I gasped, my breath catching in my throat, and with a flurry of hurried movements, I peeled off my nightgown. His face held a silent command, a threat I couldn't ignore. The unspoken consequences of defiance loomed, a dark shadow I dared not explore. He flipped me onto my back, his touch sending a shiver through my body. His lips grazed my skin, leaving a trail of heat that softened my muscles and stole my strength. His hands, large and powerful, slid beneath me, cupping my breasts. The weight of them, the awareness of his raw strength, filled me with a mixture of fear and fascination. These hands, so capable of tenderness, could also crush me, extinguish my life in an instant. The thought echoed the whispered rumors, the chilling tales of lives he had taken, innocent lives snuffed out like flickering flames. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my heart pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird. My palms grew slick with sweat. A moan escaped my lips as his thumb and forefinger found m
My night with Amelia was fun. Her hair smelled wonderful, and her skin was smooth to the touch. When I split her wide and orgasmed, the excitement made me want to go for another round, but before I could, she was asleep. I rubbed her clit and spread her more with two fingers before falling into a deep sleep. I tucked her in carefully when I woke up and climbed down to start my morning routine. I moved into the bathroom for a quick shower, and it didn’t take long before I was in the lobby with a glass of wine in hand. Logan stood before me as I gulped down the contents of the glass calmly. “How much is it?” I asked, twirling the remaining wine in the glass. My mind drifted through thoughts of my next investment. My money had been shipped and was accurately received, I hoped. “Fifty million, capo.” Driven by impulse and infuriation, I smashed the glass on the floor. “What did you just say?” “Fifty million USD,” Logan replied, his tone steady as he counted his words. “It was suppose
I stood by the large window and watched Lorenzo kick a man so ruthlessly that a wave of hatred began to build inside me. Though I couldn't hear what they were saying, I knew the man was pleading for his life, but Lorenzo wouldn’t hear any of it. I watched him grab the man by the hair and say something, then he forcefully yanked his head down. When the man started to move away and Lorenzo walked back toward the suite, I concluded he must have given him a reprieve. I exhaled in relief. Even though I didn’t know the man, I felt glad Lorenzo chose to let him go. But my relief turned into horror as one of Lorenzo's men lunged at the man and, in one swift motion, ripped open his chest. My eyes widened, and my heart began to thump faster. My fingers started to tremble, and my throat tightened. The slashing continued, and blood pumped out like a fountain. I could hear the poor man screaming, but suddenly, his lips shut. Lorenzo's man stooped closer to the man’s neck and ripped out a large c
For the first time since Lorenzo took me from my parents’ house, I actually felt happy about returning to his home. As Leo drove us along the road, I asked him questions about the things I saw outside, hoping to hide my excitement. Leo responded to every question with care, a stark contrast to his usual cold demeanor. Even though his sudden warmth made me uneasy, I tried to act like it didn’t matter. Perhaps he was doing it to keep me from feeling sad about my parents-in-law’s deaths. Whatever the reason, it worked. Otherwise, I would have been lost in thoughts of bloodshed, murder, and the looming fear that I might be next. I pushed those thoughts aside as we arrived home. “Welcome, ma’am…” Lily greeted me, her eyes shining with excitement. “Just Amelia, please,” I corrected her quickly, not wanting to feel distant from her. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten all day. I glanced at the clock; it was past noon, and I had skipped breakfast. “I made lasagna
My eyelids blinked open, but my vision was hazy. A slight headache throbbed in my temples as I tried to remember what had happened. As my sight cleared, I recognized the figure moving around the room: it was Mr. Onex, with his golden hair catching the light. I attempted to sit up, but sharp pains shot through my back, making me groan. Mr. Onex quickly turned towards me, and in an instant, he was beside me, gently helping me back onto the bed. “You have to relax and let your muscles recover fully. You've been asleep for two days now,” he said, tucking me in snugly. “Two days?” I asked, my voice hoarse and strained. “What happened?” He looked at me with a serious expression, then sighed deeply. “After you passed out and I couldn’t get a response from you, I contacted the pack doctor, Dr. Jenson. He came over and assessed your condition. You had suffered a traumatic experience, and we decided it was best to sedate you. You're safe now, so don't worry. I’ll explain everything soon, bu
"I was going to be used as a pawn in your wild game?" "Talk about Alpha Oris, who lost his life for this. We have to save the packs of Chicago. We are being threatened. This is where your destiny has to save us." "I was going to be a pawn in a dangerous game," I said again, my voice shaking with anger. "And now you expect me to pick up the pieces of a mess you think you're in? I have no obligation to do any of that." "I understand your anger, and I know I have no right to ask this of you," Mr. Onex said, his eyes pleading. "But the packs of Chicago are at risk. If we don't do something, they could all be destroyed. And you, Neil, you have a power that could save them." "My power?" I scoffed. "What power? When you had me set up to control me?" Alpha Oris and Mr. Onex had it all planned. They wanted to test me, which was why Mr. Onex arrived right on time to take me home that night. “It was to make you stronger in heart and strength. But we had no idea there was going to be a shado
