The guards nodded without hesitation, gripping my arms again to lead me out of the room. My stomach twisted, not just at the punishment, but at the cold finality in Kade’s tone. His words were like a slap, and yet, there was a flicker of something in his eyes—a crack in his mask, a fleeting trace of conflict.As they dragged me through the corridors, Harriet’s laughter echoed faintly behind me. I gritted my teeth, vowing to myself that I wouldn’t let her or Kade see me crumble. They might break my body, but my spirit was another matter.They threw me into my room with Jane and the heavy door slammed shut behind me.As soon as they left, I slipped down on the floor with unexplained anger.I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms as I tried to calm the storm within me. The room was dimly lit, the faint glow of the moon seeping through the small, barred window. The silence pressed against me, but it wasn't the absence of noise that set my blood boiling—it was the helplessness.
Sleep didn’t come again that night, not with the adrenaline coursing through me. My mind raced, calculating. If I stayed passive, they’d grind me into dust. But if I fought, I’d have to be smart. Kade had power, Harriet had influence, and the rest of the pack was caught in their orbit. The only way to survive was to find the cracks in their perfect world—and exploit them.The first light of dawn crept through the barred window, and with it came the distant sounds of the pack stirring. My body ached, but I pushed myself upright, leaning against the wall. Whatever they had planned for me today, I’d be ready.A sharp knock on the door broke the silence, followed by the sound of the lock turning. I tensed, half expecting another ambush, but when the door swung open, it wasn’t the girls or Kade standing there. It was a guard, his expression blank as ever.“Get up. You’re needed in the kitchens,” he barked, motioning for me to follow.I didn’t argue, didn’t hesitate. I needed to see more of
The room fell deathly silent, save for the sound of my labored breathing and Henry's strangled gasps. The kitchen staff scattered like leaves in a storm, leaving me alone in the Alpha's suffocating presence.I didn't need to look at Kade to feel the weight of his fury; it radiated off him like heat from a wildfire. Slowly, I let go of Henry, who slumped to the ground, clutching his bleeding neck and coughing violently. My claws retracted as I turned to face the Alpha, my mind racing for an explanation that wouldn't land me in the grave."Well?" Kade's voice was calm—too calm. That dangerous edge made my stomach churn. "Didn't I tell you Henry to monitor this lady with my strongest warriors?." Kade had his eyes on his Beta."Your warriors monitored me but he attacked me first," It was my turn to reply but I said immediately, my voice steady despite the fear curling in my gut. "I defended myself."Kade's dark eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a smirk that sent shivers down my spine.
Yes I was untamed.It was going to be nice, defeating the well known strongest male wolf after years.Torren laughed, a deep, mocking sound that echoed through the pit. "Brave words for someone about to be crushed. Let's see if your bite is as sharp as your bark, rogue."The crowd roared louder, feeding off his confidence, but I kept my gaze steady. My body thrummed with adrenaline, my wolf stirring just beneath the surface.The rules of the pit were unspoken yet well understood: survival by any means necessary. Torren would come at me with everything he had, and I'd have to match him, claw for claw, fang for fang.Torren lunged without warning, his massive frame moving with surprising speed. I darted to the side, narrowly avoiding the swipe of his claws. He recovered quickly, spinning to face me, his eyes gleaming with a predator's hunger."You can't run forever," he taunted, advancing again."Who said I was running?" I countered, feinting to the left before slashing at his side with
Without a warning, I felt a sharp pain rip through my back as Torren shoved his claws inside me again. The pain amplified and I coughed out blood. Every muscle in my body quivered and tears swirled at the edges of my eyes.Before he could kill me, I found a little strength to run away from him and his filthy wolf. The ache didn't stop and it wasn't going to anytime soon.I raised my head to look at the males standing, hoping any of them would come for my rescue-hoping Kade could come for my rescue but he didn't. He totally didn't want me as his mate and he didn’t care if I was killed. He just stood there and watched me without any remorse in his eyes, it caused me more pain that what was crippling inside me.I let out a soft blow as a tear escaped my eyes. This wasn't going to be the end of me. I wasn't going to get defeated. I was a woman of my own, I fought for myself, made my own rules, and survived.I survived.For three fucking years as a rogue.There was no way I was going to le
With trembling fingers, I reached for the cabin door and knocked softly. My breath clouded in the icy air, and for a moment, there was no response. I thought of leaving, running back into the darkness to find another way, but the creak of the door interrupted my thoughts.A woman stood in the doorway, her piercing green eyes locking onto mine. She was older, her silver hair braided over one shoulder, and though her face was lined with age, there was a sharpness to her gaze that warned me she wasn’t to be underestimated.She sniffed the air and narrowed her eyes. “A rogue,” she said, her voice calm but laced with suspicion. “You’re injured.”I didn’t deny it. “Please,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I need shelter, just for tonight.”Her gaze swept over me, taking in the blood, the bruises, and the desperation in my eyes. She let out a slow breath before stepping aside. “Come in, then. But don’t think I won’t throw you out if you bring trouble.”I stepped inside, the warmth of the ca
