Nina. Rage boiled through my veins at his statement. I was his? Like hell! My emotions took control, and before I could think, I lunged forward and slammed my fist into his face. He staggered backward, shock flashing across his features. I stood frozen, heart thundering in my chest, each breath coming in short gasps as heat crept up my neck and burned across my cheeks. “How could you, bastard? I am your mate!” I yelled. “My mate?” The word dripped with contempt as he rubbed his reddening cheek. “Do I look like someone desperate enough to claim you?” Something shattered inside my chest like splintering glass. The pain ripped through me, white-hot and searing, his rejection striking deeper than any physical disaster could have. Each heartbeat sent fresh waves of agony coursing through my body, as if lightning had found its home in my veins. I felt the pain. I was overwhelmed by a mix of anger and sadness, my heart aching with the sting of his words. A cold emptiness settled in my ch
ScarlettA knock at the door broke through the afternoon quiet, drawing my attention to Alisha. “Luna?”“Who is it?” I called out.“It’s me,” came her familiar voice.“Come in.” The door creaked open as Snow entered, her head bowed respectfully. “What do you want, Snow?”“Luna,” she said, maintaining her deferential posture. “Someone is here for you.”I straightened myself before I rose on my feet, instantly alert. “Who?” Visitors were rare enough, but I had no one who would seek me out. “Name?”“Nina,” Snow replied softly. “She identified herself as your sister.”The name struck me like a punch. The last time I saw her was that night.My hands grew cold as memories flooded back - Nina’s cruel smirk, her vindictive pleasure in my pain, her part in the attempted kidnapping. She should be in Stone Ridge Pack, not here at my doorstep.“Where is she?” I demanded, my voice coming out sharper than intended.“At the pack border.”“Let her in and take her to the pack hall,” I instructed. “I w
Scarlett“Jack helped me escape,” she explained, gratitude evident in the way she looked at him. “He worked in the pack as a guard and risked everything to get me out. But if I go back home, our parents will just send me back to Lucas. They won’t believe me about what he’s really like. They never listen...”I studied her face intently, searching for any sign of deception. The old Nina had been a masterful manipulator, but this woman before me seemed stripped of all pretense. Her pain felt raw and real, radiating from her in waves that my wolf could sense. This wasn’t the step-sister who had tormented me - this was someone who had been broken and rebuilt herself from the shards.Without conscious thought, I found myself saying, “I forgive you.”Nina’s head snapped up, disbelief written across her features.“The past is the past,” I continued, surprised by how much I meant it. “No one deserves what you went through, Nina. No one.”“I... thank you,” she whispered, fresh tears spilling do
NinaI stood there, nervously fidgeting with the edge of my sleeve, feeling the weight of Jack’s piercing gaze on me. His usual calm demeanor was gone, replaced by frustration.His jaw was clenched, and his eyes burned with anger. The tension in the room was suffocating, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, betraying my calm exterior.“You knew all this time, Nina?” Jack’s voice was low, dangerously calm, but I could hear the underlying fury. “You knew your sister was the Luna of the Crescent Pack, and you never told me?”My throat felt dry, and the words stuck. The lie I’d told him earlier suddenly feeling like an impossible weight. How could I explain the fear that had kept me quiet?That deep-rooted fear of how he would react, how it could affect everything - especially with Lucas involved?“I... I didn’t know how to tell you, Jack,” I finally managed to speak, my voice shaky. I looked away from him, guilt pressing against my chest. “I was scared. Scared of how you’d rea
NinaIn the blink of an eye, he stripped me of my clothes. “I won’t get angry,” he said, pausing as his gaze locked onto mine. His eyes were filled with desire as he roughly grabbed my breasts. A low moan escaped me, primal and raw, as if I were a wolf in heat.“Because you dared to call me a guard to your sister,” he added.“Mmm.” I covered my mouth, embarrassed by the sounds I was making. I couldn’t believe I was moaning. Worse, I was beginning to love everything about his touch.“I own you. You’re my property, sunshine. My whore.”I could have been angry at his words, furious even, but instead, they fanned the flames of pleasure inside me. I gasped as his hand suddenly shoved inside my core.“This hole belongs to me.”Before I could react, I was thrown onto the bed. Jack approached me like a wounded wolf, his body and eyes shimmering with desire. I watched, unable to look away, as he undressed himself one after the other.He smirked as he caught me staring. “I know you love it,” he
NinaScarlett’s gifts felt like a searing poison on my skin. Each carefully selected item was a calculated insult - a reminder of her distinguished superiority, her attempt to reconcile me with expensive trinkets.My fingers traced the delicate silver bracelet, my nails digging into my palm, transforming the gesture of admiration into a silent show of rage.My body still ached from Jack’s brutal encounter, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the strategy taking shape in my mind.I dressed carefully, choosing a deep burgundy dress that concealed my bruises.When the maid knocked, interrupting my seething thoughts, I took a moment to compose myself. My reflection in the mirror showed a woman perfectly poised, betraying nothing of the volcanic fury churning beneath the surface.“Who?” I asked.“It’s me, ma’am,” Sarah, the maid who’d delivered Scarlett’s gifts, replied.“Enter,” I called, my voice smooth and gentle.“Is there something you need?” I asked, not bothering to look d
