Freya POV "I don't think I caught your name," Justin turns to me. When I don't say anything, he continues, "So what is it?" "Freya. It's Freya," I say. Justin has been showing me around the town on our way to meet this Alpha person, and I'm amazed at how it reminds me of the stories grandpa used to tell me. The area kind of reminds me of the Wild West, but only if the Wild West was brought into the new age and had internet and running water. There was a small shopping center, but all the lights were off except for the ones out in the storefronts. The hospital is next to a police/fire station that looks to be up and running. We keep walking and pass the park that leads into a neighborhood. We continue straight, and a big house that looks more like a mansion appears. All the lights were on inside, and this place seemed to be the most active thing in the whole area. I'd think that they are throwing a party inside, as I see so many people coming and going with smiles on their faces.
Freya POV How can one random stranger make me feel so whole? He stood a few inches above six feet and was built like a tank. His hair was charcoal black, and his eyes were a striking grey. His whole body lured me in and had a soothing effect on me, but it couldn't calm my mind. I still wasn't entirely sure what was happening because suddenly, all I could do was think about Matthew and the others. This man somewhat reminded me of him, which only brought back the painful memory of watching him burn. The more he asked questions, the more I spiraled out of control, and the more I felt I was floating out of my body until it just stopped altogether. My dreams weren't any better. I could hear the screams of Luke and Juliana and the sound of Marcy's bones breaking. The flashbacks of seeing Matthew's body in the fire forces me awake. I sit up and wipe the sweat off my forehead. My hands touch the soft sheets, and my eyes search the room, making me realize I don't know where I am or how I
Cole POV "Wilson, have Callie meet with Freya, and please send some food to her room as well," I direct. Wilson nods, hands me yesterday's notes, and tells me Theo is waiting inside for me. The headache from all the confusion is not going to help me with Theo's inevitable questions about Freya. I debate whether I should go into my office or walk around the perimeter for a security check. However, Theo decides for me when he opens the door and pulls me inside. "Brother!" Theo cheers. "Brother, why are you awake so early? I thought you didn't get out of bed until at least four." "You know damn well I don't need sleep. I need answers, and I need them now," he states. His eagerness to know about Freya angers me slightly, but I push that thought down. I walk to my desk to take a seat on my chair while Theo serves me some coffee before slumping on the couch across from me. The way he is seated makes me think he's expecting me to tell him a bedtime story. Theo's reaction shifts as if
Freya POVDinner? Sounds easy enough. I am hungry and there's so much I need to know about Cole and this place. Ugh, why didn't I throw away the letter and vile!? I could have pretended everything was normal. I was normal. I may have been miserable, but this feels like another level of hell. I'm trapped in a room in an unknown mansion someone brought me to after the second worst moment in my life. The last time I tried to open the door to get out of this room, it was locked. However, I'm unable to tolerate being cooped up here anymore without it driving me insane. I search for something with a flat edge when I find a flathead screwdriver in a toolbox hidden underneath the sink in the bathroom. I move to the door, shove the flat part of the screwdriver between the frame and doorknob, and push back on the lock until it's jarred open. "Finally," I let out a sigh of relief. I peek outside and take note of the empty hallway. I exit the room, closing the door behind me. I sneak down the
Cole POV A chance? She must be exhausted being stranded here and is trying to cozy up with me so I can let her out. Jokes on her, I don't plan on letting her leave until I've thoroughly verified her story. She may be my mate, but there is still no way I can trust her. I ordered Wilson to have the chefs make us this dinner so there would be no lurking eyes on us while I attempted to figure her out. I dim the lights, pour us each a drink, and then take a seat. Looking at her like this reminds me of a dream I had when I was younger after finding the photo album. She's wearing a simple black dress covering her arms and hangs below her knees, which Callie brought her for tonight. Although, with Freya's stubbornness, I'm surprised she actually put it on. Freya didn't look as fragile as she did when we first met. Her long brown hair rested below her shoulders, framing her breasts perfectly. Her hands, which were bloody, bruised, and covered in bandages, almost looked back to normal. She wa
Freya POV A week has passed, and I have yet to see more than a shadow of Cole. I try to get to know him better or at least talk to him, but he does everything to avoid me. His brother Theo shows up every night, sneaking me out of my prison until the sun comes up in his attempt to reassure me things will work out if I'm patient. During the time I'm left alone, I train and practice getting stronger. I notice it's almost twelve, which means Callie should be knocking on my door at any moment. I slip on one of the sweaters and leggings she brought me and wait by the door for her gentle two knocks. Like clockwork, her knocks appear. I let her in, taking a step back to allow her room to bring herself and her bag of tools inside. "How are you doing today," Callie's cheerful voice sings. "Better. My muscles feel stronger, and I'm not as tired as I usually am," I reply. "Great. It means the antidote is working," Callie says grabbing out the ingredients to make the same medical concoction sh
