Kai: “I take it that you’ve never been on a real date? I guess, unless it was Cosimo who assigned it?” I asked, and Irina laughed. “I am not that naïve, nor am I that type of anti-relationship.” She said, and I smirked, shaking my head in question as I waited for her to explain what she was referring to. “I did have a lover before. He was my best friend before the two of us chose to date, but then things happened, and he cheated. I figured back then that I didn’t want to be with anyone, well, then I met Cosimo.” “I see,” I said, and she smiled. “What about you? An arranged marriage for an Alpha?” She asked, shaking her head in question. “Don’t get me wrong, but surely you would have had other plans. And there would be a thousand other girls who would want to be with you. Why did you choose to accept the agreement?” “While the theory of a thousand girls wanting to be with the Alpha is a common one, it is not entirely true.” I said, and she frowned in confusion. “It was my choice
Irina:I had to fight back the instinct to flinch when the man approached me. He wrapped his hand around my arm, pulling me back, forcing me to remind myself that we were in the presence of humans. Growling was not going to be the smartest thing for me to do right now.“Do you really believe that I am going to fall for this bullshit attitude? Or is this your way of trying to run away while acting all innocent?” He asked, and I pulled my arm away from him. Thankfully, he didn’t press any harder, had he done so, the two of us would have had a different problem.“You are going to leave me alone and if you really are doubting me, then you can speak to your…”“I am speaking to you. As far as I know, he sent you to me, and I am not foolish enough to believe that you didn’t come for something that benefits you, especially not after you were told off by your own parents…”“What are you? Seriously? One minute you’re kind and understanding because I don’t have a family behind me and now you’re
Kai: “I am no wife of a liar like yourself.” Irina said, glaring at me once Viktor took his leave. I stayed quiet for a second, keeping my eyes on hers before I took my shirt off. She frowned in confusion, but I turned around, and I could hear her faint gasp as she saw the scars that will forever be the reminder of why I couldn’t accept a traitor within my pack. “To save her life, I got these.” I said, my tone calm. “She lied to me, she was sent by my father to get information. The she got information, she used against me, and to punish me, to save my mother’s life, I was whipped for days and nights. My mother was forced to watch because I wanted to protect her from…” I stopped when I felt her hand running on my skin, her fingers were gentle as she pulled them away. “She found her mate, it was one of the reasons why she chose to turn against me. She wanted me to stop following her.” “Another reason for you to shut yourself,” she said, finishing my sentence. I nodded, taking a dee
Irina: I frowned when I woke up to find myself sleeping on the bed. Kai was nowhere to be seen, and judging by the fact that I was sleeping on HIS side, well, the side that he chose for himself yesterday; I knew that he didn’t sleep here. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I tried to get rid of the headache that I had. It wasn’t a good idea to sleep on an empty stomach. I barely had coffee before I got up from the table, and now I have been stuck on an empty with nothing in my system since the night before. I shook my head as I got up from bed to freshen up. However, I frowned in confusion when I found the Alpha sleeping on the couch. The blanket that I had draped over my body hung loose over his waist. “What?” I whispered. I walked toward him. The man wasn’t even wearing a shirt, and shaking my head, I went to cover him a bit only for his hand to grab my wrist, stopping me. He turned me on the couch, hovering over my body as his eyes darkened. “I was just covering you.” Hi
Kai:I watched as Irina walked inside the hotel room. Her eyes were fixed on the ground for a second before she looked up at me.“Is there anything that you need, Alpha?” She asked, shaking her head in question.“You’ve been out for a few hours, and this is the first thing that you say when you enter the room?” I asked, shaking my head in question.“I think that you are well aware of the reason behind me being outside.” She said, turning to the dressing room, “anyhow, I’m going to…” I wrapped my hand around her wrist, stopping her. Her eyes met mine for a second, and I could swear that she held her breath as she looked at me. “I didn’t mean to be rude, I’m sorry.” I said, speaking before she said anything. Her eyes met mine and she nodded.“You don’t need to be…”“I do.” I said, stopping her. “You’re in this marriage just like I am. I am sure that you would have wanted to find a mate to spend your life with, and I know that the last thing that you would have wanted was to deal with
Irina: “You’ve been gone a while?” I asked, shaking my head in question at Kai. His eyes met mine, and I had to admit, I couldn’t help but frown when I saw his annoyance in his eyes. A clench that I didn’t understand hit my chest, and I shook my head. “Is everything alright?” I asked, and he nodded. He didn’t say a word, but judging by his body language, the way he clenched and unclenched his fist, and the way he sat, tensed, told me that something was bothering him. “Would you even care to listen if I said yes?” He asked, scoffing in response. “You would be surprised, Kai.” I said, and he looked down at the table in front of him. We were yet to order, and I knew and could tell that the man was far too annoyed for it to be healthy for him to be in the place that he was clearly unhappy in. I got up from my chair, and he frowned in confusion before I walked toward him. I extended my hand, and he hesitated, but I nodded in assurance. “What are you doing?” “We’re going out,” I
