DEVINA'S POVI thumped my travelling box on the bed, throwing more clothes in it and pausing as I tried to remember what I could possibly be leaving out. Biting my nails, I accessed the box one more time: Night clothes? Check. Slides? Check. Workout outfits? Check. I eyed the lingerie that was taunting me from where it was hidden behind my closet, biting on my nail harder as I weighed my options. Ideally, the mission we had to take care of wouldn't even take more than two days at most, but I knew better. I had told Nightshade that I would need longer for the trip, simply because I needed a break and didn't want to end up overworking myself. It was difficult, but all I had to do was kiss him a little while running my hand through his balding, pathetic hair as I whispered painfully untrue words of love to his hearing. For someone that owned and single handedly grew the kind of business he currently did, even I had to admit that he was a fool for women. Not that I cared anyway, it b
DEVINA'S POVI stepped down from the car almost hurriedly, my lips pressed into a thin line as I held my purse in a tight grip with urgency. I leaned down a bit, watching tiredly as the window rolled down and Nightshade stuck his head out. He pursed his lips, a silent command for me to kiss him. Nervously, I glanced at the driver and then back at him, hoping that my gaze was pleading enough. Even if it was, he didn't pay it any mind as he narrowed his eyes at me, arching a brow as if daring me to deny him in public like this. Then again, even if I did, I doubt anyone would notice until he was the one to draw attention to us by throwing a tantrum or something of the sort — he was just unhinged like that. Letting out a defeated sigh, I inched closer and kissed him, making sure to keep it short and without emotion. He must've noticed my intent though, because he brought up one of his hands and gripped my chin, keeping me in place until he was finally ready to let me go. He released wi
DEVINA'S POVI observed the front of the building with my mouth slightly open, not even trying to hide my amusement and how much I was in awe as I cranked my neck at an awkward angle in an attempt to see the top of the building. It didn't work though, not with how close I was to it, and I wasn't shameless enough to take a few steps backwards just to check. So, instead, I straightened my stance and readjusted my facial expression back to the one that was emotionless and cold — a skill I've learned to harbour and develop with the time I've spent with Nightshade. I nipped at my bottom lip, clenching my fist and holding back a wince as my acrylic nails dug into the skin of my palm, the area getting decorated with red crescent shapes that would most probably swell up sooner or later. Denzel stood a few feet behind me, talking to the driver and smiling at him a little as he drove off. The other bodyguards weren't too far behind, so they trailed after Denzel and I as we made our way into t
DEVINA'S POV Denzel was eager. It was to be expected, really, with how long we went without seeing each other. And even when we did, he would be forced to watch me sitting on Nightshade or lazily kissing the disgusting bastard's lip most of the time. But, even with how I expected it, it more or less still came as a shock when he gripped my jaw and kissed me. Denzel made his feelings very, very clear. He missed me. And with each kiss he indulged me with and the slides of his tongue against mine, he made sure to make me know just how much he missed me. He'd take off my shirt and slacks a while back, and now, I was straddling him as he sat at the edge of the bed, one of his hands gripping my waist and occasionally running up and down my thigh to get a good feel while the other took its rightful place at the back of my head, tangled in the purple strands of my hair as he sometimes tugged or pushed to get me closer. I groaned when I felt his hand slip into my lingerie, gripping my a
“Fuck!” Baekalis cursed out for the umpteenth time today, her hands immediately coming up to cradle her now bruised knee from where she was practically on the verge of tears. “Language, Baek,” Stephen scolded, holding a laugh.Baekalis scoffed, holding up a hand and flipping Stephen off as his whole resolve came crumbling down and he burst out laughing. We had been doing this for awhile now, the training with Baekalis and Stephen becoming more of an adjusted daily routine than the chore it previously was. Honestly, even I could admit that she had improved. Her speed has increased greatly, and her endurance wasn't all that bad either. However, she still hadn't connected with, nor had she found her wolf yet, and we were starting to get worried. Her combat skills as well were…should I say slightly below average? That sounded a little mean to say out loud, but it wasn't like I was telling her to her face anyway. We were working on improving that, as we had been for the past few weeks,
CYRUS’ POV“Don't you think this is a bit much?”I glanced at Baekalis from where I was seated on the driver's seat. I simply shrugged in response, not in the mood to talk as I carefully drove out where we parked the car and onto the main road. We had to walk a bit before we got here though, considering the fact that none of the pack members’ vehicles were parked anywhere close. ‘For safety’ my father had told me anytime I had asked, and it wasn't like I had the strength to argue back then so I had simply gone with it. Immediately after Baekalis had agreed to eat dinner out with me, I had disappeared for a while so I could make reservations and clean up my car as quickly as I could. Well…not like I cleaned it myself anyway — I had workers to do that for me. I had also opened the car door for her so she could slide in the passenger seat while I drove, after greeting her with a bouquet of flowers of course — red roses, only because I didn't know what her favourite flower was. Yet, an
