KEIRA:Instead of overthinking Lennox's previous statement, I transferred my attention to the road. Life was too short to think of things like that. I believed in Lennox. I believed that he did truly like me and that he was not making me his rebound. I could not accept to listen to treacherous thoughts which would only destroy our relationship. Opening the window and watching the scenario in front of me, I sniffed the icy air. How long has it been since I allowed myself to relax and just stare at the surroundings without thinking that I was not late for work? Or that Miss Universe will kill me for being late?"Watch your head, love. Some assholes are not careful on the road," Lennox reminded. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw he was busy concentrating on driving. "Thank you for reminding, husband.""I don't want to kill anyone if something happens to you," he declared nonchalantly. However, his jaw tensed while tapping the steering wheel. "You won't kill anyone for my sake, oka
KEIRA:As if my feet had a mind on their own, I ran towards Malik’s location with Lennox hot on my heels. My heart beat loudly against my ribcage. Malik was still looking at me as if he was waiting when Lennox and I reached where he was standing— at the darkest part of the club. He folded his arm in front of his chest while a cigarette butt was between his fingers.Did he smoke? Since when?How long has it been since he stopped sending me messages? I lost count. He wasn’t always like that. Even though I rarely replied to his messages, Malik continued sending me his text messages, and one day, he stopped. Thinking I had no right to ask him why, I just allowed him to do whatever he wanted. Maybe he got tired of waiting for me to reply. Or perhaps something happened to their pack. And now he bought the strip club? What reason?Was it because he was fond of watching women dancing naked? Or maybe he had other reasons? If that was the case, what were those? “Why do you care?” I asked m
KEIRA: I blinked a couple of times, verifying if it was indeed Zoe. As far as Lennox's statement, he said that Zoe was still trapped in the Dragon Pack. There were some bruises on her arms and legs. Her eyes were frantic as if she was hiding away from someone. Her mate. Why? It seemed like she was in danger. Forgetting our issues, I was about to go after her, when someone called my name. "Keira." Glancing over my shoulder, I found out it was Lennox. “Are you okay, love?”I blinked a couple of times. “What?”“You look like you have seen a ghost.”It would be comparable to seeing a ghost if it was indeed Zoe. "Did you see someone…familiar?" Like Zoe perhaps? I asked in my mind. Lennox looked beside me.His eyes furrowed. "All the employees of this strip club are familiar to me.""No. That's not what I am talking about." When I checked the entrance, Zoe was nowhere to be seen. Maybe I was imagining things? Perhaps it was because I was worried about my work and other things. Re
KEIRA:Zoe was calling Lennox's number. The latter did not remove her number on his phone. Zoe is in the strip club. It was that moment when I realized I was not imagining things when I saw her in that place. She was there because of her brother Malik. Their family had owned the strip club. The wounds on her body. Was it inflicted by her mate? If that's the case, she needed help. This is the part where Lennox will go by her side and save her from her mate. Lennox and Zoe. I fisted the hemline of my shirt. Images of them being together felt like my heart was going to burst out open. The air around the car was tense. Lennox was eyeing me warily, constantly checking the atmosphere. Lennox was holding his phone, shivering. The call was not on speaker mode but my enhanced hearing as a wolf helped me to hear every single conversation regardless if I wanted to or not. 'Answer her,' I urged using our mind link. My sexual need for him was completely extinguished now. I was glad that
KEIRA:I finally succeeded in driving Lennox away. Was I happy? Far from it. My heart… felt numb from the pain and crying was not even that easy. Was he really gone? Opening my eyes, I saw that my room was empty and I could no longer feel Lennox's presence. He left….Talk about staying with me for the rest of our lives. In the end, a little push from me would make him leave 'cause his love for me was not that strong. Maybe he was only waiting for me to push him away and used that opportunity to flee. I sat on my bed, my heart was already exhausted from crying over and over. With the same person. Softly, I went to the door, checked if it was unlocked, and slowly peeked outside to check if he did indeed leave. At the back of my mind, I was secretly hoping that this was not real. That Lennox was not gone. That I was not alone in this apartment. But who was I kidding?Lennox was totally gone bringing his car with him. My knees quivered as I leaned on the door back. Lennox…he di
KEIRA:Lennox and Zoe. Now, I realized how good they were together. What will I say about these two? Hi? Are you fine? Are you happy? When will you two get married? Wait for the divorce paper that I would be signing, please. And after that, you can do whatever you want with your life. "Keira," Lennox called again. He could not look me in the eyes. Perhaps he was guilty of leaving me? But I drove him away. He should not feel any of that. It was my decision alone and he used that opportunity to leave me for how many months without trying to contact me. My eyes darted to Zoe, especially on her neck. A bite mark. I had to control myself from getting hurt after seeing the mark on her neck. Lennox. Did he mark Zoe?I sniffed the air. She was carrying someone else's scent. Who? Was it her brother? No. I was familiar with Malik's scent. Lennox. Maybe he marked Zoe. "W-what brought you here?" I finally muttered. Why bring Zoe, Lennox? When will you be sensitive to my feelings, huh?"
