hadbeen... entertaining. Tammy hadbeen eager to please, but thatwas to be expected. Women likeher always tried too hard, hopingto stay longer than l allowed.But right now, I'd no use for her ,just as I had no uses for other women I had met and slept with.I rolled over, expecting her to stillbe in bed. But my hand landed onan empty, cold sheet. Damn.I just hoped this was not an thief , not after dealing the other one who I'd banished.My eyes snapped open. Where had shegone? The twerp.I sat up and scanned theroom. There she was, by thedresser, standing in front of themirror like she owned the place.Anger surged through me. The audacity.She hummed to herself, herhands busy styling her hair intosome elaborate bun. The sightwas enough to a
LAYLA The guards were relentless, their hands like iron as they dragged me and the maid away from the room. My feet scraped against the cold stone floor, my heart pounding with fear and anger. I glanced over at the maid, her face pale and stricken with terror. She stumbled as they pulled her, her small frame no match for their strength.Behind us, the Lycan King stood tall,his presence commanding the room.He said nothing, not a single word,as they took us away. I looked back at him, my chest tight with desperation, but his expression was cold and unreadable."My King!" the maid cried out, her voice trembling with raw emotion.She twisted in the guards' grip, her eyes pleading. "Please! Have mercy! She didn't mean any harm! She-she didn't even know! Punish me, nother!" I said pleading on her behalf.The maid kept begging too, her voice cracked, the sound of her despair echoing in the corridor. I felta lump rise in my throat, but I refused to let tears fall.Del Morino's eyes fli
DEL MORINO I stood before the gilded mirror in my chamber, adjusting the tailored midnight-blue suit that hugged my broad frame with practiced precision.The silver embroidery on the cuffs shimmered under the light, catching the glint of my one visible eye. My left was still hidden beneath the mask-sleek, black, and unyielding,as much a part of me now as my very skin.The mask made others uneasy. That suited me fine. Fear was a tool, and I wielded it as deftly as any weapon.With a snap of my fingers, my valet scurried forward, his hands trembling as he presented my onyx cufflinks.He fastened them silently, his head bowed as if afraid to meet my gaze."Enough," I growled. He stumbled back with a muttered apology, and I turned sharply, my polished shoes clicking against the marble floor.The banquet awaited. The same banquet I had conveniently told Layla was postponed.I laughed silently to myself when I remembered the shock on her face, I guess even Lord Thomas will be surprised tha
LAYLAI ran my legs going faster than I thought , the wind brushing through my face.The shrubs and thorns brushed through my legs, bringing out blood but I didn't stop, the sky was without a moon but I didn't stop either.I kept running my lungs were burning but this was my only chance, my only chance of freedom, to escape from Del Morino.I had overheard one of the guards saying something about the woods leading to another pack that was the northern border .if I ran very fast or if a kind of miracle happened and I was able to shift at least, I would be at the pack by midnight.But shifting was impossible.According to what I heard too, the northern pack was the safest anyone could run to, and it also shared border with the human world. My throat tightened ,my heart was pounding and I could literally hear it and my legs felt like jelly but the fear of being caught again fuelled my courage and pushed me deeper into the woods.I wondered what the human world would be like, would the
LAYLAMy heart hammered as my eyes danced in my head.I looked at Del Morino and at that very moment I just wished to die.There was a hint of surprise in his eyes and as his eyes roamed over me , taking the torn dress, my disheveled hair and wild eyes, a smirk crept up his lips."Well, well, well." He drawled." Pocahontas is running away. Again.""Stay away from me." I said, my voice trembling and my knees felt like jelly and I hoped the little strength I had would keep me standing." Of course I'll. I don't want to ruin my suit." He sneered. " This is the second or third time you are running away and our path kept crossing. " He took another step towards me. " Do you know how to get away from me next time ? Turn to a cockroach and vanish."I thought he was done with what he was saying when a stinging slap came in both my cheeks in such short moment that I saw my soul leaving my body."You're coming with me Pocahontas." He said and made to grab me when I felt someone come up behind m
DEL MORINOAlong the path to the Temple of the Moon Goddess, the branches of tall trees made it difficult to see the silver crescent moon that hung high in the sky.The smell of flowers that were blooming at night filled the air and the sound of gentle footsteps echoed through the silence. With the murmurs of our entourage behind us, my mother sat beside as she held my hand warmly.Although the temple has long been a quiet location for prayer and tranquility I felt uneasy tonight. My six year old mind was restless.Something or someone hiding in the shadows seemed to be observing us as the cart went through the hard route to the temple.Mother had said that the rocks along the paths
It was just a few hours to dinner and my thoughts were racing against each other.At first, I thought it was just a joke but as I kept thinking about it, I felt so uneasy.At the moment all I had was stress and a pounding headache but being an alpha was supposed to bring dignity and power, isn't it?I kept thinking of the elder's warning: no Seal of the Moon, no pack security. And guess what? Layla had the key to that damned Seal.I guess so.Layla who most likely hated me now.Layla had sacrificed everything for me to pay he
I sighedThese Elders don't know me.They had spoken like I should be scared or something.Then I should run to Del Morino's pack and beg Layla to come back, kissing her feet and shedding tears.Nah.Just because I'm in danger, even little pups are constantly in danger.To look intimidating or at least that's what I hoped, I twirled a dagger between my fingers while lounging on the meeting room's enormous fur chair.As though their breakfast had been stolen the elders sat in front of me with their typical sullen expressions.
