ROSANNEStanding before my round mirror became a daily habit.I'd stare at it and mock myself for being ridiculous, for aiming too high and daring to dream. I did the same today, but there was something different: the will to fight for my dream. ‘Pick up the broken shards and begin again. This isn't the end.’ Emerald's voice was loud and clear, but can I really do this? Alone? ‘You have me.’ Her reply warmed up my heart, but I was still conflicted, confused, bothered. Staring down at my flat tummy, I caressed it and felt the smooth skin beneath my palm. Sometimes, I wondered if Mikahli should be aware of my pregnancy. He married me to become his breeder, not a Luna. If he finds out about my pregnancy, I'd be nothing but a machine for kids. He'd fuck me into a mess until the whole pack house Is filled with pups. He doesn't have to find out about this. He wouldn't find out about it. A soft knock on my door pulled me from my reverie. I covered up my tummy with my blue pajamas and tu
MIKHAILMy breeder was quite full of surprises. It took me several nights to figure I didn't want her out of my sight just yet. She was mine to devour, mine to fuck, mine to enslave. Divorcing her meant signing an approval of her freedom—which was unlike me. Luna or not, she belonged to me. She was my property, my tool for pleasure. What made her different from other women was still a complicated puzzle I couldn't understand, but each time she moaned, my wolf—Lex—went berserk. She'd barged into my office in her blue wash jeans and white T-shirt. Determination swirled in her amber eyes like she was damn sure I'd sign those papers, but reality was a game I loved to role with. It hits you hard with a brutal blow. “Why did you shred the papers?” Her voice trembled as her eyes lingered on the papers on my desk. “You asked me to sign them. You asked for a divorce. You brought it up.” Her voice kept rising to a higher octave like she was gradually losing it. Losing her patience. “You….y
ROSANNEImmediately I got back to my room, I slammed the door hard and made a beeline for my bathroom. My stomach turned and twisted. My knees could barely hold my legs. I had no idea if it was due to the scent of the Quiche Lorraine which still assaulted my nostrils, or Mikhail's creepy threats. Either reason it was, my face was buried in the sink, the sound of me puking my guts out filling the air. I felt sick, cheated and used. Splashing some water on my face, I stared at the mirror and tried not to cry. I had clung unto the invisible wings of hope when I took those divorce papers to Mikhail's office. I had thought I'd finally get my freedom and my life back. The mere thought of being away from this suffocating pack made me giddy and excited, but Mikhail shattered that hope. He made my life miserable with every chance he got. I figured he was enjoying this. He made me soar high only for him to crumble my wings and burn them to ashes. Perhaps he never wanted to have a divorce,
MIKHAILThe last time I cried was twenty years ago. I lost my mother at a tender age. During her funeral, she was offered one of the prettiest spaces to be laid to rest, but I didn't want her out of my sight. She loved flowers. Butterflies. Gardens. To make sure she was happy in the underworld, I made a garden myself, filled it with her favorite flowers and asked her to be buried there. Over the years, I only allowed a particular maid to make sure the flowers were watered. I didn't want anyone else in there. But my breeder walked in there. I had seen her touching the flowers like she owned it. Ross smiled with her eyes closed and basked in the warmth of the sunlight. Unlike the rage I felt each time someone trespassed, I was amused, sucked in like a moth to a flame. Strangely, she reminded me of my mother. But I still had to punish her.I'd always have a reason to punish her. Irene kept staring at me, but I had more important things to do: teaching my prey the exact reason pe
ROSANNE His voice still haunted me. The way he touched me, oh God. It still made my nerve endings tingle and stir. Mikhail literally tortured me, made me beg to be fucked, and I hated how my body responded to his burning touch. ‘He’s a monster.’ I tried to remind myself. I shouldn't feel this way with someone so cunning and manipulative, but my body craved his warmth. Merely thinking about it made me feel shudders of pleasure. Days passed by in a blur with me spending most of my time in my room. The walls were starting to suffocate me, but it was better than stepping outside only for the beast to devour me. As much as I tried not to recall the memories of that brutal afternoon, it kept replaying in my head. And it made me hate him even more that he could control my body this way. Breakfast went smoothly today. At least, I was able to eat a few spoons without puking my guts out. I munched down on some hamburger and cheese as I watched the pack warriors fight. I had always love
