SIENNA My heart skipped a beat as Sylvester leaned against the doorway. I wondered how he even got to follow me here without me noticing. I tried to think past the panic that was beginning to well up in my chest. I was suddenly conscious about how short my blazer dress was and I watched as his eyes lingered a bit longer on the long stretch of my legs.“What are you doing here?” I asked hen I was finally able to find my voice, my voice was a bit shaky and I hated how weak my voice sounded. “I came looking for you. It's obvious that you've been avoiding me,” he said as he looked at me. I didn't know why my nerves were racing and why it was impossible to breathe.“I'm not avoiding you,” I said, but I regretted it as soon as I said it because I knew pretty well that what I had just said was nothing but a lie. He knew too. “I've just been occupied with work. Meetings. I've not really had the luxury of resting,” I said again but from the look in his eyes. I knew he could tell that I was
SIENNA I was very tempted to avoid Benjamin's gaze as soon as I entered the room but that was definitely not going to help matters. The more I avoided his gaze, the more likely he was to become suspicious. And why wouldn't he? Sylvester and I were just returning at the same time. I hoped that I didn't look as disconcerted as I felt. It was a very big effort for me to be able to comport my feelings. “What's going on? What did I miss?” I leaned in and I whispered to him. I didn't miss the way he narrowed his eyes on me, his gaze traveling to Sylvester subtly in the space of a heartbeat. Thankfully Sylvester acted normal, completely oblivious to the way Benjamin was glaring at him. “Was he bothering you? Was that why you couldn't come earlier than usual?” Benjamin asked and I sighed, racking my head, so that I could come up with a reasonable lie. “He wasn't bothering me. We were just talking,” I said, feigning nonchalance and keeping my voice calm. “About what?” he asked. “I guess
SIENNAThings were a little bit tense for us at dinner. Clara and I exchanged minimal words and if my father noticed, I guess he was convinced that this was certainly not the right time for him to ask me or her. I was surprised that she didn't see it as an opportunity to rant to my father about how unfair I had been to her today. Clara never missed any opportunity to paint me in a bad light. My father asked about the details of the meeting and how it went and I downplayed everything that happened from the little that I was planning on focusing on and from the information that Benjamin had given me.From the expression on his face, I could see that he wasn't pleased at the new development. He wasn't pleased that the other neighboring packs were slowly beginning to depend on the Lycans for protection, but I guess he didn't really have much of a choice than to accept what was going on, because if we didn't want to lose more people in our pack, we had to make some certain sacrifices, even
SIENNAI sneaked glances at Sylvester over cheeseburgers as I ate. He looked extraordinarily divine and it was almost impossible for me to take my eyes off him as I ate. I couldn't believe that I had been about to pass on these cheeseburgers, because if they tasted delicious before, they were definitely mind blowing now. I couldn't simply get enough of them. I was sure that I was eating like a pig but I didn't care at all. I looked up to find Sylvester staring at me with a small smile on his face. My cheeks flushed with color as I hastily looked away. He caught me staring, no doubt.“You have something on your face.” He looked at me and then leaned forward. There was no way that he was about to kiss me here, in front of all these people, with everyone watching. The thought of that made my face drain of color. I looked at him, aghast. I was about to ask him what the hell he was about to do when he brushed his thumb against the side of my cheek, wiping away the mustard that must have
SIENNAI held my breath for a minute longer and this time without Sylvester's help. Who would have imagined that I could learn something new? Slowly, I began to flap both of my legs, just like he taught me and I stretched my arms forward as I began to swim. It felt exciting and exhilarating and I couldn't even begin to understand why I was scared in the first place. By the time I emerged back up, my chest heaved up and down as I tried to catch my breath. I ran my hand over my face and shifted my damp hair away from my eyes. My eyes met Sylvester’s, who was standing at the edge of the pool. I didn’t even know how long he had been standing there. His eyes glistened with pride as he looked at me. “I knew you could do it,” he said, making his way towards me. His smile always had a way of affecting me in a way that I didn’t understand, and I couldn't even think straight. It had its way of disconcerting me also. “Are you okay?” he asked as he got closer to me. I wanted to give a reason
SIENNA The aroma that wafted up into the air made my tummy rumble instantly with hunger. I guess he wasn't joking when he said that he could cook. As if he could sense that I was looking at him, he turned around to face me immediately. Our eyes met and held and my lips tilted up in a small smile. I was content with looking at him forever. “I'm sure you must be hungry now”he said and I nodded. I listened to him chatter excitedly about how he was always delighted to prepare dinner with his mother in the kitchen while she was alive. The spark in his eyes was impossible to miss when he talked about his family. I wondered what it must have been like for him, growing up and feeling so alone. It was even worse because he didn't have any siblings but I guess I could relate to it. Not completely, but at least to a certain degree. My dad always tried to make time for me, no matter what happened and yet it was still never enough. Sometimes I felt like he had an obligation to the pack than he