AlishaThe sight of Nina standing so close to Scarlett sent an uncontrollable wave of disgust rolling through me. I forced myself to stay composed, though every instinct screamed to rip her facade apart.Her sweet-talking words were insincere, like poison dripping from her lips.Scarlett, naive as ever, couldn’t see through the lies. I could, though. I had learned to recognize the venom of a viper in sheep’s clothing long ago.My fingers clenched into fists beneath the dining table as I watched Scarlett embrace her. It was the same embrace that once offered me solace during my darkest days. Now, it was wasted on someone like Nina. A schemer who thought she could worm her way into Scarlett’s trust and steal everything from her.“Sister," I called out sharply, my voice slicing through the air. Nina turned to me, her expression softening into a mask of false concern. I couldn’t help but smirk inwardly. Did she really think I couldn’t see through her act?She started to speak, but I silenc
Alisha The room felt suffocating after Scarlett left, her scent lingering in the air. A mix of confusion, hurt, and that damned unwavering trust. My wolf paced beneath my skin, her agitation making it impossible to stay still. Each step across the hardwood floors echoed in the silence, matching the thundering of my heart. How could Scarlett be so blind? Nina wasn’t just a threat. She was a viper wearing a sister’s skin. And Jack? My wolf snarled at the mere thought of him. He wasn’t just some ordinary guard. Every instinct I possessed screamed danger whenever he was near, his presence like oil slicking across my senses. A soft knock interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see David, Scarlett’s loyal beta, standing in the doorway. His expression was calm, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of concern. “I heard the commotion,” he said, stepping inside. “What happened?” I hesitated, unsure of how much to divulge. David had always been a steady presence, but even he seemed to hold Scarlett
JackThe scent of Nina’s blood filled my nostrils, threatening to overwhelm my senses. Her body lay limp before me, and for a moment, something inside me wavered.The memory of her smile, her laughter, the way she used to look at me with those bright eyes. It all crashed through my mind like a sinuous wave.But then I remembered her betrayal, the night she tried to end my life, and my will hardened once more.“Take her to the cells,” I ordered, my voice rough with suppressed emotion.Two pack members immediately moved forward, lifting her unconscious form. Blood dripped from her wounds, leaving a trail across the stone floor.Mother stood beside me, her presence both comforting and suffocating. “You did well, my son,” she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “She needed to learn her lesson.”I nodded, but the words felt hollow. The pack members’ excited murmurs filled the room, their bloodlust still palpable in the air.They had enjoyed the spectacle, reveled in Nina’s pain. Part of m
NinaI couldn’t contain my scream as the pain tore through me.“That’s more like it,” Jack murmured, satisfaction darkening his features. “Now tell me, Nina. Was it worth it?”Tears blurred my vision, but I lifted my chin, forcing a smirk onto my lips despite the agony. “You tell me, Jack. Does this make you feel powerful?” I let out a shaky breath, my voice dripping with mockery. “Or does it remind you that you once loved me?”“Really?” His smirk turned cruel as he plunged the silver blade deep into my chest, stopping just short of a fatal wound. My scream echoed off the walls, raw and primordial. The pack’s cheers rose around us like a grotesque chorus, celebrating my torment.“Scream more,” he snarled, twisting the silver deeper. My body obeyed, another agonized cry ripping from my throat. This pain was beyond anything I could contain, beyond anything I could fight.“It hurts so much. Please.”“Tell me, why did you choose to hurt me despite how much I loved you, Nina? Why did you c
NinaWeeks crawled by in silence, each day without a word from Jack leaving me weaker. The guards’ sporadic meals – mere scraps twice a week – barely kept me alive. My body had become a hollow shell of what it once was.I huddled in the corner, gnawing absently at my fingertips when footsteps echoed down the corridor. I didn’t bother looking up, expecting another cold-faced guard.But then his scent hit me – that familiar, intoxicating aroma that made my mouth water. I raised my head to find Jack looming over me, his face twisted with contempt.I scrambled to my feet, my heart surging with a desperate joy. Something stirred deep within me, electric and primal, awakening every dormant cell in my body. The wolf inside me howled in recognition. I felt alive.“Jack,” I breathed. “Is it really you?”“Does seeing me make you this happy?” His voice was ice.“Yes,” I whispered, drawing closer. “I’ve missed you so much, honey.”His eyes blazed with such fury that I staggered back. This wasn’t
