KNIGHT
Kailin’s voice came through the link. I shut her off, but I knew her. She was stubborn and persistent.
A moment later, a loud bang knocked on my door. She had a key to my house, and so did her twin.
“Knight, I know you’re in there. Get the hell out. I need to talk to you.”
I shook my head and wrapped the towel around my waist. I put boxers on before I went to the door.
“What the hell, Knight?” Her face flushed with anger, eyes narrowing at me.
“Be careful, Kailin.” It was a simple warning, but she received the message instantly.
She scoffed, rolling her eyes at me. “Of course. You’re using the alpha tone on me.”
“Why are you here? I’ve wasted enough time today.” I went to my walk-in closet and picked up a new shirt and a pair of jeans.
“Why did you suddenly leave? I wanted to introduce you to my best friend?”
“It can wait. I have important matters at hand.”
“Of course. You don’t have time for me but for your business and whores.”
Growling, I went to her. “Watch your tone, Kailin.”
“I know everyone is depending on you. You’re a good alpha, but you need to slow down. Running a business and a pack is not a sprint. You need to pace yourself. Why are you so grumpy anyway?” She followed me out of my room towards my kitchen. “What’s going on?”
“The twins.”
“It’s not new. What did they do this time?”
“Travis and the bikers beat them. Tell Mac to send some wine to Cadogan. I don’t want troubles with them.” I grabbed a bottle of water.
“Noted.” Kailin took some loaves of bread and cold cuts to make me a sandwich. “Make sure to be at the pack house at dinner?”
“I’ll try.” My answer got a glare from her.
“What’s wrong with you? It’s a common courtesy to show up and welcome a guest, Knight, as an alpha, the boss, and the owner of these vineyards. Of all people, you know that. I want you to meet Nirvana.”
“Nirvana.” Her name rolled on my tongue.
“Yeah. My classmate. I shared an apartment with her, remember?”
I shook my head. I didn’t pay much attention to the people around her because I knew McKaye kept an eye on his sister.
“You’re such a jerk. She lives in New York. Her grandpa owns a restaurant, and she plans on helping him once she gets back, so I only have a week with her. And before you ask, she just broke up with her boyfriend.”
A boyfriend. My wolf, being an ass he was, he growled.
“Why does it matter?”
“She just called you a hot biker dude.” She smiled before placing a sandwich on the plate and gave it to me. She made one for herself, too.
My heartbeat spiked— a sign that I should stay away from her as far as possible.
“I don’t give a shit. I will be there and say hi because I’m doing it for you.” I took a bite of the sandwich. Her gaze was still burning into me.
“Well, I do. I want you to be nice. She’s human, so don’t show up grumpy.”
“I know the drill. You don’t have to remind me.”
“Oh, I have to. Because sometimes, you forget you’re human, too, and know decorum. Sometimes you act like an alien, Knight Orion.”
“Just eat and leave. I have work to do.”
“Jeez. Just work, work, work.” She began eating her sandwich. “I’m sure Mac has already informed everyone that we have a human guest. They can’t just shift around and walk naked.”
“Yeah. I don’t wanna repeat what happened to Carter.” Carter Wade was the deputy sheriff in town who witnessed one of my pack members shift. It was difficult for him, but he kept our secrets secret, and I was grateful.
“Anyway, I informed Vana beforehand that you don’t do relationships.”
I met her in the eye and glared. “What do you hope to achieve, Kailin?”
“She may have a crush on you, but she’s off limits. You can’t swing your dick on my best friend. Do you understand me?” She poked her finger at my chest.
“I don’t like your friend. She’s not my type. And you don’t have to tell me. I won’t sleep with my sister’s best friend.” Lie and lie and more lies.
“Good.” She grinned and wrapped her arms around me. “That’s why you’re my favorite cousin.”
“Lucky me.” I scoffed. “You only have one cousin, brat.”
“See you then.” She looked at my face as if inspecting me. “Maybe you should shave or trim.”
“No.”
“Up to you, biker boy.”
“Get out of my house and stroll around with your pretty little human best friend. You have the entire vineyards at your disposal.”
“I got to go and see my beautiful best friend.” She finally walked away, swaying to piss me off. “I think I should set her up with Kaleb.”
Fuck.
