RaelynnAs I sat among the wolves who had chosen to stay behind, I couldn’t help but let my thoughts drift. The room buzzed with idle chatter and laughter, but I felt somewhat out of place, unsure of what to do next. I couldn’t shake the memory of Lorenzo’s kiss on my lips, the way he made me feel safe and cherished. The day had been a whirlwind of emotions, and as much as I wanted to embrace this new chapter, doubts lingered in the back of my mind.I glanced around the room, noticing familiar faces from different packs. Some were strangers, others I’d seen at past events, but none of them held my attention for long. That was until a familiar scent drifted through the room, making me stiffen in my seat. It was a scent I hadn’t encountered in a long time, a mix of pine and something almost bitter. My heart sank as I let out a soft groan, dreading what I was about to see.I slowly raised my head, scanning the room for the source of the scent. My eyes landed on them…Ashley and Xavier.
Raelynn As I stepped into the new room, a wave of warmth and comfort washed over me. The first thing I noticed was that the walls were a soft, muted shade of purple…my favorite color. It felt like a personal touch, like someone had known exactly what would put me at ease. I took a deep breath, feeling the tension of the day slowly begin to unravel.A large, queen-sized bed sat in the center of the room, draped in silky, lavender-colored sheets. The headboard was intricately carved with a design that mirrored the natural beauty of the woods outside. To the left of the bed was a large window, covered by elegant drapes that matched the bedding. I walked over to it and gently pulled the curtains aside, revealing a view of the moonlit forest. The sight was serene, and I felt an overwhelming sense of peace wash over me.My eyes then wandered to two doors on the opposite side of the room. Curiosity piqued, I decided to explore. I approached the first door and gently pushed it open, reveal
Alpha LorenzoI step out of the bathroom, the steam curling around me as I towel off the water from my skin. The cool air of the room hits me, and as I rub the last bit of moisture from my chest, I catch movement in the corner of my eye. I turn my head, and there she is…my mate. She stands near the center of the room, a picture of uncertainty wrapped in the softest shade of pink. Her pajamas cling to her curves, and for a second, I just watch her, unable to suppress the smile tugging at my lips. How is it possible that someone could be so adorable and yet drive me absolutely insane at the same time?“Baby girl,” I greet, my voice low, making her flinch slightly at the sound. She turns toward me, wide-eyed, and I take a step closer. Her gaze flickers from my face down to my bare chest, lingering there for a heartbeat before she hurriedly looks away, a deep blush coloring her cheeks.When I take another step, she looks like she's about to bolt, but I’m quicker. With a swift movement
Alpha LorenzoI woke to the soft rise and fall of her chest against mine, her warmth making it near impossible to leave the bed. The sun's early rays crept through the curtains, casting a soft glow on her face. She looked so peaceful, her face serene, her body completely relaxed. It was tempting to stay like this…to hold her in my arms and forget about everything else. Just me and her, no pack, no responsibilities, no pressure.But duty called. I had responsibilities as the Alpha, and there was work to be done. Careful not to wake her, I gently slid my arm from under her head, replacing it with my pillow. She stirred briefly, her hand clutching at the pillow, but remained blissfully asleep. I smiled down at her, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face before slipping out of bed.I stood there for a moment, just watching her. She looked so small compared to the large bed, her body curled up beneath the covers. My baby girl. I brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, fighting
Alpha LorenzoThe sunlight filtered through the large windows of my office, casting a golden glow on the documents scattered across my desk. My morning had been filled with numbers, projections, and construction plans. The Royal Lake Pack…formerly known as Lake View, was expanding, and with that expansion came the need for new infrastructure. We had taken on several projects, from new homes for the pack members to upgrading the training facilities. Everything had to be perfect. This was our future.I was in the middle of reviewing the blueprints for a new training center when the door to my office swung open. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. Only one person would barge in without knocking…Conan.“Lorenzo,” Conan greeted, closing the door behind him. “Got something you need to see.”I glanced up from the blueprints, raising an eyebrow. Conan had a mischievous grin on his face, which usually meant he was about to make my day either more complicated or more interesting. Som
RaelynnThe morning light filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a soft glow across the room. I blinked a few times, trying to clear the fog from my mind. Everything felt different. The bed beneath me was impossibly soft, the sheets smoother than anything I’d ever felt before. I sat up with a start, my heart pounding as I tried to remember where I was. This wasn’t my room. It all came rushing back…the unification ceremony, Lorenzo asking me to stay behind, Valentine agreeing to my request. My heart fluttered at the thought of him. I looked around the room, expecting to see him, but it was empty. A pang of disappointment hit me, but I quickly shook it off. He had responsibilities, and I couldn't expect him to be by my side every second.Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I noticed a small piece of paper on the nightstand. Picking it up, I recognized Lorenzo's handwriting immediately.Gone to work baby girl. Call me when you wake up. -LA smile tugged at my lips as I re