I sat frozen, my mind racing as his words echoed in my ears. Was he serious? Would he actually kill someone just to prove a point—or worse, to feed me? A part of me wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but the cold reality was that Alpha Kade wasn’t one to make empty threats.I pulled the blanket tighter around me, my body trembling from more than just hunger. His dominance, his sheer cruelty, clung to me like a suffocating shadow. Yet, beneath it all, there was a fire—a part of me that refused to break no matter how hard he tried to bend me.I forced myself to stand, leaning against the wall for support as I moved to the window. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the packhouse grounds. My wolf stirred within me, restless and angry, urging me to fight back, to run, to do something other than sit and wait for him to come back.But how? The room was locked, and I was weak. My injuries, though healing, had drained me, and I wasn’t sure I could survive anoth
As soon as I was out, the real me hit me so badly. What did I just do?!But they real deserved it.I looked around then noticed that the guards weren't around. I was happy for it. This time I didn't want to escape but I wanted the stupid ruthless bastard. Their Alpha.I walked slowly due to hunger until my eyes landed on one of the workers."Where is Kade?", I asked and when her eyes fall on me, fear showed in her eyes. I was scaring with blood of the rotten meat all over my body.She hesitated for a second but when she saw me open my mouth, she gave in i'mmediately. "He's in the meeting room."My brows furrowed. Meeting room?"Where is that and what meeting?""The meeting with the council. It's downstairs, near the cellar." The servant replied, staring at me with wide eyes. The second the compulsion wore off, she walked away without a single thought of what happened.I remained calm, used the energy I had in me and went downstairs, the underground level of the estate, one I had never
ALESSANDRO’S POVThe gunshot rang out the entire dining room. Everyone glanced at me and then diverted their gazes back to their meals not questioning me or my authority. The Russells seemed wary of my decision to kill my own men off.The truth is he had pissed me off two months ago and since then I have been trying to get my revenge. He had shown a desire to marryNatalya and that for some reason pissed me the fuck off.Leaning back, I rested a forearm on the table. Anger burned in my chest, I had to keep it in check so, I won't kill every single fucking person in here. And I really wanted to put a bullet in Paul Russell's head.Hellen's mother showed her distaste by glaring directly at me. Apparently, she did not like the idea of blood while she was peacefully eating her dinner. Why the fuck was she married to a Don then? I'm pretty sure Paul had done some pretty fucked shit in front of his family. It was the reason Hellen turned out to be a fucking walking disaster.In all honestly
It had been hours and they still weren't tired. I was tired, way too tired. I didn't have the energy to keep my eyes open anymore but couldn't close them. If I did they would scream at me, and slap me around.My eyelids felt heavy, I felt dizzy, and I could not hold my eyes open. I just couldn't... Slowly my eyes closed of their own accord. I tried, I tried so hard to keep them open but couldn't."OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES, BITCH"A stinging slap against my swollen, bloodied cheek. My teeth hurt, my jaw hurt, my ears were ringing, and every part of my body felt tender, it was bruised, busted, and bleeding. I have never experienced this much pain in my life before."I don't h-have the k-key..." I whispered on the verge of passing out.Another slap to my face.And then another."You don't get to pass out on us!" he snarled.His voice turned heavier, I tried to keep my eyes open but in the end, I lost the battle and succumbed to the darkness.I woke up and saw the empty cell. The men had fi
For the past hour, I have lain in my bed trying to make sense of what happened between Scott and me. Was it all there was to his friendship? Is that what he wanted all along? I couldn't believe it, I refused to believe that it was the only thing Scott wanted, from the past few weeks our relationship had been nothing but platonic.He never showed any interest in me, he treated me like you would treat your best friend.I picked up my cell phone from the nightstand and scrolled to his number. I contemplated if I should call him or not.As I was about to click on his number, a loud clattering sound from downstairs fell on my ears. I shot up from my bed, there was no one else in the house except for me. All of the household staff had gone home, maybe it was one of the guards.I swallowed as a feeling of unease crept up, I felt heavy footsteps coming upstairs. This doesn't feel right. Scared out of my wits, I clicked on Scott's number, it rang and rang but he didn't pick up. I again tried c
