CHAPTER 42LARISSAI stirred lightly as the beams of light from a crack in the curtains shone directly in my line of sight, causing me to flinch. Still tired, I flicked my eyes open and took in my surroundings. For some reason, even though I would have liked to sleep longer, I was surprisingly not in a sour mood. Scratch that. I was happy. I felt warm all over, and the tingles that had been present in my arms and legs from the past thirty-six hours could still be felt. As I tried to sit up on the bed, I was suddenly aware of some kind of restriction around my waist. When I looked down I caught sight of Kaden–his huge arm wrapped around my torso, and a ghost of a smile on his lips.I tried and failed to stifle a giggle, the heat in my stomach rising even faster. I was beginning to learn quite a few things about Kaden, one of them being that he was really not as stone hearted as he liked to display. Sure, he could be intimidating without even trying. But he was also a big baby. I look
Chapter 43Kaden's POVI dutifully opened my mouth to let Larissa put the sliced apple in, like she had been doing for the past ten minutes. Like always, they tasted amazing, but there was nothing more enjoyable than the fact that she was feeding me. Hell, even I couldn't believe it, but it was nice finally admitting it freely. Larissa was like a breath of fresh air for me, and she was exactly what I needed.Although I would not admit it to Hunter, coming on this trip was the best decision I had made in a long time. I was grateful for it and it had let me discover a lot of things. My thoughts continue to race until I heard Larissa stifle a yawn. I looked up at her. She looked as bored as I felt and that said a lot, considering how sleepy I was beginning to feel. I hardly felt tired, ever, but being cooped up in the house all day had started to change that. An agreement I'd made with myself while I prepared for this trip was that I would not bring work into it. The goal this week was
Chapter 44Larissa's POVBlood was rushing through my ears. My heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would leap out my chest any minute now. This could not be happening."Declan?" I called out, pulling myself free from Kaden's hold as I staggered backwards. My legs felt like jelly as I walked over to the spot where I had last seen him standing. Where could he have gone? "Declan!" I yelled out again, hoping that he would answer. He had to be around somewhere, he must be. I could already feel the dizziness start to creep in as I turned back to Kaden who was now staring back at me with a horrified look on his face. "I-I can't see him anywhere, Kaden. H-He was right here, I swear. He was standing right here. I swear I saw him." But he was paying no attention to me, and I knew his mind was racing just like mine was. "Declan!" Kaden called out, walking in through the field and disappearing behind a tree. As fast as I could, I ran in the opposite direction to see if I would fin
Chapter 45Kaden's POVI leaned over Larissa protectively as she strapped Declan in the backseat of the car. Declan was squirming and laughing, trying to avoid Larissa's hands, but she was her usual patient self, and after she had joked around with him a little bit she finally convinced him to sit tight while she clasped the strap over his waist and handed him a toy and his iPad to play with. The jar of crickets which he had stubbornly refused to part with was also by his side.To my surprise, he picked up the jar instead of the iPad. At his actions, Larissa turned around to smirk at me. She had tried to explain to me a few days ago that this trip would be very good for Declan, and that it would help curb his obsession with electronics, but I had not believed a word she said because I knew how much Declan loved to play games on his device. "Fine. I know you want to hear it, so I'll just say it. You were right. Happy now?" I said, raising my hands in surrender. Larissa gave a smug sm
Chapter 46Kaden's POV"Alpha Kaden," the maid who stood with Larissa quickly greeted me once they sighted me, curtseying very low. I was too entranced by the beautiful face of my mate to respond. It was only when the other maid nudged Larissa that I came back to my senses. Larissa's face reddened as she joined the other girl to curtsey."Yes, good day," I responded, clearing my throat. Why was I being so careless? I had to get my head right lest someone discover what was going on between Larissa and I. It was torture, but it was necessary. They both stood upright once more, curtseying low before turning at the stairs and making their way down. As I watched her walk away, my mind raced. Was I really going to let her go now? It could be days before I would be able to have a conversation with her. Thinking quickly, I called out. "Stop." They both froze and turned back. "My study is a mess. One of you should come take care of it so I can have the space to work." I saw Larissa's eyes li
Chapter 47Larissa's POV"Alright, I'll finish up here and be down soon," I said to Gwen as she made her way out of the room. She gave a short nod and hurried out. We had been awakened by the head maid first thing this morning to get to work. I was used to getting up early, but 4am was quite a stretch. Having no say in that, all the omegas had to head to their assigned workstations and begin work immediately. It seemed a little extra to me, and I wondered what was going on, but I'd been too tired to ask. I had worked till the sun broke out, and I was currently wiping down the grimy windows of the grand hall upstairs. My wrists were hurting, but I consoled myself with the fact that I would be taking a break as soon as I was done with the windows. As expected, it was taking forever. But I stayed strong. "You're almost done, Larissa," I whispered in a bid to hype myself up. As I dipped the washcloth into the now blackened water, I was distracted by the sound of chatter outside. A group