SIENNAI stretched luxuriously on the big bed and froze when I hit something hard. My breath caught in my throat and the smile disappeared from my face Instantly. My eyes fluttered open immediately and I looked at Sylvester who laid down next to me. I took note of his bare torso as he slept. My heart pounded frantically within my chest as I looked down at myself and I released a sigh of relief when I discovered that I was still wearing clothes.I knew he wouldn't take advantage of me. It was not just something that he would do but it was myself that I didn't trust. Due to the effects of the alcohol, I might have come off strong last night. And even if he wouldn't want to cross boundaries, I could be persistent, especially when I was under the influence of alcohol and that part of myself scared me. I searched the bed for my phone but couldn't find it. I must have dropped it somewhere. I noticed how his hand went around my waist and held me to him in a protective way. I couldn't help t
SIENNA I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to feel as I drove back home. I could forget the victory that flashed through Tamara's eyes as I stormed past him and headed out of the house. My hands trembled on the steering wheel and all I could do was blame myself for being all shades of stupid. I didn’t know what I was thinking? I didn’t know how I could push myself into thinking that he was going to me over Tamara. The people that I love never really got to choose me. I was always an option, always got treated like an option. Even my father made the pack first and me an option. The only person who tried very hard not to make me an option was Hailey and she wasn't here. At this moment, I was beginning to feel so alone, I was beginning to feel so overwhelmed by my loneliness and when I couldn't see clearly because of the tears that blinded me, I had to park on the side of the road and I broke down completely in the car. I felt all shades of stupid and regrets, I wanted to sla
SIENNAI was beyond overwhelmed and yet I clutched my weapon closed to the side tightly. The muscles in my body were knotted into tension and no matter how tired I was, I couldn't bring myself to stop. One way or another, I needed to find Benjamin. “I can hear your heartbeat from here,'' Sylvester whispered. I could feel his lips against the lobe of my ear. I could see that some of the soldiers were searching in their human forms while some were in their wolf forms. This wasn't the time to be thinking about how he smelled or what his lips against my body was doing to me.My father had decided to stay back home. Apparently, we might have to conduct another search party for Clara. My father had said that she ran to her room when the attack started. The rogues didn't come anywhere near the house so how was it even possible that she would disappear without a trace? I couldn't even make sense of it. “You think they took her?” I blurted out the question that had been on my mind for some
SIENNASylvester and I left the den, ready to confront the return of the rogue attacks on our pack. The air outside crackled with tension, and the scent of anxiety lingered as we approached the site of the disturbance.Drawing near the borders, I observed my father who was encircled by a few pack soldiers. His stern expression betrayed a mix of anger and concern that was apparent in him. The gravity of the situation hung heavily in the air, and I steeled myself for the challenges awaiting us. I saw the force of their destruction up ahead and I crumbled as a wave of despair washed over me. This wasn't supposed to occur if we had been vigilant enough. If I had behaved like a true Alpha was supposed to, these rogues would never have breached our territory. “Sienna, you've got to stay strong. Calm down," Sylvester urged."Easy for you to say; you're not the one whose territory is being destroyed," I snapped, but I regretted my words almost immediately. Swiftly, I apologized, "I'm sorry, I
SIENNAI sighed, realizing that this was the difficult situation I had put myself in "Dad, let me explain. Sylvester—""Explain? Explain why you're associating with a Lycan. Do you know what they're capable of?" His voice grew louder with each word."Dad, Sylvester is not like the others. We've formed a bond. There is a connection between us. He's different," I insisted, the desperation I felt evident in my voice.His eyes flickered between Sylvester and me, and the disapproval he was feeling was quite obvious on his face. "Different? What in the name of the Moon Goddess is he different from all the others? So far he’s the Alpha.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “Sienna, you're risking everything by involving yourself with him."“If you would calm down and let me explain to you, you’ll see how different he is,” I implored him.“Did he hurt you?”As my father continued his stern warnings, Sylvester remained silent, his demeanor composed. He looked so calm. Wasn’t he w