“Mother, I need to ask you some questions,” I said as soon as the door opened before me. I stepped into the room and began to pace around while I let my mother shut the door. I had been restless the whole drive down to East Chicago, to the location of my pack, Castros, where my mother lived. Mother stepped into the room with inquisitive eyes glaring at me. I wanted to excitedly tell her I’d found my second-chance mate, but the look in her eyes and the haste to ask her the questions that had preoccupied my mind throughout the day made me ignore that part. “What is it you want to talk about, Neil, that you seem to have forgotten how to be the cordial boy I raised you to be?” Mother’s voice was cold, a sign that she was annoyed. I exhaled as I realized what I had done. I shouldn’t have barged in that way. “I’m sorry I barged in that way, but…” “It’s okay,” Mother raised her hand to dismiss my plea. “What do you want me to help you with that is so urgent?” Mother took her seat with he
“What happened on the day I was born?” I wanted to know what Alpha Oris meant by “something strange.” Mother sighed and sat up on the sofa. “It's fair that you have to know now.” This time, I took my seat opposite her, ready to determine if I would call this the moon's curse or blessing. “When I went into labor—it was the most painful labor ever. Your elder brother didn't give me so much trouble. You had a strong body even as a baby. The full moon suddenly turned red before the lunar blood moon night. The whole forest, which was supposed to be filled with werewolves on the full moon, was suddenly empty. You didn't come out after the first normal contractions, but after we concluded to perform a surgery, you pushed out in your wolf form…” “In my wolf form? I was a wolf from birth?” “Yes. You could transform swiftly into your wolf form from a very tender age, which was very abnormal but also very wonderful. You had to be hidden. I hid you until you were up to the age of puberty when
Neil's POV It had been almost a week and I had been mourning him, loathing myself for his demise. I felt empty, weak, and powerless as he was cremated six feet into the ground. I would bear this scar, this burden all my life, as the one who killed his brother. I couldn’t accept any other truth, knowing this would not have happened if I had paid attention to what my mother said a few weeks ago about my brother's disappearance. I should have gone in search of him; maybe I could have saved him earlier. But now, there seemed to be more to this than just losing him to the monster I was yet to understand. A monster that operated with shadows and was as dangerous as hell, capable of possessing the soul of a werewolf. I had to dig into this. Who were the 'they' that were coming? And why do they want to wipe out all werewolves? His voice echoed in my mind. A thin line of tears rushed down my face as I stared at his grave. Every werewolf in the Castros pack had come to pay their last respe
Neil's POV "Scythe!!!" I screamed in fury with everything in me. The hairs on my body rose in anger. My blood boiled, and the only way to stop this was to take Scythe down and make him pay for everything he put the werewolves of Castros pack through. "Scythe!!" I roared again. Heira paced angrily within me, and I knew any moment now, he would push out. The air suddenly went still, and an ominous silence fell among the ruins of the pack. Cold air rushed in from all sides, and strange shadows began to take shape around me. Scythe's power had increased since the last time. More larger and thicker lumps of shadow penetrated the air now, cloning themselves... more than one Scythe stood before me, ready to attack. "You called me." His voice was unusually deep and menacing, resonating like thunder in the environment. But I cared less; he could display an array of powers as much as he wanted, but he was going down today. With gritted teeth, I pounced forward on both feet, claws pointed at
Neil's POV One blissful, amazing night with my mate had left us both curled into each other's arms. Her head rested on my chest while she slept. She was my mate, my Luna with a wolf spirit—a healer. Not only was she a werewolf now, but she was also a healer. In that moment, I wished I had turned her earlier; Cole wouldn’t have had to endure all of those struggles in Europe to save me from silver. I felt proud of her. She had awakened her wolf successfully after one bite, which was very rare, and she had been blessed by the moon with such a unique power. I suspected that was just the tip of the power of blue wolves. As I lost myself in thoughts about what it would feel like to finally present my mate to the Castros pack, a voice suddenly screamed into my head through the mind-link. "Alpha! Where are you? The pack is in chaos!" It was my beta, Damien. "What’s wrong? What’s happening?" "It’s the shadow assassin! The pack members are disbanding in fear. So many werewolves have been k
