ANNA’S p.o.vMy eyes snapped open and I instantly regretted it. A million needles were pricking my skull, trying to finger their way into my brain matter. A soft moan pushed to my lips and I tried to roll over. But I couldn’t. My body weighed ten times it usual mass and every part of my skin was sticking to something. My hair wasn’t left out either and a movement to at least shift my head proved futile as a sharp pain sliced through my skull. I gasped softly, moving the only limb in my body that wasn’t heavy to my head. It returned with brown clumps of my hair, held between my fingers. Flakes of dried white substance dropped from the strands and nausea swept over me.As I tried to re-open my eyes, memories like circles of flashlight flipped on in my head, filling me with a mixture of amazement and disgust. Holy cow. Was I the wanton woman begging for Asher’s cock the night before?The thought stirred something south of my body and I stilled. No! I wasn’t getting turned on again.With
(Anna’s P.O.V)But he didn’t look like he was crazy. In fact, he looked delicious, dark and brooding as he glared at me, muscles straining under his shirt. My legs turned to jelly as I recalled those arms holding me over my belly as he rutted into me last night.I gasped as desire lit a fuse inside me, clenching my thighs together. Asher’s nose flared and he took a step forward, a mixture of confusion, lust and rage battling for dominance in his eyes. I held my breath, wondering if his desire for me was the after effects of the drugs. A sliver of fear slithered down my spine as I worried if he would know I was Black Rose if his behavior turned erratic just like in the bar.But fortunately, Rage won the silent battle in his eyes and he ran his fingers through his hair.“Why are you avoiding me?” he blurted, eyes narrowing into mine.‘huh?’ my face must have reflected my confusion for he seethed through his teeth. “Do not play that game with me, Anna! You sure as hell know what I am tal
Anna’s P.O.VI leaned up on tippy-toes and brushed my lips over his cheeks. The stubble on the otherwise smooth skin felt rough and delicious against my lips.“You made it.” I whispered breathily, as my eyes grew wet.He stilled against me for a moment and then slightly relaxed and squeezed his arms around me before pulling away. He took my hand gently and kissed me reverently on the back of my palm. Tingles shot through me and from the gleam in his eyes, he noticed.He smirked and then the flirty look in his eyes was replaced with regret, “I am sorry for not coming earlier, love. Work got…messy.”With that, he turned away and a firm stoic mask slid over his features. It filled me with amazement how easy it was for Asher to switch emotions. I was still reeling from the feeling of his lips on my skin and that endearment!!“Now that I am here, none of you can own up to your words, can you?” He said flatly, but the furious pheromones he was emitting contrasted starkly against the blank m
Asher’s P.O.V Maybe the wicked do find rest. As the sun dipped lower, casting a golden hue over the horizon, I found myself at the edge of the world, or so it seemed. The grains of sand felt cool and comforting under my fingertips, yet I still found them twitching…towards her. Watching Anna with the kids as they’d played by the line where the water met the sand, the laughter bubbling out of them like water out of a faucet, a primal urge roared in my chest. My wolf, strained against its bonds, trying to push out and take my skin. Then Omar would howl into the sky! They were mine, these tiny pups, with her smile and my eyes. The truth I had swallowed a thousand times like a bitter pill was that I needed them, as much as they needed me. Since I got to know them, it just felt like every bit of myself that was missing was once whole. Five years. Five years of throwing off a marriage to the strongest Luna in the Kingdom. Who knew it all built up into this moment...this single moment whe
Asher’s P.O.V The door to my room cracked open and I immediately jerked up. My eyes darted across the room to the doorway as I subconsciously noticed the light slipping through the cracks in the blind. Was it morning already? “I told you Dad is awake!” Ivan’s voice broke through the rest of the sleepy fog in my brain. The door opened the rest of the way and the energy houses bounded into the room and dove into my bed. Their nurse hovered at the doorway until I gave her a nod. She smiled, bowed politely, and closed the door behind us. I wasn’t exactly awake. I didn’t say that though and instead leaned out my hands and ruffled both their hairs while glancing at the alarm on my bedside table. 6:30. I’d finally fallen asleep at 4 am, therefore I barely got two hours of sleep. “Hey, rascals,” I said and they both giggled, lying on either side of me. “Why are you up so early?” “Mommy left very early today.” They pouted, speaking in one voice. “She says we can’t go to school.” “Hmm,” I
Anna’s P.O.V“Momma! Daddy made us pancakes today!” Ivan screamed at the top of his lungs as soon as I stepped into their room. Their nurse was downstairs, getting milk to bring up to them and I wanted to spend time alone with my babies because I was gone all morning.“Really?” I smiled, surprised Alpha Asher could cook, even if were just pancakes. I moved to the edge of their bed. Seeing me, Ivan and Evan quickly moved into a single bed so they could sit next to me.“It was very delicious.” Evan quipped quietly and I pinched his cheek. My heart swelled a little as I did that. This was because my babies weren’t sick anymore. Yes, they still had to undergo a surgery, but they were healthy. There was a beautiful pink color in their cheeks and their eyes were bright. “But Ivan told daddy you can’t make pancakes and daddy said he also can’t make sandwiches! You both are even!”I chuckled lightly and held their hands. “What else did you do today?”Evan pulled his hand away, jumped back int
