Jack's POV The room felt colder as his words sank in. "Then who are you talking about?" I asked in confusion. Adrianâs eyes suddenly darkened even more, but somehow still managed to flash a dangerous glint. "Tamara." Adrian finally said. "I was talking about Tamara." I stared at him, completely stunned and confused.What was he talking about?. "Youâre joking right?. Are you saying you want to go to war because of my fiance?" i gasped and Adrian frowned."Ex," He corrected. "She's your Ex fiancÃĐ.'"Whatever!" i snapped. "When you and I first got into this partnership, you told me it was supposed to be about revenge. You wanted Dante taken down for stealing Amanda from you, and you blamed him for your fatherâs death. That was the deal. Now you're suddenly saying it's because of Tamara?" I was completely confused. "Yes, you're right about all the reasons I told you, but thatâs how it started," he admitted, voice low. "I wanted Dante gone but I wasn't planning to go to war over those
Dante's POV As I waited in the suite with Tamara, I tried to keep the proud grin off my face. Despite everythingâthe accusations from the corrupt elders, the ridiculous summons to court trying to accuse Tamara of attempting to hurt my motherânothing could tear down the happiness I felt. Every time I looked at Tamara with my ring on her finger, it was like a shock of joy surged through me. She was mine. Not because she had to be, but because she wanted to be. Proposing to her had been the right decision. Iâd never felt this way, not even with Amanda. Iâd always thought Amanda was it for me, and when she disappeared, Iâd shut down, closed myself off to the idea of ever wanting anyone else. But Tamara had broken through, had shown me that it was possible to love againâand even stronger this time. I was hers, and she was mine, and no one could take that from us. Weâd been gettingâĶ well, creative, to say the least, in coping with the fact that we couldnât properly claim each other unt
Dante's POV That was all the permission my wolf needed. My hands roamed over her body, cupping her round ass, feeling the warmth of her skin, the softness under my fingertips. Her own hands traced down my chest, over my nipples, her touch sending a jolt through me. I kissed her harder, unable to hold back any longer, and felt her respond just as fervently.I backed her up against the wall, my hands slipping under the fabric of her dress as she wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer. Her clothed pussy pressed against my dick, making me growl with need."You feel so good baby girl" I moan as I begin to hump her, pressing my hips against her until she gasps in pleasure.The urgency in our movements made every touch, every kiss, feel more intense, more electric. I could feel her heart racing, matching my own, as we lost ourselves in each other.But just as we were both getting lost in the moment, she pulled back, her breath ragged, a teasing smile on her lips. âDante,â sh
Dante's POV "Ah, so I finally meet the woman responsible for all this trouble." My mother said in a very unimpressed tone and I immediately feel Tamara stiffen against me. As my mother stared at Tamara, her expression as hard as stone, I could feel Tamaraâs tension building beside me. I decided to quickly step in before things could get any more uncomfortable for her. âMother,â I began, moving closer to Tamara and resting my hand on her shoulder. âIâd like to introduce you to Luna Tamara.â I lifted my chin slightly, pride swelling in my chest. âSheâs the Luna of the Winter PackâĶand my fiancÃĐe, i know people have been telling you a lot of lies about her, but I wanted you to meet her yourself and realize that she's an amazing woman who would never raise a finger against you.â My motherâs eyes flickered with surprise, but she quickly masked it, her face as cool as ever. She looked Tamara up and down before fixing me with a pointed gaze. âYou're right son, Iâve heard rumors,â s
Dante's POV My mother suddenly turned to Reuben, her voice ice-cold. âReuben,â she said sharply, âthatâs enough. Stop behaving like a fucking child.â His jaw clenched, and I could see the frustration simmering beneath the surface, but he stayed silent. My mother turned to Tamara, her tone softer now. âI donât hold you responsible, Tamara. It was a warâĶand it was my son who started it.â Her words held a weight of sorrow that filled the room. âAnd your father wasnât directly responsible for his death, anyway.â I saw Tamara exhale, visibly relieved, her shoulders loosening. She met my motherâs gaze with a soft smile. âThank you,â she said quietly, genuine gratitude in her voice. My motherâs eyes drifted down to Tamaraâs hand, her gaze catching on the ring Iâd placed there. She reached for Tamaraâs hand, turning it slightly to admire the way the gem caught the light, sparkling with a deep, brilliant hue. âThis ring suits you, Tamara,â she murmured, studying the way it matched Tam
Danteâs Pov if she couldn't help us, what were we supposed to do now? I just stood there, grappling with the consequences and disappointment of what my mother had just said. I had really hoped she could find a way around the council, a way to protect Tamara without throwing her into the very fire she was meant to escape. But now I could see it in her faceâshe was bound by the councilâs rules as much as I was. Just as I was about to resign myself to this disappointment, my mother surprised me with a look that held a flash of hope. "Dante wait," she said as an idea formed in her mind . "There is still a way to save her, a way to make the elders submit to what you want them to do." My head snapped up as a spark of hope lit in my chest. "What are you saying?" Her gaze shifted to Tamara, standing silently at my side with worry and tension clear in her face. âThe investigation against Tamara is still ongoing,â my mother began carefully. âAnd if they find her guilty, the
