“How is she?” he asked, his voice almost a croak.Castro stared at him a moment, his brow furrowed.“I’m sorry alpha, but she needed rest. I don’t think your presence would…”“I know…, I…I just wanted her to rest and I’ve been so worried. I didn’t want to put additional stress on her.”Castro’s expression softened. “She’s sleeping. Quite soundly. She never even moved when I checked her vitals. Let her rest. She’s been through hell. Her memories made her emotional and unstable."Rufus nodded and murmured his thanks. He wiped nervous palms down his pant legs as Castro hurried away and then he tentatively opened the door, careful to not make a sound. If she was asleep, then she’d never know he was here.He could watch her for a while and know that she was safe. He eased the door open farther and stepped inside, his gaze immediately seeking her out in the semi darkened room.She was lying on a narrow bed with her back elevated. She
There’s a huge blast. He didn’t hear anything after that. He saw the huge fire before the black out. Before the mind of his scout closed. Damn! What happened. He knew the place. As soon as Rufus turned onto the warehouse, his stomach dropped and his mouth went dry. He gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles as he accelerated. The entire world was ablaze with flashing lights. Police cars, ambulances, fire trucks. The smell of smoke was heavy, and the sky was colored orange with the glow of flames. The warehouse owned by Janice family was on fire. He screeched to a halt in front of a police barricade and he was out of his SUV like a shot, running toward bridge. The entire warehouse was ablaze and firemen directed a steady stream of water from multiple directions. He was focus on how to get to the bridge. His scouts told him that her blood was all over. “Hey! You can’t go in there!” He ignored the shout, his only thought to get to Everleigh. Oh, Goddess. Not again. Anything
“She loves you, her mind chose to forget about you, maybe because it was too much for her to handle. She experienced awful things in a short period of time Rufus. How can you see how beautiful she was before? How fortunate you are to have her?”“I’m a fool.”“Yes, you are and you already knocked her up again.”“I’m afraid that something bad will happen again because of me. I’m getting paranoid.”“Now you know how much I suffered when Lander and Alec were after her. I can’t sleep, sometimes I watched them sleep. I don’t want to see them die. I don’t know if I can handle another dying moments of my relatives in front of me.”“I’m sorry.”“Did she remember everything?”“I don’t know but she remembers those horrible moments. It was awful.” Rufus voice croaked.“Rujan?” Everleigh’s voice.“Hey sweetpie, I’m here.”“I want to go home.”“Sweetpie, this is your home.”“No, I can’t live here. I kept remembering those days. I can’t.. please… please get me out here…” Rufus’s heart bled when he h
When Rujan told her that Rufus had decided to let her go, she felt hurt and relieved at the same time. It was easy for him to give up on her. She and the kids moved to her father's ranch, telling them they were taking a vacation.When her memories returned, it was hard for her to accept. It seemed all the awful memories had happened recently. The wound was so fresh that she almost went crazy. She hated Rufus for deceiving her and couldn't trust him.Her life continued on the farm. She became closer to her sister, her father, and even to Richard, who always visited her and the boys. She wished Rufus could read her mind, but she was human, and Richard taught her to block Rufus from her thoughts.She went to school and maintained her friendship with Mark and Viktor. She knew Rufus had installed scouts inside the school and posted guards at the ranch particulary at night. She could hear their howling.Rufus personally drove the boys to school and picked them up after class. She saw him ev
Who was she? Now that she knew she had wolf’s blood, curiosity grew within her. Who was her father? Edward had treated her like his own, and she had been content with that before. But now, something important had come up, and she needed to know about her father.She found her diary when her memories returned. She let Rufus know that she remembered everything by showing him the diary. Her mother had taught her to write her feelings in a journal. She remembered her mother writing in her journal while Amelia was sleeping and she was playing beside her.Her love for plants and gardening came from her mother. Edward had built a greenhouse for her, where she spent most of her time. Well, they both spent most of their time there when she was a child. Until one day, her mother got sick and never recovered. She had been healthy, so why did she suddenly fall ill?She went to the greenhouse. It was well-maintained, a sign of Edward’s devotion to her mother. Ins