A MONTH HAD PASSED in a blink of an eye. I settled into my new life quite well. Scott regularly came to check up on me and the house staff. I now had a driver, a cook, and security guards by the gates. Sometimes I felt like he was the one pulling everyone's string but then I would shake that thought away.This is a Alessandro Costello free zone.I had grown closer to Scott, he had been nothing but helpful, yes, he had his annoying moments but other than that, I was glad that I moved back to my place. Sabrina had asked for forgiveness way too many times and I had forgiven her. If it wasn't for her I still might be stuck in that life... with him.I will never accept the fact that a tiny, little part of me missed him.I was trying to learn how to cook and right now I was busy preparing a birthday dinner for Scott. My cook was a middle-aged woman named Eleonora, she was Italian but knew how to make all types of cuisine. She was teaching me how to cook and right now she was the one helping
I scrubbed it again and again and again but it just won't get cleaned. The stubborn bloodstains were starting to get on my nerves.I didn't go to sleep last night. I couldn't, I kept thinking and thinking and thinking about so many things, so, now here I was. Cleaning. I decided to tidy up the house myself. And for the last hour, I have been trying to remove the bloodstain from the floor.Ugh!Annoyedly, I threw the washcloth onto the stain and held my head in my hands. "I hate this...""Woah!" Scott strolled down the stairs, looking at me with confused eyes. "What the fuck are you doing?""Cleaning..." I mumbledHe frowned. "Why?""Because..." I heaved a sigh. "I couldn't sleep... I just wanted to do something and turns out I suck at cleaning!"His eyes lit up with amusement and he laughed "Alessandro has sent me your bank details, I'll hire a team of cleaners to take care of this, replace the furniture and I think it's time I buy a new cell phone."Hearing his name did something to
I saw a deep frown etched on Alessandro’s forehead. He brushed two of his fingers against his lips quite aggressively. "I have no use of these things, you can take them, they are yours anyway""No, thank you, Don Alessandro. I don't want anything of yours"He picked up something from his desk and threw it at the wall behind me. I didn't flinch, I didn't jump. I just sat there with indifference."What the fuck do you want?"You...A tiny voice echoed in my head. I had no idea where that thought had come from. I shook my head and looked back down at my lap.He doesn't want me the way I want him. He is now an engaged man. He wants her... the woman who wore his ring.He said that little girls like me fall in love and I had denied it, told him that I won't but what I didn't know was that little crush I had on him since I got here, blossomed into something else way before he ever touched my body."I want to go back to my home and I never want to see you again"He smiled but it wasn't a norm
"I'll be outside, go on..." Scott announced once we reached Nikolai's home.I fiddled with my fingers resting on my lap. Nervousness crept up from the pit of my belly, I didn't want to see him, face him or talk to him after what he had done. I wanted to get away from him and never see his face again.His words resonated in my mind. His shouts, his monstrous dark eyes."JUST STOP WITH YOUR FUCKING ALESSANDRO BULLSHIT! CALL ME DON ALESSANDRO LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! FUCKING GIVE ME THE RESPECT A DON IS ENTITLED TO"A shiver ran down my spine and I chewed on my bottom lips to keep the tears at bay."You weren't saying that three nights ago when begged me to fuck you like the whore you are"He humiliated me, insulted me, and then left me alone for a week just to get engaged to some other woman. The woman he loved. That is why he didn't want me in the first place and I was too dense, too stupid to throw myself at him like that.I mustered up some courage and nodded at Scott before I finally ste
"Your father is asking for you," Scott said to Alessandro.I breathed out in relief as I saw Alessandro' walking past me and towards Scott. He stopped before him and said something to him under his breath. Scott nodded and responded to his words before Alessandro walked back toward the hall."Scott, can you please drop me off at my parent's place," I asked him nicely. I didn't have any other option and he and Sabrina were the only two people I knew here. I was not going to ask Sabrina as she had lied to me and I was furious at her for that.He blew out a breath. "Sweet cheeks, we will go to Alessandro's home first and then I'll take you anywhere you want to go, alright?"I stared at him. He was as bad as Alessandro, I didn't trust him, and the fact that he had suddenly started to treat me better made me even more cautious of him. He and I have never seen eye to eye since the day we met. There was a reason behind the sudden change in his demeanor, I needed to know what it was but right
My eyes were locked with Alessandro's, I didn't look away and neither did he. All of a sudden, I realized how alone I was in this room full of people. He was the only one I considered mine after the death of my parents but he belonged to someone else. I broke eye contact to look at the unfamiliar faces around me. They were mostly Costellos... his family. Sabrina was also a Costello, she was his cousin. I had no one.I had no one..."N, are you alright? What's wrong?" Sabrina's voice echoed again.I ignored her and took off. I walked down the hall toward the exit. A sarcastic laugh dripping with bitterness left my lips. My eyes had turned red and were glistening with tears but I didn't let them fall.I walked past the security, keeping my head down. The cold air bit into my skin. I had forgotten my coat inside but I didn't care. I just wanted to be away from here, away from him. I don't want to see him again.My heels were a little unstable on the cobblestone driveway but I kept on goi