Theo POV"Are you coming to see me later? It's almost been a week since you've come to lay with me," Jasmine asks, batting her eyelashes at me.She throws herself on my lap and wraps her arms and legs around me and the chair like a snake coiling its dinner. Jasmine kisses my face and then my neck, trying to get some sort of arousal out of me. If she wasn't yesterday's news, I might be interested. "Let's continue this another time, shall we? I have a meeting with the Alpha soon, and you know I can't keep the big boss waiting," I excuse myself and stand up.Her body tightens around me, but she's not strong enough to keep me in place. I unwrap her arms from my neck and let her slide onto the chair. I leave her with a pouting look on her face. I walk away with a sense of relief for dodging the bullet that is Jasmine.She's a good fuck when I need it, but other than that, she's a pain in the ass to deal with. If she didn't have a killer body, to begin with, she wouldn't have caught my eye
Freya POV Theo leads me out of my prison for the first time in daylight. Instead of stealthily slipping me out, he shows me around. He introduces me to the people who walk up to talk to him, but he primarily brushes them off so he can give me "the grand tour," or so he says. I've seen a lot of the city, but I have yet to look around inside the mansion aside from the stairwell that leads outside. The whole place is a mystery to me. The only thing I've really seen is a tiny bit of the foyer when I first walked through the door over a week ago. Theo tells me the top three floors above my room are the living quarters of the harem and where I'll be moved too soon, but until then, it's off-limits to everyone, aside from a select few. The second floor has a recreation center, a study, and a few game rooms. The first floor has a kitchen, dining room, ballroom, and large living space. From what Theo described the ballroom is used at least twice a month for ceremonies and events, while the l
Freya POV The elevator doors opened, and I was immediately hit with the sound of loud chatter and music. I would have thought I was transported to a concert instead of the grand hall. I was never good with loud crowds, and now I'm in the middle of one. Theo rests his hand on mine as if he's attempting to reassure me. I let out the breath I'm holding and take the first step out. People parted as I walked by, staring at us in awe. Some of the faces look familiar from the times Theo snuck me out. They would give me a timid smile and turn away quickly, scared as if they might turn to stone if they gawked at me too long. Theo directed me outside, and through the crowd, I could see Cole off in the distance. He was standing near an older man, which made him seem uncomfortable as Cole was hunched over instead of his usual tall stance. Cole catches us walking towards him. He excuses himself from the people he is speaking to and starts striding over to us. When he stops in front of us, The
Freya POV Tonight is the big night and the last time I'll be sleeping alone. These past few days, Cole makes himself known, but by the second sentence, he finds a way to close himself off. It was like there was a switch that went off inside him every time we locked eyes. The time I had alone would make me miss Theo, at least I think it's Theo, he used to visit me all the time, but something also changed with him. It's like he's trying to keep his distance from me. Even when we were in the same room together, he would find a way to stay as far away from me as possible. I push those ideas to the side and focus on tonight. I still find it hard to believe I'm just supposed to shift into a wolf, but then again, everything I've experienced since being here is all hard to believe. I've been living among them for a month, and slowly, I've become one of them, but after tonight, once I shift, I'll officially be one of them. Callie arrived right on schedule with a garment bag in one hand an
Cole POV With each day, I was hopelessly drawn more and more to Freya. I tried to keep my distance, but after I caught Theo lingering at Freya, I knew. He had found a way to love her. It made my blood boil that I almost nearly killed him at that moment. How could he love her so easily and openly? The worst part of the whole thing was how she looked back at him. It nearly killed me. I called Theo on it but he denied everything. Since then, I've forbidden him from seeing her. I made him take care of the day-to-day jobs while I would use that time to get to know Freya. I wanted to learn more about her because there was still some part of me that didn't trust her. I looked at the photo album every night and studied the women and family in those pictures. I need to know who she really is before I let her in. However, the idea of getting close to Freya also makes me anxious. I was scared of what it was all going to mean when she was officially my mate. How are things going to change, and
