Uh oh, seems like Kalen isn't doing so well. What do you think could be wrong?
I spent more time than I should wondering what might be going on with Kalen. I’ve never seen anyone whose eyes change like his does. So far they’ve gone from near black to an icy blue. Maybe that was a rogue thing. I shook my head. Out of the things that were my problem, Kalen and his eyes weren’t even on the list. Instead, I focused on sorting the documents.It was late by the time I finished. When I stood up from my chair, I stumbled, feeling a bit dizzy. I took a moment to steady myself, and decided before going to my new room in the pack house, I decided to take a bit of fresh air.Stepping outside, I closed my eyes and let the cool night air wash over me. The chilly bite of the air helped my head clear and some of the tension eased. When I opened my eyes, I saw Thomas walking up to me with a girl, maybe twelve or thirteen, with him.“Hey, everything, alright?” Thomas asked.“Yeah, just getting a bit of air. What about you? You’re out late,” I replied.“Since I was stuck training t
“I’ve been doing what you asked. Only now did I finish,” I told Kalen, irritated and unsure at the same time. I’d never seen him drunk before.“Liar,” Kalen spat out at me.Anger filled me. “It takes one to know one.”“What’s that supposed to mean?”“It means you’re not a paragon of truth either, Kalen,” I told him, tired of him throwing accusations at me when he believed Carl and all that he said instead of me.“What is it you want, Kalen? Because it seems everything I do just seems to piss you off, so what the hell do you want?”“I don’t want anything from you,” Kalen said, his tone sharp and barking. He took a step towards me. “I already own you, Alyssa.”“So very caveman of you,” I said, rolling my eyes.“Is that what you like, Alyssa?” he said, and suddenly grabbed me and pulled me against him.“You want to be pushed around and dominated?” Kalen now grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him.“Kalen, what are you doing? Let me-” His lips crashed down on mine in a bruising kiss. Sh
Kalen’s PoVThe warmth of the morning sun dragged me from sleep, and I frowned, glancing at the window as I sat up. Morning already? I hadn’t slept through the night like this since the war began. Even stranger, I felt no tension, no haunting dreams--just a rare calm. My wolf was quiet, neither growling nor demanding control. For once, I actually felt…good.“Good, you’re awake,” a soft voice purred, and I felt Chelsie’s hand slide over my shoulder and down my chest, her bare skin pressed against my back.Shock ran through me, forcing me fully awake now. “What?” I demanded, pushing her hand off me. I got up from the bed, only to realize I was also naked.Chelsie smirked, a glint of mischief in her eyes as she admired me. Her gaze heated. I grabbed my clothes, which lay scattered on the floor, and started dressing.“Last night was wonderful, Kalen,” Chelsie purred, using my first name. It sent a wave of anger through me, but then her words caught up to me and my stomach sank.“Last night
I forced myself not to look at Kalen, even though Chelsie draped over him like she belonged there. I should have known what happened last night was all a lie. When I left Kalen’s room, I’d repeated it to myself over and over so I wouldn’t forget. What happened wasn’t real. Whatever had come over Kalen was just a passing thing, maybe even a trick. Watching him let that shallow blonde idiot cling to him. It seemed more likely he’d just wanted to manipulate me, to prove he could.But knowing that didn’t make it hurt less. Why could I still feel this much pain?Gritting my teeth, I approached them with a tray of food and drink. Chelsie shot me a smug, self-satisfied smirk, her heavily painted lips curling with contempt. “Just leave it there, servant,” she said, waving me off like I was beneath her notice.Kalen’s gaze flicked up to meet mine, but his eyes were cold and distant—a stark contrast to everything I’d seen in them last night. Chelsie leaned closer to him, her fingers tracing his
“Thomas, please,” I begged, feeling his hands tightened around my neck. “Listen to my voice. Remember me. I’m Alyssa, your friend. Wake up, Thomas.”Thomas didn’t let me go, but his grip didn’t tighten. Keeping my tone even and calm, I said, “That’s it. Just keep listening to me.”The sounds of people rushing towards us broke the silence of the forest. A moment later, Kalen and several others burst out of the brush and trees. Kalen’s eyes scanned the area, then fell on Thomas and me. His eyes darkened to a deep blue as a wild fury glowed in them. “Get your hands off her,” he demanded. His voice was a gruff roar echoing through the trees, making several birds take flight.Startled, Thomas jerked, spinning me around and yanking me close with his arm tight around my neck, one hand twisted painfully in my hair. “You won’t take me alive!” he shouted, wild-eyed.Kalen snarled, taking a step forward, but Thomas only tightened his hold, making me wince in pain. Kalen’s expression promised viol
Kalen’s PoVI ran, well, more like sprinted through the woods, trying to sweat out the last remnants of anger, anxiety, jealousy and fear coursing through me. Yet, I couldn’t get the image of Thomas’ hands round Alyssa’s neck, squeezing the life out of her or the one where she threw herself at him to protect him from me. Why was she so eager to give herself to anyone that wasn’t me? Shaking my head, I tried to get rid of the question and all these emotions that weren’t doing me any good.Exhausted, I headed back. I took a shower, then went to meet Jack for our meeting. “What do you have for me?” I asked as I sat down in my chair.“Thomas is fine. No lasting damage,” Jack replied. “Though he is desperate to make sure Alyssa knows he’s sorry.”Despite that, I knew I hit him hard that day since my wolf took me over for a moment. I worked my jaw, jealousy still filling me. “Did he say what he was doing with her?” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice.Jack looked a little uncomfor
Silence…Ever since Kalen dropped me here, no one came by.I laid down on the cot, trying not to think about anything. Not about the guilt I felt for making Thomas have a flashback, the pain of the bruises he caused, and anger at Kalen for his cruelty and violence, to his own people even.The sunlight trudged through the narrow window, casting a faint light that barely dispelled the darkness. I watched grains of dust, which are like small, wayward spirits, whirled around in the faint light as if this room had trapped them as well.The sound of the lock click broke through the silence and a moment later, the door opened. I sat up expecting Kalen, but instead a thin, blonde woman walked inside. She raced to the bed with a large box in her arms. Afte placing it on the bed, she clapped her hands with a long sigh of relief, “finally here!”“Hello! You must be Alyssa,” she said. The sweet trill reminded me of the birds and she had an intense curiosity burning through her green and bright e
Adelaide led me past most of the buildings I’ve seen, but stopped at the large one I was staying in until Kalen put me inside the room. “This is the communal building. Anyone without a place to stay can stay here until they decide to move on or get their own home.”“Move on?” I asked, confused.“Yeah, as in, they’re just passing through.”I gave her an incredulous look. “Are you saying the alpha just lets anyone come into his territory and pass through?”“Yes, I am,” Adelaide said with a light laugh. “Not everyone thrives with rules, Alyssa, and being a rogue means we accept everyone’s right to live life as they wish.”“But isn’t that dangerous? What about those wolves who’ve gone feral?”“We have precautions,” Adelaide said, and kept walking. We walked past the buildings I already had seen to what looked like a small town square. There were a few stores and even a restaurant or two. People waved and called out a greeting when they saw her. It all seemed very picturesque. “The building