Tamara's POV I had never seen Dante this relaxed before, not in all the time I had known him. The private villa was tucked away on a secluded island. It was the perfect escape—a break from everything, from the pressure of his position as Alpha, from the chaos of his ex-mate, Amanda, and her mysterious return. I wanted to think that it was just him and me having a normal and peaceful life, the way it should be. But even here, surrounded by paradise, I couldn't shake the knowledge that something very wrong had entered our marriage. Dante was distracted from the first day of our honeymoon. We spent hours walking along the beach, exploring the island, and enjoying the peaceful surroundings. I should've been thrilled. But something lingered in the air between us, an unease I couldn’t ignore. We had dinner the first night on the balcony, overlooking the ocean as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the sky in hues of orange and pink. It should’ve been magical. “You look am
Tamara's POV As soon as we got back from our ruined honeymoon, the door burst open with a loud bang. Amanda stormed in with panic as she rushed to hug Dante tightly. The suddenness of it all threw me off balance. I felt my pulse quicken as I watched her fling herself into Dante's arms, her voice cracking as she cried. "Dante! Oh my gods, someone tried to kidnap the twins!" she gasped, clutching at him desperately. "I don’t know what happened, but they’re in danger! I think someone is after them!" I felt the air in the room shift, thickening with tension. My chest tightened as I stood up, my hands fidgeting in my lap. There was something about Amanda’s hysteria that felt off—like she was manipulating the situation. Dante immediately took her in his arms, his face hardening with concern. "Wait, calm down and tell me exactly What are you talking about. Who would try to hurt my kids?" His voice was rough, demanding answers. Amanda took a shaky breath, wiping her eyes. "I don’t kno
Tamara's POV It had been a week since the twins' scare, and Dante had barely looked at me. I tried to tell myself that it was because he was just being a protective father, but there was something more to it—something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He seemed distant, even more so than usual. And every time I caught him staring off into space, I felt this gnawing ache in my chest. Was it me? Was he regretting this—us? It was hard to deny the tension between us. The bond we had once shared felt fragile, like a thread stretched too thin. Dante had been avoiding me, and I had been walking on eggshells, unsure if I was making the right move or if I was simply overthinking it all. The only thing I knew for sure was that something needed to change. One night, as I sat in the study, the silence between us was deafening. Dante sat on the couch, his eyes glued to his phone, the same way he had been for hours. I could hear his breath, steady but distant. He wasn’t even looking at me, w
Tamara's POV I stood in front of the large mirror, my hands slowly smoothing down the fabric of the dark green dress that clung to my body. I had to look the part; this wasn’t a casual trip, not for someone like me. I was the Luna of the North, but I was also a daughter of the Winter Pack. It was time to return home and take what was mine. “Are you sure you want to go alone?” Violet’s voice came from the doorway, her expression somber, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. I turned to her, a lump forming in my throat. “I don’t have a choice, Vi. Jack and Kate are destroying everything, and I’m the only one who can fix it.” Violet stepped into the room and pulled me into a tight hug. “I know, but it hurts. You’re my best friend, and I can’t imagine being apart from you. I’ve always had you by my side. I know this is what you need to do, but I’m going to miss you so much.” I closed my eyes, letting out a shaky breath. “I’m going to miss you too, Violet. But you have Casper, and yo
As I stepped into the Winter Pack house, the weight of everything I’d been carrying seemed to crash down on me. The air was thick with the tension that always accompanied Jack and Kate, and yet, there was something different this time. Jack’s usual cold indifference, his usual arrogance, was replaced by something else—something almost... eager. It took me off guard. “Tamara,” Jack said, his voice warmer than I ever expected. He stepped forward, his arms slightly outstretched, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “It’s good to have you back.” I froze. The way he was acting—so… welcoming—completely threw me off balance. I didn’t know how to respond at first. The last time I saw him, he was barely able to look at me without contempt. But Kate, standing behind him, wasn’t as pleased. Her lips curled into a sneer, her cold eyes scanning me as though I was some kind of threat. “I don’t know why you’re so eager to be here, Tamara,” she said, her tone dripping with disdain. “Y
