Dante. A loud sound echoed in my office as Kayden—my beta, barged in with an irritating look plastered over his face. He leaned on the door, eyes staring deeply in my direction, hands folded before his chest. With an arch brow, I waited without bothering to speak up. “You are not supposed to be here.” Kayden finally spoke—every word laced with impatience. I believed he was tired of socializing in my stead. I reached for a lowball glass on my desk and took my sweet time to swirl it while still staring at Kayden. Another minute passed, and none of us spoke. He sighed, making the corner of my lips tug upward. As expected from a male with little patience. “Where should I be? Pray tell” I asked, spinning my chair so I could face the glass window, which showed the beauty of night in the Strip. “Out there hunting for your mate. We hold this party for you. If you don’t step out, those hags will not stop pestering you.” The thought of the elders in my pack made my mouth twitch. They had been persistent in finding my mate for two years. I had argued that I wasn’t in need of one, and I was too busy working for the pack and ensuring my business grew even larger that I wouldn’t have much time to find their Luna. “They’ve grown so obsessed with my personal matter. Why did they even love to discuss my nonexistent mate?” “Because you are not young anymore. You are thirty, Alpha Dante.” “Thirty isn’t that old.” “For you, not for them. A pack without a successor make its member anxious. I believe you want the very best for your pack members.” I knew where they came from and understood their concern. If I died without leaving an heir, the situation would turn into chaos. They had been living in peace, so the possibility of having to experience a mess in the pack made their skin crawl. Kayden sighed again, and I turned to him. I saw an understanding pass on his expression, but he masked them so fast. “I know you are not ready to—“ Standing up, I walked closer to the glass window, then uttered, “Stop it, Kay. I know. I know my responsibility very well. So you can stop. Leave me alone. I’ll be joining soon.” I knew he wanted to say more, but eventually, I heard his steps walk away from me. Great, I needed time to compose myself. Looking outside, the nightlight shone. Nearing midnight, the activity hadn’t shown a sign of stopping. The light grew brighter, and I could almost hear people down there talking, laughing, and perhaps crying their hearts out after losing their money after spending it at my casino. My casino…Eleven years ago, I wouldn’t even dare to dream about having my own casino in my hotel, but look at me now. In ten years, I had built my pack—Dark Moon, from scratch. We started with only five members until almost a hundred. And my business started small until I became this successful. I bet the members of my former pack cursed at me for getting this big. They never expected a male like me, a male who almost lost his mind, could build an empire for himself. The thought of them getting bitter somehow consoled the anger inside me. ‘Stop it. You are wailing again.’ Ace—my wolf, said with a tone almost akin to mocking. “I didn’t.” ‘You are. If not, you won’t be here. Go out there and fuck some she-wolf. I’m getting bored.’ And I laughed. Of course. *** “I thought you won’t show your face.” My Gamma—Kieran, said as soon as he saw me step out of the elevator. Kieran waited for me, then walked side by side. Soon after, Kayden joined us. For a while, I caught Kieran kept looking at my shoulder, so against my better judgment, I spoke, “Relax, she is not here.” The tension left Kieran’s body, and a grin spread across his face, making Kayden roll his eyes. “Coward,” Kayden spat the word without sparing Kieran a glance. Kieran was about to answer when a middle age male appeared before us. The Alpha of Crystal pack stood with a young female on his side. “Great party, Alpha Dante,” he said. He smiled, trying to appear friendly, and touched my shoulder blade without my permission. Looking at his hand, I held myself from growling at him. I pushed his hand and took a step back before giving him a polite reply. “Thanks for coming, Alpha Cole. I hope you have a great night.” Cole’s smile broadened before he spoke again, “Absolutely. This is my daughter Kirana. We have trained her to be a Luna so—“ Of course, he’d offer his daughter to me. Nothing new. It always happened. They wanted to use their daughter to form