[Nol’s POV]Eliana’s body shivers against me as my hand begins to slide along her exposed skin. With each inch I move, I can smell her phermones growing stronger and stronger, spurring me to continue to push it to see just how far she will allow me to go.Slowly, I begin to inch my fingers up her stomach, skimming along the smooth flesh there and then her rib bones. I stop once more and wait."Why aren’t you continuing?" She murmurs, relaxing against me.Why indeed? Why in the world would I care whether or not she wanted me to continue touching her? I bought her to be my breeder, nothing more and nothing less.Smirking, I lean forward, resting my chin against her shoulder so that my lips can brush her neck."I was waiting for you to stop me, sweetheart.""I won’t," she says, though her voice lightly shakes as she speaks. "This is something I should get used to anyway."Get used to it anyway. I didn’t know if I liked the sound of that. It was like she was just putting up with me due to
[Eliana’s POV]Despite Nol’s large side, his hands and fingers that caress and touch my skin are gentle and feather-soft. Even his body, which moves above me, is gentle. It is almost like he is treating me like I am the most precious thing to him.Where our skin touches is alive, and I’m not sure if it is due to my heat or if it is something more. I don’t dare to think too far given how powerful the man is, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I feel like if I continue to let my guard down, I will get really hurt.Not wanting to think too hard on anything, I reach up and wrap my arms around Nol’s neck and my legs around his waist, pulling our bodies together so that it’s hard to tell where I end and he begins."Is this your way of saying you want me to go harder?" Nol grunts, his large arm wrapping around my back and holding me against him. "I’m trying to be considerate of you, but if you keep that up.""Harder," I whisper, not quite believing my own words. "Harder and faster."The s
[Zane’s POV]"Attention passengers, please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing."The voice manages to reach through the headphones that are in my ears, playing soothing music. I was never much of a fan of flights, but since my father was unable to attend a meeting in France, I was forced to take his place.Sighing, I pull out my headphones and reach for my seatbelt while letting my gaze take in the city below me, suddenly feeling the urge to just book another flight and disappear entirely, especially given what I was coming home to.As if to remind me of this, Alexandria is waiting as I unboard the plane with a look of pure joy on her features.Once she spots me, she rushes forward and throws her arms around me while standing on tiptoe to press her lips against mine.Frowning, I reach out and grab her arms and pry her off of me so that I can take in her puffy red eyes. Had she been crying?"What’s wrong?" I ask, continuing to take her in.It looked as though she hadn’t slept
[Zane’s POV]I wait as my captor processes my words. When his face shifts into a snarl of rage, I know that he has managed to sense my father’s people."Damn, he works fast," he huffs, getting to his feet. "What the hell are those bastards even doing out there?"As the words leave his lips, the windows around us explode, and small cans come crashing to the ground around us.Smirking, I hold my breath as they explode, spewing smoke everywhere, making it easy for my father’s people to infiltrate the building and attack.In an instant, the sounds of guns firing fill the air as I work to roll myself toward Alexandria. When I reach, my body presses against flesh instead of fur.Frowning, I look over to find that she is fully human and unmoving."Hey," I hiss, nudging her. "Alexandria."She continues to not move, causing my anxiety to begin to build."Alexandria," I repeat, working myself into a sitting position so I can get a better view of her body. "What’s wrong?"Before I get the chance
[Nol’s POV]I sit at my desk, staring down at paperwork that my mind doesn’t even process. All I can think about is the woman who is still fast asleep in my bed, with my marks covering her beautiful skin and my scent surrounding her.Just the thought of her makes my dick throb, but I know that I need to get some business done since I have spent the past two days with her.I had to admit, her heat was no joke, and the woman was damn near insatiable. Each time I’m sure that I’ve managed to calm her and can take care of business matters, she appears, and then we are at it again."Dammit," I sigh, resting my head in my hands. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?""What is that supposed to mean?"Blaine’s voice is both cautious and curious as it reaches my ears."What have I told you about knocking?" I ask, lifting my gaze to meet his as he makes his way toward me. "What would you have done had I killed you?""I’d be dead," he responds with a chuckle. "What’s the matter? Is something
TRIGGER WARNING: The following chapter may contain scenes that are a bit too much for some readers. Read at your own discretion.[Eliana’s POV]I toss and turn, trying to get comfortable. Everything hurt, and between my thighs burned and begged for relief.Unable to stop the sensations I was feeling, I opened my eyes and sat up so that the blanket that rested on me traveled down to my hips so that I could take in my hickey-covered breasts.Just seeing them reminds me of Nol’s rough yet so gentle mouth and fingers, and my core twinges with need.Looking over, I take in the empty space beside me and find myself wondering exactly where he went. A few times now, I had woken up to find him missing. Of course he wouldn’t stay in bed with me for my entire heat period. He was a busy man with a whole business to take care of, and I was lucky that he was even sparing me so much of his precious time.Sighing, I slowly get out of bed and hiss as pain shoots through me, reminding me of just how mu
[Eliana’s POV]Bright sunlight dances along my skin, warming me to the bone and rousing me from the darkness that claws at me.Sighing, I open my eyes to find a bright blue sky above me with soft white clouds traveling idly across it.Sitting up, I look around at the wildflower field that I’m sitting in and try to make sense of how exactly I got here.The last thing I remembered was Nol’s angry face and the cold blade that skidded across my throat, cutting it open, so I was left to drown in my own blood while he stared down at me with cold eyes."I’m dead," I whisper, realization dawning.There was no other explanation for what I was experiencing right now. Especially after what had happened."So this is what the afterlife looks like," I whisper as a soft breeze blows across my skin. "I guess it isn’t so bad."Slowly, I began to accept that this was what fate had in mind for me since the day I was born, and in a way, I was happy that all the suffering was finally over."Little Lana."