Amelia's POV She was very focused and carefully navigated the woods as if she had been there before. Also, she was very fast; I could tell by the amount of wind brushing past her fur. Neil was behind us... wait, not Neil. It was his wolf! I chuckled in excitement. It was getting interesting. 'Lydia is beautiful', I heard Neil in my head as our wolves sprinted through the undergrowth. 'She's charming and very interesting. I love her already', I replied as I laughed. We were beating Neil and his wolf in the race. They couldn't keep up with us; Lydia was extremely fast. 'And she's unusually fast! Damn! Heira is struggling to match her speed!' Neil complained, and I took pride in that. I heard his wolf purr as he increased his speed. 'Catch me if you can,' Lydia screamed in excitement. We pounced ahead. But Lydia suddenly paused and turned to Heira. 'Okay, I think we have arrived at the end of the game.' I stretched my eyes and saw it was a dead end—a cliff. Heira swiftly transfor
Amelia's POV My whole body quaked even while Neil was licking the wound. His hot tongue flapped the bite marks, but that didn't stop the storm I felt within. He pulled away and looked into my face. I thought he was going to let go because he didn't know when my wolf would arrive, but instead, his lips found mine. My lips quivered in his mouth as he kissed me, lips first until our tongues almost set on fire. I could feel my thigh getting slicker as our mouths continued dancing together. Yet, my whole body was on fire; starting from the mark Neil had just placed on my neck to the very pit of my stomach. I began to feel so strange, so alien to my body. I gasped into Neil's mouth while he kissed me because the pains were almost choking me, but Neil's powerful arms held me steadily against his chest as he tried to ease the pains. My fingers dug into his back as it felt as if I could merge with his body. The pains throbbed in my head and pounded in my chest, as if my body would explode an
Amelia's POVI know my name is Amelia. I remember that face; the face I wake up with every morning, right on my mind. I remember his name; he is Neil Morreti. All the memories we ever shared all rushed into my mind; including the sex in the pool at Arkans. I remember he had saved me but I can't remember what happened that he needed to save me in Arkans. I remember that monster, Logan; he cut off my pinky and promised he would send it to Neil, which he did.One distinct thing I also remember is that Neil is not an ordinary human. He has a wolf; a dark haired wolf that is so strong.I couldn't stop myself from imagining what it felt like having a wolf that you could call on, even when you are in danger. I would speak to her, hear her thoughts and opinions and not a soul will know what we are discussing. I would make her my gist mate. I would smell things from afar, hear any little sound like I wish to, become terribly fast and my punch will be strong enough to break enough bones.That f
Amelia's POV I knew my name is Amelia. I remembered that face; the face I woke up with every morning, right on my mind. I remembered his name; he was Neil Morreti. All the memories we had ever shared rushed into my mind, including the moment in the pool at Arkans. I remembered he had saved me, but I couldn't recall what had happened that required his intervention. I remembered that monster, Logan; he had cut off my pinky and promised to send it to Neil, which he did. One distinct thing I also remembered was that Neil was not an ordinary human. He had a wolf; a dark-haired wolf that was incredibly strong. I couldn't stop myself from imagining what it felt like to have a wolf that I could call on, even when I was in danger. I would speak to her, hear her thoughts and opinions, and not a soul would know what we were discussing. I would make her my confidante. I would smell things from afar, hear any little sound I wished to, become incredibly fast, and my punch would be strong enough t
Neil's POV I was shocked to the bone marrow. Not once did Amelia stir as her eyes continued piercing mine inquisitively. "Is he the bad guy who cut my finger with a knife and laughed while I cried?" She raised her stubby pinky to me and pouted her lips, ready to tear up. I was short of words. She remembered Logan, Karl, me, and every other thing except Lorenzo. She didn't remember the man who was ruthless and cruel to her in the name of marriage. She didn't remember how he killed her parents or how he led her to the altar and proceeded with the marriage vows with her. She didn't remember the mafia boss of Chicago, the one who married her for an heir and made life hard for her. She didn't remember any of it. But seeing this situation, I was going to seize it. I would make sure she never remembered those horrible nightmares with Lorenzo. She would never remember that Lorenzo ever existed, that he ever lived in her life. And that he was her husband. I would make sure those nightmares
Neil's POV The first thing I did was get Amelia out of that hospital and take her with me back to America. Cole booked us a room in a hotel to stay and watch out for the time being. The situation in America about being the miscreant who took the lives of hundreds of workers in a refinery explosion hadn't been laid to rest yet. But I was not that bothered about it; now I had all that I wanted, an undisturbed life with my mate. It was late by the time we arrived in America. Amelia had been sleeping on my shoulder all through the flight. She looked so weak and sick. The kind that moved me to pity, but it wasn't pity speaking. I was not pitying my mate. I was deeply concerned about her condition and if Neil Morreti would survive if he lost her. I would become a shadow of myself, and I might not be what anyone expected me to be anymore—just a loner who had lost control of his emotions and his whole self. I let her freshen up alone and treat herself to a nice meal. I took her to watch the