RaelynnAfter a couple of hours of lounging around, flipping through books I found on the shelves, and generally trying to distract myself, I decided it was time to move. I got dressed, slipping into something comfortable yet presentable, and decided to go back to my old room to gather some of my things. It felt odd, thinking of that room as my old one now.As I left the bedroom and began walking through the hallways, the grandeur of the house struck me again. Lorenzo’s home…our home…was massive, but even with all its luxury, I still found myself longing for simpler things. The hallway was quieter than I expected, the soft echoes of my footsteps the only sound breaking the stillness. I made my way back toward the room I had been stayed in briefly, the one that held my belongings. The door creaked open, and I stepped inside, finding everything as I’d left it the night before. The room was small, cozy even, though it had never felt like home. I started gathering my things...arrangin
RaelynnThe hours had passed in a blur of laughter and games. Ashley and I had spent the better part of the day touring the pack grounds, marveling at how beautiful and expansive everything was. For a few precious hours, the weight of my new reality had lifted, and I was just Raelynn, no titles, no expectations…just me and my friend.I checked the time on my phone, noticing it was past five o’clock. My screen lit up with a new message. It was from Lorenzo: “Let’s have dinner together tonight. I’ll be back around six.”I couldn’t help but smile as I read the text. The thought of seeing him again sent a warm flutter through my chest. Even though we were still figuring out this whole mate bond thing, every moment with him felt like a piece of the puzzle falling into place.I turned to Ashley, who had been unusually quiet for the last few minutes. She was sitting on a bench beside me, her eyes distant, her thoughts clearly somewhere far away. I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, pul
RaelynnThe sun shone through the thick velvet curtains of our room and illuminated everything with a warm, golden light. The warmth of it kissed my skin, reminding me that this was no dream...this was my reality.A reality that only a few years ago, seemed like a world impossible to conceive, completely shattered into pieces that I would never be able to pick up. Yet here I am, so much stronger and smarter and more at peace than I have ever been in my life.As I lay in bed, listening to the soft rustling of the leaves outside and the distant chirping of birds welcoming the new day, I couldn’t help but reflect on how far I’ve come. The memories of my past, once sharp and painful, now seemed like faded shadows in the back of my mind.The pain of loss and betrayal, the paralyzing fear that I experienced during those days of darkness seemed like a dream…a nightmare that I had finally woken up from.My life had changed so much since those days. I thought of the darkness that had so nearly
Alpha LorenzoI wait outside the door to the dungeon the cold stone walls closing in around me. My hear beats faster the rage just below the surface.I need to do this. For Raelynn. For my pack. For all those who have been tormented by the life of valentine and his warped disciples.The door squeaks and I enter the somewhat dark hallway. It is damp and musty in there, with the drip of water bouncing off the walls.The guards nod their heads to me, with a very serious look on their faces. They know why I’m here. They know what I’m about to do.Valentine's cell is all the way at the end of the dungeon, away from all the others. I would have wanted him alone, removed from the rest of his nasty little gang. The man deserves no comfort, no company. Not after everything he’s done.I stand before his cell holding the cold iron bars. Valentine sits in there, perched on a little bench with his hands cuffed together in front of him.The look of pride and arrogance is no longer there, but instea
Alpha LorenzoWe step outside of the building and the heat from the fire engulfs us, and at that moment, I feel Raelynn's body drop from my arms. She's out of breath, out of energy, and I pick her up and carry her the remainder of the way.“Conan, take care of Valentine and his scientists, I shout over my shoulder as we make our way to the waiting SUVs. “Round them all up. No one gets away.”Conan nods, his expression grim. “You got it, Alpha. We’ll make sure they pay for what they’ve done.”I nod, my focus on Raelynn as I lay her gently in the back seat of one of the SUVs. She’s unconscious, her breathing shallow, and I feel a surge of panic. I can’t lose her. Not now.“Go! I shout to the driver, and the SUV speeds away from the burning building, the flames reflected in the rearview mirror. I cradle Raelynn in my arms, my heart beating hard against my chest.“We’re almost there, I whisper, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Just hold on a little longer, love. You’re going to b
