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
TW: Miscarriage.Winter.Darkness greeted me as soon as my eyes opened. Excruciating pain spread all over my body. The sound of iron clinked against each other echoed as I moved slightly.Once again, I was trapped in my nightmare. I returned to the underground prison, where he put me without a second thought. Tears gathered at the corner of my eyes as I knew what was about to happen. It never gets better. Each day, the torture turned more and more heartless. It was a miracle that I could survive this long.“She is already wake up. Do you want us to whip her back again?” the male voice behind the bars spoke. I could detect mirth laced with every word he said.“No. Kick her stomach. Make sure she lost it.”The prison cracked open, showing a well-built male. I couldn’t see him perfectly, but I could make out a scar around his eyes. His gaze rooted to me, eying me li
Dante.Knocking on Nina’s unit, I waited and waited while tapping my fingers against my upper arms. A smile never ceased on my lips since I was on the way. It felt good to find something to use against Winter. She might move continuously, but she’d return here.The door opened, showing a 5-foot-4 female. Her black hair only reached her ears, which were in a mess. Without makeup, freckles spread on her cheeks. She looked at me with her round blue eyes in disbelief. She blinked once, twice, and then she closed and slammed the door in my face.“Well, that’s a great way to greet your guest, Nina.”Nina Woods was my cousin from my father’s side. She was around Ayla’s age, but I forgot her actual age. Maybe twenty-two, but I wasn’t sure. She moved to my pack four years ago but started living separately when she was twenty.I didn’t know the real reason beh
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
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. 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