NinaThe cold stone walls of my cell seem to close in with each passing hour. How long have I been here? Days? Weeks?Time bleeds together in this darkness, broken only by the dim light filtering through the tiny window near the ceiling.My hands trace the rough surface of the wall, fingers catching on jagged edges, a sensation that’s become almost comforting in its familiarity.Jack. His name burns in my mind like acid. He should be dead. He should be rotting in the ground by now, not walking around, breathing, living. I did everything perfectly.The poison was untraceable, so much so that even the most thorough autopsy wouldn’t have detected it.I watched him drink it, watched the bottle empty as he swallowed every last drop. I remember fighting to keep my expression neutral, to stop the satisfaction from showing on my face as he thanked me for “taking care of him.”A bitter laugh escapes my throat, echoing off the walls. Taking care of him, oh, I took care of him alright. Or at lea
DianaThe walk to the main hall felt like an eternity, each step bringing us closer to the moment I’d been waiting for.Jack walked beside me, his presence steady and strong, while my husband followed close behind.The whispers of servants and guards echoed through the corridors, spreading news of Nina’s arrival like wildfire through the pack.The alpha had already announced before her arrival that everyone should make her life a living hell for attempting to kill their beta, but they were strictly forbidden from taking her life.When we entered the main hall, I saw her standing there; her posture straight and proud despite being surrounded by our guards.For a split second, I caught the flash of shock in her eyes when she saw Jack, alive and well, before she quickly masked it.My wolf snarled beneath my skin. She thought she could fool us again, playing the role of the innocent mate. I watched as she made herself appear smaller, more fragile, her eyes wide with pretended concern.“Ja
DianaThe moment those words left my husband’s lips, my world shattered all over again.Lucy.My sweet, brave Lucy.The truth of her death hit me so hard that, suddenly, I was transported back in time, to when we were young, and the world seemed full of possibility despite its cruelties. I was just a low pack member until I met her.I remember the first time I saw her as if it were yesterday. I was sixteen, the awkward daughter of a low-ranking pack member, always an easy target for the others.That day, a group of girls had cornered me behind the pack school, their taunts cutting deeper than I had imagined.They weren’t just bullies – they were architects of misery, experts at finding the hairline cracks in someone’s confidence and splitting them wide open. Their wickedness went beyond simple meanness.“Look at her! Can’t even shift properly yet. What kind of wolf are you?”“My grandmother shifts faster than you, and she’s practically dead!”Their laughter rang in my ears as I presse
JackMy breath came in short, sharp gasps.“She is Jack’s mate.”The words echoed in my head over and over, like a cruel joke the universe had played on me. My mate. Nina.My stomach twisted violently. My hands trembled as I clutched the letter, crumpling the edges, but I couldn’t loosen my grip. My lungs burned like I was drowning, yet no matter how hard I gasped for air, I couldn’t breathe.This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.But the truth stared back at me from the inked words on the page, clear and undeniable.I felt Alex’s eyes boring into me, his shock a tangible thing between us. He wasn’t the only one. Lucas stood frozen, his face locked in a mask of unreadable emotion.The silence was unbearable.Then Alex scoffed, a sharp, disbelieving laugh that made my skin prickle. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”I wanted to agree with him. I wanted to tear this letter apart, throw it into the fire, and erase this moment from existence.But fate had already decided for me.“Jack
JackI quickly left, leaving Alex alone with him. My heart pounded as I searched the grounds until my gaze landed on Scar, and the sight knocked the breath from my lungs. The woman before me was unrecognizable, a ghost of her former glory.The designer clothes she once wore with such pride now hung in tatters from her skeletal frame, like flags surrendered to decay. Her hair, which used to cascade in glossy waves, had become a matted mess the color of dead leaves.But it was her eyes that haunted me the most. Those eyes that once flashed with wit and confidence were now hollow caves ringed by exhaustion’s purple bruises.Her skin, sallow and lined, told stories of endless nights spent running from demons I had helped create.“Scar,” I called softly, taking a hesitant step forward. Her gaze fell on me.The raw emotion in her gaze hit me hard. Hurt, hatred, and revulsion churning together in a toxic brew.I understood every ounce of her contempt, but I prayed she might find it in her he
Jack“How can that be?” The words escaped me in a whisper. “She can’t do that.”“She can’t do what?” Mother leaned forward, concern etching her features. “Tell me, speak up, son.”I forced a smile, though my eyes caught my father’s furious gaze. “Nothing, Mother.” Then, turning to Dad, I added, “I can’t remember anything.” The lie tasted bitter. I refused to believe my mate could do something vile like that.She wasn’t capable of such things. There had to be another explanation – perhaps the maids in that wretched pack had manipulated her, handed her poison while claiming it was medicine for my wounds.I could feel my father’s heated gaze on me as it burned into my skin. I knew he saw through my deception. I knew he didn’t trust a single word I spoke. But it didn’t matter. For Nina, I would endure anything.“I understand,” he finally said, his voice heavy with judgment. “Sooner or later, you will get to know the real her.” Without another word, he strode out of the room.Mother’s gent