Chapter 48Larissa's POVMy heart was beating so fast it was all I could hear. Kaden had just announced that I was his mate, and I could hardly believe it. At first I wondered if my mind was just playing tricks on me, but the stunned faces in the crowd said otherwise. I stared at Kaden in disbelief. The last time we spoke about this, I had been convinced that he was ashamed of me. Little did I know that he was planning something this huge. The realisation that he threw this banquet for me brought tears to my eyes. "Come.." Kaden said, extending his outstretched arm to me. I put my hand in his and let him lead me back to the podium. My heart had begun to do back flips now, seeing all the faces in the crowd. I wondered what was going through their minds. My biggest fear when it came to my relationship with Kaden was beginning to manifest, and I wondered if I was even worthy of standing with him. I was just an omega, after all. What if they didn't accept me?Before I could express my fe
Chapter 49Larissa's POVI woke up to the soft sound of Kaden's breaths and his arms wrapped around my waist. Immediately, I sighed in relief. He was here. Kaden and I were laying naked in each other's arms, just like I remembered from last night. The knot in my chest unraveled as I observed my surroundings. This was real, all of it. As though seeking final confirmation, I raised my hand to look at my fingers, and there it was; the diamond engagement ring.The lightness in my chest made me want to jump up and scream for joy, but I did not want to leave the comfort of Kaden's arms. I snuggled closer to him and shut my eyes, sinking deep in the memories of last night; Kaden's apology, his proclamation of me as his mate, his proposal…it was perfect. And to crown it all, he had made love to me thrice in the last eight hours. A blush creeped up my cheeks at the memory, and I felt a familiar tingle in my core. Last night was mind-blowing. That was the accurate word to describe it. I had no
Chapter 64Kaden's POVThe room was silent as Larissa and I stood hand in hand, watching Amaya sign the divorce papers in the corner of the study. Larissa's hand was placed over mine, caressing softly as we waited. Soon, Amaya flipped through the last page and then stood. She walked in our direction tentatively and then handed me the papers. When she looked up at me, an apologetic look was apparent in her eyes. I took the papers from her and looked through them to make sure. Everything was intact. Larissa smiled gently and rubbed my arm. It had been two weeks since the huge battle. Larissa had stayed by my side every day until the gunshot wound healed. A few days after that, Amaya came to see me. I was so mad that I had the guards send her away. But she kept coming anyway, begging for a chance. Larissa convinced me to see her finally and it turned out that she was here to sign the papers. I had insisted Larissa be here because it was an important moment for the both of us. "I'm sorr
Chapter 63Kaden's POVI was right. Infiltrating the Tokenmoon hideout was as easy as we anticipated because they had indeed prepared to attack at dawn. The trip took us exactly forty minutes, being a little far from Griffinhowl mansion, but we got there in good time. The whole time I continued to repeat a prayer in my mind, pleading with the moon goddess to keep my son and Larissa safe. I prayed neither of them had been harmed in any way, and I tried to keep my faith strong no matter how helpless I felt. As soon as we arrived, I tossed aside all the doubt and fear in my mind and prepared for battle. This was not the time to lament and worry. It was the time to save my family and defeat that bastard once and for all.I turned to Hunter. "You know the plan. Scope through the building and destroy any weapons you can find so we can cut them off at the knees. Then meet us inside. We only have ten minutes tops before we are detected, so make it count."He gave a stiff bow and moved closer
Chapter 62Kaden's POVI could not sleep. I was tossing around my bed restlessly, thoughts filling my head. How could I when I had no idea of the whereabouts of my son? My only son. I was going mad with worry, different scenarios of the condition he was in flashing through my head. I hated how powerless I felt in this situation. I had tried to follow his scent, but his kidnapper had taken care of that somehow and made it impossible. My best bet now was to find that bastard's hideout, but that too was proving difficult. I knew Stefan Tokenmoon had done it on purpose. He had intentionally made it difficult for me to find his hideout so that by the time I was close, he would take us by surprise and attack.Bloody coward. I would make sure he died a painful death by my hand. The thought filled me with so much hate and anger that I could not bear the thought of just lying down doing nothing. So I stood from my bed and made my way to the balcony. Everything that had happened in the past w