"Is it true that you never touched any woman after the incident several years ago?"Rufus nodded. "Whitton can vouch for that.""Why? I mean, you’re a warm-blooded animal, and I saw you with two women at the same time. You had all the money you could spend. You could travel from resort to resort and have any woman you wanted. You had beautiful omegas too. I remember you could just summon them, and they’d do everything for you."Rufus smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "That was my way of punishing myself, my love.""You’re such a fool! What about your pack? You need an heir."Rufus sighed. "I cannot touch a woman after you.""What do you mean?"He looked down at his crotch. "My pet won’t cooperate even if my mind wants to.""Then you tried?" She snapped."Yes, for the sake of an heir.""With Alice?""No.""With Janice?""Goddess, no""Really? If I rememb
Heartbroken, Rufus started to walk away from her. He guessed he should let her go and just watch her from afar. Damn, he was hurting... the pain was almost unbearable."Rufus," she called out.He stopped, hope igniting in his chest. She grabbed his arm. "Stay with me." Hope surged within him. The fact she wanted him near her was a good sign. With a nod, Rufus stepped forward and lowered himself to the bench, sitting beside her and stroking her hair. Their gazes met.Telling this story had stripped her soul down to its core and left her bare. Every bit of that pain and fear was in her beautiful eyes. He ached to make it all go away."Rufus?" Everleigh breathed, her dark copper hair floating around her shoulders like a temptress. But looking at her sweet oval face, rosy cheeks, and swollen, impossibly blue eyes only reminded him of the girl with the scarred heart beneath that temptress."I’m here. Always here for you," he vowed."Touch m
It seems that you're in a good mood, huh, dear brother?" Rufus smiled at Rujan, recalling his wife and her surrender to him. "Your scouts can breathe now; you've made their lives miserable for the past few days.""I know," he answered."Lander is still living like he owns the world. I tried to talk to the royal chief hunter about it, but their decision was firm: humans are not our jurisdiction. But now that Leigh remembers that a wolf's mate was killed, I don't think the king will sit and do nothing.""The death of Everleigh's mother has no bearing. Her father was already dead when Lander killed her.""Damn rules!" Rujan cursed, eager to eliminate Lander as soon as possible. "How about his bitch mate?"Things were getting complicated. Lander was protected by Alice. Their mate bond prevented them from touching Lander. Rufus knew Alice was here to prevent Lander from entering the castle, using her vanity to their advantage."She'll stay here. Now that I’ve gained my mate’s trust, she’ll
"Sleep, my love. I'll take my fill tomorrow night.""Don't shift. I love your smell," she said sleepily."I won't," he replied, removing the bindings and massaging her wrist.Dark couldn’t sleep; his cock throbbed with need. He lay there, watching the stars and the moon outside, holding his mate as she slept on his shoulder. After two agonizing hours, her eyes flew open, and he instantly knew why. She needed to pee."Stay there. Don't shift," she ordered before closing the bathroom door. She was still naked, which added to his frustration. He mind-linked the chef to prepare a light snack for her. With the way his daughters moved inside her, he knew they were hungry. He needed to satisfy them first."No one can see us on the deck, right?" she asked when she returned and picked up the robe from the floor. Dark nodded and came to her. She looked at his erection and then back at his face."Don’t mind it. You need to
"See that moon, my love? Tomorrow, we will join the wolves in their mating game, but for now, I need you to prepare first."Dark began licking her skin and caressing her nipples with his huge, furry hands. She was fully aroused."Easy, love. Let me take care of you. You don’t know how much I want to take you like this."Dark bared his teeth in a look of such feral pleasure that only a fool would call it a smile. He wrapped one hand around her breast and squeezed with just enough pressure to make her want more. She closed her eyes against the overpowering feeling of vulnerability. She felt the humid warmth of his exhale the second before his lips wrapped around her. The sound that escaped her was so raw and needy she couldn’t believe she’d made it. Then his tongue curled around her nipple, and his furry cheeks hollowed on a drawing pull she felt all the way to her womb. She no longer cared what desperate sounds she made.
