SIENNABenjamin left earlier than expected. We spent the whole morning talking about the most random things. At the back of my mind. I knew I didn't want him to leave. One way or another. I was getting attached to him more than I would like to admit. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I wouldn't say that I had returned fully to my old self but the glow was back to my skin and the bags underneath my eyes were gone. I was slowly on the road to becoming my old self again. I guess I had Benjamin to thank for that. I released a sigh and decided that I was going to let my hair down today. I've put it up in a bun for the whole weekI decided to put more effort into the way that I dressed today. I've been dressing like I'm attending a burial for the past week. Today's the first time that I was putting on a little bit of color with my black comfy jeans. If navy blue was even considered a color. Today was the day that I decided to suck it up and have breakfast with my father and Clara. I
SIENNAIt was hard coming to terms with the fact that he was here. Sylvester's eyes showed no atom of emotion whatsoever but I knew that his gaze lingered on me more than necessary. The air in the room was thickening with tension and it was impossible for me to focus on anything else. No matter how much I wanted to convince myself that he didn't affect me as much as he used to. I also knew that I would be lying to myself. He affected me just as much as he did before. I subtly looked around and hoped no one noticed the slight shake of my hand as I raised my cup of tea to my lips. “So tell me. How do you expect to bring back the lives of ten people?” I tilted my head to the side. My tone dripped with nothing but stone cold sarcasm. Perhaps I was to blame during the night of the attack but he was also to blame as well. Our packs were in alliance for a reason and yet he didn't deem it fit to inquire what was happening until a week later. “I'm going to station myself here with my men,”
SIENNA I hated how the tears filled up my eyes, my emotions were in a state of chaos and I wondered how I was going to get over the overwhelming urge to cry.“I know you must hate me. I wish that I could explain it to you but I also know it's too complicated for you to understand,” he said as he walked towards me, closing the remaining distance between us. All I wanted to do was move away, perhaps maybe even run as far away from him as possible but for some reason, my legs seemed to be planted in a spot. It was like my body no longer paid attention to the command of my brain. It reacted to him in ways that I couldn't even imagine, in ways that sent mind wrecking fear running down my spine.I wanted to tell him to make it make sense. I wanted him to explain why he felt it was okay to break me just after I had spent time with him the last time I saw him. I wanted him to answer the question that I've been harboring for almost a week. But there was no point, opening up myself again, tryi
SIENNAMy blood ran cold as I tried to process whatever Sylvester was trying to say. “What do you mean you lost your Beta? How is it even possible that we wouldn't have heard about it by now?” Benjamin raised an eyebrow at him as he glared at him with disbelief. It didn't take two and two to figure out that Sylvester was irritated by Benjamin's presence. I didn't miss how his gaze lingered on the proximity between Benjamin and I. I didn't know what to believe or if it was even safe to believe him. It could be that. He was trying to get back into my good graces again. Maybe he knew that I cared about him and he was trying to look for every way possible to take advantage of that. “I don't have to do anything to convince you. If you don't believe me, that's honestly fine but don't come here making assumptions about something you know nothing about.” Sylvester snapped. The glare on Benjamin's face didn't fade away as they both engaged in a glaring Contest. Deciding that I’d had more t
SIENNAI didn’t know what just happened or if I should be panicked about Benjamin suddenly leaving. Ever since the confrontation in the hallway, he had been behaving strangely. I closed my eyes and sighed. I was feeling all shades of frustration. “Are you okay?” my father asked, snapping my attention back to him. My cheeks flushed with color as I looked between the both of them. Clara looked at me curiously as I tried to return my attention back to what he had been saying earlier. My shoulder became tense with tension when I realized that Sylvester was going to be coming over today. Unfortunately for me. I was going to have to encounter him every day. Only the thought of that alone set me on edge. “You look worried and you haven't even touched your breakfast,” he said. I didn't know how to come up with an explanation. It was like the words were stuck at the back of my throat. The panic was beginning to well up in my chest as I tried to find the perfect words to say. “But it's un
SIENNAI watched as Clara and Sylvester were engaged in conversation. I twisted my fingers together. Trying to make sense of the anger that was clawing at me within the walls of my stomach and from inside me. I knew that I didn't have any reason to be upset. I had already told myself that I was long done with him in terms of anything romantic. Yet when she placed her hand on his arm and left it there. My eyes narrowed into slits. My wolf growled at the sight. She was becoming possessive and before I could think rationally, I took a step closer to them. Their heads snapped in my direction. Sylvester’s brows furrowed with concern as his gaze met mine and I watched irritation flash through Clara's.“You've finally checked up on him. You need to excuse us so that we can discuss business,” I said, trying to keep my voice empty of whatever it was that I was feeling. “Don't be such a party crasher, Sienna. You know we're having a conversation. You can't just step in and tell me to end it.”
SIENNA Benjamin paused and remained cautiously quiet. It was almost as if he wanted to say something but instantly decided against it. “I've been busy,” he finally said. The better part of me knew that he was lying. I was very aware of the fact that he had been avoiding me for quite some time. Since the day that he found out that Sylvester was going to be stationed here. The thought of him wanting to stay clear away from me hurt. I could feel the familiar pang in my chest. I tried not to think about it too much, tried not to linger on the thought of him not wanting anything to do with me. “You looked a little disconcerted earlier. Did anything happen?” He furrowed his brows slightly and the concern was etched on his face. I couldn't tell him that I just had a conversation with Sylvester. The thought of Sylvester seemed to upset him. “I'm fine. I was just feeling a little dizzy. It must be all the stress from what's been happening lately,” I finally said after a while. I could tell
SIENNAI looked at Clara in horror because I couldn't believe she was actually serious about going the extra mile to get Sylvester's attention. That was why when she asked my father if she could be Sylvester's assistant. I clenched my fists on the table and as I glanced down at my white knuckles, I quickly hid them underneath the table. My father seemed to be perplexed about why she would be asking him such a question. “Think about it. You don't exactly trust him so at least you'll have a pair of eyes to watch over him.” I remained silent trying to process whatever it was that she was explaining to my father but I knew Clara and I knew her well enough to know that she had no intentions of keeping an eye on Sylvester. She was just looking for an excuse to be close to him. I sighed, trying really hard to calm my racing nerves. I couldn't react because I was afraid that I was going to be raising suspicions. “I think that's an excellent idea, Clara. I should have thought about that soon
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