The days passed slowly, and I soon found myself missing Dante more than I cared to admit. Damn it! I knew I should talk to him, but pride held me back. What if things went wrong again? What if he didn’t want to see me? Each time I thought about reaching out, I pushed the idea away. I could handle this. I didn’t need him. But the longer we stayed apart, the more I realized just how much I craved his presence. One evening, I was sitting in the common room, lost in my thoughts, when a commotion erupted outside. The loud shouts and chaos pulled me from my reverie. I rushed to the door and stepped outside, my heart pounding. What on earth was happening? The sight that greeted me was shocking. A group of people had gathered around Lilly, who stood in the center, her face twisted in fury. “Someone scraped off my hair! Look at this!” she yelled, pulling her hair back to reveal patches where it had been brutally ripped out. “What? How could this happen?” someone asked, glancing aroun
I was lying in bed, when the moonlight streaming through my window cast soft pretty shadows across the room. it looked like I was in a fairy tale movie which was the literal OPPOSITE of how I felt when I was back with Jack. My mind flashed back to Dante and I had to swallow a girlish giggle as warmth filled my heart when I recalled my day with the tall, handsome hunk of a man. We’d laughed, flirted, and shared funny and embarrassing stories. His huge hand in mine felt right, as if it belonged there, which was surprising because I never thought I could feel this happy again after everything that had happened in my past life. I snuggled deeper into my blankets, letting a small smile creep across my face. “Maybe we can finally be okay,” I whispered to myself, as a bit of hope fluttered in my chest. My eyes finally lulled closed, and I let sleep take over me. Somewhere in the night, a sound jolted me awake. I frowned, straining to listen. What the heck? Was that… footsteps? My
Jack's POV I sat on the edge of the bed, watching Kate from a distance as she brushed her hair. She had this soft glow about her lately— I guessed that it was the pregnancy that was doing that. Her usually flat belly had grown more round, and soft, and with it came the tiny signs of a life I not should have been more excited about. But this was the problem, I was not, and I wasn't sure why. This was what I’d always wanted, wasn’t it? A family, a child to continue my family's legacy. Yet now, as I watched Kate, the woman who was supposed to be the mother of my children, all I could feel was this heavy sense of detachment. like I was watching someone else's life or a movie, not my reality. I tried to remind myself several times that this was real. Kate was carrying my child, our child, and I was supposed to be filled with joy, but I wasn’t. All I could think about was Tamara—where she was, what she was doing, and how much I had lost when she slipped through my fingers. My chest t
Practically everyone knows that Adrian and Dante had been enemies for years, but Adrian had always been cautious to avoid any direct moves against him. So Why was he trying to go against him now? And how were we supposed to deal with Dante because I'm pretty sure he wasn't just going to let us casually walk out the with the woman he called his wife. “What about Dante? How do we handle him exactly? I asked, curiosity piqued. “well," Adrian sighed, I think It’s time we kill him, don't you think so?,” Adrian said quietly, his words deliberate. “We need to take him down if there's any hope of getting your woman, and I need your help to do it.” I blinked, as the wheels in mind raced. "Take him down? what the hell did he mean by take him down?Adrian had always been hesitant to go after Dante, worried about the consequences of open conflict. Dante was a brutal man that would never hesitate to kill Adrian and all his loved ones, so if he was suddenly confident about getting rid of Da
Tamara’s POVLater that night, I had Dante's arm wrapped lazily around me, his fingers gently stroking through my hair as he inhaled my scent softly.We were lying together in the warmth of his large bed and I snuggled deeper into his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat under my ear. Being in his arms always made me feel safe, like nothing else in the world mattered but the two of us, like Jack wasn’t trying to kill me and take my pack, like Ana, Lilly and other women weren’t trying to hurt me. It was perfect.“You know,” Dante’s deep voice finally broke the comfortable silence, “I’ve been thinking… I want you to meet my mother and, brother and sister. I think it’s about Time.”His words instantly sent a thrill of excitement through me, but that excitement was immediately followed by a wave of nerves. I tilted my head back slightly to look at him. “Really? You… you want me to meet them?”Dante chuckled softly, his hand continuing to run through my hair. “Of course. They’re the
