Darius's POV I slammed my fist into the steering wheel, the sharp crack of pain wasn't enough to overcome the storm raging inside me. The car’s interior felt suffocating, and my chest was tight. So tight I thought I might explode. I had never felt this kind of fear before. Not in the countless battles I’d fought. Not when I’d nearly lost my pack in wars or when I’d faced enemies more brutal than most could even imagine. But the thought of losing Aurora had brought me fear. I just found out about her and I feel so much vulnerable when it comes to matters that are related to her. My feelings for her was like a teenager boy falling in love for the first time with no idea of how how to control his hormones. I thought I was cursed when I didn't find my mate for years. I thought the moon goddess has damned me for the sins of my past and now I can't feel the ether mate bond which means only one thing. Aurora was dead. I gripped the wheel, my breathing ragged. The mate bond had faded
Darius's POV I shook my head, frustration simmering just beneath my skin. “Not yet. We captured one of them and we’ll be questioning him soon. Until I have answers, I’m keeping the pack on high alert.” I answered.Alaric nodded. “Smart. If you need additional warriors…” “I’ll let you know,” I said, dismissing his idea of thinking I would be ready to take warriors from someone I don't trust. “In the meantime, the birthday party’s canceled. Once things settle down, I’ll reach out about the alliance meeting.” I informed him.“Of course,” Alaric agreed. He hesitated, then added, “I assume you’ll want us to remain here until the situation is resolved?” “That's if you don’t mind. You can always shift the alliance and we can agree to pucking another time.” I suggested knowing he wouldn't want to give up the alliance that easily. “Not at all,” he said, though there was a glint of suspicion in his eyes. I didn’t care. If keeping them here a little longer meant keeping Aurora close,
Aurora’s Pov The raised voices outside my hospital room grew louder, and I knew that sound anywhere. Kieran's voice. Even without the mate bond tugging at me, his voice was unmistakable, filled with irritation and entitlement. Now that I think about the mate bond with him, it seems weak, like it wasn't there if you don't think about it.I sighed, my body already tensing. The last thing I needed right now was him barging in here and causing more drama. My body still ached, and my mind was a mess from everything that had happened, the attack, the strange vision of my mother, and the overwhelming confusion of my emotions. Darius glanced at me from where he stood near the door. His eyes softened just a little on mine. “You can’t avoid him forever,” he said quietly. “I guess so but I wish I could,” I muttered under my breath. Before I could say anything else, Darius reached into his coat pocket and pulled out my clutch, the one I’d taken out on the date and left in his car before
Aurora's POV I had been discharged a few days ago and returned to my room with scars as a reminder of the attack. I could always go for a plastic surgery later to remove the scars if I want but mostly werewolves wear their scars with honor. Every morning, since I got back to my room, once I opened my door, a fresh bouquet of flowers greeted me. I’d later found out later that they were being sent by Alpha Darius. The petals were deep violets and soft blues. Even Kieran had noticed the daily gifts since I always arranged them neatly on the table in my room, I could see the questioning glances in his eyes, the silent accusations and unspoken resentments but he never said a word about it. I spent those early days in recovery, I was forced to stay indoors which became overbearing for me. I'd volunteered to work at the pack hospital but I was immediately rejected and told that I needed approval from the Alpha who had been hard to get hold of for some days. I had no choice but to stick to
Aurora’s Pov I looked up startled to see Rachel, my friend and one of the Doctors I’d worked with during my internship. Her eyes were wide, and her grin was nothing short of mischievous.“Nobody,” I answered. Rachel’s eyes looked down to the sleek black car as it disappeared down the road. Then, she turned to me with a raised brow. “That plate number isn't for the common people. Who was that?” she asked with curiosity. I hesitated for a moment before sighing. “Alpha Darius.” Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Alpha of which pack?” “The Lunaris Dominion,” I answered, watching her expression shift from surprise to outright shock. “The same coldhearted and ruthless Alpha?” she asked, her tone dripping with doubts. “Aurora, what the hell are you doing with him?” I sighed. “We just met by chance. I was walking into town, and he happened to pass by. He offered me a ride, and I accepted. That’s all.” I said leaving out details of how he's being acting all creepy and suddenly interes
Aurora’s Pov I crossed my arms and shot Darius a glare, but he barely seemed fazed. “You don't have to…”But before I could even finish processing what had just happened, Trina and Jenna squealed in delight. “Yes!” they chimed in unison. “We would love that.”I stared at both of them in disbelief while Rachel was stunned at their response. “You’re seriously thinking of letting him take us out?” I asked. Trina rolled her eyes at me. “Uh, yeah?” Trina said.“Aurora, are you insane? Do you know how many people would kill for a night out with the CEO of Lunaris Capital?” Jenna chirped, practically making some silly moves. “You may not want to take advantage of this opportunity, but we do!” Jenna nodded with equal excitement in her voice.Yet, before I could protest further, Trina and Jenna squealed with more excitement. I looked at Rachel for some words to get us out of the situation. “Don't look at me, I don’t know whether to be impressed or worried.” Rachel said. Meanwhile,
Aurora's POV I crossed my arms, staring at Darius as I waited for an answer. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I let the question out all the pent-up frustration and confusion I’d been feeling.He exhaled, his dark eyes locking on mine with a calm look that made my stomach tighten. "I just wanted to spend time with you, Aurora," he replied. I stiffened. That was not the answer I had expected. “Spend time with me?” "But since you already had plans with your friends, I figured this would also be an opportunity to meet your friends as well and get to know them,” he continued.I narrowed my eyes on him."Meet my friends?” I pressed, “Why?" Darius smirked, but there was something unreadable in his expression. "Why not?" I huffed in frustration. He was still not giving me the response I wanted to hear. It was more to it. The words came rolling out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Why can’t you be like the Alpha I used to know in the past?” I asked.But as soon as the word