KEIRA:Lennox wanted to go with me. For what? What was his intention? As long as I remember, he never cared about my family, and looking after my family was not part of our agreement before. When I only gaped at him, Lennox added, “I hired someone to look for them though I was not certain if you wanted to see them.”Was he serious? There was no day I had not thought about my family. I had endless questions I needed to ask them and having this rare opportunity to finally address them was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. So, if knowing where they were now meant being stuck with this jerk for a few hours, do I have another choice?“I do appreciate your effort, Lennox.” Was this his parting gift before we will be divorced? What a nice gift for me. Note the sarcasm. “However…You can tell me the address right now, Lennox. You don’t have to ruin my mood even further by coming with me. Tell me where they are. They are my family.”“T-They are my family also. We are married. Allow me
KEIRA:Lennox kept glancing at me from the rearview mirror. I thought we would be riding a cab when I saw his car was nowhere to be seen. He was wearing the same set of clothes as last night. He did not smell bad despite not taking a shower.I had not experienced sniffing him and was turned off by his smell. “Stop looking at me or do you want me to poke your eyes?”“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I cannot help it.”“Eyes on the road, will you? I still want to see my family. I don’t want to be in an accident again. With you.”“Sorry,” he apologized.“Your sorry is not accepted. Come on, Lennox. After six months, you are still using that lame word? Sorry? Is that the only thing that you can say right now?”Silence swallowed the whole car. The only thing I heard was the honking of the car and a song playing over the radio. Not listening to me, Lennox continued glancing in my direction.I rolled my eyes. What the heck was wrong with this jerk? Did I look bad today? Did I smell bad? But I made sur
KEIRA:I was taken aback by Lennox’s honesty. He rarely showed his emotions to me. And when he did, it was the most tender expression I witnessed.My heart fell for him.I was about to console him when hurried footsteps were heard.The back of my hair stood as if it could sense an enemy. "Alpha Lennox!" It was Alpha Bryan together with his daughter beside him. His eyes darted at our joined hands. "What is the meaning of this?"Lennox put me on his back, protecting me from Alpha Bryan's murderous look."It is what it is, Alpha Bryan."His eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Are you forgetting what we had agreed? The wedding will happen next week!""The wedding won't happen. My apologies, Carmela."The woman secretly sighed in relief without her father knowing. Wait. She did not like Lennox? Why?Do you have to know? Not all women liked an alpha like him. It's good for you, Keira. Less competition in yourself. You can focus on the problem at hand— Alpha Bryan. "You know what will happen
KEIRA:I knew it would be difficult for Lennox to answer my call for help. So it was no longer a surprise when he said, “I cannot.”Right then, I realized he no longer cared about me. His words and actions no longer matched. I gave up. Letting go was much easier than clinging to him. ‘Okay. I understand your decision, Lennox.’Did I? I could not.But what choice did I have? I had to return my focus to Ace. My eyes went back to the fight when the crowd cheered. The fight had already begun and I didn't even notice it. It was only a few minutes of talking to Lennox but Ace was already losing. He was bloody and beaten to a pulp by his brother Kent. “You said you trained him!” I cried out.“I did, Miss Keira. But Kent is stronger than his brother. He had already trained since he was a child. Among the sons, Alpha Bryan had high regard for him,” he growled. I covered my mouth to stop the sob from escaping my mouth.I cannot watch Ace like this. He was only a boy who was forced to honor
KEIRA:My heart was pounding loudly against my ribcage as I waited for the match to start. The rest of the batches had already started and winners were already declared. Except for Ace. His name wasn’t called yet. I squeezed my sweaty palm now and then. It felt like I was also part of the match. I did not know what I should be feeling right now.I wanted to stop the match while Ace was not yet in the arena. But how? That man had already made up his mind. We were in the oval-shaped arena and the crowd was already thick. It was a ten-minute break before the next match. Was Ace okay there? The guards did not allow us to see him for the last time. No matter how much we tried to change his mind, he would not escape. Until I gave up and turned my attention to looking for Lennox. But I failed to find him. Was it only me or he was evading my presence?Why? He was not yet prepared to face me? He looked like he was indeed guilty. Solomon tried to look for him, but he could not find him. O
