Tamara's POV The tension in the room felt suffocating as the alphas settled into their seats. The long table stretched across the room, and Jonathan sat at the head, his face hard with the sobering situation. I stood at his side, feeling the weight of every eye on me. juding, scrutinizingThis wasn’t just a meeting; it was a chance to prove that my Dante was being framed, and I had to do everything I could to expose the truth. Jonathan banged his fist on the table, signaling the start of the meeting. "We all know why we're here. Let's get to the point," he said, his voice carrying authority. The alphas murmured their agreement, their eyes flickering to the prisoner still shackled in the center of the room. He looked disheveled, his clothes stained with dirt and blood. His eyes were wide with fear, and he trembled under the scrutiny of the alphas. One of the older alphas, his graying hair making him appear even more imposing, spoke up first. "We’ve all been attacked by strange wa
Tamara's POV The meeting was finally wrapping up and the tension in the room dissolved when Alpha Jonathan declared it adjourned. The alphas murmured amongst themselves, some exchanging lingering glares while others offered me congratulatory nods. I tried to shake off the exhaustion from the day’s revelations. Dante’s name had been cleared, but the fight wasn’t over yet. There was still Reuben and whatever dark game he was playing. I had stood up to leave when the strange scent hit me—a sweet, intoxicating aroma that wrapped around my senses and pulled at something deep within me. It was unlike anything I had ever smelled before, a blend of honey and cedarwood, warm and inviting, yet completely disorienting. My steps faltered, and I felt an invisible string tugging me toward the door. The room blurred around me as I moved, as if the scent itself was a spell, clouding my mind. I tried to think of Dante, to ground myself in his image, but for some reason, his name slipped t
Tamara's POVAdrian’s lips were on mine before I could process what was happening. The warmth of his touch, the press of his mouth—it all felt so familiar, yet completely new. It was like he knew every corner of my soul, every unspoken wish and hidden desire. The kiss was perfect, achingly perfect, and for a moment, I found myself melting into him, letting the world blur away.I didn’t mean to enjoy it. But I did.It wasn’t just the way he kissed me—it was the way it felt right, like coming home to something I’d been searching for my entire life. His hands cupped my face with such tenderness, his scent wrapping around me, pulling me deeper into the moment. My heart thundered in my chest, and for a second, I thought maybe—Dante.His voice broke through the haze like a sharp blade, shattering the spell.“Tamara,” Dante’s voice echoed in my mind, tinged with urgency and confusion.Reality crashed over me. My mate. My love. My Dante.I shoved Adrian away so hard he staggered back. “What
Tamara's POV Adrian stood in front of me, his face was a mix of utter heartbreak and pain. The sting of my rejection hung in the air between us, and We waited for the pain, the searing agony that was supposed to come when a mate bond was broken. But it didn’t. I glanced at Adrian, confusion mirrored in his dark eyes. “Why don’t we feel anything?” I whispered, my voice shaky. Adrian shook his head, his brow furrowed. “I don’t know. Maybe… maybe it’s because the goddess approves of the end of our bond.” The realization struck us both at the same time, and Adrian’s shoulders sagged. He let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through his hair. “So, this is it. The goddess herself is telling me I was too late. I’ve truly lost you, Tamara.” “Adrian—” I started, but he cut me off. “I should have claimed you in our past life,” he said, his voice thick with regret. “If I hadn’t been so blinded by Amanda, if I had seen you for what you were to me… Maybe things would have been dif
Tamara's POV"Every one makes mistakes I'm sure Dante will understand." Sophie said “he kissed me Three times, Sophie. And I didn’t stop him. What kind of person does that?”Sophie exhaled slowly, sitting on the edge of my bed. “oh I get it now, Adrian is your anchor. That’s why this happened.”Her words made my heart sink further. “I don’t care if he’s my anchor. I shouldn’t have let it happen. I rejected him immediately, but what if Dante --Sophie cut me off, waving her hand. “You rejected him already?""yes""then there is nothing to worry about, It was just a kiss, Tamara. It doesn’t mean anything. You rejected Adrian, didn’t you?”“Yes, but—”“Then that’s it,” she said firmly. “The bond is gone. What happened with Adrian is in the past. You don’t need to drag Dante into this.”I frowned, confused by her sudden shift. “You told me I had to tell him, Sophie. You said the truth was the only way.”“I know,” she admitted, her expression conflicted. “But now that I think about it… wh