Kai: “Ready, set, go…” the bartender said. Irina and I gulped our vodka shots and put the shot glasses down, more specifically, slamming them down on the table. Irina’s eyes brightened as she laughed, clapping her hands when she saw that she had put the glass down before me. Her eyes met mine and I couldn’t help but smile, my smile genuinely reaching my eyes, as I saw this side of her. “Your woman can drink.” The bartender said, and Irina, who was drowsy by now, raised an amused eyebrow. “She is my wife, my friend.” I said, and Irina brushed me off as she looked down at her nails, as if pretending that she had just had them manicured. “You doubt my skills.” She slurred, and the man chuckled. “How about another round?” “I think, malyshka, you’ve had enough alcohol for one day.” I said, and she raised an eyebrow. “That is what YOU think, my beloved husband. I am not even drunk and can go at this all night.” She said, and I chuckled. I shook my head at the bartender, dismissing
Irina:“Irina, what did I say…?”“Please, stop.” I said, stopping the Alpha as I tried to contain my anger and annoyance. I didn’t even know what I was angry about. I just knew that I wanted him to stay away. “Just stop with this kindness, and all this ‘loving’ husband part. You don’t have to…”“Irina, I don’t understand?” He asked, frowning in confusion as he tried processing what I was telling him. “Did I say anything that offended you?”The two of us just entered the hotel room, and though he has tried to speak to me, I’ve been quiet throughout the whole ride back. I needed to clear my mind, and I knew that it was impossible, not with him speaking as much as he was.Hell, I didn’t even understand why I was being emotional with him.“I don’t deserve you as a husband. I don’t deserve this kindness that you’re giving me, and you don’t seem to stop. You just go on being everything that I didn’t expect you to be, and…”“Irina, hey.” He said, stopping me. He cupped my cheeks, forcing me
Kai: I had my arms wrapped around my mate, pulling her closer to me as I felt her tighten around me. I swelled inside her, throbbing with each thrust, knowing that I was nearing my edge. Her canines and mine were already bared, and our wolves were more than willing to mark one another. The café was empty, and the rooms that we had there were going to need us to both rearrange and fix them later. But then again, I figured that what better way to mark our new spot than with a marking for our love. It was something that even Irina understood. Something that the two of us loved. “Fuck…” Irina said, crying out when she felt me hitting her G-spot. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and I knew that if I didn’t mark her now, both of us were going to end up out of energy. But then again, I doubted that she would mind. It wasn’t until she woke up to find out that she was with a limp that we would be making the smaller difference. “You are so fucking tight.” I said, shuddering over her
Irina:“What do you want to do today?” Kai asked, breaking my train of thoughts.I looked at him and smiled, shaking my head in question. It has been two months since my mother left the pack, the woman that I called mother, that is. I didn’t know what I should address her as anymore. But I knew one thing, I was thankful that she went without more trouble. She has caused enough as it was anyway.“I have nothing in mind, but I can assume, since you asked, that you might have something that you want us to do?” I asked, and he smiled. He walked toward the edge of the bed where I was sitting, reading through a few emails.“What are you doing?” He asked, and I shrugged.“You have work that you assigned me to do, remember, boss?” I teased, and he smirked.“Well, having you as my assistant ended when we were in the office, that is, of course, if you don’t want me to take you here and now, on the desk.” He teased, biting my bottom lip as he leaned in to kiss me. I laughed and wrapped my arms a
Kai:I watched as Irina walked out of her mother’s infirmary room, looking as if she had seen a ghost. And though I heard everything that went on inside, I knew better than to walk in. I knew to leave her to deal with things with the woman by herself. Had I interfered, she wouldn’t have been able to see her true face. A face that I saw long before she had seen it.Flashback:“She is not going to understand anything from her, Kai.” Mario said, looking at me. “While I know that you want her to try and listen, she is going to be more hurt than she has been. You are going to need to be there for her, and if they do talk, you are not going to interfere. If the answers that she gets do not satisfy her, I am going to speak to her.”“A little too late for that, Mario. The woman doesn’t even know you as her uncle. I doubt that she is going to accept a word from you…”“I am going to try to speak to her. If she is willing to listen, then I am more than open to telling her what happened. If not,