Anna’s P.O.VJust when I thought I made a progress with Asher, it all went to shit.With him, it was like a tango—two steps forward and seven steps backward.Anyway, the children made it very easy to avoid him. Now that they had started their home-schooling, I quitted my day job and spent all my time with them. If their teacher was around, I’d return to my room, read a book or just randomly scroll on YT. And when it was night, I’d drive away to the bar for work. Thank God, Alpha Asher didn’t come to Westside as he used to, so it was easier to work.This night was the same thing. As soon as my appearance changed, I changed into my work clothes—which comprises of a lot of leather. Then I found a way to distract the nurse and then slipped into the room to kiss my babies goodbye. These days, I allowed them to see me as Black Rose, more and more, and they loved my hair.They thought it was cool too. I chuckled on my out of the room. Donning a hoodie and my usual face-mask, I slipped out of
Anna’s P.O.V My jaw fell open in shock when Sen pulled the limousine to a stop in front of a glimmer hotel that shone like a beacon in the night sky. In front of the hotel was a long red carpet and the entrance was filled with hundreds, if not thousands of reporters. I could see some actual human celebrities alighting from their luxuries cars, as well as powerful Lycans and vampires who all masked their supernatural auras with magic. Though they exuded the Lycan’s natural confidence and dominance, they looked just like any other human, same went for the vampires too. I could only tell because well, I might not have a wolf but I wasn’t just a human. West-wide truly was a fucking paradise where everyone could co-exist. “Do you need water?” Asher’s smooth voice broke into my palpitating heart and I flinched. This was too much. Tony didn’t tell me it was something as intense at this. I didn’t belong in places like this. I belonged back in Asher’s pack, burying my face into the ground as
ASHER'S POV~“Let me go! Let me go, you stupid disgusting things! I'm going to ruin you! You're going to regret putting your disgusting hands on me!" The guards dragged Vira towards me as I say quietly in the dark room, my cold eyes on her. Her struggle against their hold was ferocious. Snarls ripped from her throat, her body writhing and twisting, her muscles tensed and coiled like a feral beast. But the guards were impassive, their faces stoic as they held her securely in their grasp.“Here you are. I've being wanting to meet you… step mother.” My lips curved upward, the corners of my mouth stretching into a sadistic grin. I watched as the guards hauled Vira towards me, a low, guttural chuckle rumbling in my chest.She gasped in shock before faking a broken expression. “Asher… what's the meaning of this? You asked these cruel assholes to hurl me like a criminal just for us to talk? Couldn't you send a text or something?” Her voice quivered. What a cunning bitch! Her eyes kept dar
ASHER'S POV~Finally, the day had arrived. Yet again, I didn't seem to sleep a wink. I kept turning on the bed, sending several messages to Anna who in turn returned all of them. She was anxious like I was. She was my perfect fit. I watched how the sun slowly began to rise in the sky and for the first time in my life, this was the first time I acknowledged the sun was indeed beautiful. It helped to light up my day.It didn't take me up to an hour to get dressed. I already gave an earlier instruction to Anna's stylists to dress her up quickly, I wouldn't want anything to delay my bride from coming on time. I was fucking dying to see her. I made sure every single thing in the venue was the best. Made from the very best.I wouldn't mind taking a drive to the hotel where she's been dressed up but Sen kicked against it and mentioned it to be a taboo for a groom to see a bride before their wedding day.Finally, I arrived at the venue. Sen made sure to scatter the guards at every station, m
ASHER'S POV~Last night I couldn't bring myself to sleep a wink. Tossing and turning in the bed, I fought against the grip of sleep. Anger, disappointment, and confusion mingled within me, keeping me wide awake.I couldn't think straight. No, I just couldn't. I thought about the several possibilities of me not appearing on time, what could have happened? Anna would have said yes, wouldn't she? My heart instantly clenched, I groaned while I pulled some strands of my hair in anger. Last night, I couldn't face Anna, not now, not while I was still struggling to make sense of it all. So I avoided sleeping in the same room as her. Someone suddenly knocked on the door. My eyes that were shadowed with dark circles lazily made their way to the door before I began to rise. My movements were sluggish and unfocused. “You look like shit, to be honest." I heard Sen mutter the very moment I let the door open for him. I rumbled under my breath, “So you came to taunt me about that?” I raised a br
ANNA'S POV~“For fuck's sake, Anna you're going to get me killed!" Tony groaned, pulling his hair as he turned around and refused to stare at me. I grinned, my cheeks widening and I went ahead to poke Tony's back which faced me but he softly slapped my hands away. “Heavens bear me a witness that I'm clearly the one chasing you away, Anna." The thought of seeing Asher storm into this place like a bull, his face set in a fierce scowl, his brows furrowed, his nostrils flaring, and his steps heavy to come ruin this playdate made adrenaline to curse through my veins. It made me so excited and I was looking forward to it. “Come on… Asher doesn't bite!” I brushed past him, only coming to stand right in front of him and I saw him turn around again from me, giving me his back and I barked out a laugh. “Jeez, Anna, go away. Asher would think you're dressed sexily for me when in reality this is just a prank. Go away! I don't want to lose a tooth.” He whined and I giggled more. I intentional
A year laterASHER'S POV~My mind was a swirl of thoughts, each one circling back to Anna. No matter how much I tried to make it stop, try to even focus, my thoughts kept drifting back to her—especially when she declared she was going for a vacation which was absolutely weird. I hated how suspicious it made me feel. I didn't sleep a wink last night and had spent the entire late hours of the day to search on several search engines on their search bars on ‘WHY WOULD A WOMAN SUDDENLY DECIDE TO GO ON A VACATION ALONE WITHOUT HER PARTNER.’My heart kept pounding in my chest as I waited for the results to load. As page after page revealed the same terrifying possibility, my face had gone pale and my fingers trembled. The realization that she might be losing interest in me, that she might have someone else, had filled me with dread and despair.The silence of our room was deafening, every tick of the clock in our room was a cruel reminder that my girl was about not to return to me anymore.