Alpha LorenzoSo I pound my fist on the aluminum door as hard as I can, and I keep pounding and the door starts to cave in. Every hit vibrates up my arm, but I bite down on my tongue and continue. Raelynn is on the other side. I can feel her presence through our bond, faint but unmistakable.My entire body is on fire from the exertion, beads of sweat drip from my face into my eyes, but I will not give up. I can’t. Not when I’m this close. The dent in the door is minor, almost unnoticeable, but it is there. So I put all of my strength, and my anger, and my hopelessness into one last punch and I hope that it is.Then, without warning, a rush of warmth washes over the door. I yank my hand back, startled. The metal is red hot and I have to back up so I don't get burnt.I stare in disbelief as fire dances around the border of the door and the metal contorts and melts like some unseen force is wrenching it asunder.“What the hell…” I mutter, my eyes wide. This isn’t just fire; it’s somethin
RaelynnI’ ve been planning this for weeks. The smallest mistakes could cost me everything, so I’ve waited, watching, studying every guard’s routine. I’ve observed their movements, noted their shifts, even the way they carry themselves when they think no one is looking.One guard, in particular, caught my eye…small, unassuming, always on edge as if the very walls were closing in on him. I could see it in his eyes, the fear, the sweat above his brow whenever he was around me. And that made him my target.Well, this morning he was on walking post by my cell and I just knew it was time. He did not even realize how easily he was being played with.The shadows that had been my friends in darkness reached out to take his thoughts, pushing his focus away. A ripple of my fingers and the shadows told him of distant cares and his mind floated just enough for me to move.I moved silently, my fingers deft and quick, slipping into his pocket as he turned away. The cold metal of the key against my
Alpha LorenzoI can't remember the last time I was this tense. The past few months have been a nightmare, each day worse than the one before. I can barely sleep, my thoughts constantly consumed by Raelynn. My mate. My Luna. She’s out there, somewhere, suffering God knows what, and it’s my fault. I let her down, failed to protect her. And now, I’m desperate. Desperate to make things right, to find her, to bring her home. I’ve spent every waking moment planning, strategizing, preparing for this. There’s no room for error. Not this time.We’re in the war room, a dimly lit space in the pack house that’s become our headquarters for this mission. Conan, Alison, Ashley, and I are huddled around a large table, a detailed map of the Dawn Scientific Institute for Research spread out before us. The DSIR is an imposing fortress, heavily guarded, and getting in won’t be easy. But we have no choice. Raelynn is in there. I can feel it in my bones. “Alright,” I say, my voice steady but hard. “We
Alpha LorenzoI can't remember the last time I was this tense. The past few months have been a nightmare, each day worse than the one before. I can barely sleep, my thoughts constantly consumed by Raelynn. My mate. My Luna. She’s out there, somewhere, suffering God knows what, and it’s my fault. I let her down, failed to protect her. And now, I’m desperate. Desperate to make things right, to find her, to bring her home. I’ve spent every waking moment planning, strategizing, preparing for this. There’s no room for error. Not this time.We’re in the war room, a dimly lit space in the pack house that’s become our headquarters for this mission. Conan, Alison, Ashley, and I are huddled around a large table, a detailed map of the Dawn Scientific Institute for Research spread out before us. The DSIR is an imposing fortress, heavily guarded, and getting in won’t be easy. But we have no choice. Raelynn is in there. I can feel it in my bones. “Alright,” I say, my voice steady but hard. “We
RaelynnDarkness. It has been my constant companion for what feels like an eternity. My sense of time in this cold, damp cell is lost, days and nights running together in one continuous void of nothingness.I have no idea how long it’s been since I was tossed into this hell, since I was deprived of my dignity and my wolf. I don’t even know if it matters anymore. This place, this emptiness, it consumes you.I resemble now and again when the guards bring out their needles I test myself to see if I can remember what I was like before all this. I try to remember what it felt like to be free, to be whole.But those memories are as fragments of a dream. They are so beautiful and so elusive, and they dissolve before I can catch them. I have nothing but the pain to grasp on to. It’s the only thing that feels real anymore.I roll over on the cold floor and the chains that bind my wrists and ankles rattle. My body hurts in places I never knew I had.They don't feed me very much. Enough to keep
Alpha LorenzoIt's been a week since Alexis was incarcerated and I discovered the truth. A full week of searching and scouring every inch of our territory, and then some. The feeling of desperation claws at my insides, a gnawing ache that won’t go away no matter how many leads we chase, no matter how many faces I growl at in frustration. Every day without her feels like an eternity, every moment a fresh wound reopening. Max is restless, prowling just beneath the surface, ready to break free and tear apart anyone who gets in my way.I shouldn’t be here, pacing in my study with my phone clenched in my hand. I should be out there, tracking her down myself. But even alphas have duties, responsibilities, and meetings they can’t avoid. Today, it’s the damn council meeting, and if I don’t show up, there’ll be more questions than I’m prepared to answer. I need to keep up appearances. I need to make them believe everything is fine, that my world isn’t shattering around me piece by piece.“E