MIKHAIL“Don't tell me you're actually going to send her on a hunt with Irene.” Landon’s voice echoed behind me. He walked right after me as we headed into the woods. Hadn't seen Ross in days, but her scent still lingered, even now like she was here. “It's a pack festival, what could go wrong.” I turned to stare at my brother, who was unusually worried about my breeder. Each time he was intensely worried, he'd furrow his brows and unconsciously clench his right fist. I stared downwards, tracing past his pants and fixed my gaze on his balled fist. “She has to hunt.” I glanced at my other brother, Xavier. He was so busy with his phone, I badly felt like punching him hard to reset his brain or something. “Xavier.” I hardened my voice and he paused, raising his calm eyes to stare at me. “Is something the matter?” “Put the fucking phone down.” Landon and I snapped at the same time, drawing a slight chuckle from my lips. Xavier slipped his phone into his pants and raised his hands in the
ROSANNE“I can't believe it.” I exhaled loudly, walking through the dense woods in my tank top and thick, skinny jeans. Tall trees rose out of the earth to brush the skies and sun dappled leaves created flickering shadows on the ground. I'd been walking for almost half an hour now, but I kept walking around in circles, bumping into the same mark I made on a tree several minutes ago. A small groan escaped my lips as I ran my fingers through my hair, messing it up. Mikhail wasn't just despicable and excessively naughty, he was such a pain in the ass. I heard the news of the hunt quite late, and when I figured he'd chosen me as well, I almost went berserk. I wasn't going to give in to him so easily. Caressing the rough bark of a tall tree, I inhaled sharply and willed myself to continue this journey. I had to find a rouge. I had to kill a rouge. “looking for something?” A familiar voice made a shudder run down my spine. I turned swiftly, meeting pale green eyes and fiery red hair—wh
MIKHAIL“There's a situation, Alpha Mikhail. It's been eight hours. Four men returned to the pack with a rogue each, six of them came empty handed, but we've not seen Irene and your breeder.” Since the pack warrior walked into my office, it was the first time I raised my head to stare at him. “What do you mean? Didn't you have CCTV camera’s stationed at some corners to ensure they were safe?” “All we heard was a loud growl before everything went dark. We lost the signal to the video as well.” Shit. I closed up the file I'd been staring at for a while and pushed my weight off the black leather chair. The pack warrior and I rushed outside my office, taking long strides towards the training field. If I had to find Irene and Ross, I'd need a few of my strongest men to get the job done.Almost immediately, as soon as I got there, a familiar red head collapsed on the ground with a dead rouge a few meters away from her. She got up again, dragged the rouge, but she had so many cuts and wo
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
MIKHAIL“Names!” I yelled, my fist clenched as I stared at Knox, he was fighting, barely living. I needed to know the people that I would be hunting down.Knox coughed, blood slipping out of his mouth as he tried to move, “Here,” Blair said, placing a cup by his lips. “It will give you energy for the journey ahead,” she muttered.“Speak, or I will rip your tongue out,” I commanded, my voice heavy with authority.“Rosanne,” he coughed. “She was a monster, her powers…”I lunged, my fist colliding with his cheek, how dare he called Rosanne, my Rosanne a monster. She was peace, beauty and a ray of peace. I was the monster, not her.“Mikhail!” Hudson screamed, pulling me off the man who looked like he was about to die. “Are you going to kill our only lead?” he yelled. I straightened myself, shoving him off of my body, “Don’t you ever talk to me like that again,” I hissed.Hudson bowed, his neck bared as he showed mem the respect that I deserved, “I am sorry Lycan King,” he said, keep a mu
MIKHAILMy heart clenched at the large claw mark on the wall, just where Maverick’s head rested.Not a message, just a deep primal warning.Fear crawled up my spine. But not for myself or my men; but the thought of something, someone harming Rosanne and my child.My Rosanne.“We have to keep on searching,” Hudson muttered behind me, his voice sound far, like he was buried among the bodies littered here. “She has got to be here somewhere, she is a fighter,” he mumbled. His words felt like they were meant to comfort himself and not me.He was still fighting hard to see the positive in all this.The once thriving rogue settlement, No man’s land had been reduced to ashes, bodies thrown around like…The thought made me shudder, I should be happy that Rosanne’s body wasn’t in the rumble, but then where was she? Shouldn’t she have been patiently waiting for me to come and save her? Wasn’t she scared of the new, and real world she was seeing?My ears strained, and the sound of a faint heartbe
MIKHAILTrusting Blair to be the compass to No man’s land was one of the most terrible mistakes I had ever made, “Would you stop grinning or I will make sure Hudson pulls out all your teeth,” I hissed, my patience growing thin.It has been more than a day since we had set out to bring Rosanne and my child back. Blair had forbidden us from using the cars, her excuse; cars make her sick, and when she is sick, her powers seem to disappear.I wonder why I still keep her around. She has been nothing but a pain in the ass all through this journey, blabbering and sharing jokes that sounded like torture to the ears.“Sorry,” she muttered, completely unaffected by my threat.I rolled my eyes at her, “Are we anywhere close to Maverick’s land?” I asked, looking at the dense forest that we had been trapped in.I had taken a few men, the journey wasn’t meant to be this long. The plan was simple, find Ross, and bring her and my baby back. And for the traitors, make sure that they find their end at