[Zane’s POV]I stare in the mirror, taking in my reflection as if the man staring back at me is someone else aside from myself. Oh, how I wish that were actually true, but in this reality, I was the one wearing the tux, and I was the one being wished a long and happy marriage."Knock, knock."Turning, I watch as Alexandria, clad in a long white dress with lace and rhinestones, leans against the doorframe so that she can take me in.Her face is made up with light makeup, and her blonde hair is pulled up into an intricate braid atop her head, making her look like the innocent bride, even though nothing about her was innocent."What are you doing here?" I ask, straightening my tie. "Shouldn’t you be downstairs with our parents greeting the guests?"I was sure that by this point, the banquet hall where our engagement ceremony was being held was probably already filled with excited guests."I snuck away to come see my bride-groom," she pouts. "Are you not happy to see me?""Is that a trick
Flames surround me, but for some reason they don’t burn. I don’t quite understand why I’m here, but I feel something beckoning me, drawing me further and further in until I see him.He sits on a throne made of skulls and stares down at me with a look of boredom. He’s so familiar but so different at the same time.Unable to quite believe what I’m seeing, I move slightly closer, only to find that a strong force doesn’t allow me to go near him."Zane?" I whisper, trying to make sense of what is happening. "That’s you, isn’t it?"It had already been two years since his disappearance, but I never truly accepted that he was gone. I mean, how could he be when there wasn’t even a body to bury? Or any sort of feeling toward his existence vanishing from this world—wouldn't I be able to feel it given the fact he wore my mark?This was why I held onto hope no matter the amount of time that passed, even when others continuously told me to let go. And now here he was in front of me, but where exactl
[Eliana’s POV]Warm sun beats down on my skin while I lounge by the pool, watching Nol wade on the steps with Ryker. Never in my life did I ever think I would see such a strong and arrogant man act like a child, but here he was splashing and laughing along with our son.Since Ryker’s birth, I have been seeing many sides of Nol that I didn’t think would exist, like him changing diapers, making bottles, and even cuddling while Ryker was sick. I even caught him singing to him a few times, but he insisted that he wasn’t.To say that life was perfect was a bit extreme, but it was damn near close. There was only one thing missing, and that was Zane.Two years had passed since his disappearance, and despite multiple searches, contacting a medium, and even asking rogue mages for help, no one was able to locate him. It was almost as though he disappeared entirely, but Nol was certain that wasn’t possible since he was aware of the consequences of bringing the hellhounds to this earth.Sighing,
[Nol’s POV]I don’t know how long Eliana sobbed on me while I helplessly watched because I knew that there was nothing that I could do since there was no bringing Zane back. Beside us, Alexandria continued to fight Blaine until she became so exhausted that all she could do was cling to him while her gaze stayed fixed on the rubble.By the time the police arrived, there was nothing left to be found, but Alexandria’s friends had managed to bring them the evidence needed to prove not only Alexandria’s innocence but that of all of us.In the end, all the blame fell on Jeckel since he was already accused of being part of a human trafficking ring. It didn’t take long for the rest of his corruption and misdeeds to be found and his name to be tarnished.Afterward, we waited to see if any remains could be found, but all that were deceased were too burned to make out and would simply be thrown in a mass grave for Disastria and Romando to be mourned by those who were oblivious to all that both a
[Zane’s POV]A howl of disappointment escapes me as I attempt to make my way to the window where Eliana and the others disappeared."No you fucking don’t!" Nol snarls, beginning to shift into his lycan form. "If you want to kill someone, then you’ll have to get through me."Snapping my gaze from the window, I feel my body beginning to move again, making its way to the very weak-looking lycan behind me.‘That’s it,’ Nol’s voice announces in my head. ‘Come get me.’As I move, he rushes forward, meeting me halfway and throwing me against a wall before jumping on me and wrapping a hand around my throat.‘Snap out of it, Zane,’ he hisses in my head. ‘Before you do something you regret.’‘I…’ I try, hoping he can hear me. ‘Can’t. Please kill me.’That was the only thing that was going to end this—my death—and I was more than willing to accept it.‘I won’t,’ Nol responds, loosening his hold. ‘If you die, Eliana will be sad.’Eliana… Of course, the only thing he cares about is her, and I can’
