AQUA After what happened last night, I stayed in my room all day, hiding away from Gunnar and his daughter. I knew avoiding them was next to impossible since they were literally the owners of the house, but I really didn't want to see them after what Gunnar did. I spent all night in the bathroom, retching in horror after I confirmed that he really killed a woman in cold blood. He had every right to be furious about her hurting his child, but snapping her neck without any hesitation or remorse exposed me to the cold reality about him. Gunnar wasn't just a dangerous alpha. Last night had proved that he was also capable of being ruthless and decisive when he put his mind to it. And once he made up his mind, there wasn't anything on the planet that would change it. Not even me.The worst part was that after everything, he still hadn't come to check up on me. I waited all night, hoping that he would talk to me and explain what really happened, but it was all in vain. He just muted the
GUNNARI sat in my seat in the meeting hall, my fingers tapping the oakwood table. The tension in the room was palpable, and the air conditioning did little to dispel the heat from the midday sun outside. All eyes were on me, but I maintained a distant expression as I pondered the judgment for the wolf standing before me.“Wait, you can't be fucking serious,” Baylor grumbled, disbelief etched on his face. “Don't tell me you are really gonna punish me because of a submissive bitch who just entered the pack?”The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees at his words, the air charged with danger. My wolf, who had been pacing in the recesses of my mind, paused, questioning if he had heard correctly.Wilder growled, his voice sharp as a blade. “Would you shut up? Do you even know who that woman is?”Baylor responded with a confused look, his eyes darting from the both of us. But I was already too pissed to care about his ignorance. No one in the pack knew about my daughter,
GUNNARAfter my little talk with Wilder, I decided to stop by the pack healer's place. I received a call from River about a case concerning two women who had a catfight in the grocery store today. It shouldn't have been my business, except they unknowingly injured a little boy who had been walking behind them.That's when the sentries arrested them. Unfortunately, both of them were injured, so River had to heal them, and he called me instead.I parked my car in front of the house and came down, walking to the front porch. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows through the trees as I walked, and the air had that crispness that hinted at the approach of autumn. As I stood in front of the pack healer's door, I could hear the females screaming, but none of them were stupid enough to start fighting physically with each other because they were at the healer's house.And everyone knew the sacred places; the priestess's temple, the pack healer's house, and the cubs' nursery. No vio
GUNNARA few minutes later..."First and foremost, both of you are going to apologize to Kat and cover her son's medical expenses," I announced to the two dominant female wolves after I returned to the living room. "Then, you will compensate River for the damage you caused in his living room. Am I clear?"The two female dominant wolves exchanged glances. The tension in the room thickened as they regarded me with a mix of fear and defiance. The one with highlights cleared her throat to catch my attention and complained, "I can understand paying for the damage in River's living room, but why should we cover that boy's medical fees?""Yeah, it's not our fault the boy got hurt," the other woman chimed in. "If his mother had been watching him, he wouldn't have gotten injured. Honestly, how are these submissives training their children anyway?"I raised an eyebrow at their words. "I'm sorry, does this sound like a suggestion or something?"The two female dominant wolves froze at my words, r
AQUAI was sleeping in my bed when I felt his presence.Fawn had just returned to her room after expressing how much she despised me, and I couldn’t help but feel crushed by her words. Throughout my life, I had endured various injustices and nasty looks for being a submissive wolf, but this was one of those moments when I truly hated myself for being weak.She was right, I told myself, tears spilling onto my pillow as I surrendered to the night’s darkness. I was nothing more than a pitiful, weak wolf, unworthy of love or respect. That night, I cried myself to sleep but suddenly, I felt powerful, warm arms wrapping around me. Alarm gripped my heart, causing me to struggle against his embrace until his familiar scent filled my nostrils. It was a heady mixture of earth and something undeniably comforting. For a fleeting moment, the tension within me eased, and I relaxed into the hold, my body instinctively seeking solace from him. Yet, as reality crashed into me, my fight returned, and
AQUAThe next morning, I woke up to Gunnar's alarm blaring in the background. He had mentioned yesterday that he had a morning pack run to lead, so I reached for his phone to turn it off and wake him up. However, I suddenly noticed that my face felt very itchy. The more I scratched it, the itchier it became, but I didn’t pay much attention to it.I tapped Gunnar three times and watched him stir a bit. My throat also felt scratchy and painful when I tried to call out to him. "Wake up, Gunnar. You have a pack run to lead."Suddenly, a movement in the shadows stole my focus. My heart raced as I strained to see, and fear gripped me when I spotted a wolf with golden eyes curled up in the corner of the room. After calming my racing heart for a few more seconds, I reached for Gunnar again but this time, I was surprised to see that he was already awake.I greeted him with a small smile, "Good morning.""Good morning," he greeted me back, his voice deep and sexy. A warm rush of color spread ac
