Novels by Ricol

Axel’s pov I drove back to the pack with Lysander sitting beside me. His arms were crossed over his chest and his face was contorted in a frown. He hadn’t stopped muttering under his breath since we’d left the rogue camp and I knew he was beyond pissed. When we pulled up in front of the pack house, Alaric and Kai were waiting outside. Their expressions were blank masks, but I could see the fury burning in their eyes. The moment Lysander and I stepped out of the truck, Alaric gestured toward the house. “Inside. Now.” I exhaled through my nose, keeping my expression blank as I followed them. We made our way into the library, the heavy wooden door shutting behind us. The moment it did, Lysander exploded. "You're out of your damn mind, Axel!" He whipped around to face me, his voice shrill and furious. "I can't believe you shook hands with a rogue! How could you possibly do that?” “You did what?!” Yelled Alaric as I sighed. “You all should calm down.” Kai clenched his jaw, refusing

Axel’s pov I moved over to Lysander, standing at his side as I stared at the rogue alpha. What kind of help did he want? I waited for him to explain. I could feel the way Lysander stood beside me, how tense his body was as he let his arms hang casually by his sides. He would be ready for a fight if it came down to it. The rogue alpha grinned as he stepped closer to us. “Help with what?” I asked as the tension charged between us. “Simple,” the rogue said simply. As though there was ever anything simple about this man causing me heartache while still dead in a hole somewhere in my woods. “I need help managing the finances of my land.” “You want our pack’s money and resources and connection,” Lysander replied before I can get any words past my lips. I frowned. “You want money?” The alpha laughed. “Not money. I need a way to make money. A way to manage what I already have. See, this land? It’s not just a hideout. It’s a home for my people. I need it to thrive. And for that, I need

Axel’s pov I drove through the rough terrain, my truck’s engine growling with irritation as we neared the closest rogue camp. The sun was still over the horizon, its rays stretching across the wasteland casting dark long shadows. It was quiet. Too quiet. Lysander sat in the passenger seat and began checking his weapons before loading some bullets into a rifle. I chuckled softly as I parked behind a large rock. “You’re seriously bringing all of that?” He laughed lightly. “I’m not like you, I like to be prepared for the occasion that things don’t go how you have planned it in your head.” “I can’t imagine why anything would go wrong.” I put the truck into neutral hiding behind a large boulder out of view from anything or anyone that could possibly see us. When the engine was silent we sat there in the day just listening. Everything seemed normal but I knew better… This was rogue territory… They were here; they were watching and waiting. Lysander sighed, stretching his arms. “So, wha

Axel’s pov “I saw him make a call just now. He walked behind the garage and was looking around like he didn’t want us to see,” Lysander muttered, his eyes narrowing. I clenched my fists. “You think he’s calling someone about us?” Lysander nodded. “Most likely. We can’t be too sure.” Looking around, I noticed how quiet it was here. Too quiet. Something felt wrong. “Keep your guard up,” I replied back just as quietly. “If anything goes wrong, we need to act fast.” Minutes passed and then all of a sudden the sound of roaring engines filled the air. I turned my head quickly to look over at a group of bikers pulling into the parking lot. They were rough-looking, wearing leather jackets, covered in tattoos, and their sunglasses hid their eyes. A guy who looked about six feet tall with a scar running from his eye down his cheek stepped up next to me and said, “Looks like you’re lost little girls.” The other guys laughed behind him. I stared at him, expressionless. “No thanks, I’m good

Alaric’s pov Mother took a deep breath before continuing. “Their pack was dying,” she said quietly. “They had no money, no allies, squatting in some shithole territory while their pack members died from war and cold and starvation. We offered them aid—warriors, supplies, land—all free of cost.” She shook her head in frustration. “But as soon as they gained strength, they started to forget. They pushed us aside, acted as if they had built themselves up on their own. They began forming alliances with other packs, ones that didn’t share our values.” I clenched my fists. “So they used us.” “Yes,” she said bitterly. “And now, they think they’re above us. They think they can just have what’s ours because they’ve gotten haughty.” I sighed and her words fell on my shoulders like a heavy cape. “Father made war with them tonight,” I told her in a half whisper. Mother’s lips curled into a grim smile. “Good. They need to be reminded who we are.” I stared at her, shocked by how much anger I

Alaric’s pov I nodded. “I know. But we have to trust him. He’s been doing this a long time.” Kai let out a frustrated sigh. “And what about Karla? We left her alone in the hospital. She’s just starting to recover, and we’re here running around dealing with rogues and arrogant Alphas.” I tightened my grip on the wheel. “I’ll go see her first thing when we get back.” Kai looked at me, his eyes searching. “You care about her, don’t you?” I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I kept my eyes on the road ahead. “She’s our mate, Kai,” I said after a moment. “What do you think?” Kai frowned, obviously not convinced. “Yeah… but it feels like you care more than just because she’s our mate.” I sighed, not in the mood to get into it. “Let’s just try and get home.” It felt like forever before we pulled up to the packhouse gates. The guards waved us through, but I could see the look of curiosity on their faces. They had to have heard about what went down at the feast. As I pulled into the p