(Anna’s Pov) Darkness. Stifling, all-encompassing darkness. My lungs burned, a primal panic clawing at my throat. I was trapped. A metal cube, cold and unforgiving, held me prisoner, stealing my air bit by agonizing bit. This was it. This was how I'd die. They locked me in this cube that didn't have oxygen in it.As I tried to give up, my fist suddenly tightened around the object in my hand and I froze..A crazy idea, born of desperation, took root. My breath hitched, but not from lack of air. This time, it was anticipation.With trembling fingers, I flicked the lighter and the gas ignited in a blinding explosion, fire and debris hurling me through the air.Pain exploded in my limbs as I hit the ground and the force of the blast turned the room into a chaotic inferno, flames licking the walls.But I forced myself to move, crawling through the debris, my lungs burning with each gasps of smoke filled air. The acrid scent of burning metal and plastic filled my nostrils. Suddenly, a b
Asher’s P.O.VThe crisp white tux felt suffocating as I fumbled with the buttons, my reflection in the mirror absolutely mocking me. Was this really happening? Was I about to marrying a monster? How none-the wiser everyone would be, blind to the truth unfolding beneath their champagne flutes.Just then, a knock on the door startled me. “Alpha.” Came the voice through the heavy wood.“Come in, Sen.” I called in a rough voice.The door creaked open, revealing my Beta’s stoic face. He scanned the room, his gaze landing on the hidden remote nestled right under my sleeve. A flicker of understanding pasted between us and he gave me a curt nod.“Everything is in place, Alpha.” he reported. “The projector and screen are set up in the main hall, discreetly hidden behind the floral arrangements.”I nodded curtly and my stomach tightened in worry. This was the only way to do this. The door cracked open without an introduction this time and Vira appeared at the doorway. In a white silk lace dres
Anna’s P.O.VDrip, Drip, Drip.That’s the mix of sweat and blood running down my spine from where I was hung. Trying to move sent pain like a million darts ripping into my skin. So with gritted teeth, I stood on tiptoes, tears burning behind my lids.Vira was a crazy psychopath, no doubt, but what if her words had some truth to them? After all the million ways her team of doctors had tortured me to activate my phantom powers, I was starting to believe it.But why? Why won’t the so called fucking powers manifest so this torture could end? All my fucking life, I’d felt useless, hating myself for not having a wolf when my peers got theirs. I only had a useless shapeshifting ability. Now I was told I had such great powers at the tip of my fingers and I still couldn’t save myself, my babies and the others.The tear I’d been holding since I was locked in a tube without oxygen poured down my eyes and choked sobs seeped out of me. Goddess, please save my babies. I cried to myself as my sh
Asher’s P.O.V: My knuckles were white-hot around the steering wheel, the leather cool and slick beneath my clammy palms. Every muscle in my body felt coiled tight, a knot of churning anxiety that had taken root in my gut and refused to loosen it grip. It had been days since Anna’s kidnap, days that had stretched into an agoninzing eternity. To make matters worse, the wedding loomed ahead on my calender, a fucking deadline that mocked my helplessness. Marrying Vira. The very thought made my stomach churn. The woman was a viper, a fucking sicko and the last person I’d consider spending the rest of my life with. But what choice did I have? It was the only leverage I had, the only flimsy thread keeeping Anna and the kids alive. Tony had mentioned a possible lead but said I had to come to a hidden location to speak to him. It was a long shot, but fuck, it was all i had. The city soon gave way to sprawling surburbs as I droce, then slowly dissolved into a desolate landscape that h