STEPHEN'S POV“Fuck!” I watched with amusement as Baekalis fell to the ground, her hands coming up to cradle her rapidly bruising knee, practically on the verge of tears. “Language, Baek,” I chided jokingly, holding back a laugh. Baekalis simply scoffed, raising her hand and flipping me off as my resolve crumbled and I burst out laughing. She scowled at me as she summoned strength to get to her feet, immediately lunging after me and tackling me to the ground as she wrapped her hands around my neck. She straddled both my legs, getting comfortable as she continued to attempt to cause me pain. Of course, if I wanted to, I could easily throw her off me, given I was the more mature and stronger wolf between the two of us, but we both knew I would rather die than ever do that. Instead, I rolled us around, eager to get the upper hand so it wouldn't seem like I was losing so pathetically. Baekalis seemingly didn't like that very much, as she instead rolled us back around. I could imagine
BAEKALIS’ POV“Are you okay?” I hummed absent mindedly, my feet flicking up water from where they were buried somewhat deeply in the lake. After dinner at El Dorado, Cyrus and I came back to the forest where the pack house was, but neither of us were exactly ready to return yet. So, instead, we came here to the lake where we both talked to each other for the first time. I really missed this place, and I did not like coming here by myself so I was really glad when Cyrus asked if we could stay here for a bit before we continued home.I hadn't wasted any time before taking off my shoes, settling in the grass beside the lake as I let my feet soak in the water. Cyrus had scolded me though, and made me get up so he could place the blanket he found in the back of the car on the grass so I could sit on that instead. I supposed it was too late for me to swim for a bit, and Cyrus was here so I couldn't strip naked or something. “I'm okay,” I finally said, leaning back to both my hands rest
BAEKALIS’ POVI stood nervously in the dressing room, turning around so I was faced away from the mirror as I played with the rings that adorned my fingers. My wedding ring shone the brightest among them all, the gem glowing in a way that I had never seen before. It amazed me every single time. Sadly, this wasn't one of the special times that the glimmer managed to calm me down. “Sweetheart, you're overreacting. It's not that deep.”I snapped my neck around again to glare daggers at Natalia, folding my arms across my chest as she flinched at my look. She stared at me pointedly for a few more seconds before deciding to call me a bluff. She mirrored my look, hers accompanied with the same subtle eyebrow raise that Cyrus did all the time. “Mhm, don't look at me like that. You also know you're overreacting.” Natalia turned to look at Ardyn who was seated on the couch next to her, his attention fully directed at his switch.Clyde had finally gotten him one for his tenth birthday a few
DEVINA'S POVI sighed, soaking myself in the water even more as I let myself sink. My muscles were aching, and for the first time in a while, I felt relaxed. My face felt smooth, and my hair was neatly tied in a bun and my whole skin was tingling. Soft classical piano resonated around the room through the speakers situated at the four corners of the walls. The speakers were connected to my phone, and I genuinely wouldn't mind being murdered here. Sonata No. 14, “Moonlight” in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27 No. 2: I. Adagio sostenuto. It was a particular favourite of mine ever since I had started listening to classical music. Which was, admittedly, only quite recently. Although, I didn't think my opinion about it being one of my favourites would be changing any time soon. I heard footsteps echoing from down the hall, sounding louder and louder as the owner of the two feet approached the bathroom. I only sighed louder, letting my eyes flutter close as I rested my head against the edge of t
Cyrus POV.The alpha rogue howled outside as if calling me, red filled my vision as I transformed, stepping over bodies as I made my way outside.The cool breeze blew our fur, his beady black eyes glinting wickedly in the moonlight. We both detransformed.“Ending your parents was just the beginning, I'll kill you then proceed to end the rest of your pathetic pack.”“Your father was a weakling who never deserved to rule.”“What's shocking is he had an even weaker son who succeeded in being a worse Alpha than he was.”I cut him off, sending an uppercut to his stomach as he lurched backwards, clutching his stomach.He lunged at me, his claws gleaming in the moonlight, I bent as low as I could, kicking him from under and sending him flying towards the entrance.He fell on the tiles with a large this, the stood up, limping as he wiped blood from his mouth, a sinister look in his eye as he transformed.I transformed too, slowly advancing towards him, howls and battle cries distant as his gre