Chapter 61Larissa's POVBile filled my mouth as the guards escorted me inside the mansion I had lived in for the worst years of my life. I never thought I would ever return to this place, and even if it crossed my mind once, I wouldn't have believed it'd be under circumstances like this. I tried not to look at the walls I still recognized. They held too many bitter memories. I tried to keep my head blank as I was led inside a room and offered a seat. The guards left as soon as I was seated and I let my eyes dart around. They had probably gone off to inform Stefan of my arrival. Again, my hand drifted to my stomach and a wave of sadness hit me again. I never wanted things to turn out the way they did, but I had to save Declan. Even if it meant sacrificing myself for it. I stopped myself before I could become emotional again. I was here for business and nothing else. I needed to clear my head. As I waited, I wondered where Declan was hidden in this mansion. It would be impossible to
Chapter 60Larissa's POVThe ringing in my ears intensified as I struggled to open my eyes. I could not remember the last time I ever felt so weak and tired. I groaned painfully as I tried to sit up. My bones were also hurting and I felt like I was burning up. I was having a fever? But why? I tried again to open my eyes to no avail. They were just too heavy. I took a deep breath, noticing that it hurt my chest when I tried to. All I knew was that I was laying in a bed. The room was silent and I couldn't sense the presence of anyone else so I assumed I was alone. My fingers moved over the sheets I was laying on and I turned my head to the side to get a whiff of anything at all that would tell me where I was. As I sniffed the air, I immediately recognized the scent. I was in Kaden's room. I could smell him all over. I had spent enough nights in this room to remember what it felt like.I took another deep breath and I tried to relax, but the thought of Kaden had already set me into an o
Chapter 59Kaden's POVI frowned. What bad news could they be talking about? "What is it?" I asked, preparing myself mentally for whatever it turned out to be. Again, they exchanged looks. "After a lot of spying and questioning, we finally found the mystery pack that has had it out for Griffinhowl for months now."My breath caught and I stared on in surprise. Why did they look so somber, then? This was good news. So much had been going on that I forgot about that completely. This was great news. I knew the amount of torment we had been receiving from that godforsaken pack, and the fact that we had finally uncovered them was a huge step to defeating them once and for all. "And?" I asked, excited for the first time in a while. My senses were whirring with adrenaline and I wanted to jump right off to the location and destroy the whole lot of them. "Unfortunately, we couldn't find out the exact location of their pack. The pack members are scattered in so many different places. We belie
Chapter 58Larissa's POVI furiously swiped the tears out of my eyes as I hurried down the hall. My chest was tight and my heart was shattering into a million pieces. How could he do this to me? How could he betray me like this? Betrayal. It sounded so foreign when it was in relation with Kaden. It was not something I could associate him with. But after what I'd just seen, I realised it wasn't so far fetched after all. I ran. I ran like I could escape my reality if I got far enough. I wanted to stop. I wanted to scream. I wanted to fall to my knees and tear at my hair until I didn't feel this much pain anymore. But I couldn't. The image of Kaden and Amaya pressed together in a kiss continued to flash through my head no matter how many times I tried to block it out. Why would he do this to me? In a million years I would never have believed Kaden would willingly hurt me. It still felt like a dream. As I ran aimlessly, I instinctively pinched my own arm. Hard. I needed it to be a mista
Chapter 57Kaden's POVI stood in the corner of the playroom, my eyes narrowed and alert as I watched Amaya squat beside Declan and pinch his cheeks lightly. It had been four days since I first let her see him, and she had been here every single day since then, but I still had not gotten used to seeing her by his side. Every time she touched him, I had the overwhelming urge to jump across the room and take him away from her. But my legs stayed rooted to the floor. I continued to watch as she tried to make conversation with Declan, offering him the gift box she had brought along with her today. When Declan showed no interest in even touching the box, she took it upon herself to unwrap it. As expected, it was filled with toys. I watched with bated breath as Declan turned his attention back to the box. "You like toys, don't you, Deccy?"I nearly rolled my eyes at her nickname for him. Declan nodded, but made no move to pick any of them up. Instead he moved away and sat in one of his ti
Chapter 56Larissa's POV"She's been here every single day this week. I can't keep turning her away, especially since she still has a legal right to visit him."I turned away from Kaden, shutting my eyes tightly in annoyance. Amaya had been a thorn in everyone's side with her relentless visits to the mansion and her demands to see her son. Every day Kaden turned her away, and on days where she proved adamant with the guards, Kaden had to go down there himself and throw her out. It always ended up in a sort of screaming match, and Amaya vowing to return the next day. It had been taking a toll on him, I could see it clearly. It was also taking a toll on me, it was taking a toll on the entire pack, Declan included. Because of her, a sort of gloom had descended over the pack, and everyone moved around, silent and listless. And it hurt me. I hated the screaming, the drama, every single thing. And I hated how it was affecting each and every one of us. Especially Declan. He was still so you