NIRVANA “I look ridiculous.” I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. I chose the square softline neck black midi dress since I didn’t have many to choose from. Kailin offered her closet to me, but I bothered her enough. “Yeah. You look ridiculously hot.” So was she, in her velvet teal midi dress. Kailin had an athletic body. She preferred going to the gym and heavy lifting to my Pilates. “So, you’re not dating anyone?” “I told you. My family is traditional when it comes to marriage. So why bother dating if I can’t be with him forever.” “You dated in college.” I recoated my lips and pressed them together. “Because I was bored, and I needed dicks.” That cracked me up. “Really? So these bunch of dicks are off limits?” “Lower your voice. They can hear you,” she whispered but still smiling. “Noted. They have superpowers.” I snorted and picked up my phone to check some messages. I got one from Grandpa but nothing from Axell. What was I expecting? We were over. I was not even sur
NIRVANA Knight Blackwell was only in a formal white shirt, sleeves rolled over his elbows, showing off those huge muscles and veins. He matched it with dark pants but clearly knew he could pull it off effortlessly. He was massive and taller up-closed, and he looked unbelievably attractive, not to mention his neat quiff cinnamon brown hair, full lips, straight nose, and the dark stubble covering his hard jawline made him look like he was ready to seal the billion-dollar deal for tonight. I couldn’t call myself petite with my height of five foot and seven inches, but he made me look dainty before him. “Nirvana.” His expressive green eyes met mine. His voice was pleasing with a husky rumble that he didn’t want anyone to hear. He somehow didn’t look pissed off than this morning, but he wasn’t happy either. A gasp escaped from my throat. My cheeks burned, realizing he was already standing before me. He was close enough that I could see the flecks of light green in his dark forest-gree
KNIGHT Nirvana was fucking gorgeous, it should be a crime, and she wasn’t even aware how beautiful she was that she caught everyone’s attention. These guys had been warned beforehand to behave— this meant she was off-limits as Kailin’s best friend. Despite only seeing her once, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. She had already become my distraction. And her name alone was like a nirvana to me, and I wouldn’t allow it to happen tonight. The dinner went well despite the constant glaring coming from Kailin, warning me to be polite to her guest. I quickly left the dining room while McKaye and Kaleb showed the Blackwell wines to Nirvana. “Where do you think you’re going?” Kailin followed me out. “To my office.” “You’re lying. You’re leaving.” She sounded disappointed. I stopped and faced her, sighing. “I did my promise, Kailin. I showed up and introduced myself to Nirvana. I can’t stay here. I have tons of paperwork—” “Boring,” she sang with an eye-roll. “You can show her ar
NIRVANA What a jerk! Prick. Prick. Prick. I felt rejected. A sliver of pain pierced my chest. Disappointment seeped through within me. I didn’t know this guy, but his words hit different coming from him— they sliced right into my heart. And it felt like I’d known him for a long time, that he meant what he said. When Axell broke up with me, it didn’t hurt like this. What was with this man that caused me such agony? He was gone for a few minutes. His footsteps faded in the hallway, but his expensive taste of cologne still lingered in my head. When he knocked on my door, I was expecting an invitation, maybe a walk in the vineyards under the moonlight. Obviously, I was way over my head. But something must have happened after he left the dining room. I saw the rage in his eyes and the clenching of his jaw. Whatever enraged him that had twisted his boxers— if he wore one, had nothing to do with me. Maybe he just hated me. Perhaps he was just an ass. Whatever. I picked up my
NIRVANA “Anyone there?” I bent over to see who was on the other side but saw no one. Until a giant brown wolf appeared that almost gave me a heart attack. With my breathing stuck in my lungs, my heart pounded so hard, and my feet seemed rooted to the ground. My gaze was still glued to the wolf, and I had no idea there were wolves around here. And then the cracking sound of something broken pierced my ears— it sounded like bones crunching and excruciating. Goosebumps erupted all over my skin. Shocked, my eyes bulged out, but I couldn’t manage to blink or breathe until my lungs almost exploded and my chest began to heave. The wolf deformed before my very eyes. The bones cracked, and from the four-legged animal, it turned into a two-legged naked human in just mere seconds. It was not real. I was just dreaming, or the shadow was playing tricks with me. This was impossible. “Oh, no, no.” Shivering, I stepped back with my shaky knees and immediately crashed into something h
KNIGHT Shit. Things went out of hand quickly. She had just seen Gage shift, and she was terrified. Who wouldn’t be? She was human and only aware of our existence in fantasy, fiction books, and movies, and our representation was a terrifying beast that ripped human parts apart. And I pissed her off. It was better that way. She was away from our dark and dangerous world. She was better off out of my life. The longer she stayed at the vineyards, the harder it was to stay away from her. The pull was so strong it drove me crazy in just a little time I sat with her. She better hate me than drag her into my world. I dialed Alpha Califf, one of my allies. He had one of the biggest packs in the world, a witch coven, and the Lycan Alpha King at his disposal. “Knight, how’s life?” Califf found his mate, a lycan princess, Shadow Hawks, and they were stronger and fought enemies together. If I was being honest, I envied him that he had a stronger mate. Shadow was also a half-witch gif
KNIGHT “Yes.” I nodded glumly. “She’s better off without me. She’s—” “Human? Yeah. And the intoxicating mating pull was nothing I’d ever felt before. It was so strong I couldn’t control it, and it started to drive me insane.” “Poor thing. I won’t help you, Knight. You’re being selfish. Werewolves and Lycans can have human mates. It works just fine.” “Really?” I met her gaze. “What’s the lifespan of a human? She grows old, and I barely age. I can’t go through that. When my father died, my mother took her own life. And they were both werewolves and were strong, but my mother couldn’t handle losing her mate. She couldn’t handle the pain.” Every time I thought of having a mate, I saw my mother’s lifeless body in her bed as she took poison to end her life. “Is that why you don’t want a mate?” “Yes. We will both suffer in the end. Considering how weak humans are.” “You’re wrong. When Shadow lost her wolf and her ability, she did everything to fight against Aciano. She may not have wh
NIRVANA I felt so cold, my chin trembling. I was in my pajamas, barefooted, and walking in the woods alone in the dark. I couldn’t remember how I ended up in this place, but I had a feeling I was lost. I wrapped my arms around my body when chilly air seeped through my bones. My body shivered, and my breath steamed as I mindlessly walked through the dirt path. Then, a big gray wolf appeared before me. I stood frozen. My heart hammered as its dark eyes narrowed, and the rings around the irises glowed golden as if it just found its prey. I’d never seen a wolf so big before, taller, more robust, standing with pride, its fur shining against the darkest night. The wolf prowled, growling, exposing its long, sharp, white fangs. “Don’t hurt me!” I jolted up in bed from a dead sleep, drenched with sweat, still catching my breath. My heart pumped so hard in my chest till it was so uncomfortable. And my dream felt so real. “Oh, thank God.” I wiped off the beads of sweat all over my for