Novels by eniolaolusesi814

August's POV I probably shouldn't have come. I was sitting in one of the chairs at the rink, dreading what my teammates would say when they saw me. I was suspended, so I still couldn't play. I'd even gone back to Dr. Henderson's office this morning to beg her one more time, but she'd given me the coldest shoulder I'd ever received. The scrimmage was happening away, not at home, so I'd had to drive almost two hours out of Tallahassee just to get here. And now, I was regretting it. I looked around. As promised, Everett and his entire motley crew from Kaiser University were here to taunt us. They were sitting a few rows to the left, and Everett was shooting me taunting looks. For a moment, I wondered if he was the one who'd taken that video of Dona and I; it was just the kind of messed-up thing that he'd do. The thought made me furious again, I managed to stay composed and ignore him. Meanwhile, Atlanta Northern Tech was already prepped and warming up on the ice, but FSU's team was

August's POV I got to my hotel and headed straight for the suite. I quickly unlocked the door. When I stepped inside, I found Dona sitting on the couch, cross-legged and looking dejected. Piper was walking around the suite, admiring the French windows and how they overlooked our part of Florida. When Piper saw me, she stopped and glared at me. "How the hell can you afford to stay here? I didn't get a proper look the last time I came." She moved from the kitchen to the bedrooms, then to the bar, touching everything like she was inspecting displays a museum. I raised an eyebrow. "Piper, if you're trying to case the place for a robbery, you're doing a very terrible job." "Ah ha!" She curled her lips in disgust. "There's a reason I never liked you in the first place." I ignored her and went straight to Dona, sat beside her on the couch and stared at her face. She didn't say anything, but there was a look of hopelessness in her eyes that left me feeling empty. It hurt to see that muc

August's POVI stood in front of the Athletic Director's office door, staring at the nameplate. My hand hovered near the wood, but I couldn't bring myself to knock. Every part of me wanted to turn around and walk away and pretend the email had never come. But I couldn't do that.I finally summoned the courage and knocked twice."Come in," a voice called from inside.I pushed the door open and stepped in. The Athletic Director sat behind a large desk, her hands folded neatly in front of her. She was a Black woman in her middle age, with graying hair pulled back into a neat bun and a calm smile on her face. The plaque on her desk read: Dr. L. Henderson, Athletic Director."Mr. Reynolds," she greeted warmly. "Please, sit down."I sat, gripping the armrests of the chair nervously.She leaned back in her seat and that smile stayed plastered on her face. "I've been following your progress this season. You're quite the star player. Your stats are impressive, especially for a transfer student

Dona's POV Piper continued eating in silence for a few minutes, chewing aggressively like she was taking her frustration out on the food. Then she suddenly gave a start, as if she'd just remembered something important. "Oh, oh!" She turned to me. "My mom called yesterday, and she told me to tell you she went to see your mum." I straightened immediately. "What? She went eventually? Tell me everything." Piper set her fork down and wiped her mouth. "She said she went to speak to your mom herself. When she got there, your mom was very much on edge and jumpy, moving around a lot...." I nodded, remembering how she was the last time I'd been to the house. "Then she said your mom was doing a lot of unnecessary cooking too." I sighed. "My mom likes to cook when she's stressed. It's how she copes." "That's what my mom thought too." Piper nodded. "But your mom kept saying everything was fine, and Peter was treating her well. She even said she was worried about you leaving the house becau

Dona's POV I couldn't stop staring at the message August had just sent to me: Hope you had a better day than I did. I read it over and over again, and a bitter knot formed in my throat. I missed him, which was ridiculous considering we'd only been super close for a little over a week. But the longing for him was still there; it felt like a wire pulled tight across my shoulders, vibrating every time I tried to relax. I couldn't lie to myself anymore—I was more than just attracted to him. I really, really liked August, way more than I did when we first met. And that terrified me, because what did this mean for my mom's relationship with Peter? What did it mean for me? Every time I thought about it too hard, my brain started spiraling into worst-case scenarios that I couldn't control. "What are you looking at?" I jerked my head up in surprise. I was lying on the floor in Piper's kitchen, sprawled out on the cool tiles because the couch had started to feel too stuffy in the Floridan

August's POV We ran drills for the next hour, and I noticed it immediately. Every time I called for the puck, it did not come to me. Mason had it, and then he skated right past me even though I was wide open. Diego got possession, then he looked my way and while maintaining hard eye-contact with me, he passed it backward to Tyler instead. "Diego!" I yelled, skating hard to catch up. "I was open! You could have passed to me!" He didn't respond. He just kept moving past me, as if I hadn't said a word. The same thing happened again, and again. Caleb had the puck near the blue line, and I was positioned perfectly for a one-timer. I slapped my stick against the ice. "Caleb! Here! Pass to me!" But Caleb passed it to Diego instead. Diego fumbled it, and the other line stole possession. "What the hell?" I shouted, throwing my arms up. "I was right there!" Tyler skated over to Caleb. "Dude, he was open. Pass him the puck!" "I didn't see him, Tyler." Caleb muttered. "Bullshit," Tyler

