MIKHAILRosanne's scent still lingered on my skin. I could taste her on my tongue, feel the heat of her skin pressed against my lips. And yet, I walked away.Not because I wanted to.Because she asked me to.Because her voice trembled when she whispered, "Just go, Mikhail."I clenched my jaw, walking down the dim hallway, trying to focus on the sound of my footsteps instead of the chaos in my mind. I shouldn’t have touched her. I knew I shouldn’t have, but when she looked at me like she was broken, I couldn’t stop myself.I never fucking can.God, what was wrong with me?She hates me. And still, she moans my name like it’s a goddamn prayer.A sick part of me craved that hate. Like if she hated me enough, maybe I could stop wanting her so badly. Maybe I could stop thinking about what it’d feel like to make her mine again. A low growl rumbled from my chest. I dragged a hand through my hair and leaned against the cold wall. I needed air. I needed control. I needed her.And I couldn’t ha
ROSANNEI couldn't believe what I'd heard last night—Landon's departure from the pack to human territory. He was gone, he didn't say goodbye, and god, I couldn't explain what I felt. Anger, pain, rage? It felt suffocating to accept the fact that I was all alone again. I was all alone with Mikhail again. “Ross.“ Mikhail's familiar voice settled in my ears as he sat right next to me, his broad shoulders brushing mine. “You know, last night—”“We..we shouldn't talk about last night.“ I whispered, sitting upright. I wasn't really expecting him to join me here. Due to the preparation for Selene's wedding, I thought he'd be busy and extremely occupied. He slowly turned to face me, his lips pressed together tightly. “You hate me, don't you?“ “I don't.“ He chuckled, his palm resting on his thigh. “You look like you were forced to say that. I can tell with a single glance how much you hate me.“ “Then, do you know why I hate you?“ I shouldn't have said the word, but I couldn't help it. For
MIKHAIL“I want my wedding to be the most talked about wedding in the whole world.“ Selene's tiny mischievous voice echoed in my ears as I tried to paint the gloomy sky. She kept whispering in my ears, messing up my paint, whining about how large she wanted her wedding to be.And a decade later, today, as I watched her walk down the aisle, I couldn't help the proud smile that bloomed on my lips. She did it, eventually. It wasn't going to the largest wedding, but it'd definitely be the most talked about. Alpha Zayne was sitting next to me. He sniffed, wiping his tears slowly. “isn't my daughter so beautiful?“ He asked, his eyes never trailing away from the bride clad in a white flowing gown. Then I saw her—Rosanne, standing a few meters away from Selene. She wasn't the bridesmaid, I didn't know why she was standing there, but she looked goddamned beautiful, I couldn't tear my gaze away from her.Her raven black hair was in a bun, with a few strands framing her heart shaped face. Her
ROSANNE It was Selene's wedding, and trust me, she was the most beautiful bride I'd ever seen. I'd always loved blending with the crowd, but Selene made me stand and watch as she walked down the aisle. Strangely, even as I stared at Selene, I felt Mikhail's intense gaze on me. It made me so uncomfortable, I badly wanted to leave the wedding. As soon as the wedding came to an end, I went straight to my room to pack up my bags, and suddenly, Mikhail barged in, looking like he'd just heard the most pathetic news of his whole life. “Rosanne, we need to go now.“ I nodded, pressing my lips together, “I'm packing up my bags. I thought we'd be leaving tomorrow.“ I glanced up to stare at him, watching as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He was pissed. “We're leaving now.“ “Okay.“ I whispered, and didn't bother to argue because it was of no use. Selene told me a little about Mikhail when he was younger, and he was still the same way. Domineering, controlling, dark, manipulative. I was
ROSANNEWhatever Irene did, it worked, because the next day after that dinner, the whole pack began to spite me. As I walked across the hallway towards the training field, a particular maid eyed me like I was some piece of shit, irritation tugging at her brows. “She's the breeder trying to take the Luna's space. I can't believe the Alpha lashed out on her for his breeder when their wedding was in a day.“ “She enjoys wrecking marriages, can't you see?“ “Only sluts become breeders, you should know that. She's starting to show us who she truly is, a pathetic bitch desperately clinging to Alpha Mikhail for attention. A whore.“ I sank my nails into my flesh, ignoring their whispers which were clearly loud enough for me to hear. It was intentional, but I was in no mood to interfere. Irene caused this, it'd be her pleasure to get a reaction from me, but I wasn't going to give her that. Mikhail had stopped locking me in. Maybe he was changing, but I couldn't really trust him, not when my
MIKHAIL“Do you understand the gravity of what you're doing, Irene?“ “If you think I'm lying to your breeder, I have a witness, and she's right here.“ Irene spat, opening the door to allow a maid in. Irene pointed at her. “She said she saw Rosanne sneaking into my room to steal the jewellery. Your breeder deserves to be punished.“ I pinched the bridge of my nose. The wedding—our wedding—was tomorrow, and all Irene could think about was making Rosanne a thief? Why on earth would Rosanne steal some gem when I already gave her the whole world? I leaned my back against a large chair, tapping my fingers on the desk before me. “Rosanne has no reason to steal.“ An elder cleared his throat. He bowed slowly, pinning me with his gaze. “I'm afraid you can't judge your breeder based on the time you've spent with her, My king.“ My brows shot up. “Are you trying to say I'm incapable of understanding someone?“ I sat upright, my lips curling into a small smirk, “you must think you have the right