AQUAA few hours later, I went to the pack healer's house. Navigating my way around the pack was much easier than I had anticipated. I felt completely terrified when I ventured out of the isolated forest where Gunnar's house was located and into the main area of the pack. As I stepped out of the cab, I noticed a few curious glances from people passing by. I understood their confusion; after all, I had joined the pack but hadn’t yet been introduced to them.Self-consciousness crept over me as I instinctively pulled down my hood, trying to shield myself from their gaze. My face, marred with large, unsightly rashes, felt raw and exposed. After receiving the mental image Gunnar had sent me before he left, I confirmed that the house in front of me was indeed the pack healer's house I was looking for. The pack healer's house I was looking for. With my heart pounding loudly in my ears, I stepped onto the front porch and knocked on the wooden door. There was no response at first, but I knew
AQUAI retreated a few steps back when the figure stepped into the house. He looked intimidating and mean—his blonde crew cut, neat and precise. He had a Roman nose and shared the same eye color as River, a stormy gray shade that would have easily made any girl swoon. His right arm was covered with black tattoos disappearing under his white t-shirt. It took me a moment to notice the resemblance. The facial structure, the eyes—he and River shared more than just a passing similarity.“Baylor,” River's face turned grim as he addressed the visitor. “What are you doing here?”Baylor didn't even spare him a glance as he moved towards a couch with a predatory grace that made the hairs at the back of my neck stand. Once he sat down, he crossed his legs and leaned back like he owned the place.“In case you have forgotten, dear brother, pack members have the right to visit your house, especially family,” he drawled, his voice rough and deep.“Seriously, what are you doing here?” River pressed
AQUA After searching the house for three hours, the guards finally gathered in front of River's room. At this point, they seemed very tired yet didn't dare slack off due to River's threat to murder their families if they didn't find me.“Sir, I don't think that woman is in this house. I mean, we have searched every nook and cranny of this place, but we still haven't found her.” One of the guards complained to the captain. “How about we hit the streets and see if she's hiding in a friend's place?”The captain sighed and rubbed his face, frustration etched on each line. “The boss said he would search outside. Besides, the CCTV cameras never showed her leaving the premises, which means she's hiding somewhere.”I released a silent groan when I tried to move. My muscles were screaming for relief, but I chose to ignore it, forcing myself to remain still. I should have gotten out of the house when I had the chance, but I was too afraid that I would get caught again. A wave of nausea sudden
GUNNARI arrived at a florist store after a few minutes of running. The doorbell chimed as soon as I entered the building, announcing my late presence in the tiny shop. The heady aroma of flowers overwhelmed my senses as I made my way towards the receptionist's desk. Behind the counter, an elderly man hunched over the cash register, counting some bills he had made for the day. The moment he spotted me, a flicker of panic crossed his features, and he instinctively reached for a concealed weapon hidden beneath his stool.“Who's there?!” He barked. I raised my hand, palms open and visible. “I just want to ask you some questions, Old Hong.”Mr. Hong immediately stiffened when he heard my voice. I knew he had already recognized my voice, yet he simply cleared his throat before counting his money again. “I-I don't think you and I have any business, sir. Please come back tomorrow,” he mumbled nervously. My anger sparked as I slammed my hands on the counter between us. “Don't fucking play
GUNNARAfter several days spent among the Storm Fire Pack, my men and I finally tracked down the remaining soldiers under Bodhi's command. Whispers about him lingered in the pack, yet no one seemed to know the true story behind his demise. It appeared that River, in an unexpected act of mercy, had allowed the survivors to return to their families, but that hardly mattered to me.He was going to pay for killing my friend.“Is it true that the pack priestess is also gone?” I asked my deputy commander, my voice breaking the uneasy silence. I had overheard a group of women murmuring about it during my visit to the grocery store.At my question, my deputy commander stiffened, a flicker of shock crossing his face before he nodded with a grave expression. I felt my fists clench at my sides, anger and confusion swirling within me. I had left the pack for only two weeks, and already, it felt as if everything had caught fire and turned to ash.“How did she die?” I pressed, the heavy question we