Raven's POVIt was still dark when I woke up the next morning, and I was extremely restless, still thinking about Jaxon. I pulled on my clothes, laced my boots and stepped out.The camp where our entourage was lodged was already stirring. A few men stood with their eyes half-closed, others checked their weapons. I walked up, ready to tell them what I suspected, but before I could get far into it, one of the older guards cut me off.“We’ve guessed it, Luna Raven." He muttered.I frowned. “Guessed what?”“That your father has our Alpha. We’ve had his men circling all night, watching us like we’re next.""Yes." Another guard nodded. “They’ll probably make their move tonight. We were just talking about it.”“Then we have to leave now." I instructed. "We’ll ride back to Night Howler’s Pack, get the numbers we need and return for my husband.”They didn’t argue and we didn’t waste time. Within minutes, saddles were tightened and our bags were thrown over shoulders. The sky was still black, s

Raven's POV I tried not to look at the clock again, but my eyes kept drifting back. First hour, fine. Maybe my father had more to say. Maybe they were still talking. Men like them never used two words when twenty could drag it out longer. By the second hour, I was already pacing around the room. The party downstairs had already disbanded, and through the window, I'd watched the nobles from other packs leave my father's mansion. The fire had gone out in the hearth and I didn’t light it again. I didn’t need warmth. I needed Jaxon. Third hour, I was sitting on the edge of the bed, my fingers tapping a nervous rhythm into the mattress. He said he’d be back soon. Someone knocked and I jumped up, half sure it would be him. It wasn’t. It was a servant girl holding a folded set of clothes. "From the Lady Elinor," she mumbled, holding them out. "It is for the banquet tomorrow night." I took the silk clothes without really looking at them, and dumped them impatiently on the bed. "Have

Jaxon's POV The first thing I noticed when I woke was the ache in my head. It pulsed like a tribal drum. My arms were deadweight behind me, wrists strapped together with rattling chains. I tried to lift them but the movement sent pain up my spine. My body felt far away. My mind was slow. The air reeked of sweat and must and old blood. Somewhere nearby, water dripped in steady rhythm. I rolled onto my side, or tried to. My body barely cooperated. I was inside a cage. Iron bars sealed me off from the rest of the room. I tugged at the restraints again and felt metal bite into my skin. The chains rattled weakly; I had no strength left. I stared at the floor, the damp, dark patches that I knew was my own blood. No doubt about it, this wasn’t a regular cell. This was meant for animals. Alpha Viktor had planned this, every moment of it. I should have never brought Raven here, into harm's way. I wanted to shift so that I could heal, but I couldn’t. I was cut off from everything that made

Jaxon's POV The servant walked ahead of me and didn’t look back. He walked quickly, almost like he had somewhere better to be. There were mo greetings from passing staff, or guards posted at the usual corners that I remembered from my last visit to this place. “Where is Alpha Viktor?” I asked, increasing my pace to meet up with the servant, who didn't reply me. He just turned the corner sharply and continued walking. Warning bells began to ring in my head. We reached a heavy wooden door flanked by two guards, but something caught me off guard. Their armor wasn’t Viktor’s, or mine, or anyone I could place. No crest, no insignia, nothing. I braced for the worst. Then the door swung open, and Alpha Viktor stepped out with a practiced smile. “Ah, Jaxon. You took your time.” He opened his arms in welcome, voice warm and rehearsed. For a moment, I told myself I was being paranoid. Maybe the guards were new or maybe the servant was just unusually quiet. Maybe nothing was wrong. “Come

Raven's POVWhen Jaxon found me, I was standing just outside in the hallway, trying to catch my breath. I felt as though my head was about to explode with anger.Jaxon walked up beside me and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?""Fine," I rasped, not looking at him."Liar."I gave a short laugh, but it cracked in the middle. "You didn’t have to follow me.""Yes. I did. You're my wife."I rubbed my face. "I don't know why I thought this would go differently. I don't know why I came. I should have listened to you and stayed behind at Night Howler's pack."Jaxon sighed and leaned against the wall next to me. "You came because it's your dad. You never have to apologise for that."I looked up at him, and wondered how I could explain that I was angry and sad at the same time. "He let her say it. He let her say it, and then he agreed with her.""I know.""I should've expected it.""That doesn’t make it hurt less."We stood there a moment. Then I reached for his hand again. "T

Jaxon's POVThree days after the council meeting, we set out for Alpha Viktor’s estate. I had tried to talk Raven out of it one last time while she strapped a dagger to her thigh."You don't have to go," I'd murmured, standing behind her as she faced the mirror. "No one would fault you for it."She'd pulled her tunic over the blade and turned to me. "He’s still my father. And I’m not a child anymore."That was the end of it.The journey was quiet with only the sound of horses and our own breathing. Rose rode ahead with Liam, but I could tell by how she kept glancing back that her mind was with us. She hadn't been to her home pack since the wedding. Just a few months, and yet the place still managed to change.The gates to Alpha Viktor’s estate opened slower than usual. It felt almost like the place was dragging its feet to let us in. I nudged my horse forward and caught up to Raven, keeping my eyes on the grand entrance."It looks smaller now," Raven muttered beside me.I glanced at h