ROSANNE I knew Mikhail cared about me in a way, I just didn't expect him to completely humiliate Irene because of me. He was pushing me into the light, couldn't he see that? Irene would find a way around this, blame me in the end, and the maids would only whisper on how I'd manipulated the Lycan king. I was grateful to him for saving my life, yes, but doing this in a grand way was like putting me at gun point. Right now, Irene couldn't answer Mikhail's last question. She was completely embarrassed, her cheeks red as her hands grazed the sides of her dress. She finally raised her head, her lips curling into a faint smile. “Are you accusing your soon to be Luna for her? You think I'd frame something so worthless?“ “The…the Luna is right.“ An elder pointed out, his voice laced with a hint of fear—perhaps from speaking against Mikhail. “The video might have been tampered with. Your breeder must have edited the footage or something.“ Irene smirked. They weren't ready to listen if I
MIKHAILIn my whole life, I'd never felt so helpless and incapable. I wasn't one to easily feel pity, or take back my actions in a moment of desperation, but right after passing my judgement, I badly felt the urge to. Rosanne kept shaking her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to charge towards me, but some of my guards held her down. The scene was too hurtful for me to watch. Rosanne nearly went insane as Anita was dragged away. Trust me, passing that judgement on Anita wasn't easy, but I had to—to save Rosanne. The elders weren't going to rest until someone took the blame for Irene's missing gem. It was probably a ploy to get her out of the way, but Anita had to give her life down for Rosanne. Anita saved Rosanne's life with hers. After the whole meeting in the courtroom, I made my way towards Rosanne's room to check on her. Pushing the door open, I found her clutching a white pillow to her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks as she kept shaking her head. As
ANITAA year had passed, but the journey was unending. Watching Rosanne grow into the woman she was now filled me with pride. Gone was the scared girl, who lived a manipulated life, but standing now, strong with a fierce aura surrounding her was a different person; grown, better and most importantly a mother.Watching her with her kids filled me with longing. Axel and I have barely talked about our future, we were mates, but the constant running and fighting hadn’t given us a chance to decide our path.The door creaked open, the room was instantly filled with the strong smell of cedar wood, “How was the meeting?” I asked.Axel sighed, tired lines forming on his forehead, he wouldn’t say it, but he was stressed. Teaching the warriors how to fight, and being Rosanne’s guard. It was taking a toll on him. But I knew Axel, he enjoyed every moment of it.“Reading through files of people is a kind of torture I never knew existed,” he mumbled, his lips brushing against my neck as he spoke.My
HUDSON“Don’t touch me!” Jade screamed, her eyes shut as she cried.It has been like this, constant nightmares right from the first night I had brought her here. I had made the mistake of rushing to her the first time, trying to hold her back from harming herself, but the minute she felt my touch, her screams became louder, her claws drawn as she fought to free herself from my hold.The truth had cut deeper than the whipping I had received— I was her terror, the one thing she feared more than death.My wolf was restlessly, howling in pain as we watched our mate scream, unable to reach out to her to hold her. Be her protector. The one thing we had been designed to do, and we had failed.“I can’t,” I rasped, my chest tightening as I stared at the scene before me.“You can’t leave, she needs you,” Blair said, her voice filled with pity as she stared at Jade.It was nice, their blossoming friendship made me feel somewhat fine. She wasn’t alone, she had Blair, the quirky witch.“How is my
MIKHAILIt’s been a year and ten months, the world had spun through moons and suns, but still there was no sign of Rosanne. The bitter taste of defeat cloaked me, no one knew a thing. It was like she had vanished.The tail had gone cold, colder than the lonely path to Hades. Knox screamed louder, his pleas echoing through the walls, “I have told you everything that I know, please,” he cried, his voice muffled from how swollen his lips were.“Tell me again!” I snarled, the silver blade cutting through his back.This was the pattern. Torturing Knox until he was at the brink of death, and just before he crosses over, I stop; giving him the best medical help he can ever have.“Lycan King,” a guard called out, his eyes fixed to the ground as he avoided my gaze.“What!” I barked out.I had one rule, no one interrupted my section with Knox, if the kingdom was burning, and they were to keep it standing till I came out.“His heartbeat is dropping,” he said, his tone quivering.I growled, Kno