an alliance with my pack, but I never once accepted. I only accepted the alliance if it benefited my pack. Having another female contributes nothing to my pack. I could take anyone as I pleased without them shoving their daughter to me. “I’m terribly sorry for cutting you, but I have to greet Alpha Cassius.” Then I walked away. “Alpha Dante!” “You don’t have to lie like that. At least try to entertain him and befriend his daughter. She looks exactly like your type.” Kayden’s eyes scanned our surroundings as we walked, looking for a potential danger that loomed over us. “Too young. She is seventeen or something,” I replied. “You could be her sugar daddy.” Kieran blurted out, making me and Kayden scoff. “What? That’s what humans call an old man dating young and fresh flower.” “Why are you even here, Kieran? You are supposed to guard her, are you not?” Kayden wasn’t usually this grumpy. Perhaps this party had sucked all his energy to play nice, even to us. “Give him a break, Kay. I told him to come.” Both of them remained silent after that. We walked and walked while occasionally stopping to greet my guests. Even after taking a stroll for so long, I didn’t feel a thing. Perhaps, Moon Goddess had forgotten to grant me a mate in this life. Ace suddenly pushed forward, taking control of my body and stopping me in my track. Then, I smelt it. The scent of rich coffee mixed with vanilla. I inhaled deeply, letting the aroma infiltrate my sense. Jasmine and citrus blend perfectly with the first scent that almost drove me mad. My eyes wandered around, looking for the source of this addictive scent. I needed to find her, or I’d go crazy and let Ice totally take over. “What now? Why are you stopping?” “Did you smell your mate?” “Impossible.” I heard Kieran and Kayden, but paid no attention to them. The tantalizing scent of her grew in intensity as Ice and I became impatient. Time seemed to stand still as I saw the most divine creature I had ever beheld turn her body toward me. She was captivatingly exquisite; standing only five feet tall, her petite frame made me feel like a giant; if I ever got the chance to have her, I feared I would crush her delicate frame. Her eyes, those deep brown eyes, pierced into my own with an intensity that set off a longing inside me. My gaze dropped from her nose down to her full and inviting mouth, begging for me to taste it. The desperate need to feel her wrapped around me consumed me, and I longed to feel her lips on my hardened cock. ‘Mine! Mine!’ Ace desperation growl rang so loud in my head. I couldn’t think. All I knew was that I had to have her. *** Winter. “My mate. Mine.” His words were a heavy force, crushing me with each syllable. I could barely think as I was filled with some unknown emotion. All the adrenaline made me take a step back, but his arm snaked around my waist like a vice grip, locking me in place. Oh, Goddess, what have you done? He pulled my body, flushing toward his hard body, then leaned closer until his nose grazed along the side of my neck, inhaling deeply, And I…like a female desperate for touch, craned my neck. He kept doing that while his hand inched upward slowly until he stopped just below my breast. “I can see you are scared.” He whispered, placing his mouth on the column of my neck. “Don’t be.” “I am not.” My answer came, followed by shallow breathing. “You are trembling.” “I’m cold.” He pulled back, and our eyes locked. Goddess, he was so beautiful. His blue eyes, like an ocean, were captivating and inviting. His thick eyebrows framed his face perfectly. His nose was regal and high, while his jaw was firm and sharp. His hair looked so soft and inviting me to touch. I gulped, feeling my throat tighten as fear and desire combined. “That doesn’t sound convincing.” He pulled my chin closer to him until the apex of our noses touched. “What are you afraid of?” ‘You.’ “Nothing.” He clicked his tongue, and I swear I saw a spark of annoyance in his eyes, though it dwindled quickly. His eyes darkened as his gaze dropped to my lips. “Another lie. How should I get the truth out of your mouth?” My breath hitched. It took everything in me to reply. “I don’t know. Nothing.” “Perhaps I should suck that truth out of your mouth myself. Should I?” Silence fell. My heart drummed in my ears. I knew I should reject it and ran as fast as possible and found a perfect hiding place. I should have feared this bond as I had been for the past two years, but standing before him, I lost my will. “Want me to answer it for you?” I didn’t answer, but I knew he understood what I was thinking. A crooked smile appeared on his mouth before his hands slipped to my nape. Then he said, “You want me. Close your eyes for me.” As if under the spell, I did as he asked. His lips crashed against mine with a ferociousness I’d never experienced before. His teeth bit my lower lip hungrily, piercing the tender flesh and causing my tongue to taste the metallic tang of fresh blood. He lapped up the droplet coursing down my chin, then his tongue slipped inside me, clashing with mine that left me trembling. I kissed him back with the same passion. My fingers touched the lock of his hair, and Goddess, they were as soft as I thought. His hand went to my back, touching my ass, and pulled me even closer until I felt his hardness pressing against my stomach, and I gasped. My head spun as I felt desperate to feel his bare skin under mine growing stronger. He suddenly pulled away, breathing hard in my face. His thumb caressed my cheek gently, then I heard him, “Adrianne, a beautiful name.” I felt like a cold of water fell upon my body. Adrianne. I was using Adrianne’s uniform. He didn’t know me. ‘Not for long.’ Snow said. A wave of panic washed over me as the logic I had thrown out of the window crept back into my mind. I couldn’t…I should go. I didn’t want to be with him. Not even for a second longer. “Alpha Dante!” someone shouted in the crowd. He walked closer, and I remembered him, Beta Kayden. “Alpha Dante?” I asked. “My bad. I should have told you my name first. I’m Dante Verlice, Alpha of Dark Moon.” I’m doomed.
Winter. Standing tall and proud before my eyes was Dante Verlice, my mate. He was the alpha of the biggest pack in Vegas. One of the few who brought his pack to flourish despite building it from nothing. He was notorious for his leadership skill, his gentleness—which I believe was a facade, and his hobby of playing around with she-wolves. “You are trembling again.” His low and deep voice snapped me back to reality. “I told you, don’t be scared.” How could I not? Having him as my mate was the worst thing Moon Goddess could do. Dante was the type of male I should avoid at any cost. I should have never let Snow take over. I should have run the very first time I sensed him. ‘You won’t be able to run, Winter.’ Snow said carelessly. She is wrong. I always manage to slip away, especially from a dangerous male. “And I’ve told you I’m just cold,” I replied with confidence. I didn’t want him to catch a sign of weakness from me. I knew he didn’t buy my reason, but he didn’t refute me eithe
Dante. I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into the pool area. All my guests and employees were already gone. Only Kayden and Kieran stood rigidly in front of me. However, Kieran’s eyes wandered past me while Kayden looked at me with a layer of guilt on his face. “Where is she?” I asked, faking the calmness even though I only wanted to scream right now. Kayden and Kieran exchanged glances a few times. “I’m asking.” “I’m still looking for her.” “WHERE IS SHE, KAYDEN?!” Gone was the calmness I fought hard to keep. “She escaped.” Kayden’s words rang so loud in my head that I felt the world spinning around me. She escaped. My mate. My fucking mate was gone when I just got her. Ace snarled in anger, and I could feel him trying to control my body, which was not a good sign. ‘Calm down,’ I said to him. ‘You fucking lost her, Dante. I’m going to kill your useless Beta and Gamma.’ ‘Don’t! I swear to Moon Goddess, you will never get to see her again if you do that. I promi
Winter. Living in Elko for about a month wasn’t different from in Vegas. I still wake up and work my ass like crazy. I never had time to enjoy my free time. All I ever thought about while I had spare time was how to get more money to ensure that I could eat while living on the run. I did every job I could do. From the moment I escaped my former pack, I never rested properly. I knew once I let my guard down, they could take me back and torture me until I lost my life. For the past few weeks, I only tried to work in a bar and grocery store, but I found the money wasn’t enough to fund me if I ever needed to move again, so fighting was my only solution to get quick money. I knew it wasn’t fair to fight with humans, knowing I was far stronger than them. However, I would not follow my moral values because it wouldn’t give me money. After all, fairness didn’t exist in this world. So here I am, facing a man twice my size. “Diana, was it?” The man—Carlo, the legendary underground fighter