KEIRA:Ace automatically hides me on his back, protecting me from his father. He snarled at him as if he would fight the alpha if worse came to worst. Solomon was on high alert as if he would fight hand in hand with Ace. "Son!"Solomon was now beside me. "Are you two starting to fight against me?"The tension escalated, swallowing me whole. The air was so thick that breathing was hard. Peeping in front of me, I can verify that Ace was a photocopy of his father. Their eyes. Mouth. Nose. And everything looked alike. They could pass as twins if not for the fine lines on the alpha’s forehead and around his eyes. Aside from that, they looked like they were sewn in the same cloth. “You!" he started, pointing his hands at me. "How did that woman enter my territory?” the alpha growled, snarling. The two guards behind him shifted their weight from foot to foot. The blood on their faces drained while their knees trembled in fear. All of us will die here if nothing is done. "Solomon!""Yes
KEIRA:The tension inside the room thickened. Ace's jealousy was like poison, making me gag. This was supposed to be a normal reunion. But after those baseless allegations of coming here because of Lennox which I didn't even know he was here was low.Lennox will deal accordingly. Not now. I will find him later. And also his woman. I will ask him if he wants her or not. I wanted to ask him where I belonged in his heart. Did he still love me or not?“That’s so mature, Ace,” I commented. “Did I look like the only person that mattered to me was Lennox? You think lowly of me.”There was a slight sting in my chest. I thought Ace would be happy that we were trying our best to save him. But because of Lennox, everything was turning in the opposite direction. I badly wanted to ask him about Lennox. But asking it right now will only make things worse. That can wait. I felt Solomon's gaze burning a hole in my forehead as well as Ace's. He was silent. Maybe waiting for the right opportunity
KEIRA:I think I will die of boredom. A few hours had already passed since Solomon left me. But he had not returned yet. I already asked the staff of the resort if they had seen him, but they shook their heads and said Solomon would return even if it would take him long hours to. It was not new, but they put their trust in the man and the man never failed them. First, it was Ace. Now, it was Solomon.I bit my fingernails. What if he was hit by a truck while he was in his wolf form? Or what if someone shot him a tranquilizer thinking he was some wild beast?Now, I was already worried for two people. I paced back and forth, barefoot. I stayed at the swimming pool area, hoping the water would clear my mind at the moment, but it did not. The pacing did not help free my mind from worrying about the two. Damn it.I felt hopeless and felt like I was a damsel in distress waiting for her knight-in-shining armor.I glanced at the clock on one of the cottages.Past six o’clock in the even
ACE:A backhanded slap with the alpha wearing his ring and bony hands was one of the worst punishments he could give. I felt his ring slicing my skin, sniffing the blood from it. My ears felt like it was ringing, after the alpha's slap. It was more humiliating because that's how he slapped his wife and mistresses. I shook off the feeling of dizziness. "I don't have a coward son! Don't you dare run with tails behind your legs, son. Do not bring any more disgrace in my name."Raw anger emerged like a roaring lion as I tasted the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. Spitting on the floor, and staring him in the eyes, I exclaimed, "Why don't you appoint your eldest son as the alpha? That's how it works, Dad. Aren't you even worried your son will die because of that match?"He pushed me off the wall and cornered me. Pointing his fingers on my chest, he whispered, "The weak should die. I don't feel any sorry if they die during the competition. As long as they did not cower in fear."
ACE:My heart pounded like crazy. After a few years of evading this place, I was able to return to Blackriver Pack, the place where I was born. All the alpha's women gave birth here. It was one of the laws of the alpha to his pregnant women before he would sign the certificates signifying he was the father of the children. The pack were looking at me with a weird expression on their faces. Bastard or the bitch's child. The illegitimate child. The kept woman's child and a lot more to tell. The people became imaginative as I grew up. That was the name they called us. Without the alpha's knowing. My stomach knotted. My legs trembled, but I tried to act calm, especially with the guards beside me. They would laugh at me, thinking how could a powerful alpha like Alpha Bryan have a cowardly son. And then they would add, "It's because he is the son of the mistress. Illegitimate children are all weak. Why did the alpha acknowledge them?"In this pack, only the legal sons and daughters o
KEIRA:The sun had already risen when I woke up. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the clock on the bedside table. Ten o'clock in the morning. Damn.I overslept because I was too comfortable at this place. Maybe it was also because of the ambiance of the place and the sounds of the waves lulling me to sleep.My stomach growled. I need to eat. Ace. Where was that man?I looked for my shoes only to remember that I was barefooted when I checked who had entered my apartment.Checking if there were some spare slippers, I found them under the bed. Sprinting towards the door and looking for Ace, I found him on the beach, sitting on the sand facing the shore while sipping the juice of a coconut.Sensing my presence, he glanced over his shoulder and saw me, leaving the coconut on the sand, and sauntered towards me. "Hey. Did you sleep well? I asked someone to check if you already woke up, but the helper said you’re sleeping soundly."Surprisingly, I did. Maybe it was because I dreamed about L