The moment we were alone in our room, I placed my dagger at his throat.“I warned you. I told you if you tried playing games with what I told you, I was going to kill you.”I pushed the dagger against his throat, nicking him, and a thin line of blood rolled down his neck and disappeared beneath his clothing.“Then kill me, Kaida.”“Don’t tempt me.” I warned.“You cannot kill me, not even if you want to. You have me in this position because I choose to let it be.”In a flash, he had somehow managed to flip me around so I had my back against his chest, his hand wrapped around mine, and now the dagger was at my own throat. He was stronger than me; I hated times when I got reminded of that.He held me closer; I could feel him against my ass, strong and hard.“If I wanted you in this position—in other, more… interesting positions, I wouldn’t have a problem making it happen. You don’t threaten me; you might be my mate, but I am still your king.” He whispered in my ear before letting me go.
Trigger Warning: The following chapters contain themes of trauma. Read with caution!I followed Alexander down the dungeons.The rogue had been chained up in one of the dungeon rooms.“They will come after you—the rogues; they will become your biggest enemy.” He threatens Alexander, but I could see the fear in his eyes; he knew his death was near.“Then let them come.” Alexander responded.“Is the bitch even worth it? The amount of lives that would be lost?”“Careful, she decides your life now and you wouldn’t want to make things any worse.” He paused, “If there can be anything considered as ‘worse’ in your case.”“You can’t do this… Please, I beg you, I can make you a deal.”“I hate rogues—they are barbaric, untrustworthy, and cunning creatures. I think I’ll pass on that one.”Alexander left me alone with the rogue.“Do you remember me now?” I asked him.“I don’t know who the fuck you are.” He lied through his teeth.“Pity. I’ll help you remember.”The room had been furnished with an
I had always wanted this; I dreamt about it so many times that it felt surreal now. I dreamt about killing them over and over again.“It must be hard having just one eye left to see with.” He pleaded some more. “You know, you did leave some scars too. I would spend the rest of my life with them, so it’s only fair that I, Kaida Dawn, be the last person you will ever see.”I slashed at his eyes, and his scream grew louder. Soon his cries turned into whimpers.“Just kill me, he pleaded. Please, just kill me.”“Not yet.” I whispered.“I… am—no better than a—” he paused to take in a shaky breath. “I am no better than a dead man… Just kill me and end the torment.”“End the torment? Where is the fun in that?” I asked, and he broke down in tears. “Oh baby, don’t cry, little kitten; no one is going to hurt you. I mean, you didn’t really think you would go scot-free after what you’ve done, did you?”“Please…”“Okay, no more begging; how about we take your tongue next?”“No… no… please!”Begging
I shoved Aric away, quickly putting some distance between us.Alexander’s gaze met mine, and I thought I saw a look of betrayal on his face before his emotionless mask returned.“Leave.” I said to Aric.“No,” he replied, his eyes also fixed on the Alpha King, his fists clenched.“Get out!” I growled at him, and He gave me a long look before walking away, glancing once more at Alexander on his way out.“Is not what you think…” I began.“So you weren’t about to fuck your beta in our room?” he asked, his voice calm, a different type of calm. The dangerous type.“No, I wasn’t going to do that.”“Lies.” He says, “All lies. I thought you were better than that, Kaida. I did remember making a deal with you; you cannot fuck another man while you are in this pack; that was my rule, and in exchange your ‘conditions’ would be met.”“Aric and I are just friends.”“Friends don’t fuck each other, Kaida. Now tell me, do you prefer older men?”Things had finally started falling into place; my life her
He took off his clothes, all the while, his eyes remained on me. He grasped my hair, motioning for me to rise, his grip almost painful.“I can walk.” I said, not liking his grip on my hair.“I know that, but I like this better,” He threw me onto the bed. “Now bend, with your ass in the air.”I turned red.It was a challenge, one he believed I would back out from. This time, I won’t. Slowly I moved to position. His hands trailed down my back, and then round to grasp onto my breast firmly, and I stilled.“Afraid?”“Fuck you.”“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” He held onto my hair, tight. “Go a bit lower, my little slut.”Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. I wouldn’t cry; he wouldn’t break me.I gasped for breath when he thrust into me, hard. His punishment.“Tight.” He whispered. “Just how small is he?” He wondered aloud; his next thrust was even harder, and he pounded on, going deeper, and then he paused.I could smell the blood. “Now you know.” I whispered, “I’ve never b