Darius’s Pov We pulled up to the club in my limo, the VIP entrance glowing like a beacon in the night. I smiled to myself, anticipating a good time with the girls. I have never done this before. Bringing ladies out for a club night. I glanced at Aurora and I could tell she was a little nervous unlike Trina and Jenna who were all excited.The bass from the club’s music thumped through the limo’s windows even before we reached the entrance. We got down and walked to the VIP section, the bouncer’s eyes widened the moment he recognized me. It was one of the clubs owned by me that I had recently just acquired with a hotel in its compound. “Welcome Sir," he said, waving us through as he lifted the red velvet rope.The girls were wide-eyed, clearly not used to this level of treatment. Even Aurora looked a little surprised, though she tried to hide it. The flashing lights and the pounding rhythm of the music hit us like a wave as we stepped into the club’s crowded, electric atmosphere. I g
Aurora's POV I kept staring at the message reflecting on my phone screen like it held the power to throw my whole world off balance.“I’m in your pack to see you. Meet me at the Moe's Diner.”My heart dropped and leapt at the same time as the message echoed in my head over and over again.Why was Alpha Darius here? My fingers hovered over the screen for a few minutes before I locked the phone and tossed it to the bed.“No. I’m not doing this,” I muttered to myself. “Not today.”I was still trying to shake off the irritating feeling Kieran had left behind in my room like ten minutes ago. His touch and his arrogance makes my stomach twisted in disgust. The entitlement dripping from every word he’d said, like my future, my body, my time were only his to control. I was stupid to even think twice about loving him even with all the red flags that were so obvious. Now Darius was here, the man I should be avoiding. The man who gives me all sort of feelings. I feel so drawn to him and some
Aurora’s Pov By the time we reached the pack, the sun was beginning to dip behind the treetops. I stepped out of the passenger seat of Sandra’s car, the weight of my earlier conversation with George still fresh in my mind.Sandra, a soft-spoken pack member in her early sixties who ran a small handcrafted jewelry shop in Northshore for fun of leaving the pack once a while, offered me a small smile as she adjusted the bangles on her wrist. “Thanks for the doughnut today, Aurora. It was lovely having a ride partner once again,” she said kindly.“Thank you for the ride and I’ll definitely be doing more of riding with you now,” I replied with a warm smile, genuinely grateful for the opportunity to have someone who could always drop me off at Northshore.In the past Aria had always drove me to Northshore since we were bestfriend, sometimes Kieran as well whenever he was going to work but since I found Sandra store I started following her instead. She gave me a wave and drove off, her tir
Aurora’s Pov I replied to Rachel's text immediately. I told her I was free after my interview. I had no plans except to volunteer and probably bury my head in loads of work. Rachel text popped again on my phone screen.“Great! Let’s meet at the café near Northshore University Hospital afterwards.”Instead of going back to the study room, I settled into the chair in the corner of my room. I opened the journal app on my phone and began to put down events of my past life that were significant. The memories came flooding back, and I realized that this present life had taken a different path because of the choices I'd made. I needed to capture these moments, no matter how painful, to ensure I didn't lose sight of the details.As I reflected on the events, tears welled up in my eyes. I longed to let go but the weight of what happened to Caleb has cut deep into my heart. I would never forgive myself for what happened to him. Caleb is the reason why I can't back down.How I wished I could
Aurora’s POVThe general study room in the packhouse was one of the few places where I found peace. It was quiet, filled with the scent of both new and old books. I had been spending most of my time here, drowning in medical texts, pushing myself to focus. Rachel had helped with my residency registration and all I had to do now was to appear in person and take an interview. It wasn't really necessary since I was one of the outstanding interns there but they just wanted to follow protocols and not give off the favoritism vibe to the others. My peace didn't last long when I heard the familiar voice.“Aurora,” Aria’s overly cheerful voice broke through my concentration. I didn’t even look up. I already knew the grin she wore before I saw it.“I expect to find you here,” she continued, stepping closer.“How unfortunate for you,” I said dryly, flipping a page in my book.Looking up, I saw Aria roll her eyes as she scoffed, unfazed by my sarcasm. “There’s a package for you outside.”“A pac
Darius's POV Ezra and I climbed the stairs from the basement, stepping into the small room above that serves as the living room, Ezra close the basement door behind us. The air inside was stale and heavy with dust. I moved toward the window, peering out into the darkness of the forest surrounding the small house. The night was still, but I knew it wouldn’t be for long, day will soon break. Ezra leaned against the wall, arms crossed as he studied me. “What’s the next move?” he asked, a strange, faintly eager look flashed in his eyesI turned to face him. “Call the Shadow Team.”“Now that's what I'm talking about.” He grinned widely.“Tell them to regroup and meet us at the north border.” I said, my eyes darkening dangerously.“Also, tell them it’s time we took revenge for our brothers who died at the drop site ambush.” My voice hardened. Ezra’s expression hardened as well. He gave me a sharp nod and pulled out his phone.“And,” I added, “mind-link the warriors at the north border.
