AQUA“It's time I taught you the importance of the mate bond!”His words echoed in my ears, amplifying the fear in my heart. Gunnar's expression was cold and unyielding, but I couldn't find a way to overpower him. His hand disappeared under my skirt, and I could feel the roughness of his hand gliding against my ass. “Please, don't do this, Gunnar.” I pleaded, tears burning down my cheeks.He grabbed my breasts and squeezed, ignoring my pleas. A pained gasp tore out of my throat, my back arching out. I twisted my body, trying to escape from his grip. “Don't move,” he warned. I froze when I felt his extended claws pressing against my skin. I was so scared that he would hurt me, but my wolf urged me to trust him. Because he was my mate, and he would never do anything bad to us. I wanted to trust him. I desperately wanted to, so I forced my trembling body to relax against his, my muscles loosening against his. One of Gunnar's hands moved down my body and felt my bare pussy. My lips p
AQUAOur walk back home was quiet, mainly because each of us was engrossed in our thoughts. I kept rehearsing different apology speeches in my head, but I didn't dare to voice them out loud. Although Gunnar held me close, as if I were a delicate glass figurine, his unreadable expression still intimidated me. His smoky scent filled the air, making me lean in closer even as guilt twisted in my gut.I silently watched him from the moment we entered the house until he started climbing the stairs. The muscles in his jaw were tight, and tension radiated from him in waves. Several times, I parted my lips and closed them, wondering when it was the right time to speak.Did I even have the right to say anything at all? When we finally reached the dark hallway, Gunnar went to the wall and flipped the switch. The entire space was instantly illuminated by the overhead bulbs, but instead of looking at him, I scanned my surroundings, searching for something until I spotted a Mexican wolf standing i
GUNNARShe was driving me crazy.When I returned to the pack from my bloody confrontation with the Thunder Paw alpha, my wolf was already skirting toward the edge of madness. The scent of blood was like a heady rush to him, amplifying his dark cravings for more violence until it almost clouded my senses. Instead of going to the pack priestess's abode to suppress him as usual, I went home, hoping to meet my mate and seek her comfort, but then I discovered that she wasn't home.She went on that date with River.It took every ounce of my self-control not to hunt the pack healer and tear him into pieces. He had taken what was mine, so my wolf wanted nothing more than to gut him in the throat, but my human consciousness, which retained some form of twisted sanity, knew that hurting an important member of the pack was a line that I wasn't willing to cross.So I made a quick call and demanded that he return her as soon as possible before rushing to the lake behind my house. There, I met Tarz
AQUAI opened my eyes in the morning to find myself lying on my bed with my mate's arms around me, my naked body barely covered by the sheets. Memories of the previous night came rushing into me, causing warmth to spread through my cheeks. After Gunnar and I had resolved our misunderstandings about each other, we had sex all through the night with unrelenting, raw passion. My alpha king was insatiable and I loved it. I could sense his affection for me through every caress, every touch, and every kiss.Although it wasn't the kind of love I wanted, I knew I had to be content with it for now. After all, he was still in love with his true mate and that was a feeling that I wasn't sure I could contend with.But I had to try. Because I had fallen too deep to let him go, and as his second-chance mate, I deserved the chance to win his heart. If I could.I gently turned to my side to stare at Gunnar. I was instantly treated to a stunning view of his handsome face. Sleep softened his sharp feat
AQUAOnce I had refreshed myself, I made my way downstairs to join Hannah and Fawn. As I entered the kitchen, the sweet, buttery aroma of freshly baked cookies enveloped me, making my mouth water. The entire room was filled with the sounds of their laughter, and the sight of their faces covered with flour added to the lightness of the atmosphere.But when Hannah saw me, the smile on her lips immediately vanished like it had never been there. She whispered something to Fawn before approaching me with a smile on her lips."Aqua, it's so nice that you can join us," she said. "Fawn was just telling me that you have never cooked for her, so I thought we should bake the cookies together."My heart sank at her words as I peeped at Fawn, who stood behind the kitchen with thinned lips. The only reason why I'd never cooked since I arrived was because I figured it would be a waste with all the food stacked up in the fridge. But the way Hannah said it made me look very inconsiderate and lazy."Wh
AQUAI curled up on my bed, the soft fabric of my sheets tangling around me as I let out a series of deep, shuddering sobs. I wasn't crying because Hannah bullied me earlier, but rather because I hated how fragile I was. In the Wind Ridge Pack, I never suffered any hardships because I was the youngest submissive wolf and had been dating Leon, who took very good care of me. But things had completely changed in the Storm Fire Pack, and I hated it.I was so weak that no one wanted to have anything to do with me.My own mate couldn't even acknowledge me, and as if that wasn't enough, his love interest was now bullying me.When I finally stopped crying, my eyes felt heavy and swollen, and my wolf was becoming increasingly restless. I tried to take several deep breaths to calm her down, but the discomfort lingered, making me bury myself under the blankets. One moment, I felt extremely cold, and the next, I was unbearably hot. I considered contacting Gunnar for help, but I decided against it
AQUA“C'mon, Aqua. Stop being ridiculous!” I ignored his words and stayed perched on top of the tree like my life depended on it. Indeed, I knew I was being ridiculous, but this was the result of his wolf's misdoings, so there was no way I was going to come down just yet. After Gunnar turned into a wolf, the first thing he tried to do was mate with me. Wolf to wolf. At first, my wolf was so shocked that she struggled against his strong grip in a careless manner, but when she found herself losing the battle, she immediately yielded control to me. Then I ran to the nearest tree and climbed it. “Look, I didn't know my wolf was going to do that,” Gunnar tried to explain. He also seemed embarrassed when he changed back, but now, he was more concerned with getting me down from the tree. Color spread across my cheeks when I thought about how brazen his beast was. Immediately, it set its eyes on me, it pounced without hesitation, and pinned me to the floor. The fact that I was almost t
GUNNARAs the Alpha King, I hardly had a problem dealing with any wolf that dared to disrespect or disobey me because that was the easiest part of my work. I always had to exclude strength and dominance in front of everyone to maintain law and order across the entire continent, and I was used to doing it for ten fucking years.But this was the first time I nearly killed someone so close to the bonds of family.Aqua screamed when she saw my hands wrap around River's throat, lifting him off the ground with one smooth grip, but she didn't take another step further. Neither did she beg me to spare his life.Smart girl.Because that would have just pissed my wolf off, and then I would have my healer's blood on my hands in a matter of seconds. My wolf was naturally impulsive and aggressive, and though he possessed some discipline and wisdom as the Alpha King, he often made unreasonable demands that always hurt my loved ones.Which was why I remained in my human form. I snarled at the man w
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