Dante’s POV I stood by Tamara’s bedside, my chest tightening at the sight of her pale face. Her shallow breaths were like a blade slicing through me, each one more agonizing than the last. Poisoned. My mate had been poisoned, and no one could tell me how it happened. Anger surged through me like wildfire. “What the fuck happened to her?” I demanded, spinning to face Sophie, who hovered by the door with guilt written all over her face. “I… I don’t know, Alpha Dante,” she stammered, her hands fidgeting nervously. “She was fine before we left Alpha Jonathan’s territory. I swear I don’t know what happened!” “Not good enough,” I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended. “Someone must know. She didn’t just get poisoned out of thin fucking air." Sophie flinched but held her ground. “I wouldn’t have let this happen if I knew. You have to believe me alpha. I rubbed a hand over my face, forcing myself to calm down. Yelling at Sophie wouldn’t help Tamara. “Fine. Then we’ll ask som
Dante's POVI stormed around the palace in search of that weasel I called a brother.boiling rage rushed through my veins like molten lava. My fists clenched at my sides, my vision tunneled as I scanned the grounds for Reuben.How dare he lay a finger on the woman I loved?! The image of my darling Tamara lying pale and motionless on that bed only fueled my rage. And I knew, deep in my gut, that my brother was responsible.I found him in the garden, casually leaning against a bench, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He turned his head when he heard my footsteps, his brows furrowing in confusion.“Brother?” he called out, straightening up. “You look like you're having a good day." he smirked. "What’s going on?”I didn’t answer. Instead, I lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the nearest tree. His eyes widened in shock.“Why the fuck did you do it?” I snarled, my voice low and dangerous.“Do what?” he snapped, struggling against my grip. “What the hell
Dante’s POV I pushed open the door to Tamara’s room quietly and my chest immediately clenched at the sight of her still lying unconscious on the bed. But at least color was beginning to return to her cheeks, and her breathing was steadier now which meant that whatever Dr Laura was doing was working, but my Tamara still looked so fragile. It wasn’t like her, my fire cracker to look so fragile. Sophie stepped aside and I sat beside Tamara, brushing a strand of hair off her face. “What’s happening, Tamara?” I whispered. “Why did he do this to you?” She didn’t respond, of course, but I stayed there for a moment longer, listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing. it calmed me, even if the sight of her lying there twisted something deep inside me. The door creaked, and I turned to see Dr. Laura entering. She motioned for me to follow her. I hesitated, glancing back at Tamara, who was now flanked by Violet and Sophie, then I rose and followed Dr Laura into the hallway. She clos
Kayla's POV The door creaked as I pushed it open with a little dust puffing into the air. It was obvious that not a lot of people used this room.The space was small and cluttered.It was more of a glorified storage room than a real Library or archive of history. Shelves sagged under the weight of worn-out books, and loose papers were scattered across tables and floors like autumn leaves.Nothing was arranged or labeled, but I was supposed to somehow be able to magically find the books I was looking for. Great. I rubbed my temples, trying to decide where to even start. Then I heard a rustle. My head snapped to the corner, where a stack of books shifted ever so slightly. I took a cautious step forward. Someone was hiding there.My heart began to race. Was it those shadowed rogues? Had they tracked me here?Had I put the orphans in danger with my presence? “Hello? Who's there?” I called while reaching for my necklace in preparation for a fight. "I know you're there so you bett
Kayla's POV I literally couldn’t stop staring at the photograph. The picture had frayed edges and timeworn colors, but the woman in it, standing close to Adrian's fatger… she looked like me. No.. she looked a little Too much like me to just be normal.And It wasn’t the kind of resemblance you could shrug off as coincidence. It was the same eyes. The same shape of the mouth. Even the same stubborn, haunted expression. And to make matters even more confusing was the fact that Standing beside her with one hand gently resting on hers, was the man Elara had just told me was Alpha Dominic. Adrian’s father. How was this possible? What did this mean?My legs suddenly felt too heavy to carry me so I sat in the corner of the common room with the photo clutched in my hands, trying to make sense of it. “Elara,” I called quietly. The tall, broad-shouldered woman glanced over from where she was searching through the drawers for other things. She came over and lowered herself beside me. “La
Kayla's POV After breakfast, I insisted on helping the staff with chores—cleaning the tables, washing dishes, folding laundry. I needed to do something with my hands that would keep my thoughts from spiralling intodark thoughts.Plus I was eager to start helping the children as fast as possible. The funny thing was that the kids followed me around, asking questions about where I came from, if I had a wolf, if I’d ever seen the Alpha in real life. I smiled and answered as vaguely as I could, not ready to explain the chaos I’d run from. But for the first time in days, I felt a strange sense of peace.Like I was right where I should be. I was hanging laundry out back when one of the staff—Elara, a tall woman with sharp gray eyes and a strong build—approached me. “You’re quite the helper Miss Kayla,” she said, nodding with a basket on her hip. “I needed something to keep me busy,” I replied. She glanced around before adding, “You know, Lady Anna swears you’ve been here before.”