Winter.The moment I opened my eyes, unfamiliar surroundings welcomed me. With minimal furniture, the small room only had a medium-sized table, two chairs, and a small couch, which I'm currently occupying. The closed windows had a dusty curtain covering them.My head turned to the right, finding Kieran staring at me. “Where am I?”“Thank Goddess, you are awake. I almost lost my neck because of you.” He kneeled beside me, lifting his hand, and asked me how many fingers he showed.“Four and two.”“Goddess, I almost piss myself because of you.”“What?”Instead of answering, Kieran stood up. He looked down, hands in his pocket, while smiling strangely at me.“Anyway, you lose. So, five minutes’ talk.”I did a half-shrug and replied, “Okay, go ahead.”“Not with me, but with my Alpha.”My eyes enlarged, realizing that I had forgotten about my predicament for a moment. Shit. This wasn’t good. Seeing my reaction, Kieran chuckled. He tapped my shoulder and then uttered,“Good luck, Diana.”And
Winter. Lying in the small bed facing a brown-colored ceiling, I felt sweat dripping from my body with each passing minute. My heart rate increased so fast that I could hear how loud it beat against my ribcage. My chest heaved up and down in rhythm as the heat spread all over my body. “Fuck my life,” I cursed, moving restlessly to ease the pain. ‘Fuck you, Winter.’ Snow snarled at me. She was beyond angry right now and knowing how tortured she was, I couldn’t even refute her. This was an unexpected situation. I didn’t know I’d be in heat this soon. This was why finding a mate was bad news. Not only did it put me on my mate’s radar, but now I had to deal with an occasional heat. It was bearable when we never found our fated mate, but it was totally different when we finally met. Ideally, after meeting our mate, we’d marked each other as soon as possible to hinder from getting in heat, which was painful. But with my situation, I couldn’t let my mate mark me, leaving me to deal with
Dante.“So, you finally have time to time with your mate, huh?”I shrugged upon hearing Ayla’s words. From the way she frowned, I knew she had reached her limit after I ignored her for days. This was Winter’s fault. That female occupies every corner of my mind and I hardly have time to deal with anything else.“I always have the time to talk. I just forgot about you for a while. And I’ll have to correct you there, Ayla. You are not my mate.”Ayla scoffed, then said, “Well, I am in the face of elders.” Ayla stopped. “I heard you find her.”Elders. Fuck them honestly. Ayla was Edward Brown’s adopted daughter. Edward brought her to Dark Moon pack when she was only thirteen. She was almost like a sister to me and Kayden. However, Edward wanted to make Ayla the Luna of the pack
Winter.I was totally wrong for thinking that Dante would give up after my threat because not only did he not stop, but he didn’t even bother to hide the fact that he made someone follow me. Even after I moved to another city and masked my appearance, his people still managed to find me.These days, it was getting harder to hide myself from Dante and his people, mainly because I lacked funds. I kept moving before I managed to earn good money to support my plan. If this continues, I’d end up broke, just like the first time I escaped my former pack.Exhaling an exasperated sigh, I turned my head, looking at the black car that stopped just two buildings away from me.‘He is here,’ Snow said.‘I know.’Dante might let his people be my tail, but he never showed himself to me after we met in the underground fight club. All this time, his
Dante.As I kissed Winter, the heaviness that had been weighing on my shoulder was gone in an instant. I was never wrong when I thought she’d be the only solution to all the fucking sickness I had felt since we parted ways.Goddess, I’d be miserable without her.“Ugh,” Winter moaned in my mouth as I parted her lips with my tongue and licked every corner of her mouth, tasting the saltiness of chips mixed with mint from my tea.Her hands that were hanging on her sides moved up from my shoulder to my neck, pulling me closer as she deepened our kiss. She was as hungry as I was.Winter pulled away, breathing hard on my lips. Her eyes were clouded, and for a second, I thought she’d bolt out of this car and pretend like she never wanted me. Yet the moment she locked her orbs against mine, I saw nothing but lust and hunge
