Novel-novel oleh Chanel L. Faye

Isobel slowly opened her puffy eyes. Her gaze took in the room and she realized that she was in Kyle’s bedroom. This time the sunlight was dimmed down by white lacy curtains that were hastily put up on the curtain rails. Her heart gave a flutter at the thoughtful gesture and a smile danced on her lips. He gave up his need to see the woods for her comfort. Love rushed through her but it was damped by the memories of last night.Kyle placed her on the bed and crawled in with her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close to him, placing a kiss on her forehead, he shushed her.“Don’t cry Isobel. You’re safe here, nothing will hurt you. Not when I’m here.”Her cries turned to sniffles as she snuggled into him, his warmth and pine-like smell calming her thundering heart. Placing her head on his chest, she closed her eyes and listened to his beating heart.“You don’t have to be afraid of me. Of my wolf. We’ll always protect you,” he said, his arms tightening around her. Cocooning he

“Why didn’t you tell us last night about Isobel?”Kyle glared at his father, who sat behind a massive oak desk in his house office. Isobel was across the hall, lying on the living room couch, being hovered over by his mother.“That night we had agreed to not tell anyone what happened. Honestly, I’m surprised that Saanvi told you,” his father said, leaning back on the office chair, steepling his fingers.“Dr. Kumari thought it was best for us to know, now that Isobel is my mate and carrying our pup. You should have at least told me!”His father placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward, his Alpha power pushing through. “Son, I will allow you to question me this one time as it has to do with your mate, but don’t forget, I am the Alpha. One day when you take over the pack, you will realize the importance of keeping the pack safe and the humans that live amongst us. It’s a thin line sometimes.”“Mr. Killian killed Daxton. Even if her grandfather was saving her life, some shifters in

Dr. Kumari ushered them to her consultation room and closed the door.“Please, you two have a seat,” she said before sitting down behind an office table desk.Isobel pulled her chair closer to the desk and leaned forward. “Dr. Kumari, please tell us about that night. I woke up and didn’t remember anything and my grandfather and parents never told me anything.”“That was our doing. We made sure that any memories from that night are forgotten so that we kept our secret and you healed without the terrifying images of that night.”Kyle held Isobel’s hand and squeezed it. “Who is we, Doctor?”“Storm Barkridge, a witch that is part of the coven that works with our pack.”“Storm?!” Kyle said, his eyes widened in disbelief. “Why would she spell them to remove their memories?”“Because, Kyle, they saw a man turn from wolf to man. You know we couldn’t let that information out. It was the best thing at the time,” Dr. Kumari stated, placing her elbows on the table, steepling her fingers.Kyle’s n

Isobel opened her eyes and then blinked against the bright morning light. Her eyes finally cleared enough to see Kyle laying by her side, his fingers brushing against the small teeth mark on his shoulder.Frowning, she glared at him. “Why don’t you have curtains? The light nearly blinded me!”Laughing, he leaned to kiss her, blocking any other words from her mouth. Pulling back, he placed his head on his pillow, his fingers moving back to the bite mark. “My cabin is further back from the rest of the settlement and if anyone comes, I can hear them or smell them, so I won’t be caught unaware. Leaving the windows uncovered makes me feel closer to the woods. It calms my wolf.”Isobel Harrumphed, as she placed her head on his chest. His heartbeat a sweet lullaby in her ear, making her feel safe and protected. “My blunt human teeth didn’t do much damage, I see.”“What?! No, I love that you bite me. That you want to leave a mark on me, too. Bite me as much as you like Bella.” He ruffled her

“I’m so glad you could join us for dinner,” Kyle’s mother said, beaming. “If he hadn’t bought you, I would have come knocking at your cabin to come meet you.”“Mom!” Kyle grouched from across the dinner table, a flush creeping across his cheeks as he peeked from under his eyelashes at Isobel, who sat next to him.“I’m grateful for the invitation,” Isobel responded, smiled at Kyle’s mother. A tiny woman who didn’t look like she could have pushed out a strappy man like Kyle. She had the same coloring and hair as her son. Greyston, Kyle’s father, had the same hair coloring but instead of chocolate-colored eyes, his were a deep-set blue.“I’m proud that my son and wolf have such great taste. You are a stunning girl,” Kyle’s mother stated.Isobel dropped her gaze to her dinner table, her throat burning from the compliment. “Thank you, Mrs. Brooks.”“Please call me Annie. We are family, after all.”Glancing up, a shy smile tugging on her lips. “Thank you, Annie.”“Are you sure she’s family?