Xander’s POV Everyone looked into my direction as I cleaned my hands on my shirt and stood before them with a grin over my face. “Evening gentlemen,” I said with a frown. “I believe I made myself clear earlier. Leave. I don’t want any trouble. You want money, I can give you that but let’s start over so you can leave us alone. How about that?” “You don’t run this part, moron,” the man who held my wife at gunpoint said through gritted teeth. “I’m in charge now.” “Well I do. Seeing as you’re with my wife, I’m going to nicely ask that you give her back.” His eyes fell on Audrey as he growled. “You all have ten seconds to leave this place before I destroy you all,” I said in anger. I hated the way he was holding her like she was his… With a sigh, I shook my head, interrupting my thoughts as I stepped forward. “Just go,” I said with a resigned sigh. “Just go and leave us alone, please. I don’t want any trouble.” Audrey was scared so scared she had not said anything after he had

Audrey’s POV “I know you don’t like the idea,” my father said, his voice remaining calm. “But I want to give her a chance.” Oh but I wasn’t going to let this slide. What did he mean he wanted to give her a chance? What did she do to deserve that chance? She only ate his money and nothing more. She wasn’t interested in the company so what was he even trying to do. “A chance?” I repeated, incredulous. “Why? She’s never shown any interest in the company. She’s never shown any interest in anything other than spending your money and living off whatever scraps she can get from you.” “That’s enough, Audrey,” my father said, his tone sharp now. “Amelia is your stepsister, and I want you to give her the same respect you would give any other colleague.” Yeah, that was going to be tough seeing as she didn’t rate me and I would do the same thing to her. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Respect? Dad, she’s not even qualified! She’s never worked a day in her life. She doesn’t care

Xander’s POV I nodded, understanding the depth of what she was saying. “They’re a part of you, Audrey. And no matter what, they’ll always be with you, in the memories, in the things they taught you. They’ll never really be gone. and besides, you still have your father. He’s not gone. He’s still here with you.” “With that woman by his side I might as well have lost my father,” she sighed while leaning back against the tree that was swaying with the wind. “I can’t wait to get rid of her.” “You of all people should know that it’s not possible,” I chuckled. “She is your fathers wife.” “She is a nuisance that needs to go. All she cares about is my fathers money. She doesn’t care about him or his health. She’s just there for her own selfish reasons.” “Doesn’t sound so far-fetched from what a certain someone is doing.” She looked at me and frowned, “are you kidding me?!” “I’m not. I’m just saying that what you’re doing isn’t so different. We are all using ourselves.” She laughed in

Xander’s POV I squeezed her hand gently, encouraging her to continue. Audrey didn’t often open up like this, but when she did, I always wanted to be there to listen, to hold her in the moments when her past felt too heavy to carry alone. I loved the way she was telling me all of this as it made me feel like I was breaking through her strong exterior. She was always acting like she was too strong for me and she didn’t want to show her vulnerability. Even when I sometimes would try to help her she wouldn’t want it. She would instead act harsh and walk out on me. But tonight, I was letting her talk. I just wanted her to talk to me and maybe tell me everything she was thinking of. “I still remember when he would tell me stories of how he used to sit in places like this with mum when they were my age or… maybe younger. I don’t know. The story is a bit fuzzy. But I still remember it all,” she smiled in space with her way glistening with the memories. “He used to say this was their wa

Stephanie’s POV I was so mad I could hear myself growling in rage and punching the wall really hard. Everything I had done was to make sure she was okay and had a home and money to cater for herself and instead she was out there partying mad slandering my name everywhere. What kind of stupid daughter did I have? Audrey was not like this. As much as I didn’t want her to take anything from Eric, I had to hand it to her that Audrey was different. She had everything sorted out and she was good with what she wanted done. If she wanted the company to go forward, she would put in the work but that was not so for Amelia who wanted handouts. How could I fight for her if all she wanted was handouts? I took in deep breaths as I heard her ordering more drinks. “Are you even listening to me?” I asked as she muffled a ‘yes.’ I took in deep breaths as I was ready to put her in her place. I wasn’t about to lose everything because my stupid daughter decided to be idiotic. “Listen to me

Stephanie’s POV As much as I hated this man for pretending to be upright, I didn’t like how his daughter would get almost all his inheritance and my daughter would be left with nothing. I needed to secure a better future for my child. At least since I couldn’t destroy Audrey’s relationship with Xander, let me have the wonderful experience of having riches and wealth and stop worrying about who would inherit what. “Eric,” I said, my voice soft but firm. “Audrey is grown. She’s married now, she has her own life. She doesn’t need your estate. I don’t know why you’d even want her to take it. Besides, her husband has enough money to cater for her. You’ve seen it with your own two eyes. She’s covered. But Amelia… she’s young. She still has her whole life ahead of her. Don’t you think she deserves a chance to succeed, to have the same opportunities that Audrey had?” Eric’s jaw clenched, and I could see the muscles in his neck tighten as he glared at me. “Audrey is my blood. She is my d