Dante's POV I woke up with the morning light filtering through the curtains, casting a beautiful halo around Tamara’s face as she slept beside me. I smiled before giving into temptation and leaning over to press a kiss on her lips. Her eyes fluttered open with a smile, but then she paused and there was a hesitation in her gaze that was unmistakable. It was like she didn’t want to kiss me back right away, and it made my heart sink a little.“Good morning,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice light.“Morning,” she murmured, but there was a tightness to her smile.I leaned back, studying her for a moment. Ever since yesterday, when she accidentally bit me, something had shifted between us. I hadn’t thought much of it at the time—maybe she had just gotten a little too excited at the time and it didn’t bother me—but now, I could tell it must have been a problem to her. She kept withdrawing, pulling away whenever I tried to get close until I finally sighed.“You’re still thinking about
Tamara’s POV This morning, as I watched Dante drive away, the sudden pang of heartache that hit me hard, caught me off guard.I mean, I knew he was only supposed to be gone for two days, but the way the thought of him being away made my chest tighten, you would have thought he had dumped me. This wasn’t the first time we’d been apart, because it was not so long ago that I was giving him the silent treatment over Ana, but this separation felt different today. It felt much much worse.I returned to our room and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door he had just walked through, realizing how much I had grown attached to him. Wasn’t it a little too much? Like, it was just a few weeks ago that I was vowing off men for good, and now it felt like I was addicted to his presence. Was this just a reaction from the mating bond, or something more?It has to be the bond, I told myself, frowning slightly.But my wolf stirred within me, her voice brushing against my mind with disb
Dante’s POV I stood on one side of the room, fuming, while Reuben sat across from me, his eyes still burning with that same arrogant glare. He had always been like this, stubborn, competitive —testing my patience, pushing buttons he knew would set me off. But this time, it wasn’t just about him getting under my skin. It was about Tamara. And no one dares disrespects her in my presence, not even my own brother.“Enough!” Our mother’s sharp voice cut through the tension like a knife. “You two are acting like rotten children! Is this how an Alpha and a nobleman behave? Even your sister Ciri is more matured than both of you knuckle heads!”I glanced at her. My mother, Lady Regina was standing tall, her eyes narrowed with disappointment, the regal air around her commanding attention. Even Reuben’s glare faltered under her gaze. She never had to raise her voice, but when she was angry, you felt it deep in your bones.“Reuben,” she said sharply, turning her attention to him, “how dare y
Kayla's POV Adrian let go of my hand slowly, as if every inch of separation killed him. Every inch of the separation killed me too but I wasn't about to let him see that.I packed everything I had from the room and rushed past him.He barely moves and didn't even blink. it looked like he was in shock.My steps echoed down the corridor as I rushed into the guest wing, leaving Adrian standing frozen in the doorway. My new room felt empty and lifeless.And I knew that it was because it was Missing the warmth Adrian’s presence had always brought me. I slumped on the bed before burying my face in my hands while desperately trying to calm my shaking breaths. “Luna Kayla! You're really back!" The door suddenly burst open, and Ingrid rushed in with relief brightening her eyes. “Oh, thank the Goddess! I was so worried. Where have you been?” “I wasn't far, I just needed some space,” I admitted softly, barely looking up.I felt bad for leaving her in the dark when all she had wanted was fo
Kayla's POV "Dear goddess, please guide me in my endeavors." I prayed as I left the orphanage. My heart pounded violently as I carefully adjusted the hood over my head before pulling it lower over my eyes to hide my face from the palace guards that were patrolling the streets in search of me.I could hear them clearly— with boots crunching gravel, orders being barked urgently to find me, and my picture circulating among the crowd.These people were working day and night to find me.I almost barked out a dry laugh because the irony wasn’t lost on me. It seemed that Adrian had only realized my worth after I had already decided to leave. Just like Xavier had only wanted me after I was gone. Men. They only seemed to appreciate you when they were losing you. Taking a deep breath, I watched the guards carefully. I waited until one of them turned his back, distracted by a loud commotion from the nearby market, and then I quickly slipped past them, holding my breath until I reached the p
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