Winter. One of the great things about living with Nina was the surrounding area around the apartment complex. It was so wide and peaceful. A perfect place to seek comfort when I had too much in mind. Usually, when I was doubting my decision, I’d run in my wolf form and let myself free, but I had no time to go to an open area where human wasn’t around, so I always opted to walk around the apartment. The weather was especially good today, which improved my mood. I had been having trouble sleeping for a while now. It wasn’t just about Dante, but about my past that kept coming to haunt me ever since I found my mate. It was maddening. My mind wandered to the trial Dante offered. It was silly, but perhaps it might have worked. There were so many possibilities that I could end up hurting in the end, but I was glad that he provided an escape route. A formal rejection. For now, I was more on the rejection path, but I knew nothing about the future. ‘This is the best decision you made afte
Dante.The gentle sound of classical music blazing against my eardrum, filling the stillness that Winter and I had since she sat down. My lovely mate didn’t even look me in the eye anymore as she was busy keeping her head down, which drove me to wonder what kind of view was more interesting than me.All the food Brandon had explained before was left untouched, and they were probably cold by now. I propped my chin on my palm while my free hand tapped the table, following the beat of the music. And that fortunately caught Winter’s attention.She looked up, her gaze hooked on my hand for a moment before meeting my eyes.“Aren’t you going to say anything? I thought you wanted to talk,” she mumbled, a little too low.“I was waiting for you to scream at me, but you didn’t.”I wasn’t lying or joking. I had expected her to throw a fist or yell at me for daring to make a mess in her workplace. Not only that, I envisioned her to explode, especially after the incident with Ayla. But she didn’t,
Winter.As soon as I slammed the apartment door, Nina came rushed toward me in a lightening speed. She stopped, eying me suspiciously from head to toe before folding her slender arms over her chest.“What?” I asked. My voice came rather weak than I intended it to be. I guess I finally reached my limit after not getting enough sleep and worked my ass like crazy.“Did something happen?”I strode past her, thinking about the best response that wouldn’t reveal that something did happen. Throwing my body on the soft couch, I grabbed the pillow and leaned my head on it before answering.“Nothing.”Nina sat on my right and snatched the pillow, then throw it anywhere without looking. She tugged my hair eliciting a groan from me. My head snapped toward her direction, looking at her in irritation.“You are lying. Did Dante mess up?”“Where is Skye?”Nina slapped my upper arms upon hearing me. “Do not change the topic, Winter. As for Skye, she is working. So answer my question. Did my cousin ups
Winter. “Mr. Verlice, your mate—Miss Brown is here.”Those words rang like sirens from a firetruck as another female wearing a white dress that reached her knees entered the room. Her beautiful red hair swayed as she sauntered inside with a light step. Her pink lips tugged upward the moment her hazel eyes found Dante. “Dante,” she called. Even her voice was as smooth as silk. I noticed Dante rolled his eyes at that female, but eventually, he smiled back. I could hear a crack forming in my heart. I was expecting him to deny the fact that this beautiful female was his mate, but he didn’t.I blinked and blinked several times, forcing myself to wake up from another nightmare. This couldn’t be true. How could I be in this situation again? A lump stuck in my throat as breathing turned harder with each passing second. That female turned her back on Dante and faced me. She gave me a sincere smile that reached her eyes, then extended her hand to me.“I am Ayla Brown,” she said while her sc