"Don’t blindside me, Rufus. You can’t protect me with it.”Rufus sighed. “I’ve already assigned scouts for them. Lander is already on Red Island.”“Do you have a place there?”“Every alpha has a place on Red Island.”“Interesting.”“The mansion is located at the far end of the island, away from the center. The boys can shift freely there. It’s time for you to meet fellow alphas and the king.”“Sonya told me that all wolves are afraid of him. I’m curious about his appearance and why he’s still mateless. I imagine he looks frightful.”Rufus gave her a peck on the forehead. “I’m happy you’re open now, my love. You should see the king before making any judgments.”“I think I need to go to the bathroom again,” she said.“If you feel anything, just tell me or show me. Castr
Diana’s shoulders shook with a ragged breath, and he turned his head, battling discomfort and regret. She had once been important to him, and he would miss her, but not in the way she wanted.“What do I have to live for if I don’t have you?”He turned at her question and barely caught her as she ran into him. Holding her at bay with a grip on her upper arms, he saw the devastation on her beautiful face before he could process her words. Then it registered.Horrified, he shoved her away. She was blackmailing him with her life.She stumbled back as her heels caught in the carpet. “Don’t put that on me,” he warned, his voice low and hard. “I’m not responsible for your happiness. I’m not responsible for you at all.”“What’s wrong with you?” she cried. “This isn’t you.”“You wouldn’t know. You’ve lived without me for many years;
Everleigh heard Diana ordered cognac to their attendant. “Ethan, you'll have a cognac too, won't you?' she said. “I know how much you used to love it,” she said.She sighed and thought that next time she’ll pay attention to Rufus’ likes and hobbies. She frowned when she remembered something, he was drinking the same drinks everyday but not Cognac.Those were the dark moments of her life with him, when she often saw Rufus drunk and few times sober. “He preferred vodka or brandy since I met him few years back. He was particularly fond of those spirits that he drank it every night before. We have collections of them in the castle including whiskey but I never saw Cognac.”“You’re right my love, I indulge Diana those days to patronize my father’s favorite drink but I am not fond of it.”Everleigh turned to Rujan, “I indulge myself with it sometimes,” Rujan replied.Raiden wanted to go to the restroom and she needed too. “I’ll accompany you,” he said. Rujan chuckled, “come on brother, let
Sonya helped her prepare for the formal dinner. Her hair was braided into a sophisticated bun that emphasized her beautiful almond-shaped eyes and cheekbones. She chose a sexy white maternity dress with a dramatic neckline that highlighted her luscious cleavage, which had become fuller due to her pregnancy. This cozy, simple dress was sexy with its low, open back. She wore 70-carat diamond drop earrings given to her by Rufus, among other jewelry from his mother. Sonya picked a diamond choker and bracelet for her to complement the earrings."The drama queen always portrays a demure personality, but she eyes the luxuries. She grew up with a golden spoon in her mouth, so it's natural for her to love fine and extravagant things."Everleigh had never been competitive in her life, but hearing this, she was determined to show off. Rufus didn’t want her to wear high heels, so she decided on beaded flat shoes. The boys looked stunning in their tuxedos.Rufus and the boys were waiting for her i
"Are you sure?""Yes, I am sure.""Do you want to see the boys shift too?""What do you mean?""Yes, they can shift.""But they're so young!" she exclaimed."And they're my sons.""Why didn't they tell me?" she was surprised and hurt at the same time.Rufus came to her side. "Love, you can't remember a thing about shapeshifters like us. How could they show you?""Did Rujan know?""Yes.""When did they start to shift?""When Rujan invited you to the cabin.""It's not all about fishing and picnics, I see...""Yes, it's not about picnics and fishing.""What about our daughters? Are they going to shift at a young age?""I don't know. Nothing is certain when it comes to shifting. Alpha blood is stronger. I shifted when I was the same age as our boys, and Rujan shifted when he was fifteen.""You're twins. Did the shifting determine who would be the alpha?" she asked."Yes, it's one of the factors."
He traced the shell of her ear with his tongue, feeling her slick sex clasp him in response."Perfection," he whispered, following her down as she sank back into the bed.Everleigh gripped his upper arms and licked her lower lip, her hips moving in tight little circles, loosening the way for him. "Please," she pleaded again in that throaty murmur that undid him. Bracing himself with palms flat to the bed, he withdrew slowly, relishing the feel of her clinging to his cock.He returned with effort, pushing through the tight resistance. Her head thrashed and her eyes closed, which he could not allow. He needed her to stay with him, to see him through the storm he knew was coming. The pressure of his impending orgasm fisted around his bollocks and pulsed through his cock, warning him that he would soon be wasted by the woman beneath him.She’d snared him completely that long-ago night, bewitched him beyond redemption. There was no other choice for him.
Rufus placed her carefully on the edge of the bed. “Let’s talk, Rufus,” her voice faltered as he pulled her dress up and over her head. He tossed it aside, his attention focused on her full breasts that heaved with every ragged breath. He cupped their lush weight in his hands, his thumbs stroking over the hard, peaked nipples. She leaned back, her weight propped on her canted arms. Her lovely face was flushed, her blue eyes dark as if drawing him into the depths of the ocean. Her rich, inky hair fell around her shoulders in total disarray. She looked glassy-eyed and luscious, the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.“About what, my love?” he murmured, pressing her backward to take a nipple into his mouth. Her selflessness meant more to him than he could express with words. He had needed so much from her for so long, and she had given generously and with heartening enthusiasm. His tongue stroked over the taut point of her breast, his lips pulling with deliberately soft suction, teasing