Irina:I walked inside my mother’s room, daring to face her after everything that happened.I had to admit, I was just as scared as Kai was, if not more frightened and worried. But I didn’t want him to see that. I didn’t want him to see me weak and I didn’t want him to think that I wasn’t going to be willing to do this. For him, for us, and for myself.I knew that this was something that I was going to have to do. Otherwise, I wasn’t going to be able to cope. I knew that about myself, and I knew that he saw it in my eyes.“You came.” Mom said, taking me off guard. The fact that she was speaking to me was something that I didn’t expect, but I knew not to expect any less. She has hurt me enough to be ignored. And I knew that many would have done so.“You still raised me as a daughter. One that you both abused, I understand that much, but I was still growing under your roof for a very long time. I might as well value that, right?”“Irina…”“I am not going to be long, but there are a few
Kai:“Are you sure that you are going to want to do this, Irina?” I asked, looking at my mate, remembering the pain that I saw in her eyes the other day.The fact that I knew that she wanted to speak to her mother wasn’t one that I was going to deny. But I was worried that IF she did, that she would be falling back into the cocoon that I barely managed to get her out of.“I know that you are worried, Kai. But I have no other choice right now. I am not going to run away from the woman. She still is the person who raised me, and considering the fact that I can’t get answers elsewhere, this is the one place that I have. Plus, it is not like I am a child.” She said, and I shook my head at her. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, turning her to face me.“Irina, I don’t want you hurting. And you know that IF you try hiding it, I am going to feel your pain. This is going to make it a lot worse, because this time, I am going to have to look at the woman without breaking her face for breakin
Irina:“I want to be left alone, Kai.” I said, knowing that Kai was going to try and comfort me. While I was thankful for his attempt, it wasn’t what I needed right now.“I know, but I am not going to leave you to deal with your pain alone. Plus, it is not like you don’t know me as a husband to think that I would be willing…”“Me knowing you is not going to change the reality of me wanting to stay alone. I really need to be alone to allow myself to process what happened, and though it might not matter to you…”“Do you really believe that it doesn’t matter to me, Irina?” He asked, and I took a deep breath. I knew that it did, but right now, I also knew that I was bursting out over so many things. He wasn’t the one that I was angry with, and he knew that. But the idea of him not willing to leave me alone was one that I didn’t like. I didn’t want to be beside anyone. I just wanted to vent, but I wanted to do it by myself.“I don’t want you to see me in my worst state, Kai.” I said, and h
Irina:“Hey,” Anastasia said, putting a drink on the table in front of me.I looked at it for a moment then at her, and she smiled. “It is not poisoned, I promise.”“The fact that you would think that I would be concerned about it being poisoned amazes me. But then again, you lived your life dealing with Cosimo. I doubt that you would be living in any less worry or concern.” I said, and she smiled. I took a sip of the drink, wincing when I felt it burn my throat. It was vodka.“Are you okay?”“Would a person in my shoes be okay?” I asked, and she sighed. “I need to think straight, and no matter how much I want to, I really can’t find myself doing so. And to make matters worse, I know that nothing that they are going to tell me is going to make this any better. I am going to need to try and understand things my way, and it is going to be a lot harder as time goes.”“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I am exiled from both my brother and mother. Neither one of them is going to want
Kai:“Irina…?” I frowned, seeing that she wasn’t by my side.I got up from bed, and walked out of the room, frowning when I heard the fuss that was going on. The idea of her not being here was something that I didn’t like. I didn’t want her to be alone, especially when I knew that she was holding a lot more than she was supposed to inside her.“What is going on?” I frowned, seeing that mom was walking with her robe. She was wearing a white one, and the idea of seeing her awake at this time was one that I wasn’t used to.“Irina’s mom woke up.” Mom said, making my eyes widen in surprise. “Rustem saw her first, and Irina is there now.”Anastasia, who was here, looked at me. Her eyes met mine and I nodded at her, but the woman looked down at her feet. I knew that she was thrown in tough situation, but I wasn’t going to leave her alone. Not after everything that she went through.I put my hand on mom’s shoulder, gently squeezing it, before turning to the infirmary.I looked at Irina who wa
Irina:I woke up, careful not to wake Kai up, as I got out of the bed.The man had barely slept, and the last thing that I needed or wanted for him was to end up exhausting himself more than necessary. He needed the break, and I wasn’t going to deprive him from it.I walked out of the room, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep anytime soon, and to the dressing room to freshen up. Washing my face in the suite’s bathroom could end up waking him, and I wasn’t going to take that risk.My heart ached with each step that I took, and it wasn’t long before I found myself in the garden, walking around, knowing that I would be finding most of the pack members asleep. Some were walking around, others patrolling, but it was almost empty.We have been here a week, and I still couldn’t find myself accepting what happened. And with my mother still being asleep, I knew that I couldn’t help but find myself falling deeper into the cocoon that I was in. Kai was the one reason that I was a