“It doesn’t have to be this way, you know.” He says. “We don’t have to be this distant.”“I don't get what you're trying to say.”“It could be just the two of us, no fighting, no whores, just us — as mates.”I was silent. He was offering me a life as his mate and his Luna, when we didn’t have to hate each other. Cas would have wanted this; this would have been to her a dream come true, but I didn’t know if this was what I wanted.Maybe I was afraid. Alexander was a charmer, no doubt committing to a man like him could never end well. What if this all turned out to be another game to him? What if breaking my heart was his master plan?Yet, a small part of me lusted after something… different, something new, but then there was the other part—the other part that told me love was never meant for me.“No. It can’t. What happened tonight doesn’t change a thing. I only agreed to this to prove my point, but… You are better off with your whores; things are better off left how they had been.”“Y
Kaida remained at the very edge of the bed, the sheet wrapped tightly around her body. She was still very much alert. It was clear she didn’t trust me; neither did she like to be placed in such a vulnerable position.I rose in the early hours of the morning, doing my best not to wake her. I got dressed, giving her one last glance before leaving the room.I headed down to the dungeons to where the rogue had been kept; I needed to return his body to Grayson for whatever ritual they did with their dead.Turns out, the man was not yet dead, but he was no different from a corpse. I couldn’t help the smirk that formed on my lips. It wasn’t all talk without truth; my little mate was every bit as dangerous as they claimed..Stark, one of my advisors, met with me in my office.“Alpha Grayson is furious.” he began.“He should be.”“Did you really have to kill the rogue?”“Yes. He had to die.” I responded, the rogue to me was a breathing corpse, he would be fully dead in a few days. “Where is
Kaida’s POVI met Aric in the training grounds.The moment he saw me, a small frown appeared on his face, “Are you alright?” he asked.“Come with me.” I said, avoiding his question. I, on the other hand, was happy to see him unharmed; perhaps Alexander had chosen to let what happened earlier slip—at least I hoped so.The moment we were out of sight, I stopped walking.“What was that stunt you pulled earlier?”“What?” he asked, acting innocent.“Don’t play the fool – why did you kiss me?” I asked and he looked away. “Look at me Aric.” I demanded but he wouldn’t.“I have feelings for you, Kaida.”“For how long?”“How long?” he repeated. “I don’t know; since I watched you grow into the woman you are today.”“But… you never said anything, you never told me.”“I had been waiting for the right time—it never came.”“Aric, you have to let it go—whatever you feel for me, you have to push it aside because it cannot happen, not now and not anytime soon. You are better off with any other woman.”
3ALEXANDER POVI watched her sleep. I couldn’t say exactly when the insecurities set in, but lately she kept talking about how she’d gotten “fat.” She wasn’t—she was pregnant, strong and healthy for an expectant mother.I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. I’d spend eternity reminding her of her beauty if that’s what it took.It was time for work, but I didn’t want to leave Kaida alone—not with her due date only weeks away. Before heading out, I went to check on Alexa and found she was already awake.“Daddy, take me to Uncle D, pleeeease,” she begged.She was too adorable to refuse, but it was far too early.“It’s still sleeping time; he’s resting,” I said gently.“But Uncle D don’t sleep. He a vampire,” she whispered, as though sharing a top secret. I could have asked where she’d learned that word, but I already knew the answer.Then Kaida’s cry rang out from the next room: “Alexander! It’s coming—the baby…”My heart jolted. I raced back to our room and found her leaning against t
1.***PHIL POVTwo Years Later…I had never felt so nervous.The day had finally come — Selene had turned twenty-one two days ago, and soon everything between us was about to change."Good luck, friend," Austin said to me."You got this," Ruth, Austin’s mate, added, and I nodded.A year ago, Ruth had finally said goodbye to the Winter Pack and joined her mate, Austin. Their reunion had been beautiful, and the pair had been inseparable ever since.I wanted something like that too — though I hadn’t realized how badly until I met Selene.At many points, I had thought about canceling the plan of waiting, but this time, Selene had been the one against it. I refused to think too deeply about the reason behind that.Now I stood by the door to her house and knocked.I waited a few moments; there was no response, so I knocked again.A woman answered — a complete stranger."I’m looking for Selene. Selene Ashford?" I asked."Oh, the Ashfords don’t live here anymore," she said — and my heart drop
