LILA
My eyes slam shut, legs trembling like a fucking leaf. Hell, not just my legs-my whole damn body is shaking from his touch. Fuck, I hate this. I hate him. But my body? My fucking traitorous body is begging for more. More of his goddamn torture. I'm supposed to loathe him, despise his very existence, yet here I am, my body swapping every ounce of hate with lust. Pure, filthy, fucked-up lust. Fuck this! I press my thighs together tight, but I can still feel him. His fingers, right there, teasing my pussy like he owns it. "You like this, don't you?" His voice is all rough and dirty, dripping with that cocky-ass smirk. I don't even need to open my eyes to know he's grinning like the asshole he is. His fingers? Still playing with my nipples like they're his fucking personal playthings. I gulp, trying to speak, but fuck, my voice is gone. Stolen. Maybe I don't even want to say shit. "Say it!" He snaps, and then, pinch. My nipple screams, and I scream with it. "Fuck! Arghhh!" The sound rips out of me, part pain, part pleasure, all of it wrapped in his fucked-up games. "I want words, you little hornet." His fingers tighten, sending another wave of that electrifying pain through me. I gasp, my body jerking. Hell, I should be begging him to stop. But deep down? Fuck, I want him to keep going. "Yes, Alpha Rafael," I whisper, barely able to hold onto any shred of control. My voice? It's trembling like I'm seconds from breaking. He fucking laughs, like this is all a big joke to him. "You're not supposed to enjoy this, hornet." His hand clamps around my neck, hard and rough, squeezing just enough to remind me who the hell's in charge here. "You're supposed to suffer, just like I did. Feel every ounce of hurt. Every bit of the fucking pain I went through." His voice is a growl now, and he leans in close, his breath hot and threatening. "You're supposed to feel the same fucking agony." The room is dead silent. Wedding night? Yeah, they said it's supposed to be special, something to remember. Well, guess what? This one's unforgettable, alright. I'm being punished for some bullshit crime I didn't commit, and he's making damn sure I don't forget it. I press myself against the wall, gasping for air, my chest heaving, struggling to fucking breathe. "Lila, beg!" Lola's voice rings in my head. "Please..." I manage to choke out, my eyes locking with his, pleading. Fuck, I don't even know what I'm begging for anymore. For him to fuck me? To end this torture? I'm not even sure. All I know is, I need something. Anything. That smug fucking grin stretches across his face. He looks at me like I'm the prize he's been waiting to claim. Like he's finally fucking won. And maybe I am. Maybe he has. His eyes mock me, remind me that I'm his toy. His plaything. His to do with as he pleases. My breath catches, and for a second, pride flares inside me. I want to slap that fucking grin off his face. I want to tell him I'll never bow to him, that he'll never fucking own me. But how the fuck do I say that when my pussy's soaking wet for him? When every touch sends shivers through me, begging for more? He lets go of my neck, and his eyes roam over me, slow and predatory, like I'm his damn meal. And I am. I fucking am. Goddess help me. Without a word, he lifts me like I weigh nothing and tosses me onto the bed. "Spread your fucking legs, hornet." My heart damn near stops. Is he really gonna fuck me? My body's trembling, every nerve on fire at the thought of him inside me, fucking me into oblivion. His eyes? Dark as night and twice as dangerous, never leaving mine. His presence looms over me like he's the fucking king of the world, and I'm just his obedient little slut, laid out before him. No softness, no care-just raw, brutal dominance. Slowly, almost against my will, I part my legs. My body's betraying me, desperate for the release he's holding back. But shit, I'm scared too. Terrified of what's coming. I hate him. I hate every inch of him. But goddamn it, I want him too. "Good girl." His voice drips with satisfaction, low and dangerous, as his eyes drink me in. He kneels between my thighs, gripping my hips so hard I swear he's leaving bruises. His touch is possessive, claiming me like I'm his property. His eyes lock onto mine as he lowers his head, his breath hot against my skin, teasing, making me squirm. "Tell me what you fucking want, hornet." A soft moan slips from my lips, my body arching into his touch. Fuck, is this what torture feels like? "I... I want you, Alpha Rafael," I stutter, shame flooding me as I meet his gaze, my voice barely a whisper. He laughs again, a cruel, mocking sound that makes my blood boil. "You think I'm gonna fuck you?" His words are a slap in the face, reminding me that I'm not getting what I want. "Only good girls get fucked, you little slut. You'll beg for it, but you're not getting shit from me. Not now. Not like this." His eyes flash with hatred. "This is about teaching you a lesson. A reminder of the monster your bitch of a mother created." I want to shove him off, tell him to go to hell, but before I can move, his fingers slide between my legs, brushing against my aching, soaked pussy. I gasp, my back arching off the bed, my body desperate for more, but fuck, it's never enough. His fingers plunge into me, rough and relentless, and I fucking roar. I can feel my orgasm building, fast and unstoppable, like a fucking tidal wave. I'm so close. So fucking close. But right when I'm about to shatter, when I'm about to explode, he pulls away. "You don't fucking deserve to cum for me, hornet," he growls, his eyes cold, heartless, as he watches me, shaking and breathless beneath him. And fuck, I hate him. I hate him so fucking much.RAFAELThe Moon Goddess knows there's no way to explain how I feel right now. It's rage... pure rage, mixed