AQUAAs the sun settled into the sky, I looked up at the sky and wondered how long it normally takes for someone to change their behavior. My mate took less than a second after he came in me. Once his human consciousness took over, Gunnar rolled off me and retreated from me as fast as he could. The tightness of his jaw and the subtle clenches of his fists suggested his unhappiness, but I had no freaking idea what I did wrong. I mean, from what I saw, he definitely enjoyed the sex we had. So why was he frowning and refusing to meet my gaze?“We have already wasted another time here,” he said, his voice devoid of warmth as he picked up his shirt from the ground. The wolf was back again, standing near him as he picked up our torn clothes. I stared at the bonfire, which was now a bunch of ashes and charred wood, engrossed in my thoughts. I had no idea how this mating bond worked, but something about his distant behavior hurt me a lot. He threw his shirt at me and said, “We have to le
GUNNAR“Damn it!” I cursed in frustration and kicked a pebble flying into the underbrush, watching it disappear into the shadows as I strode through the forest. This mating bond was more torturous than I had imagined, capable of driving my wolf faster into madness if left unchecked. And that had become my greatest fear since I killed my first man. After being abandoned by both my parents, it took me some time to realize that some wolves always had one thing they were obsessed about. As long as they weren't satiated, they would remain subservient towards their other halves, which were their human consciousnesses. When I had killed my first man under my alpha's orders, I still remembered the rush and thrill in my blood that night. I thought it was just the excitement and happiness of finally becoming a man worthy of serving his pack, so I kept killing until I almost became a rogue wolf. It took the combined efforts of the pack healer and her granddaughter, Tia, to rescue me from the
GUNNARBefore I ventured back into the middle of the forest, I decided to leave Edith behind to safeguard the truck and search for Aqua myself. But that left me slightly defenseless, because I had to navigate around my surroundings alone with my lack of vision. Still, it wasn't as hard as I'd thought because all I had to do was track down my mate's scent. Although I was born blind, I had grown somewhat dependent on the wolves I inherited from the former Alpha King at the age of 19. Before then, I had trained my other senses to help me survive in this harsh world. Taking a deep breath, I familiarized myself with the scents of the forest, letting the cold, damp air rush into my lungs. Aqua's scent also mingled along with the aroma of pine and earth surrounding me. Then I began to move with slow, deliberate steps, tracking her down. The sounds of birds chirping from a distance and the earth-shattering sounds of the animals racing through the forest entered my forest. My body stiffened
AQUAThat kiss must have left me senseless because I didn't even remember how we located the red truck. All I do remember is him giving me directions, but my soul had already flown to meet the moon goddess while my body remained to do his bidding. I have never felt this way, even when I was with Leon. Although Leon had taught me how to kiss, I hadn't really felt the warm desire I had heard most women talk about. But Gunnar's kiss had left me floating on clouds, and the last thing I wanted was to return to earth. All my thoughts fled when I heard a low growl coming from the car. The sound frightened me, so I took a step back and stared at the white furry animal sitting on the passenger seat.Gunnar introduced her, “Oh, this is Edith, my lady wolf.”“Hello, Edith.” I waved. Deep down, I secretly hoped that one of his wolves would like me after the cold treatment I received from Odin last night. The wolf released a low whine and slowly moved towards the back seat. I cast a look at Gu
AQUA After his deep words of wisdom, Gunnar and I chatted a bit before I fell asleep. He told me a little about his true mate, Tia, who was a rogue wolf and the pack priestess's granddaughter. She died giving birth to Fawn a long time ago, but the pack priestess still missed her a lot. When I discovered how far the Wind Ridge Pack was from the Storm Fire Pack, I was grateful to Gunnar for getting a vehicle. Otherwise, I would have never been able to reach there for days, even in my wolf form. A few hours later, some gentle taps on my shoulder woke me up. “Wake up, Aqua.”“Huh?” I rubbed my eyes, a bit disoriented. “Have we reached the Storm Fire Pack?”“Yes, we have,” he replied. I leaned into his touch as he ran his hands through my hair. My heartbeat quickened when he closed the distance between us and brushed his lips against mine. A soft moan escaped my lips as I parted my lips, letting his tongue slip into my mouth and chase my sleep away. His manly scent wrapped around my se
