SIENNAI slipped into unconsciousness. I could hear someone calling my name in the distance. It was becoming more and more harder to be aware of my surroundings. I felt myself being lifted up before I slipped into unconsciousness completely, letting the darkness claim me. By the time I woke up, I was in my room. My mouth felt bitter and it hurt just to open my eyes. All I could remember was falling down in the hallway. The loud pounding in my head had reduced drastically and my body felt way too heavy to move. I closed my eyes and sighed, feeling beyond overwhelmed. By the time I opened it, I noticed Sylvester, standing in the corner and staring through the curtains. I opened my mouth and then closed it almost immediately. I felt too stunned to speak. It took me a while to process the panic that was beginning to set in. “What are you doing in here?” I rasped. It was too tiring to even talk. But at the back of my mind, I was more worried about who had seen him entering my room than
SIENNAIt took me a moment for me to process what my father had just said. My shoulders went rigid and furthermore, even Benjamin froze at the news. I closed my eyes because I could feel my exhaustion intensifying.“I didn't tell you about the issue for you to worry about it, but I just wanted you to have an idea of what's going on,” my father assured me but the harm had already been done and it was already too late for that. I was tense with worry and the thought of more people getting hurt made me even more tense with worry. I could feel my stomach clenching unpleasantly at the thought of people dying, and more people getting hurt. The more I thought I was making progress, the more I was simply deceiving myself. Eventually, the doctor came around and examined me. Benjamin and my father were present and I watched intently as he scribbled down some things on a piece of paper. I was almost tempted to snap at him to get to the point already but I knew it was frankly unfair to have him
SIENNAI was almost tempted to yell at him to stop playing with my emotions that way. I was almost tempted to tell him to go back and not bother coming back here because the more I stayed around him, the more I would melt and I didn't want to. Fear and desire suffocated me to the extent that I was finding it difficult to breathe at that moment. “And who's going to keep you safe?” I asked, sounding more breathless than I would have liked. For a moment it seemed like he was at a loss for an answer as he leaned forward and tenderly tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I didn't know how to function properly. Not with the way he was looking at me. He was looking at me just like I was the very center of his existence. I closed my eyes and sighed as I was beginning to feel overwhelmed. “How do you feel now?” he asked and I guess I should be relieved that he was now centered on another different topic almost entirely but with Sylvester, I was beyond convinced that there was always
SIENNAThe next time I awoke, it was on my bed. It was very surprising and it drove me into a state of panic. If I wasn't so certain that I had seen Sylvester so early in the morning, then I would have been convinced that I was dreaming, which I was very sure that I wasn't. I couldn't be dreaming, though. Sylvester's words still remained with me and for some reason that was entirely difficult to understand, I couldn't really forget it and I knew that I would never be able to forget it in days, possibly even months to come.I remained silent and smiled, as I was feeling very emotional. I ignored the tears that stung my eyes. He must have brought me in here when I was asleep. I hoped that no one was able to see him but I knew that if anyone saw him heading to my room with me, they would have caused a ruckus by now. Still, It didn't stop my heart from crashing with disappointment when I realized that I didn't wake up next to him on the bed. He was nowhere to be seen. But wasn't it what
SIENNAI was expecting him to leave but for some reason, he didn't. I was relieved that he didn't. I could tell that he didn't find my silence pleasing. I didn't find it pleasing either but at the same time, I didn't really know how best I was supposed to reply to him. I didn't want to lie to him but at the same time, I didn’t think that I had come to the stage where I was ready to be vulnerable. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore how they were stinging with tears. “You do know that I'm not going to force you to do anything that you don't want to do, right?” he said. But that was the problem. I didn't know exactly what I wanted from Sylvester. I didn't know what it was that I wanted. All I knew was that I couldn't entertain the idea of letting him go but at the same time, I was too afraid to let down my guard. “Since you have an off day today, maybe we could do something to take your mind off things a little,” he suggested.I wondered what it was that he had in mind but I knew tha
SIENNAI didn’t know how I was able to manage going into the park. So many memories that I didn't want to remember but at the same time so many memories that I had no desire to let go of. I closed my eyes and sighed. I wanted to reach a certain point where I could remember these good memories without changing to cry my eyes out. Benjamin looked at me. I don't think he ever tore his gaze away from me. I could tell that he was concerned and perhaps silently regretting the decision to bring me here. I wanted to tell him that he had nothing to be sorry about. All he was trying to do was make me feel better. I controlled the tears in my eyes, subtly bit on my bottom lips so they wouldn't fall but at the same time, I was unable to stop my hands from trembling slightly. I buried them into the pockets of my jeans so that Benjamin wouldn't notice but it would seem that from the way he looked at me, he already did. “I meant it when I said we could go back if you don't feel comfortable here,”
SIENNAThe ride back home was insanely quiet. I was tempted to yell at Benjamin. Anything to get him to talk to me and yet he refused to utter a word as we rode through the city to get back. The only time he talked to me was when he stopped in front of the cafe that we went to the last time. He asked me if I would like some ice cream and I said no immediately because I knew that it was going to be nothing but awkward between us. Each time that I would try to catch his eyes, he would look away and he would stare into the distance.It was almost as if I was non-existent and even if I didn't admit it, whatever he was doing made my tummy clench almost painfully and I couldn't focus on anything. I was completely and totally disconcerted. The drive seemed longer than it was when we initially drove out. Maybe it was because I was desperate to return back to the confines of my room. It was a lengthy drive back home and I suddenly felt too conscious of the proximity between Benjamin and I.
BENJAMINThe glow of the moon in the night sky flashed through the window, casting a silvery glow on the clearing where I finally let spill the emotions I'd bottled for years. "Sienna," I began, my voice wavering with a lot of nerves and raw emotion."I've been in love with you since we were kids."Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a brief but exhilarating moment, time stood still. I had loved this woman for years ever since we were little, evolving from her best friend to her loyal beta. Despite hoping time would wash away these feelings and open the door for a new love—and if it was my mate, then even better—however, my emotions for her only intensified.The agony deepened when I witnessed the toll of Jasper's heartless rejection of Sienna. He, an undeserving soul, didn't merit someone as precious and beautiful as my Luna. As the moon goddess toyed with my fate, I couldn't escape the internal conflict. Sienna, my Luna, deserved far more than the heartache Jasper had callously im
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