AQUA I woke up to the sound of water running somewhere. My vision blurred for a second, and then I was able to recognize my surroundings. This seemed to be River’s bedroom, a place that I had visited so many times. The room was well-lit but extremely messy, like he hadn't visited the place for a long time. There were clothes spilling out of his closet and some books scattered across the floor, the kind of mess that River would have never tolerated in the past. I tried to flex my aching limbs to adjust my position only to discover they were bound. The biting grip of the rough ropes digging into my flesh hurt enough to bring tears into my eyes. Panic instantly gripped my heart before my mind could even catch up to the situation. How the hell did I even get here? Where was River? Instinct immediately took over as I tried to retract my claws, hoping to free myself from the tight ropes. But these things were sturdier than I had anticipated, almost as if they were made from another
GUNNAR The sun was high in the sky when we finally reached the boundary of the Storm Fire pack. My men were exhausted from the heat, their bodies glistening with sweat after fighting off a pack of hyenas lingering near the territory. I could sense their fatigue through the pack link but chose not to acknowledge it. I wasn't trying to be ruthless; I knew their job wasn't unfinished. As soon as I stepped into the forest that marked our pack territory, I sensed something was wrong. The weapons the patrols were carrying were not the standard gear I had approved for pack security, which likely meant my family was in danger.I held up my hand to warn my men, who were trudging right behind me. The noise instantly faded into silence as tension seeped into the air. We watched the patrols head towards our location as we concealed ourselves behind the trees.Even their uniforms were different, I noticed when my eyes landed on a badge on one of the men's shirts. At this point, I was starting to
AQUAWhen we returned to the pack, Wilder took us straight to the Kincaid mansion, where the elders were already waiting. My stomach twisted as I climbed the stairs, flanked by guards, every step heavier than the last.Their eyes followed me like a shadow, and the fact that I sensed it made me even more nauseous. These were the same familiar faces that had stood in my living room just two weeks ago, offering smiles, congratulations on my engagement, and pledging undying loyalty to the Alpha King. Now, they sat cold and silent, the weight of their betrayal hanging in the air like a storm about to break.They’d all chosen Nathaniel.And that meant Gunnar’s throne…was no longer safe."What, are you surprised that we got the elders on our side?" Wilder released a low chuckle after he noticed my glare. "Don't be, darling. You'd be surprised at how dissatisfied they have been with your mate's way of doing things."At that moment, I was barely restraining myself from punching him in the fac
AQUA After Saint's death, Odin led Fawn and me to the pack boundary, the weight of our grief hanging heavily in the air. We journeyed for an entire day under a dense canopy of trees without taking a single break. Sunlight filtered through the tree, casting a path over me and my stepdaughter.I nearly stumbled over a root but managed to catch myself before I hit the ground. However, the sudden impact jolted Fawn awake, so I mumbled a soft apology before adjusting her to my body. Despite everything, the wolf didn't stop and continued to walk ahead of us. With each step, I could sense the exhaustion radiating from the wolf beside us, his powerful frame still trembling from the ferocity of that intense fight. He must have been devastated about the loss of his brother, yet he continued to push himself to complete the mission given to him. As we moved deeper into the woods, the air grew thick and rich with the scent of damp earth and pine, grounding yet unsettling. The guards had stopped
GUNNARI was several miles away from the Storm Fire pack when I felt it.The pain. The sorrow. The fury.All these feelings struck my heart like a tempest, consuming my senses until I couldn't think anymore. My heart felt so constricted that I couldn't stand anymore, causing me to fall on one knee. When my men saw this, they immediately rushed towards me in concern, but I stopped them with my raised hand. They must have been so shocked they couldn't control their emotions because I felt all their fears crash into my heart.Was it possible they were almost scared to death because of my sudden fall?No, that wasn't it. The general sense of unease spread among the soldiers, making them jittery. I pushed myself to stand, my legs trembling as they bore my weight against the unseen burden pressing down on my heart. Then, a piercing howl sliced through the heavy air, sharp and haunting, reverberating off the trees and sending a chill down my spine. Others might not know where it came from, b
AQUAThe first time I heard about hunter wolves was when I was in the Wind Ridge Pack. They were used to hunt a notorious thief who had broken into Julie's house one summer. The news spread across the pack in less than four hours, mostly because they didn't give us a choice to accept it or not. But if there was one thing I learned back then, it was that those people were ruthless. The kind of people capable of doing anything as long as they captured their prey. Some said they did it because they didn't have any other choice, considering the tight competition in the business. But others said they were psychos, people who enjoyed seeing the pain they inflicted on others. That's why I knew we were in deep shit now. The hunter wolf inhaled, breathing in the cool night air that was faint with our scents. It's the very reason why I had chosen to stay up in the trees, holding that the harsh wind current would mask our scents. But he still catches it nonetheless. “Their scents are still