Dante.The atmosphere in the meeting room turned tense with each passing minute. In this room, only I and another male who looked almost like me stayed. He sat straight on the other side of the table, staring at me with his blue eyes without an ounce of fear. I wanted to applaud him for his acting. It was good, considering how scaredy cat he was.Tapping my fingers on the table, I smirked upon seeing how irritated my silence made him. Well, what was he hoping for? Me welcoming him with an open arm? That would never happen, even if the world would end tomorrow.Luca Verlice, my dear younger brother, finally clicked his tongue, losing his patience after almost ten minutes, trapped in pure and uncomfortable silence.Somehow, seeing Luca again after so many years brought the memory of him following my trail whenever I went. We used to be so close, and I absolutely adored him, but that was the past. Luca or my parents had no place in my life anymore. They had no right to demand me to open
Winter. “Mr. Verlice, your mate—Miss Brown is here.”Those words rang like sirens from a firetruck as another female wearing a white dress that reached her knees entered the room. Her beautiful red hair swayed as she sauntered inside with a light step. Her pink lips tugged upward the moment her hazel eyes found Dante. “Dante,” she called. Even her voice was as smooth as silk. I noticed Dante rolled his eyes at that female, but eventually, he smiled back. I could hear a crack forming in my heart. I was expecting him to deny the fact that this beautiful female was his mate, but he didn’t.I blinked and blinked several times, forcing myself to wake up from another nightmare. This couldn’t be true. How could I be in this situation again? A lump stuck in my throat as breathing turned harder with each passing second. That female turned her back on Dante and faced me. She gave me a sincere smile that reached her eyes, then extended her hand to me.“I am Ayla Brown,” she said while her sc
Winter.As soon as I slammed the apartment door, Nina came rushed toward me in a lightening speed. She stopped, eying me suspiciously from head to toe before folding her slender arms over her chest.“What?” I asked. My voice came rather weak than I intended it to be. I guess I finally reached my limit after not getting enough sleep and worked my ass like crazy.“Did something happen?”I strode past her, thinking about the best response that wouldn’t reveal that something did happen. Throwing my body on the soft couch, I grabbed the pillow and leaned my head on it before answering.“Nothing.”Nina sat on my right and snatched the pillow, then throw it anywhere without looking. She tugged my hair eliciting a groan from me. My head snapped toward her direction, looking at her in irritation.“You are lying. Did Dante mess up?”“Where is Skye?”Nina slapped my upper arms upon hearing me. “Do not change the topic, Winter. As for Skye, she is working. So answer my question. Did my cousin ups
Dante.The gentle sound of classical music blazing against my eardrum, filling the stillness that Winter and I had since she sat down. My lovely mate didn’t even look me in the eye anymore as she was busy keeping her head down, which drove me to wonder what kind of view was more interesting than me.All the food Brandon had explained before was left untouched, and they were probably cold by now. I propped my chin on my palm while my free hand tapped the table, following the beat of the music. And that fortunately caught Winter’s attention.She looked up, her gaze hooked on my hand for a moment before meeting my eyes.“Aren’t you going to say anything? I thought you wanted to talk,” she mumbled, a little too low.“I was waiting for you to scream at me, but you didn’t.”I wasn’t lying or joking. I had expected her to throw a fist or yell at me for daring to make a mess in her workplace. Not only that, I envisioned her to explode, especially after the incident with Ayla. But she didn’t,
Winter. One of the great things about living with Nina was the surrounding area around the apartment complex. It was so wide and peaceful. A perfect place to seek comfort when I had too much in mind. Usually, when I was doubting my decision, I’d run in my wolf form and let myself free, but I had no time to go to an open area where human wasn’t around, so I always opted to walk around the apartment. The weather was especially good today, which improved my mood. I had been having trouble sleeping for a while now. It wasn’t just about Dante, but about my past that kept coming to haunt me ever since I found my mate. It was maddening. My mind wandered to the trial Dante offered. It was silly, but perhaps it might have worked. There were so many possibilities that I could end up hurting in the end, but I was glad that he provided an escape route. A formal rejection. For now, I was more on the rejection path, but I knew nothing about the future. ‘This is the best decision you made afte
Winter. “I reject you—“ Red. Everything was red. His shirt, mine, the floor, and so were my hands. My mate’s eyes widened as the small silver blade slipped out of my grip. His veins bulged, mouth agape, trying to lunge at me like a wounded wolf he already was. “How dare you! How fucking dare you, Winter!” With a wounded chest, he struck at me. Both of us fell with a loud thud. He stayed on top, breathing hard while clenching my neck, trying to suck the life out of my body. “No,” I screamed, kicking the air and punching his bleeding wound. He smiled in mirth, knowing that my consciousness began to fade away. How did we end up here? We were madly in love. I devoted myself to him, bare my soul only for him. Yet, the love was gone in a blink of an eye. “I would have given you the luxury to stay in my pack if you had accepted the fact that I’ve found my fated mate. I would have left you living your best life here. But not anymore. You prove to me a jealous female could be very danger
Dante.A loud sound echoed in my office as Kayden—my beta, barged in with an irritating look plastered over his face. He leaned on the door, eyes staring deeply in my direction, hands folded before his chest. With an arch brow, I waited without bothering to speak up.“You are not supposed to be here.” Kayden finally spoke—every word laced with impatience. I believed he was tired of socializing in my stead.I reached for a lowball glass on my desk and took my sweet time to swirl it while still staring at Kayden. Another minute passed, and none of us spoke. He sighed, making the corner of my lips tug upward.As expected from a male with little patience.“Where should I be? Pray tell” I asked, spinning my chair so I could face the glass window, which showed the beauty of night in the Strip.“Out there hunting for your mate. We hold this party for you. If you don’t step out, those hags will not stop pestering you.”The thought of the elders in my pack made my mouth twitch. They had been pe
Winter. Standing tall and proud before my eyes was Dante Verlice, my mate. He was the alpha of the biggest pack in Vegas. One of the few who brought his pack to flourish despite building it from nothing. He was notorious for his leadership skill, his gentleness—which I believe was a facade, and his hobby of playing around with she-wolves. “You are trembling again.” His low and deep voice snapped me back to reality. “I told you, don’t be scared.” How could I not? Having him as my mate was the worst thing Moon Goddess could do. Dante was the type of male I should avoid at any cost. I should have never let Snow take over. I should have run the very first time I sensed him. ‘You won’t be able to run, Winter.’ Snow said carelessly. She is wrong. I always manage to slip away, especially from a dangerous male. “And I’ve told you I’m just cold,” I replied with confidence. I didn’t want him to catch a sign of weakness from me. I knew he didn’t buy my reason, but he didn’t refute me eithe