DRAKEI ignored the sunlight that poured in through my large windows.I lay sprawled on my velvet chaise and gazed at the ceiling's elaborate carvings letting my thoughts wander to things I'd prefer to forget.Layla.Her name evoked feelings I didn't want to confront like a whisper in my mind.I hate that I had seen her with Del Morino.Not that it mattered but the way she was, carrying herself with so much confidence and pride broke me in two.Not that I was hoping she had been a slave or something, but I had wished I was the one who had given her that luxury she w
LAYLAIt was a painfully quiet night. I sat on the edge of my bed staring out the window and down at the moonlit pack grounds.Del Morino and the strange visit to the other packhouse were circling in my head leaving me confused about thoughtsHe had presented me to Adrian as his mate in a way that seemed purposeful even to make Adrian jealous or something like that.He was trying to arouse the other side of Adrian.To make him stay away from me?It had to be that. I balled my fists rage brewing beneath me.
LAYLAA soft knock on the door woke me up the following morning. Groggy and so weak that even when I said."Come in." I wondered if the person outside heard me.But then Del Morino entered wearing a white shirt which was messily rolled up showing his bulging muscles and tattoos that somehow managed to make him appear both menacing and sexy.I groaned and looked away. The handsome devil wanted to make me drool over him."Good morning Layla." he said in a very smooth and normal voice." I wanted to give you a tour of the pack house today. You still haven't had a chance to see everything."I paused for a second, still taking in everything that had happened since coming here.
LAYLABreathing was difficult and no matter how hard I tried to turn my eyes away, I was still staring at him.As I gazed at Drake, the man that I once loved I felt my chest tightened, making it difficult for me to breathe and my vision suddenly became blurry.Never in a million years would I ever think that I would ever see Drake, that our paths would ever cross but there he was towering over those around him and radiating the same carefree charm that had first captivated me.A woman who could have been sculpted by the Moon Goddess herself stood next to him her, laughter tinkling like bells as she held onto his arm.
DEL MORINOThe sight before me was enough to stop me in my tracks as the door creaked open and I entered the room.Layla stood in the center of the room, her damp hair falling over her shoulders and a towel tightly wrapped around her body I leaned idly against the doorframe, she turned around not expecting to see me.“Del!” she snapped her wide eyes to mine like a startled deer, keeping the towel close to her chest like a lifeline." Why are you in this room?I pretended not to understand what she was saying and raised an eyebrow.
LAYLA The room was a hive of activity as the maids worked diligently to prepare me for the bonding ceremony.My silver masterpiece of a dress shimmered like the moon. Every time the sunlight touched it the delicate embroidery glistened. The gown was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, its majestic train swept elegantly around me and it fitted me perfectly, hugging my curves and silently thanked the dressmaker. The gown was perfect for hiding my small baby bump.Attractive but modest the fabric embraced my body making it the ideal outfit for a Luna. But despite my attractive appearance, I was unable to get rid of the knot of anxiety that was twisting in my stomach. My hair was delicately pulled by the maids into an elegant style that was designed with tiny pearls. With a tiny mirror in hand, one of them stood back to examine their work. She smiled warmly."Luna Layla you look so beautiful." Luna Layla?It sounded odd as if I didn't own the title. Like they were referring to s