Sofia POV I knew it was only a matter of time until I got Cole into bed, even though it was more of a challenge than usual. However it's good to know not even Freya can get in my way. She's going to make my plan of becoming a Luna difficult, but it won't deter me one bit. When I first saw her, she was a helpless bird, and now she seems just as fragile, although she's doing a good job hiding it behind a tough exterior. I mean the way she ran out of dinner with the girls all but tells me she won't last long. And when she's ready to leave, aka escape, I'll be the first to help her out. There's no way she'll be able to survive outside the barrier with dirty vamps lurking nearby. I open my closet and pull out my skimpy purple dress that I know Cole can't resist, and bonus points are every woman who sees me in it gives me the dreaded side eye of jealousy of knowing they could never pull it off themselves. I shimmy into my dress and color my lips a deep shade of red. Tonight's my last opp
Freya POVThe sun peaks through the curtains, waking me up. I roll over, looking down, and remember I'm wearing the dress from last night. I sit up on the bed, hanging my legs off the side of the bed, and put my head in my hands to help rub off the headache. I unzip the dress and finally take an actual breath now that I'm not stuck in a tight-fitting dress. I slump my way to the restroom to wash my face. After speaking with Cole last night and learning more about him and this place, I'm starting to feel more at ease here. However, hearing I'll never be able to leave this place is daunting and a tiny bit terrifying. I check in the dresser to see if there's anything to wear, but when I open the drawer, I find them empty. I grab the throw blanket and wrap myself up so I don't have to put on the dress again. I try not to worry that walking around in my underwear with Cole in the next room might give him the wrong idea. I peek outside my bedroom and call out Cole's name. When he doesn't
Freya POV Cole sits across from me, looking like an open book, ready to spill all his secrets. The questions I've been forming in my mind all week come forward all at once. I calm my racing thoughts and think of which of them is the best question to ask him. "Cole, why did you have to pick me?" the question slips out before I can stop myself. "I didn't," he says quietly. "Then why?" "I can't dare to guess why the moon goddess put us together, but she did." "Moon goddess. I've heard Callie mention it, but I haven't put much thought into it with everything else going on, so who is she?" "She is the spirit of the wolves, to put it simply. The legend says she blessed the first human with the ability to turn into a wolf during a time of war, and over time, we evolved to what we are today. At the beginning, there were millions of us, but now there's probably a little over three thousand," Cole explains. "And this is because of the vampires?" "Yes. We give off a scent that gives
Cole POV After smelling Freya's arousal but being too late to join her, I can't help but take a cold shower to force myself to calm down. However, even the cold shower couldn't stop my erection, so I jack off so I can feel some sort of satisfaction. At times like this, I'm wishing I didn't stop having sex with the women upstairs. I could have called Sofia, but with Freya now around, I can't be giving Sofia the idea she's still my number one. I go to grab the suit Wilson picked out for me so I can get dressed and meet the harem. There's a slight bit of worry coursing through me about how Freya will react to meeting everyone. I put on the cuff links my father gave me that I only use for special occasions, then have a quick shot of scotch. "Wilson," I yell. "Sir?" Wilson comes into the room. "Is everyone up there?" "Theo and Freya have just arrived at the dining room," he briefs me while walking over and picking up the lint roller on my dresser to go over my shoulders. "Thank you
Freya POV Callie didn't say a word to me, not even a sigh or grunt on the way back to the room. She opens the door and points to the box on the bed, then leaves. I step toward the silver box that is neatly wrapped with a bow on top. I lift the lead to reveal a green silk dress, a pair of heels, and jewelry. When I take the dress out of the box, a note falls down at my feet. I pick it up off the floor and take the letter out. Putting on the dress is the start of our new life together. I promise to make it a good one. -Cole Together? The word alone has a thousand-pound weight falling upon my shoulders. Although I can't tell if it's guilt or the pressure that comes with being forced with someone I don't know. After I put the note away, I go to the bathroom to shower. As the hot water hits my body, I can't help but think about my kiss with Theo. The idea of it alone has me squeezing my thighs together. When the image of him on top of me appears, I can no longer hold myself back. I sl
Freya POV Theo leads me out of my prison for the first time in daylight. Instead of stealthily slipping me out, he shows me around. He introduces me to the people who walk up to talk to him, but he primarily brushes them off so he can give me "the grand tour," or so he says. I've seen a lot of the city, but I have yet to look around inside the mansion aside from the stairwell that leads outside. The whole place is a mystery to me. The only thing I've really seen is a tiny bit of the foyer when I first walked through the door over a week ago. Theo tells me the top three floors above my room are the living quarters of the harem and where I'll be moved too soon, but until then, it's off-limits to everyone, aside from a select few. The second floor has a recreation center, a study, and a few game rooms. The first floor has a kitchen, dining room, ballroom, and large living space. From what Theo described the ballroom is used at least twice a month for ceremonies and events, while the l