Tamara's POV I wandered through the packhouse, my footsteps heavy on the cold stone floor. The weight of everything that had happened, everything I had to do, pressed down on me, but as I walked past the rooms and halls, I started to see things differently. It was as if the Winter Pack, the pack that had once been my home, had changed in the months I’d been gone. There were new faces, more children, more life. It wasn’t the cold, sterile place I remembered; it had a warmth now, a sense of community. I stopped in front of the kitchen, watching as some of the pack members worked together to prepare the evening meal. The younger wolves were helping with the chores, and it struck me how calm everything felt, how coordinated it seemed. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of surprise. Jack had always been the type to keep the pack running under strict, harsh control, but now? It was different. The pack seemed well taken care of. Their needs were met, and they seemed content. It wasn’t the so
Tamara's POV It had been a few days since I returned to the Winter Pack, and Jack’s persistence was starting to wear on my nerves. He seemed to think that if he tried hard enough, I’d forget everything he’d done and fall back into his arms. But I wasn’t that naive anymore. I’d been burned by him before, and I wasn’t about to let him charm me again. I was walking through the packhouse when I saw him again, leaning against the wall just outside the training room, his eyes lighting up when he spotted me. I sighed inwardly, trying to keep my face neutral. "Tamara," Jack said, his voice soft and almost pleading. "We need to talk." I didn’t stop walking. "No, we really don’t," I muttered, my voice firm. "Please," he persisted, stepping into my path. "Just give me a chance to explain. I’m trying to be better. I want to make things right between us." I stopped, looking up at him, my eyes narrowing. "Jack, I’m married. To the most powerful alpha in the region." I stressed the last part,
Tamara's POV I had spent the better part of the day avoiding Jack, but no matter how hard I tried to ignore him, he kept showing up in the most unexpected places. It was as if he couldn’t leave me alone, couldn’t stop trying to make amends for something that had already torn us apart. I had been walking through the training grounds when I saw him again—standing by the fence, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his posture tense. "Tamara," he called softly as I walked past, his voice still carrying that familiar tone that I had once found comforting but now only stirred up painful feelings. "Please, just hear me out." I didn’t stop, but I did slow down, my feet dragging on the ground as I debated whether to face him or just keep walking. Part of me still wanted to shut him out. But another part—the part that couldn’t ignore the changes I had been seeing in him—told me to at least listen. I turned to face him. "What now, Jack?" I asked, keeping my voice even. "Haven’t
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
Kayla's POV I couldn’t get Xavier’s smug face out of my mind as I stormed down the hall. I needed to get away from him. From all of it. Adrian, Candice, Xavier... everything felt like it was crashing down. But I still had something to do. I walked briskly toward the holding cells, tray of food in my hands, trying to ignore the flutter of doubt and anger in my chest. I had come this far. I wasn’t going to let Xavier’s words, or my own jealousy, ruin everything. When I reached Hector’s cell, I paused for a moment. The guards were standing nearby, looking bored as usual. They didn’t even seem to notice me at first, so I took the chance to slip past them. But then one of them suddenly stepped in my path, a scowl forming on his face. “Where do you think you’re going?” he sneered. I blinked. “Excuse me?” “You can’t bring food to him,” the guard snapped, his tone rude and dismissive. I frowned. “Actually, I can. And I will. I’m Lady Kayla the Alpha’s fiancée, and I’ll bring food to
Kayla's POV My heart sank at Adrian's words. He didn't even want to talk to me this morning but he was here laughing his ass off and eating with Candice.I forced a smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes. “Of course,” I muttered. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Candice beamed at me, clearly in a much better mood than I was. “It’s good to see you again. I’ve really missed you,” she said, taking another bite of her food. I stood there, frozen, trying to ignore the bitterness that crept into my thoughts. Why was she so comfortable here? Why was she eating with him like they did this every day? And why had Adrian invited her to his office when he wouldn't even talk to me?Candice noticed the awkwardness and tried to bridge the tension. "Come sit with us! We have so much to catch up on, but we also have all the time in the world since I'm back living at the palace now!"That made me freeze.“What?” I asked, voice a little higher than I intended.Candice beamed. “Alot happened when you were aw