Darius's POV “Your clothes Alpha,” he said as he tossed me a clean set of clothes he took from the front seat in the truck.“I've spoken to the cleaners, they are on their way,” his brow wrinkled with thoughts.I took the clothes and stepped to the side, swiftly swapping out of my torn, blood-soaked attire. The fresh shirt and pants were a welcome change, though I still felt the weight of the fight lingering in my muscles. Ezra stood near the bodies, checking for anything useful. After a moment, he turned back to me.“No insignias. No identifying marks. Just as I expected,” he said.“They were mercenaries,” I confirmed. “Hired to take me alive.”Ezra’s jaw tightened. “So Watson, right?”I smirked. “Yes. I didn't expect him to be this stupid.”Ezra didn’t look surprised, but there was concern all over his face. “If he’s bold enough to send mercenaries after you, he might be planning something bigger.”“I know.” My voice was calm, but a cold edge lingered beneath it.Ezra didn’t ask
Darius's POV The mercenary's breath was ragged against my grip, his pulse thumping violently beneath my fingers. Fear clouded his wild eyes, but I could tell he wasn’t stupid. He knew he was dead already and it was only a matter of time. Still, I needed him to talk, I loosened my grip enough to let him gasp for some air and to speak. “I’ll tell you,” he gasped, clawing weakly at my hand. “I’ll talk.”I let him down, his feet touching the ground, my grip still around his neck to give him a taste of freedom. “Start talking,” I commanded. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard and fear glittered in his eyes. “A man hired us,” he said, panting, “He said it was just a test of our skills and it was nothing too serious.”“He picked three of us and asked us to meet his other own personal mercenaries around Millvale.” He wheezed, coughing as my claws barely relaxed around his throat. “We were supposed to bring you in alive to him.” He added. “Who was the man?” My voice was low, a dark
Darius's POV The moment I noticed the black sedan following me, my instincts sharpened and I gripped tightened on the steering wheel, my eyes fixed on the road ahead, pushing all my thoughts behind me. At first I had thought it was a coincidece but after I had noticed it following me for a while now and we were driving in the same direction even though I had taken a few wrong turns and the black sedan took it as well then I knew I was wrong. This was not a coincidence.I pressed my foot harder on the accelerator, the engine roaring as my car picked up speed. A tail wasn’t unusual, but this wasn’t some casual surveillance. Whoever was behind me was persistent, and I intended to find out, who was in that car, and what did they want.I was now going at a speed of 80km/hr and I felt a surge of adrenaline as the car sped up. The black sedan also kept same pace with me, refusing to back off. I took a deep breath and made a sharp turn, hoping to lose it in the streets but to my surprise, a
Darius's POV The question lingered between us. Elena had asked me who the woman in the painting reminded me of. Seeing the changes on her face, she was curious. I hesitated for a second before answering, “A woman I know,” my eyes narrowed at her. Her expression remained polite, but I noticed the flicker of curiosity in her brown eyes. “Oh?” she said, clearly wanting more.I wasn’t going to give her more.“I’ll take it,” I said instead, shifting the conversation. “I’ll have it sent to someone.”She blinked at the sudden change of subject but quickly recovered, nodding. “Of course,” she observed me through lowered lashes.Reaching into her small purse, she pulled out a small red ‘SOLD’ tag and carefully placed it on the artwork’s lower corner. “I’ll have it packaged and delivered once you make your payment,” she said in a voice that seemed to come from a long way off."I will have my assistant make the payment details and send over the delivery address,” I answered with staid calmn