Kayla I ended up spending the night at the Orphanage and it was one of the most restful nights I've had in weeks.Sure, I might have had one or two night mares where I saw Adrian kissing Candice in her room while my body wrecked with painful sobs, but hey, it was better than the nightmares I usually had about the darkness that was trying to take control of me.I knew that I would finally be able to get rid of the problem when I finally get to the Oracle's sanctuary, but I just had to wait until the guards weren't searching for me so persistently.To be honest, I'm surprised that Adrian was putting that much effort into finding me now when he had been ignoring me for the last few days.Hadn't Candice satisfied him enough? Or was he so greedy that he wanted the two of us at the same time?Men! I should have known better than to let myself trust them again. Especially after how Xavier treated me.I had stupidly let myself become a fool for love again! How pathetic!I definitely won't le
Kayla's POV I really didn’t know where I was going at first. Not really. My feet just kept moving, dragging me farther away from the palace, from the pack... from Adrian. Every step felt more gut wrenching than the last, like my body wanted to turn back even though my heart refused to. Where do I go? I paused in the shadow of an old bakery, pressing my back to the cold brick wall as I hugged the jacket tighter around me. My breath was beginning to puff visibly in the cold evening air, and the wind cut through my clothes like icy knives.I would go to mountain, I finally decided. It was the only place I knew where I would be accepted by someone.I obviously couldn't go back to Xavier's pack but it was the only other place I knew, so the Oracle's sanctuary was my best vet.Plus If there was any place I could find answers—or strength—it was with her. Maybe I could even finish my training. Maybe I could finally understand why I was… this. Why I couldn’t control my power or trust my
Kayla's POVI sat on the cold marble floor, clutching one of Adrian’s shirts to my chest, tears streaming down my face like a damn faucet I couldn’t turn off.How could he do this to me? After everything. After all his promises to always fight for me. To never let me feel alone again.He spent the night with her.Candice.It took one fight, one misunderstanding, and he ran straight to her. I didn’t even need to ask anyone. The moment Connor hesitantly told me the truth, I saw it. Clear as day. The shattered pieces of my heart lay scattered around the room like the vases I’d broken last night.The bed smelled like him. The sheets, the pillows — all of it haunted me. His scent, his warmth... gone. Just like that.“He was never going to choose you,” the necklace whispered in that low, silky voice that made my skin crawl. “Men like him choose women like Candice. Pretty, obedient. The kind that don’t challenge them.”“Shut up,” I muttered, dragging myself up to the bed to unzip the duffe
Adrian's POV I tried hard to remember last night but my head soon began to hurt from the effort and I still came up blankPanic was quickly beginning to seize me until I suddenly heard Candice's voice. "Relax Alpha," she said from across the room, her legs tucked under her in a chair by the window with a mug in her hand. "You don't need to try hard to remember what happened last night.""Huh?" I asked in confusion.Candice smiled. "I can read your emotions on your face, and what I meant to say was Nothing interesting happened." I blinked blearily at her. "What...?" "You passed out last night after drinking that extra bottle I told you not to drink," she said simply. "I didn’t want the entire palace gossiping about how their great Alpha can’t hold his liquor so I brought you to the guest room in my quarters. I just brought coffee for you this morning." She gestured to the tray on the table. I let out a breath of relief. I didn't betray Kayla because nothing had happened between us
Adrian’s POVI'm an idiot, I know that. I'm an idiot who's hopelessly in love with a woman but still too scared of his feelings for her.These last few days have really wrecked my mental state and drinking with Candice made me forget my worries for just a few hours.But even that, didn't last long. Because once my eyes landed on Kayla, everything came flooding back.She had made lunch and brought it to me, which meant that she had been thinking of me and probably tried to reach me earlier but I had blocked her.I just wanted time to process thoughts without interruptions or guilt. But that turned out to be impossible because the second I saw the look on Kayla’s face when I refused the food she brought, a bitter knot formed in my stomach. Her smile faltered and was replaced by something smaller, tighter. Hurt. She held the tray down carefully, almost as if she were afraid it would shatter if she moved too quickly.Then she offered to make dinner but I turned it down too and I could
Kayla's POV "It's not any of your concern Kayla. I suggest you drop it... for your own good."What nonsense was he saying. Xavier was my ex husband and very obvious enemy of Adrian. What did he mean it was non of my concern?I was very confused now. Didn't Hector say he had nothing to do with Xavier? Didn't he say he was going to change his relationship with Adrian for the better? What was he hiding now? I pressed on. “You know meeting with him, especially after everything that happened, is only going to make things worse with Adrian. Do you really want to make things more complicated?” He turned his head toward me, his expression hardening slightly. “I don’t care anymore what Adrian thinks. He’s never cared about what I’ve done, and he never will. Besides, I don’t see the problem with talking to someone who actually listens to me.” I felt my heart twist in my chest. “I know you’re upset, Hector, but you promised me—even before I stopped Adrian from banishing you—that you’d stop w