CYRUS’ POV Baek switched between happy and depressed over the next fortnight. Her moods went from immense joy to overwhelming sadness in a matter of days. Her mother had holed herself up in her room ever since the night of the announcement. Thomas was cremated and his ashes were kept in a jar in Cynthia's room, the jar kept in a glass case which hung decoratively over her bed.We– especially I– were all worried for Baek, tiptoeing on eggshells around her all the time, careful not to upset her for fear she'd breakdown.“Hey,” I whispered softly, coming out the bathroom as I tightened the sweatpants which hung low on my waist.I went to her and softly kissed the top of her head, sitting behind her as I massaged her shoulders.“How are you holding up?” I asked, burrowing my fingers deeper into her shoulder, fighting the knots there.“It all still feels unreal. It's like trying to balance being the mother of twin newborns while mourning the death of my father and trying to be there for m
DEVINA'S POV“We have to strike now!” Nightshade boomed as he turned towards the pack of rogues…the same rogues who murdered Alpha Cyrus' parents.“Why? It's not the designated time yet. Our soldiers aren't fully trained yet and your top soldier just recovered from a fatal injury…”“I hardly think we are in any position to ‘strike now’.”“Oh, but we are dear Alpha. Cyrus' father in law was murdered in the same battle that my Denzel was wounded.”Your Denzel?“Combining the death of her father with the birth and kidnapping of her children, Baekalis is weak and emotionally unstable right now. And if she is, automatically her husband — Cyrus — is too.“Now is the perfect time to strike because they are so downcast and fucking disoriented.”“B-but–”“But what?!” Nightshade boomed, his voice echoing through the night, the distant cry of the birds echoing through the dense forest.“Lower your voice.” The alpha commanded, growling as he faced Nightshade.Nightshade sighed in exasperation, ru
Cyrus POV.I don't know how long I lay there, I turned my neck, the stiffness making it hard as I took in the bloodiness of my surroundings. I looked at Denzel again, his eyes were closed so just to be sure I pressed my ear to his chest.It rose and fell slowly, a calming rhythm to his breaths. I pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose as I stood up gingerly, stretching as I reached for a makeshift first aid box in the corner of the room. I poured alcohol on a semi-clean rag and silently apologised as I pressed the rag to his thigh. He winced and woke up, he saw me and his frantic eyes softened as he clenched my cloak. I slowly wiped the blood off the surrounding areas and cleaned his wound as best I could, I then tore an piece of my cloak and used it to wrap the injury.That would help for now.I snuggled into his chest, not caring whether nightshade would see us anymore. He groggily turned and pressed a kiss to my forehead, falling asleep quickly after. ~•~I slowly sat up, rubbing
CYRUS’ POV I kicked the stone I had been fixated on for the past half hour away from me. Stephen had been gone for a while and we were all losing hope. Of course none of us said it directly, but with each passing day, our shoulders slumped more, we became more sluggish and the vigour which had been there days ago slowly died.I don't even know who was more affected by the kidnapping of Ciel and Lyra– me or Thomas, my father in law.I stood up, dusting myself off as Stephen rushed towards me, looking more anxious than usual if that was even fucking possible.“Cyrus, we need to move…now!” he ordered, rousing the others from their resting places. “What…why?” I questioned, rubbing my temple as I arched my back, the satisfying crack it made as I stretched.“The twins…I know where they are…” he trailed off, picking up his gun and putting out the fire he and Thomas had struggled to ignite mere hours before.My eyes shot open at that, my somewhat calm psyche thrown into another frenzy as b
Devina's POV.The morning sunlight filtered softly through the heavy curtains, casting a warm, golden hue across the room. I was still half-asleep, drifting between dreams and reality, when I felt Devina stir beside me. Her warmth was a comforting presence, and I wanted nothing more than to stay wrapped up in her embrace, blocking out the dangers that waited beyond these walls. But even in this peaceful moment, there was an unspoken tension in the air, a reminder that our time together was always fleeting.I slowly became more aware of the world around me, the softness of the bed, the gentle rise and fall of Devina’s breath. But I kept my eyes closed, savoring the feeling of her fingers threading through my hair, the tender way she touched me. It was rare to see her like this—calm, unguarded, and not weighed down by the burdens she carried. I wanted to hold onto it, just a little longer.But reality had other plans.I felt her movements slow, the gentle strokes of her hand in my hair
As the door closed behind Nightshade, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The tension in my shoulders slowly unwound, though the heaviness in my chest remained. His presence was like a cold, suffocating fog that seeped into every corner of the room, and even after he was gone, the chill lingered. I walked over to the window, pulling back the heavy curtain to peer out into the night. The sky was pitch black, with no stars to offer comfort, just the same oppressive darkness I had grown accustomed to.I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, my breath fogging the glass as my thoughts spiraled. It was always the same when Nightshade left. Relief mingled with dread, the uneasy calm before the storm. I was his lover, his confidante, but only because I had to be. The mask I wore in his presence felt like a second skin, a permanent skin I could never fully shed. I was trapped in this role, suffocated by the lies I told myself and him. There was no escape, not without payi