SIENNAThe moon was gradually surrendering its luminous glow to the impending dawn as Sylvester and I lay entwined in the quiet haven of the cottage. My fingers traced idle patterns on his chest, and I could feel the rhythmic beat of his heart beneath my touch. The silence between us held the weight of unspoken words, echoing the complexity of our intertwined destinies. If anything, I was glad and relieved that we had cleared everything between us and that the tensions were all ironed out. And I was calm now.I knew that Tamara held no place in Sylvester's heart. She was inconsequential to him, and she shouldn’t dare overstep. If she did, I was quite capable of meting out the treatment that such intruders deserved. And I was ready to go home. Back to my pack and back to my dad. I was ready to tell my dad about Sylvester. "Sylvester," I whispered, breaking the silence that lingered in the air. He looked down at me, his gaze tender yet guarded."What is it?" His fingers brushed a stra
SIENNA“But if he doesn’t?” he asked softly“I don’t care what he thinks anymore. It’s either you or no one. But you’re never getting married to Taylor or whatever her name is”“Tamara,” he corrected, a teasing grin spreading across his face.“I don’t care what her name is, and I don’t care who she is either. She’s an Alpha’s daughter, but I’m an Alpha. If she crosses my path one more time, she’s gonna know what this Alpha can do,” I said defiantly. His eyes held a mix of admiration and pride. "Damn, you can’t imagine how turned on I am by this.”“W-wh-what?” I blushed, my face getting beet red and hot at the same time.“You want to see?” He smirked. I slapped his arms in embarrassment. “Stop it, love. You can’t say things like that.”“Are you kidding me?” He chuckled. “Stop pretending like you haven’t seen what it looks like.” He raised an eyebrow at me, the mischief glinting in his eyes.“Oh my goodness!” This was so embarrassing “You can beg. I’ll show you if you beg.” He chuckl
SIENNASylvester stood by the counter of the kitchen with a soft smile on his face as he watched me emerge from down the stairs. I wanted to watch him smile this way at me forever but at the same time, I wanted to go away from him because what he did hurt me. I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions, but at that moment, I chose to focus on the calmness I felt after the bath, which was really nice, by the way. "Feeling better?" he asked, his eyes filled with genuine concern.I nodded, still unable to find the right words to express my gratitude. The clothes he provided may have been a bit oversized, but they carried a comforting warmth that seemed to extend beyond just the fabric. It was his, and wearing whatever was his just gave me this sense of comfort. "I appreciate this," I finally said, my voice a gentle acknowledgment.He nodded in return, his gaze lingering on me. "It's the least I could do,” he said.“Of course.” The air held a fragile tension, a silent acknowledgment of t
SIENNAThese days I had come to the conclusion that maybe the only person that I put into consideration was myself. I felt selfish, I felt blind, and I felt stupid too. I couldn't make it go away. As if he was only just realizing the impact his words had on me, Sylvester crouched down and stared up at me with sad eyes. “Sienna,” he said softly but I wasn't so sure that I had in me to give him a response. “I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have said what I said. I lost control for a moment,” he said as he looked up at me. I wondered how he could bear to look up at me with the affection in his eyes when all I ever did these days was hurt him, and make it more and more obvious how much I resented him. I knew he didn't mean what he said. Yes, but that didn't mean it wasn’t true. Every bit of it was. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying very hard to put my emotions under control, to gain some sort of composure. But for some reason, I couldn't seem to do that. “I'm having a headach
SIENNA“What do you mean you were running out of options?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. My hands were starting to become clammy with sweat. I was beginning to become more and more conscious of my panic as I looked at him. So I pressed my finger against my temple just to calm myself down.He dropped the cup of tea against the bedside table as he looked at me. I didn't know what to do. “I just wanted us to be alone. The two of us needed some alone time,” he replied.“What alone time are you talking about? How do you think it's possible that I could stand to be in the same room with you, knowing that you're going to be married in less than a week!” I snapped. I was trying to let the anger and rising panic not take over me. But this was Sylvester I was dealing with. No matter how I tried to escape from my emotions, from my feelings, he sure did have a way of invoking them and they always came rushing back, no matter how much I tried to escape them. “I'm not getting married," Syl
SIENNAI wanted to die rather than feel this pain that was making me suffer. It was happening gradually and that was what I hated about shifting. It was too slow and gradual. “Sienna,” Sylvester called out again as he made his way over to me and crouched down in front of me. His face was contorted in pain, and it was just as if he was going through something similar. I didn’t think it was possible for him to feel whatever I was feeling. It just wasn't possible. I closed my eyes and sighed. Then I started to breathe in and out. I kept breathing in and out again and again. Maybe that was going to help.But I knew that I was deceiving myself. Nothing ever helped when this was happening. All I could hope for, all I could wish for was for the pain to go away. But all I did was internally count as I looked forward to the time that it would be dawn again. “I'm here,” Sylvester said softly. His hands went through my hair in tender soothing motions and I found myself leaning into his touch