Danteâs POV My motherâs expression hardened, and she raised an eyebrow. âAre you seriously saying that youâd try to keep your own brother out of the palace? The very home he grew up in?â I forced myself to keep my tone steady as I shook my head. âItâs not about that. Itâs about Tamaraâs safety. I donât trust Reuben around her.â âOh, come on, Dante,â Reuben scoffed with an annoying smirk tugging at his lips. âAfraid I might actually hurt your precious Luna? Thatâs flattering, really.â His tone was mocking, and he cast a knowing look at his girlfriend, who snickered beside him. I glared at him, ignoring his bait, and turned to my mother instead. âThis isnât about being paranoid. There are real risks here. Bringing Reuben back into the palace could endanger Tamara, heâs already tried to hurt her once, I donât plan to give him another fucking chance.â My motherâs face softened, but there was a trace of impatience. âDante, youâre both adults. I canât stand to see my sons fighting l
Tamaraâs POV As we stepped into the hotel lobby, I let out a long sigh. It felt almost like a crazy dream. Danteâs mother had accepted me!This was something Iâd been so so worried about. I knew how much her blessing meant to our plan and to Dante, and her approval was something I hadnât dared to hope for. But even though her acceptance made me feel relieved, there was still a dull disappointment gnawing at me.We had really hoped the former Luna would somehow be able to solidify our marriage, to give us the security we needed in the face of those psychotic elders and Reubenâs interference. Yet, she couldnâtâor perhaps wasnât ableâhelp. She had her very good reasons, I knew that , but that didnât make the disappointment any easier. I took one look at Danteâs tense face and kept my thoughts to myself. He was already visibly frustrated, and the last thing I wanted was to add to his burden.On the elevator ride up to our suite, I studied his profile. The clenched jaw, the way he kept
Kayla's POV After breakfast, I insisted on helping the staff with choresâcleaning 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 Iâd ever seen the Alpha in real life. I smiled and answered as vaguely as I could, not ready to explain the chaos Iâd 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 staffâElara, a tall woman with sharp gray eyes and a strong buildâapproached me. âYouâre quite the helper Miss Kayla,â she said, nodding with a basket on her hip. âI needed something to keep me busy,â I replied. She glanced around before adding, âYou know, Lady Anna swears youâve been here before.â
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 didnât 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 answersâor strengthâit was with her. Maybe I could even finish my training. Maybe I could finally understand why I wasâĶ this. Why I couldnât control my power or trust my
Kayla's POVI sat on the cold marble floor, clutching one of Adrianâs shirts to my chest, tears streaming down my face like a damn faucet I couldnât 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 didnât 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 Iâd broken last night.The bed smelled like him. The sheets, the pillows â all of it haunted me. His scent, his warmth... gone. Just like that.âHe was never going to choose you,â the necklace whispered in that low, silky voice that made my skin crawl. âMen like him choose women like Candice. Pretty, obedient. The kind that donât challenge them.ââShut up,â 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 didnât want the entire palace gossiping about how their great Alpha canât 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
Adrianâs 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 Kaylaâs 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. âYou 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?â He turned his head toward me, his expression hardening slightly. âI donât care anymore what Adrian thinks. Heâs never cared about what Iâve done, and he never will. Besides, I donât see the problem with talking to someone who actually listens to me.â I felt my heart twist in my chest. âI know youâre upset, Hector, but you promised meâeven before I stopped Adrian from banishing youâthat youâd stop w
Kayla's POV I couldnât get Xavierâs 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 wasnât going to let Xavierâs words, or my own jealousy, ruin everything. When I reached Hectorâs cell, I paused for a moment. The guards were standing nearby, looking bored as usual. They didnât 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. âWhere do you think youâre going?â he sneered. I blinked. âExcuse me?â âYou canât bring food to him,â the guard snapped, his tone rude and dismissive. I frowned. âActually, I can. And I will. Iâm Lady Kayla the Alphaâs fiancÃĐe, and Iâll 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 didnât reach my eyes. âOf course,â I muttered. âI didnât mean to interrupt.â Candice beamed at me, clearly in a much better mood than I was. âItâs good to see you again. Iâve really missed you,â 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.âWhat?â I asked, voice a little higher than I intended.Candice beamed. âAlot happened when you were aw