The noon sun streamed through the thin curtains, when Isobel awoke alone, a brief note from Kyle on the pillow beside her, explaining that he had a family emergency that he had to attend to and that he will return later tonight. She pushed back the sheets and winced when she tried to move and get off the bed. Glancing down between her legs, she saw Kyle’s semen mixed in with blood. Signs of her lost innocence.Sitting upright, she leaned back on the vintage metal railing of the bed frame. Varied emotions rushed through her, but the one that bubbled to the surface was elation. She’d never thought she’d experience such pleasure. Such passion. The deep gashes on her body had made her self-conscious about her body. About showing her body to a lover. But Kyle had kissed and loved on her scars. Making her feel seen. Beautiful. Desired. She never thought anyone would see beyond her scars and love her. Her fingers itched to paint these emotions inside of her. But first a shower, food and then

Natalie kicked off her high heels by her apartment door while Palmer did the security checks in the apartment.She only moved away from the door when he returned and muttered “clear” to her.Huffing, she stomped to the kitchen. “Can you believe the gall of that guy?” she scoffed.“What guy?” Palmer asked nonchalantly.She gave him an irritated look. “Aaden! Him asking me to be his second wife? As if I can be second to anybody.” She opened the wine fridge and pulled out a white wine bottle. Popping the cork, she poured it into a wine glass and took a large gulp. Palmer stood near the kitchen counter, he’s arms loosely crossed in a relaxed manner, but the tense muscles across his chest and arms gave away that he was anything but relaxed.“If he had said that he’ll leave his wife, would you have gone with him?” Palmer asked, the crossed arms tightening with the question.Natalie couldn’t help but give a gape of astonishment at his words. “No! He had his chance the first time, but instead

Mark opened the door of the black SUV and Natalie smiled at him in a ‘thank you’ manner. Her eyes peeked up to see Palmer already standing by the revolving door of the skyscraper owned by her family’s corporation. Palmer’s eyes scanned the perimeter before landing on her. His eyes darkened with intensity as they took in her skirt suit and her ultra-thin stiletto heels.Palmer’s brow knitted when he glanced at something behind her, his hand sliding up to his gun holster under his jacket. Natalie quickened her steps toward Palmer when her name being called out stopped her in her tracks.Turning to see who had called her, she scowled. “Aaden? What are you doing here? In New York?”Aaden stepped out of the white Rolls-Royce Cullinan, his raven hair combed back in a stylish cut. His olive skin glowed with health from expensive skin products. Aaden’s chauffeur closed the car door behind him before climbing back into the driver’s seat.Buttoning up his Dormeuil jacket, Aaden smiled. “I came

Natalie sat at her large waterfall kitchen island, flipping through a fashion magazine. The television in the kitchen was on, but the sound was on mute. She flipped a page and took a sip of her strong coffee. She needed the caffeine, as she hadn’t slept last night. The thought of Palmer across the hall from her in her own apartment kept her tossing and turning in her king-sized bed. She had hoped that he’ll knock on her door, but she’d woken alone, sexually frustrated and mad at Palmer for being in her safe space. She had nowhere to run from him now. “Mm-hm General, I realize that you couldn’t stop the news from leaking out. I’ll talk to her father to get a press release out ASAP,” Palmer’s gravelly, calm voice pierced the stillness in the open-plan kitchen as he rounded the corner.“Okay, General. Thank you for the heads up. Goodbye.” Palmer placed his phone on the marble kitchen counter and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Natalie, your friends are coming up the elevator. Mark co

Natalie stepped out of her en-suite bathroom, the steam billowing out behind her. She had taken a scorching shower the minute she arrived at her apartment. Trying to wash away the nightmare that was the last 24 hours. Sitting in that school room in Angola, she had felt that she was counting down the seconds to her death. She was sure that even if her father paid the ransom, she would have been killed. Palmer kicking down the door had brought such extreme relief that her body had shaken with it.She sat down at her white and gold dressing table and unwrapped the towel around her head. The wet strands curling around her shoulders. Palmer had held her on the bed throughout the flight to New York until she fell asleep. When she had awakened, he had been there. Awake and watching her sleep. He had informed her that they had arrived and that the car was waiting for them.Palmer had escorted her to the black SUV that was parked on the airport tarmac, and they had driven her straight to her a

Natalie stood up from where she was crouching down on the bucket. She took a water bottle and washed her hands. Pulling up her jeans, she slowly walked back to the spot where she’d made a makeshift bed with the blankets she had been given. She didn’t know what time it was, but she guessed early morning.She slid down to her bed and wrapped a blanket around herself. It was June in Angola and the temperature dropped in the night. The footsteps of the man patrolling outside her windows sounded and she turned her head to look at the barracked window. Had her father paid the ransom already? Were they really going to let her go? Palmer must be furious with her for not staying close to Mark. Why did he leave her bed so early in the morning, leaving her wondering what was happening between them? She gave her head a shake. This was not the time to think about her entanglement with Palmer. She needed to stay alive. Natalie bolted upright when she heard a grunt from the kidnapper that was outsi

“The kidnappers have reached out to her father,” Isaiah said through the phone. “They want 800 mills in crypto.”Palmer rubbed the back of his neck, while changing direction mid-stride in his pacing at the police headquarters in Luanda. “800 mill! What the fuck!”“He wants to pay it, but he’s concerned that they won’t keep their word and kill her anyways.”Tendons stood out in his neck as his heart beat a mile a minute. His grip tightened on the cellphone. Natalie wasn’t going to die; he wouldn’t allow it. “Tell Mr Lopes that Natalie will be safe with us by tomorrow. Tell him to not pay those fuckers.”“Now, Palmer we still need to act like Mr Lopes is going to pay them until we have Natalie. Mark and Ezekiel are still combing through the satellite map to see where the panic button signal is coming from. We need time until we can pinpoint the exact location for extraction.”Palmer dipped his head even though he knew Isaiah couldn’t see him nod his agreement. He kept going through the