with confusion and disbelief. It's frustrating. The kind of betrayal you don't expect from someone you love, someone you were willing to stand by no matter what. Someone you trusted.She stabbed me right in the chest, like it meant nothing. No hesitation.Hiding a seven-year-old boy from me?My son?I still can't believe it. I didn't grow up with a loving father. He wasn't there.But I swore to myself, when I had a child, I'd do better. I'd be better. I'd show up. I'd give my kid the life I never had.But instead, I missed everything. His first cry. His first steps. His first words.I missed every damn milestone. His growth. His struggles. His victories. His report cards.All gone. Stolen from me.And now I'm here wondering what he must think of me.Some deadbeat? A stranger? A psychopath?This is so messed up. Over and over again, I keep thinking, what if he doesn't even know I
NICKLAUSHearing from Lila that Derrick was Rafael's son had me stunned. I mean... Rafael told me himself that he knew the child was his, that he recognized him. But the fact that she manipulated him into believing otherwise? Damn. And I still can't get that scene out of my head, Ava putting on a whole performance, threatening Rafael with emotional damage and a stack of lawsuits. She's such a damn actress and deserves to be awarded an Oscar.I've never seen Rafael that angry, that agitated... like he could burn the whole world down. The moment he mind-linked me, told me to bring my car, I knew something was wrong. I could feel it in his voice.And listening to Lila explain everything... who am I to judge? I've come to realize she's nothing like Linda. She might be her daughter, but she doesn't deserve even a sliver of the pain. And Rafael? I know he wants to make things right. I had completely lost it when Lila told me Ava had been kidnapped too. Knox let out a loud, feral growl.I s
AVAMy head is heavy, feels like I have a third world war dancing in there. My eyelids are heavy, barely lifting. And when they do... I don't recognize this place."Where am I?"Flashes. Flash by flash. I remember getting a call from Derrick's school... and Jared drugging me.Oh fuck!Nicklaus warned me. But of course, I wanted to play the tough girl... Oh damn it!I'm not tied, surprisingly. I stumble to the door, the same one that had me chained in, and of course, it's locked."Where the fuck am I?" I yell, hoping someone, anyone hears me.The door suddenly swings open, and Jared walks in, he has no shirt on. And fuck all those times I used to drool over him.Now? All I see is a man so evil. A man so vile.But one thing I still don't get, what does he want from Derrick and me?"What do you want, Jared? Or is your name even Jared? I mean, a real mob hides under a façade."I'm staring at him, arms folded across my chest, chin high.I know exactly what's going through his head, he thin
LILAMy heart is pounding heavily. Thump. Thump. Thump. Derrick is missing... That's the one word that keeps replaying in my head. The one word that's enough to make my heart accelerate this fast.What has happened? How?"This is what we get finally for neglecting our pup. This is karma punishing us," Lola whined painfully.Rafael and Nicklaus stepped out to talk for a bit. My instincts tell me it's something related to the curse eating me... I had been nervous waiting for him to come back, but right now... that's my least concern.I'm more concerned about the fact that my son-our son, Rafael and I's-is missing.How did it happen? I barely have an enemy to pin this on. Ava wasn't the type to go around creating one either. Instead, if there's anyone she had told me had been more of a stalker, it was Nicklaus. And Nicklaus knows better than to kidnap Derrick and use him against Ava.I'm not thinking as I slide into a casual gown... grabbing Rafael's car key that was on the vanity table,
AVA"You've got such a hot body, I could kill to get you," Jared breathes, his words fanning over my nose as he tugs me closer like I'm some trophy he just scored.I chuckle low, cocking my head. "What? Like you bribed Mr. Brown just to get me off work today?" I ask, voice soaked in sarcasm. "You really pulled strings with the almighty Mr. Brown... just for a few hours of me?"He grins, completely unapologetic. "Ugh, don't act so shocked. At least now I've got you to myself, alone, before Derrick gets out of school and ruins everything."I snort, pulling back slightly. "Oh please. He's seven. You're a grown-ass man acting like you're competing with a kid for my attention.""I am competing." He groans dramatically. "That boy has you wrapped around his finger 24/7.""As he should," I say with a smirk. "He's my son. You? You had to buy me a day off just to play boyfriend."Jared sighs, flopping onto the couch like a man who just lost a war. "Can't believe I'm jealous of a second grader."
LILAI'm going to die. Die. Three words, short, and cruel. But powerful enough to drown me in dread.Turns out my mom was protecting me all along... even if her version of protection meant breaking Rafael piece by piece. Even if her love wore the face of the villain.It doesn't justify anything. But she loved me, i know that. I was all she had left after he died. All she clung to after Theo left the face of this world.I was young. Naive. Loud-mouthed. But even then, I could see her pain. The way she cried quietly at night. The way she never let me see her fall apart in the daylight.She raised me like a soldier, sent me to the best academies, made sure I could fight, survive, win.Only for all of it to shatter... the moment Rafael knocked on our door.Now, I'm trying to piece together two truths: That she hurt the man I love.And she did it to save me.If the curse consumes me, if my love for Rafael isn't strong enough to fight it, there's a ninety-five percent chance I'll die.What