ROSANNEONE YEAR LATERThe fresh smell of pines and citrus danced in the cold morning breeze. The sweet melody of birds singing in the trees echoed around.Gone was the burning smell of wood and blood; everything smelled fresher— warmer. “Morning, Alpha Rosanne,” some kids greeted, running through the cornfield, obviously playing a game.Alpha Rosanne. The name that had stopped sounding after a few months. It had been tough, leading a group of broken souls, all lost but hopeful. It wasn’t an easy road, there were moments of breakdowns, fights, and pain. But we had gotten stronger— a family.It had been tough, months spent in fear, wondering when Mikhail would show up. Breaking down the fences we had made, demanding for his breeder and heirs.Some months were dark, the constant battle with myself, breaking the invisible chains that had caged my mind.I doubted myself, spent nights crying, praying for the goddess to have mercy on us, keeping us safe from Mikhail.“I knew I would find
MIKHAILI stared at my phone, trying to decipher the text, Landon had sent, “Will be staying longer than expected, something came up,” The words made no sense, “Xavier, have you heard a word from Landon since he travelled to the human world?” I asked.“Xavier!” I growled, throwing a book in his direction.“Would it kill you to use your words?” he hissed, his hand rubbing the part the book had made contact with.“If you had paid attention, rather than stay fixated on that device, maybe you would have seen it coming,” I snapped.I was angry, not at him but at the way things had been in the past few days. Knox couldn’t be tortured until he had fully recovered, and until then I had to sit on my hands waiting for something— a sign to drop from the sky pointing to where Rosanne could be.“You need to get laid,” Xavier grumbled.I growled, the sound snapping him into shape, “You will lead the next war,” I threatened walking out of the room.I was lenient on him, letting him enjoy the privil
HUDSONThe silence never disturbed me, and neither did the angry glares that my men sent my way. Killing one of our own was abominable, a law I would happily break a thousand times over.My eyes flickered to the enchantress in my arms, a soft smile coiled across my lips as I watched her furrow her face deeper into my body.The action filled with me with a fussy feeling, I was excited, and even though she was passed out in my arms, I liked it. It calmed my wolf and took away the rage I had felt earlier.And in that minute it dawned on me, that I was weak, a broken soul, waiting for her to fix me. Change me. I wasn’t going to fight her—never! Not when she is everything that I have always longed for— prayed for.A gentle breeze blew, and my lungs exploded with her scent, reminding me of the colour that had been added to my grey world.My body tensed, we were just by our border. I would be reporting to Mikhail, and for the first time ever, I felt doubt.What was going to be his cause of a
HUDSONWolves circled her, their fangs bared as they tried to scare her.I had jumped down the minute after she did, but I was too late, my men had already had her cornered. They were toying with her, waiting for her to move, then they would attack, tear her piece by piece until she was nothing but bones, a reminder of who she was.“Stand down!” I barked, my wolf surging forward. But my words were on deaf ears, Mikhail’s order stood firm, commanding their will.Her green eyes met mine, and instantly I was filled with a new order—protect.I lunged, landing right in the middle, blocking her from their vicious eyes, “Stay behind me,” I growled.She nodded, her heart beating loudly in her chest, the sound reverberating through my body. Her touch was soft against my back, a buzzing feeling surrounded the spot where she touched.“No one harms her,” I sneered, my claws drawn.For her, I would go to the end of the world—killing the men I called my family if need be.“Get out of our way beta H
HUDSONBACK AT THE GOLDEN RISE PACK…“Kill!” the single command that broke through my control, snapping my beast, filling us with the thirst for blood.The sound of their screams excited me. I was carnage bathed in the blood of my enemies. This was absolutely my scene.The warrior beneath me shuddered, blood gushing out of his open stomach. I grinned, my claws digging deeper into him as I pulled out his intestines, enjoying the way his face contorted in pain before the life drained out of his eyes. My eyes glowed red, filled with malice, as I savoured my kill. “They couldn’t even defend their home,” I hissed, crossing over his body as I moved towards the door he had been protecting.I was on a mission, “No one lives!” Mikhail’s voice echoed through my mind, drowning me.Knox has been foolish to go after Mikhail’s breeder. His thirst for power had sentenced his people to death.I pushed the door open, ducking just in time as an arrow whizzed towards me, its tip aiming for my head.“Yo
ROSANNEWe moved in silence, each man understood the severity of our quietness. The darkness and the trees were perfect covers, hiding us from anything that might have been hovering around.Aiden cooed, his lips moving against my chest looking for my nipple. These were moments that I should be enjoying, smiling as I fed my children, but I couldn’t. We were here in a forest running from an unseen but scary danger. Trying to be alive. We were nomads. Lost souls wandering around without a place to call home.My eyes looked around the group of people that were with us, their faces stricken with pain and determination, all looking for a better life, a new hope.We all wanted the same thing, a place we could call home. A place we could believe in.The ground rumbled, the forest coming to life. Birds moved through the trees out of fright. And from the silence, a growl echoed, deep, primal, hurt.“Lycan king,” Axel muttered, his eyes looking back to where we had come from.My heartbeat spiked