Kayla’s POV I slipped into a comfortable pair of high-waisted jeans and a soft white sweater, sighing in relief at the cozy fit. After everything that had happened since I arrived, I needed a moment of normalcy. And shopping sounded like a perfect escape from all my chaotic emotions. A knock at the door startled me just as I was adjusting my sweater. "Come in," I called. The door swung open, and Ingrid stepped inside with a bright smile. "Hello again, Miss Kayla," she greeted. I smiled back. "Hi, Ingrid." She clasped her hands together. "I have some news." She said excitedly. "I am officially your personal assistant!" Heat rushed to my cheeks. "Oh Adrian." I sighed. "I'm sorry Ingrid—I tried to refuse," I stammered. "I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he insisted." Her smile widened. "Of course he did." I frowned. "Why are you so happy about this?" "Because," she said, grinning, "I’ve had to work for some very difficult people in this palace. But you?" She t
Xavier's pov I stood frozen, watching as Alpha Adrian’s sleek black car disappeared down the road.A sharp, searing pain tore through my chest, like someone had reached inside and ripped my heart out with their bare hands.I wanted to chase after the car.I wanted to pull her out of it.I wanted to take her back.But I couldn’t move.My legs felt like they were made of stone, my chest felt hollow, and my wolf Theo —my furious, howling wolf—was losing his mind.“Go after her!” he roared inside me. “Get our mate back! NOW!”But I just stood there, numb and lifeless, as the car disappeared from sight.And then, she was gone.For the first time since I rejected Kayla, I felt like I had truly lost her.The original rejection had hurt before—more than I had ever imagined it would—but I had been okay because she was still around and within my reach.I had told myself that after Mia gave birth and everything settled down, I would take Kayla back as my mate.That’s why I have not yet married
Kayla’s POV I stood frozen, completely stunned, as the words left Candice’s mouth. “Alpha Adrian’s wife.” My lips parted, but no sound came out. Wife? Alpha Adrian was married? Candice’s glare intensified, her arms crossing over her chest as she took a slow, deliberate step closer to me. “And you,” she said coldly, looking me up and down, “How do you have the audacity to be here when you claim to just work for my husband?” I swallowed hard, but my throat felt dry. “This boutique is meant for the Alpha’s family, not some… mere worker,” she sneered. Before I could find my voice, Ingrid suddenly rushed in, looking panicked. She bowed deeply in front of Candice. “My apologies, Lady Candice,” Ingrid said quickly. “Alpha Adrian personally requested for Kayla to be brought here.” Candice’s eyes flashed with fury. “What?” she snapped. “And why would he do that?” Ingrid hesitated. “I…I don’t know ma'am but he explicitly instructed me to bring her here ma'am." Ca
Kayla’s POV I stared in shock, my hand still gripping the doorknob as I processed the sight in front of me. Alpha Adrian was standing in my doorway. Tall, handsome, imposing, and undeniably intimidating, yet somehow calm and casual, as if there was no place he'd rather be. “I’ve come to take you to dinner,” he said smoothly, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine. I blinked. Once. Twice. Had I heard that correctly? “…What?” I finally managed to say. “Ingrid said you didn't want to come to dinner,” Adrian said, stepping into my room as if he owned the place—which, to be fair, he did. “So, I came to get you.” I swallowed hard, my heart pounding for no reason. I quickly stepped back, putting space between us. “I—uh—I’m not hungry,” I lied quickly. At that exact moment, my stomach betrayed me with a loud, humiliating growl. Heat rushed to my face. Adrian arched an eyebrow, his lips twitching. “Not hungry, huh? Wanna try another excuse?" I blushed harder, pressing
Kayla’s POV “What the fuck is she doing here?” Candice spat, her voice laced with venom. The moment Candice walked into the dining hall, I felt my entire body tense. It was like stepping into ice-cold water—shocking, numbing, and sending a wave of dread through me. Of course, she was here. I should have known this dinner wouldn’t go smoothly. A scowl twisted her pretty face, clearly not expecting to see me here. Her gaze flickered to Adrian, as if demanding an explanation. When she didn’t get one, her lips pressed together tightly before she turned her glare back on me. Adrian, who had been relaxed beside me tensed and sighed. He slowly sat down, his expression darkening as he turned his piercing gaze on Candice. “She,” Adrian said smoothly, though there was a dangerous edge to his voice, “is my guest. And you will speak to her with respect.” A stunned silence fell over the room. Candice’s face turned bright red—part embarrassment, part fury. She clenched her fists, her nail
Kayla's POVI watched with a lump in my throat as Candice continued to stroke Alpha Adrian’s arm, her delicate fingers trailing up and down as if she had every right to touch him so intimately in front of everyone. My stomach twisted, and I had no idea why. It wasn’t jealousy—I had no reason to feel that way. But something about the way she clung to him like he was hers made my skin crawl.Candice batted her lashes at him even more. “So… does this mean I’m no longer banned from the boutique?” Her voice was sultry, dripping with fake sweetness. She tilted her head, pressing herself subtly against his side.I expected Adrian to give in, to let this go like most men would when a beautiful woman pouted at them. But instead, he shocked everyone.“No,” Adrian said firmly. “You’re still banned. You must be punished for lying about my guest.”Candice stiffened, her expression twisting from seductive to furious in an instant. Her nails dug into his sleeve before she yanked her hand back like
Kayla’s POV Darkness surrounded me, pulling me under like an deadly sea. But faint voices echoed in the distance, breaking through the void. “Kayla! Stay with me, damn it!” That voice. Deep, rough with panic. Alpha Adrian. I felt my body being lifted, strong arms holding me tightly. My head lolled against a firm chest as the sound of hurried footsteps and frantic voices filled the air. “She passed out from pain—get out of my way!” Adrian snarled. “Alpha—” “I don’t want one doctor—I want two! I want the best medical team working on her immediately,” he barked. “I don’t care what it takes. She needs the best treatment possible.” The desperation in his voice sent a dull ache through my chest. The best treatment. A cruel memory suddenly resurfaced—one I had buried deep inside. “Doctor, treat Mia first,” Xavier’s cold voice had rung through the hospital room. “She’s carrying my child.” I had been lying on the hospital bed, barely conscious, blood soaking through my gown. My bod
Kayla’s POVThe hospital air smelled sterile, the walls too white, the bedsheets too stiff. I should have been relieved to be leaving, but instead, my body felt heavier than it had ever been.The moment I stepped outside the hospital doors, the warm afternoon breeze touched my skin, but even that couldn’t lift the weight pressing down on my chest.Then I saw him.Alpha Adrian stood by a sleek black SUV, his sharp golden eyes locked onto me the second I appeared. He wasn’t just here to send someone to pick me up—he had come himself.He was leaning against the car, arms crossed, but as soon as he saw me, he straightened and strode forward. Without a word, he carefully lifted me into his arms.“Adrian, I can walk,” I muttered, my voice weak.“You don’t have to,” he said simply, carrying me as if I weighed nothing.I was too tired to argue.He gently placed me in the passenger seat, buckled my seatbelt himself, and only after making sure I was comfortable did he walk around to the driver’
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