AQUAA few minutes later, I entered the meeting hall quietly. As soon as I stepped past the wooden, carved doors, I was a bit awestruck by the grandeur of the place. The room was large and well-furnished, but what really caught my attention was the large table made of dark, polished wood. Each seat had the pack's emblem engraved on the seat, but the alpha's chair was bigger than the rest, adorned with leather padding around the head and arms. A large fireplace was set into the far wall, its flames crackling warmly and casting a golden glow across the room. The heat from the fireplace provided a stark contrast to the chill outside, adding a layer of warmth and comfort to the imposing space.As Gunnar and the rest walked around the table, my legs gave way, causing me to sit. A low growl from someone in the room sent shivers down my spine as soon as I touched the chair. Hannah shot me a scathing glare. Realizing that Gunnar and the rest were still standing, I immediately shot up to m
GUNNARI felt it a bit later than I would have expected. The smile on my face vanished when pain exploded in my chest. I instantly searched for my mate in the room, but she was nowhere to be seen. She said she was going to the restroom, so I wondered what was taking her so long to return. Unless she decided to escape my pack. But that was impossible, right? We were good this morning until we reached the Storm Fire Pack. While I was aware that she low-key hated this place, I was assured of her willingness to cooperate in breaking this bond until now. Something must have happened when I had gone to change my shirt. “Gunnar, are you okay?” Hannah asked, her face filled with concern. “You look kinda pale and angry right now. Did something happen?”I ignored her and focused on the mate bond, trying to use it to track down Aqua's location. It shouldn't have been hard since female wolves were more susceptible to males' mating calls, especially alpha ones. But for some unknown reason, I
GUNNAR The next hour...I was pacing back and forth outside the pack healer's house. After I brought Aqua to him, Wilder immediately pushed me out of the place, leaving me with no choice but to leave. Now that she was out of danger, my wolf retreated and remained quiet. I couldn't tell if he was appeased or ridden with guilt concerning Aqua's condition, but I was grateful for his decision to yield my body back to me. “Now's the time for you to tell me the truth, Gunnar,” Wilder said, crossing his arms as he stared at me. “Who the fuck is that girl?”“What are you talking about? I told you she's my daughter's nanny.” I replied. Hannah suddenly laughed. The shrill sound stopped me in my tracks, forcing me to face her. “It didn't look that way a few minutes, Gunnar. You were so protective and worried about her that you nearly bit my head off for suggesting that we ask the driver to take her to the hospital. Tell me the truth, is something going on between you and that girl?”Panic set
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
AQUAOnce I heard the noise from the living room, I pushed Fawn into the kitchen and locked the door. The air was thick with tension, and our ragged breaths broke the eerie silence that enveloped the room. My heart raced as we waited, straining to hear the sounds from the other side of the door. But then, a sharp scream pierced through the air, followed by a series of female cries that sent a fresh wave of panic through me."Shut the fuck up!" Nathaniel barked. When the women's cries were finally reduced to frightened sobs, he muttered some words to the guards before turning to them. "I have no intention to hurt you, but if you don't tell me where Aqua and that little devil spawn are right now, then all of you are going to pay dearly for your silence."Ella remained unfazed by his threat. "But we are telling the truth! No one saw where Her Highness went after she gave us orders to search for her daughter."Nathaniel ignored her and continued to speak to the other ladies, but none of t
AQUAHogan froze midstep when he heard my words. The six-foot, muscular blonde man who had been cooking for Gunnar for over ten years gave me the most sinister look I have ever received. I couldn't help but retreat when I saw him take a menacing step towards me."You're not supposed to be here, Your Highness," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Does anyone know you're here?""I don't need to report to anyone about whereabouts because this is my house," I asserted, my voice sharp and clear. I noticed he had already retracted his claws so I did the same. "What were you doing in the kitchen storage room?"It was the only place we hadn't checked in the house, mostly because Hogan had always been sensitive about letting people in. He would spend the entire day talking about food contamination so I guess all of us were just subconsciously afraid of getting on his bad side.But now, it turned out that he was the traitor we had been looking for."Move aside, Hogan," I ordered. The air in the ro