Novel-novel oleh Kiera Sky

I wake up to see that the ceiling above me is carved stone.Too white. Too clean. Too… wrong.“Where the fuck am—ohh.”I remember everything and sit up on the bed. “Elise is gone,” I mutter. “And my IV has been changed.”My shoulder feels stiff but I can sense it's healing. The faint scent of antiseptic clings to me—and something else.Pine. Smoke. Male.My hand flies to the oversized shirt I’m wearing. I climb out of the bed and walk to the full length mirror beside the bed to take a proper look at myself.The shirt brushes my thighs, barely covering my ass. The sleeves swallow my hands whole.Speaking of my ass, I look down.The black boxer briefs.Oh, Moon above—“Tell me he didn’t,” I mutter under my breath.“Dunno,” Nikola stirs in my head, voice still sleepy but edged. “But, it's his shirt, and his scent is all over you.”“Wonderful,” I mumble, tugging the hem down, as I feel my cheeks burning.If he changed me, I wonder if he took a longer look… not that I wanted him to.The r

Captain Blake’s voice fades into the background as I study the satellite feed flickering across the screen.The forest. The road.They are all empty.“The hunters were gone before we arrived, Your Majesty,” Blake says, jaw tight. “Someone tipped them off.”“I sent you because I trusted you’d finish it,” I tell Blake.His shoulders stiffen instantly as I hear him hold his breath. “We’ll find them, my King. I swear it.”I close the file with a flick of my wrist. “Find out who tipped them off.”“Yes, sir.”He hesitates before leaving, probably waiting for me to offer more. I don’t.Words are wasted on incompetence.When the door closes, silence folds over the room.Klaus lets a low, feral growl vibrating through my chest. “Pathetic. You should have gone yourself.”“I can't do everything, Klaus. That's why they're there.”I rise, and make my way to the corridors that lead to the bedrooms, only to have the scent I've been trying to ignore cut through me.The rogue. Her scent is feral, wil

What the fuck?Something inside me snaps. “I’m not your prisoner!”“No,” he says, and the word lands like a weight. “You’re a problem. And I don’t let problems walk free.”Nikola's hackles rise.“Calm down, Nik. The last thing we need is a fight.”My vision darkens at the edges as I fight Nikola's instinct to lunge at him.Nikola snarls. “Fine. But, he should stay away from us.”I meet his stare. “You’re too close. You should leave.”Without warning, he's right next to me, his fingers brushing my wrist as he checks the wound on my shoulders.Damn it, I didn't even see him move.His touch causes the bond to hit like lightning.A surge of heat, sharp and wild, rips through every nerve. I can smell his restless wolf beneath the surface.He feels the same reaction too and draws his hand back fast, as if burned. For once, his control slips and it's like the air between us shivers.“I told you to stay away. Do not touch me,” I whisper.“I go by my own decisions,” he says quietly, taking a f

“Murderer!!”“She's a psychopath!!”Darkness presses in from all sides. Then—screams. Children screaming..My mother’s voice cuts through the cold, sharp and broken.“Natasha!”My body jerks as the sound sharpens, cutting through the night like a blade. I’m standing in the middle of the clearing again. The air reeks of blood and charred flesh.I can’t move, can’t breathe. My hands are slick with something warm, and when I look down—my stomach twists. Blood. So much of it.Rough hands start pulling me everywhere. My throat burns from screaming.“She’s the one,” someone spits. “She killed them. The children.”“Monster!” someone shouts.My stomach twists. “No… no, I didn’t—”No one listens.Their faces blur in the smoke: my mother’s, the Beta couple’s, their daughter's, Valerie, smirking behind her tears.The pack circles me like I’m prey—people I grew up with, people who once smiled at me. Now their eyes are full of hate.My father and my mate stand at the front, their shadows stretchin

My boots crunch against the gravel as I carry the rogue out of the car, and into the mansion, the weight of her limp body pressing against my chest.She’s colder than she should be… and so light.“Take Elise to her room,” I tell Captain Blake beside me. “Doctor Zarina is on standby to check on her immediately. She’s shaken, not harmed.”He bows his head. “Yes, Your Majesty.”The door slides open with a hiss when I enter the healer’s wing, and I sigh at the sharp scent of antiseptic that burns my nose as I walk into my private healing chambers.I've always hated healer chambers. They're always too clean. Too still. Too full of remindersBright white light floods the room, along with the whir of machines.I place her motionless body on the cot before me. She looks so pale skin against white sheets, especially with her blood seeping through the hoodie.Her breathing is really shallow now.“Fetch the healer,” I bark, voice sharper than I intend.A man in a white coat hurries in, eyes flic

I can't believe I said that.This stupid rogue.I kneel while holding her limp body. Even while unconscious, she still wraps her hands tightly around El.Her scent... it isn’t like other rogues. There’s something cleaner beneath the blood. Wilder, older.Klaus hums in the back of my mind, low and intrigued. “She acted like one of us.”“She’s not one of us. She’s a rogue.”“Still saved the child and stood up to you.”A rogue risking her life for someone else. Impossible. It's rare for a rogue alpha to be so… caring.And this young. What is she? 20?I haven't received any report of such a young rogue alpha and that's a problem because I know of every rogue alpha in my kingdom.“My mate.”“Shut up, Klaus,” I snap at my wolf. “She's not our mate.”“The hell she isn't!”My men take a few steps back. Klaus’s aura is extremely aggressive and for the first time ever, I'm having trouble controlling him.Her scent is making Klaus push closer, pressing against my ribs like he’s trying to claw hi