ROSANNE“Whatever it is that you have to say, you can say it here,” I replied in a clipped tone. I wasn’t going to be separated from my children again.Ryan smiled, “No one is planning to take you away,” he said in a soft tone.“What do you want?” Axel interrupted, his eyes looking around the men who had been loyal to Maverick. “As you can see we are on a time crunch and we need to leave,” he hissed.I gently squeezed his shoulders, signalling that there was no harm in hearing them out. “What he is trying to say is that we are most grateful for your kindness and letting us dwell with you. But we must leave now. And we are sorry for any harm that might have come to you. All of you,” I said, sounding more diplomatic than Axel.Ryan smiled, his eyes sparkling with delight as he heard my little speech, “We know what you have suffered in the hands of Maverick and we would like to apologise for that,” he muttered.I kept a straight face, hiding my true emotion from showing at the mention o
ANITAThe war was over, but its scars lingered. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew that something had happened in that room; the Rosanne I was seeing wasn’t the same lady I had left a few hours ago.“Hey,” Axel sighed, his hand touching my shoulders gently as he walked into the room.I smiled softly at him, my body melting softly into his touch, he looked fresh; no signs of blood and the stench of war, “I can’t leave them alone,” I mumbled, pointing to Rosanne and her children, sleeping peacefully on the bed.“What happened?” I asked, trying to get a little information about the ordeal. Rumours of Maverick’s betrayal had echoed through the walls, spits spat out in disgust as his name was mentioned.“Maverick had tried to be slick, thinking he could betray us,” he muttered, frowning at the memory that popped up in his mind. “She was great and handled it well. A true leader,” he added, smiling softly at Rosanne.I knew she was, Rosanne was the embodiment of strength and resilie
ROSANNEMaverick coughed, the sound drawing my attention from Knox, who lay at my feet, blood pooled around him. His heartbeat was faint, in just a matter of seconds he was going to die a slow painful death.Maverick was afraid, his eyes flickering between Axel and me, trying to put as much needed distance between us.I moved away from Knox, my eyes glaring at the man, who had betrayed his people, “What was that promise you made again about my children?” I asked, my blood-stained hand tapping my chin just like he had done a few minutes ago.Maverick winced, his hand holding his rib tightly, hoping to dull the pain that was forming, “Rosanne…” he tried to plead.“Remind me, or should I say it?” I hissed, cutting him off.Maverick stared at the floor, fear etched on his face. I loved this power, the control that I had over him was next to nothing. “Oh! I remember you were going to cut them piece by piece, right?” I mused.I dropped to my knees, keeping my gaze even with his, as I looke
ROSANNEThe warriors barely had time to grasp what was happening, with their swords drawn it did nothing to protect them from the wild beast that had been set free.Axel tore thrown the men, his eyes burning with molten fury as he made sure that they all felt the vengeance of his claws.It was carnage, a scene out of a grotesque book, and I dwelled in it, enjoying it.“Rosanne! Look out!” Ryan yelled, pushing me out of the way as an arrow whizzed past my ear, its tip missing my head in an inch.“Thank you,” I breathed, my heart slamming through my chest.“Just be careful,” he mumbled, picking up a sword as he blocked the next arrow that was shot at us.Axel was surrounded, his eyes fixed on the lost souls that dared to fight him. The only difference about the scene was that, while they were fighting to defend their lives, Axel was hunting to kill.Axel let out a roar, the primal sound of it vibrating through the walls of the room.“Save the rest of your elders,” I commanded Ryan, pick
ROSANNEThe air in the room felt thick with tension, coupled with the tangy smell of blood. Derek was dead, the game had changed right before Maverick’s eyes. Gone was the smug-looking man who thought he had everything under control, now, he was reduced to nothing; kneeling before Knox with his head hung low in shame.Knox stood beside me, the aura around him felt smug, and the large grin on his face showed the obvious truth, he had won and no one could contend with him.“You have the girl and her blood mage, please leave,” Maverick moaned, clutching his hand that Knox had stepped on.Knox chuckled, the dry laugh sounded like a bunch of hyenas roaring in the night, “But I want something more,” he mused, smiling broadly at him.“There is nothing here,” Maverick coughed.“You don’t see it? The land you have accumulated all through these years, the vastness, the fertile grounds, I want it all. And I am sure you have enough ladies to keep my men warm at night, huh?” he mocked.Maverick st