[Nol’s POV]The world around me begins to move in slow motion as I release Zane and rush toward where Jeckel stands with Eliana in his clutches, but before I can reach her, her eyes are widening and blood is erupting from her lips, and then she is being dropped so that I can take in the hilt of a knife that is sticking out of her back.No… This couldn’t be fucking happening. Jeckel… He…In that moment, something in me snaps, and I feel a red-hot rage begin to bubble up in me and explode as I kneel and pull Eliana into my arms to take in her ragged breathing and her white complexion.Lifting my gaze, I take in Jeckel, who stands in place looking proud of what he did.‘You,’ I hiss through mindlink, beginning to see red. ‘You…’"I did what was necessary for you to rise to greatness," he shrugs unphased. "She was nothing more than a hindrance, driving a wedge between you and your brother."A wedge… A hindrance… If anyone was any of that, it was the bastard in front of me!Letting out a s
[Zane’s POV]Stop.Stop this!You’ve gotta stop!These thoughts echo in my mind as I stare at Alexandria’s flushed face and desperate eyes.I had to stop, but no amount of trying seemed to work. Each time I thought maybe I was regaining control again, my body would act on its own, and I was left to helplessly watch.Even back in the hospital with Eliana, my claws were laced with poison, and I was the one who reduced her to what she was.As this thought hits me, my gaze drifts to where she lies on the ground, surrounded by shadowy wolves with glowing red eyes. It was clear they were protecting her, which was good, but the need to kill her still spurred me to move."Sorry, we’re late."The voice reaches me, and I find myself hopeful that this will be the end and I will be free, but the desperate need to kill continues to hold me.Releasing Alexandria, I shift and barrel into the wolves, ignoring their teeth and claws that attack my skin, threatening to shred me while Nol and the others
[Alexandria’s POV]The next morning comes too damn quick, and before I even manage to fully wake up, I’m being yanked out of my cell and dragged down a long hall while I ignore everything in me that screams to fight.There was a plan in place, and I had to trust that the plan would work out and all of this would finally be over. For now, I just needed to cooperate with whatever went down.With this thought in mind, I let myself be pushed into a room where two women wait to do my hair and makeup while I fix my gaze on the puffy white dress that sits against the wall.In the past, I always dreamed of my perfect wedding dress, but when I lost Jeremiah, I never gave it much thought. Even knowing that there was a possibility I would marry Zane, I never thought about a dress or a big wedding.Feeling my heart tug, I tear my gaze away as guilt toward Jeremiah begins to slam into me.Fuck, now wasn’t the time to be feeling this, not when I knew that this wedding wouldn’t happen, but now that
[Nol’s POV]After Jeckel’s ridiculous dinner, I’m thrown into a cell where Blaine lies motionless on the ground. While Eliana and Alexandria are placed in one beside us.Since seeing her mother and father’s heads on a platter, the usually loud she-wolf hadn’t spoken a word, but by the darkness I see in her eyes, I know that she is silently plotting Jeckel’s death."Hey," I call, trying to draw her attention. "You!"As I speak, the two men in the cell across from mine begin to groan. Tearing my gaze from Alexandria, I take them in and try to determine exactly what the relationship between them and Alexandria was to the point where she would go along with Jeckel’s scheme for them.Sighing in frustration, I turn my attention back to Blaine and watch as he begins to twitch."You finally waking up?" I ask, wishing I could knock him across the head for getting as hurt as he was. "It’s about damn time.""Fuck," he hisses, slowly sitting up only to stop as the chains on his wrists pull agains
[Nol’s POV]Pain radiates through me as my vision finally begins to come back, so that I find myself sitting at a large table. Anger rolling over being tricked, I attempt to move only to find that I’m bound by spiked metal that tears into my skin with each movement.Cursing, I continue to take in the area until my eyes come to rest on an unconscious Eliana and a fighting Alexandria."What the hell?" I growl, beginning to fight even more, only to find that the fucking chains won’t budge. "What the hell is going on here?""About time you woke up, giant!" Alexandria huffs. "We’ve got an issue here.""No shit," I snap, snapping my gaze to Eliana once again.As I take in her pale complexion and slack figure, I realize instantly that something is wrong."Eliana!" I hiss, trying to rouse her. "Open your eyes!""She won’t be waking up."Feeling my heart drop, I tear my gaze away from Eliana to Jeckel and Zane, who are making their way towards us. Confusion building, I take in Zane, whose face