**ELENA'S POV**I swear I wanted to reject him.However, I could feel many eyes on me, and the way Alessandro's hand on my waist tighten told me rejecting him wasn't a good idea.I caught sight of Onyx not far from where we stood. She was staring daggers at me.Suddenly, the idea of pissing her off felt like a brilliant pastime to get through the evening.I gave Alessandro a bright smile, not missing the flash of surprise and desire that flashed across his eyes as I did.“It would be my pleasure, darling.”I slipped my hand into his outstretched one and winked at Onyx as Alessandro led me to the centre of the dance floor.The music shifted, low and sultry, like honey sliding over silk. Alessandro’s warm palm settled possessively on the small of my back.I tried not to think about the way it burned through the thin fabric of the cream dress he’d made me wear.I lifted my chin instead, letting my smile linger tauntingly, perfectly calculated, for Onyx’s benefit.The little darling was w

**ALESSANDRO'S POV**“What?” I was confused.What in fuck’s name is this woman yapping about?“What did you do with my step-sister?” She repeated.Step–ohh. That girl.“I had my men return her,” I said slowly, still staring at her lips. “You hadn't decided what to do with her yet.”She gave a small nod and then pushed me away with a dirty look.“Control yourself,” she said with an unhappy look. “Someone will think you truly love me and get ridiculous ideas about kidnapping me. I'm not having any of it.”I frowned, without answering. Whoever had such ideas must already have his funeral arrangements in place.I straightened, tugged my cuffs into place, and gestured for her to follow. My men closed ranks around us as we left the smaller meeting room and stepped into the late noon sun.“Where are we going now?” Elena asked, her arms crossed as she matched my pace. Her tone was sharp, but her steps… reluctant. She always walked like she wanted to defy me, and yet she kept pace anyway.I sl

**ELENA'S POV**Morning came too fast.I woke to the sound of doors slamming, and the sound of Rio’s laughter spilling faintly from his room.Alessandro had brought me to his bed to sleep and did nothing but hold me to his chest. He had become more unpredictable. As I stretched under the covers of his large bed, Alessandro's unmistakable scent was everywhere.His cologne lingered everywhere, as if he’d marked the very walls. I shoved the covers off, hopped into the bathroom for a bath, and then dressed quickly.I was feeling a bit dressy so I picked a black, satin blouse and a pair of high waisted, cream dress pants, ignoring the dull pull in my side where the bullet wound still ached.It would be a shame to waste the clothes just sitting there in my walk-in closet.By the time I stepped into the hall, Alessandro was waiting. Leaning against the wall, black suit tailored like sin, watch glinting under the light.His expression was unreadable, but his eyes… his eyes were dark with mis

I looked up to see Alessandro standing right in front of me as I turned my phone to avoid his sharp gaze.“He's asleep?” I asked, despite how nervous I was feeling inside.“Yeah.” He replied curtly.Silence stretched between us.“You’re hiding something,” he said softly, too softly.I froze. “I’m hiding nothing.”His hand braced against the back of the arm chair behind my head, boxing me in. His breath was warm against my cheek.“Don’t lie to your husband, Elena. You’ve always been a terrible liar.”His proximity burned. The same Alessandro who had made my life hell now stood so close my heart raced for all the wrong reasons.“I’m your wife in name only,” I snapped, “Don't push it.”His lips curled, not quite a smile. “Oh, cara mia. Everything about you is mine.”The words sent a chill down my spine.And I knew, with every fiber of my being, that the real war was only just beginning.“Move.”“Make me.”“Alessandro—” He placed a finger on my lips. “Shhh,” he murmured, his voice low, d

**ELENA'S POV**“Rosario!” I called, leaning against the carved doorframe of the sitting room.Rosario was too busy sprinting through the hallways in his little socks, shrieking like a tiny banshee as Gael chased after him.The mansion hadn’t changed in the past years, but it felt smaller somehow—like the walls leaned in a little closer with every breath I took. Maybe it was me. Or maybe it was just the weight of knowing that this house was a cage, no matter how polished the marble floors were.Rosario didn’t notice the cage, thank God.Vitale trailed behind, his expression carved from stone as usual, though I swore I saw the corner of his mouth twitch every time my son squealed.My body still ached from the bullet wound—moving too fast felt like my stitches would split right open—but the sound of his laughter pulled me forward.He skidded across the rug with flushed cheeks and barreled toward me, clutching some ridiculous toy car Gael must have slipped him.“Mamma!” He threw himself

**ELENA'S POV**I was gonna turn away then I remembered something.“Alessandro?” I started. “Can I have my phone back?”He stares at me for a few seconds before responding.“Okay. After breakfast.”I blinked in surprise. That was quick. He refused to give me my phone while I was in the hospital.What changed?“Thanks.” I turned away and went to meet Rosario in the kitchen, where he was showing Vitale his messy pancakes.“For you.” Rio offered Vitale his pancakes and I saw a hit of a smile on Vitale's lips.As tough as Vitale is, he's a man with a soft heart. If he wasn't, he wouldn’t have helped me to avoid the harshest of Alessandro's mistreatments back then.“Elena.” Vitale stood straighter when I came closer.“Vitale, Rio's pancakes were made with lots of love.” I smiled.Vitale smiled back, only for him to wipe it off his face the next second.“Where's mine?”I turned to face Alessandro, whose face looked darker than a full eclipse.What is it now?“You gentlemen can go sit in the