Dante.The atmosphere in the meeting room turned tense with each passing minute. In this room, only I and another male who looked almost like me stayed. He sat straight on the other side of the table, staring at me with his blue eyes without an ounce of fear. I wanted to applaud him for his acting. It was good, considering how scaredy cat he was.Tapping my fingers on the table, I smirked upon seeing how irritated my silence made him. Well, what was he hoping for? Me welcoming him with an open arm? That would never happen, even if the world would end tomorrow.Luca Verlice, my dear younger brother, finally clicked his tongue, losing his patience after almost ten minutes, trapped in pure and uncomfortable silence.Somehow, seeing Luca again after so many years brought the memory of him following my trail whenever I went. We used to be so close, and I absolutely adored him, but that was the past. Luca or my parents had no place in my life anymore. They had no right to demand me to open
Winter.The potent aroma of musk mixed with rose, and bergamot attacked my senses when I regained consciousness. The aroma was too familiar, making my heart thump loudly against my ribcage. As my vision focused, I could see the full view of the room.The wall was painted in white colors and the furniture was mostly cream color. The light was yellowish, giving a sense of warmth in the room. The bed was large enough for Nina, Skye, and me to sleep on. There was one window that faced the bed, but it was covered with a curtain.My head spun again as the scent got stronger. Using my hand, I pushed my body up and rested my back on the headboard. Turning to the small table on the right, I noticed a small frame.I couldn’t stop myself from being a busybody, so I grabbed it and looked at the picture.The picture was blurry, but the one on it was awfully familiar.“Is that me?”“Hmm. That’s you.”A familiar voice…Dante.The frame almost fell to the floor if Dante didn’t catch it. He placed it o
Winter. My days went relatively well after my last meeting with Dante. Aside from Nina’s constant effort to sell his cousin to me and my nightmare, there was nothing annoying. I even started working for Four Seasons again two days ago. As always, people in the kitchen still watched me with judgment in their eyes. My relationship with the head chef wasn’t a secret anymore. They never stopped talking about me behind my back or right before me. They only halted when Brandon was here. Their never-ending gossip, however, didn’t affect me that much. What they said was true, so I had nothing to be upset about. “Hi, Winter. Didn’t expect you to work again.” That was Blair. Both of us were kitchen porters, so she loathed the fact that Brandon played favorite. I smiled at her and blinked one of my eyes, then replied, “Good to see you again, Blair. I miss you a lot.” My words made Blair’s face turn red from anger. She stomped her feet and then walked to her post to prepare all the ingredie
Winter. As the night grew deeper, my mind wandered to Dante’s words. I was one hundred percent sure that he would force me this time. I brought my knees up and hugged them. Sighing, I rested my head on the side of the bed, looking at the dim light in my room. “Maybe if I never use that knife, all of this will never happen. Perhaps I’d be happy with my pups, and then I will meet Dante with my heart still intact.” My former mate wasn’t wrong when he said I brought the chaos upon myself. I smiled bitterly, knowing that his words sank deep in my mind. I started to believe everything he said about me was true. At times like this, I missed my father. It had been two years since our separation. If he saw me like this, he’d brought me to his embrace and gave me helpful advice. But he wasn’t there. I wasn’t even sure if he was still alive. I doubt they would let him live after what he did to help me escape. The door to my room opened, and then Nina and Skye’s heads popped out. “What?” I
Winter.As soon as I entered, I saw Dante with his people. Dante sat alone on the couch while Nina and Skye were before him. They didn’t look scared, but I couldn’t be sure about their condition. Dante was the first person who noticed me as he stood up.He waved his hand, looking at ease like he owned this place.“Hello there, Sweetheart.”“Winter!”Skye and Nina screamed at the same time, but I chose to ignore them and focus on Dante. He was still smiling, making my blood boil. I wanted to wipe that smile and punch his perfect face.“What’s the meaning of this Dante?” I asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.Dante’s hand went to my temple, wiping my sweat without a second thought. “Well, good to see you too. I’ve been missing you since the last time we met. I can still taste you in my mouth.”From the corner of my eyes, I could s