“The others are very angry,” Kyiv said to me. “They think I’m on your side, and that’s why I killed Skale. It’s no secret they don’t like me very much, so they’ve requested something from me—to make clear where my loyalty lies.”“And I’m guessing this thing they requested of you somehow involves me.”“That’s right. Let’s look at the pros of this operation. You’d get to leave the cell for a short while—after days of being locked up, that has to mean something. But then the cons: you’d be paraded naked in front of thousands of rogues, bound, and many would want to… touch.”“I have nothing to be ashamed of, but I’m more worried about your little plan with the plane crash. Aren’t you worried the news that I’m alive will leak out?”“I too believe this is a bad idea. Even if I stand to benefit in many ways — I’d finally prove myself a capable leader to the rogues, and the other rogue leaders would have nothing on me. But I still don’t trust their promises to keep the rogues silent, so the n
I stared at the water in the wooden bowl. I was so thirsty.Could anything be worse than this?At least I would have one less thing to worry about—thirst.I reached for it. It was far enough to cause some strain on my already bruised wrist as I stretched for it, and then I took hold of it.Just before I could lift it up, the bowl slipped from my bloody grasp and fell to the floor, the contents splashing across the ground.Fuck.Well,I guess I really have no option now.Something captured my attention — a blackish smoke swirling in the air, growing thicker with every second.Then, through the smoke, Daemon stepped out.“There you are, about damn time. I was starting to wonder if I was at the wrong place,” he muttered.“How did you find me?”“I made a very wild guess.” “Kaida — how is she?”He tapped on the transparent glass, as if testing its strength.“She’s perfectly fine, and she knows you’re not dead. But she might not be too happy about the fact that I didn’t let her come with m
“There’s a slight chance we aren’t dealing with a pack,” Daemon said. “Thank you for this information.”“Wait, you’re leaving me here? I just proved how important I could be.”“Yes, indeed. If you get any other information, just reach out,” he said, then turned around. He was really leaving.“Fuck you.” I muttered beneath my breath.“I heard that,” he called out. “I intended for you to hear that!” I said, but of course he was already gone.My gaze fell on Sebastian, still standing on the other side of the wall. He raised both hands in surrender before backing away. Frustrated, I stomped off..Kate arrived at the pack a few hours later. This time, she brought along her luggage.“You won’t really need all those for a few days.”“No, I won’t. But I’m not planning to stay for just a few days,” she said, walking into her room. I followed with two more of her luggage. “I’m moving into this pack,” she said finally, and I couldn’t deny how surprised I was at that.“Really?”“Yes,” she said,
I walked past the patrolling soldier and Phil, who followed after me.“I thought you said you were leaving? I was worried you’d do something rash, so I came after you.”Good thing he and the other patrollers hadn’t witnessed what happened earlier.“Plans changed. Guess I was about to make a rash decision — but I changed my mind.”“Are you okay?” Phil asked, inspecting me.I knew I didn’t exactly look my best — I’d spent god-knows-how-long in the healing room, then ran straight to pack my bags, dressed in nothing but the white gown the healing wardens had supplied. My eyes must have been red from crying. But every other person in the pack looked the same, if not worse.They were all mourning Alexander—I realized.Many cast pitiful glances at me.“Why did he have to go?”, “He was too young to die,” “He ‘was’ the best Alpha the pack had ever had.”Everyone had something to say about Alexander.I could hardly believe I’d run past all these people without noticing a single thing. On the wa
KADIA’S POVI woke up in the healing room.A pair of blue eyes watched me — Daemon. He looked… different, and it wasn’t just the new haircut. There was something about him that made him seem more human."Daemon," I called; my throat felt so dry.He seemed to have already prepared for that. He passed me a glass of water, which I quickly emptied.Everything came flooding back — the news about the plane crash. It became harder to breathe.“Kaida. Calm down.”"He's gone — he was in the plane when it crashed."I yanked out the tubes attached to my arm and rose to my feet. The movement had been too abrupt; the room seemed to spin.I felt hands guiding me back to the bed. I couldn’t hold in the tears.“He shouldn’t have been there. I made him go, and now…”“Stop.” Daemon said, cutting me off. “He is not dead. I visited the site; I didn’t find anything that indicated he was among the ones that died.”“You were at the site?” I asked, my heart speeding up with renewed hope.“Yes. The moment I h
ALEXANDER’S POVMy blurred vision slowly cleared, and I realized I was in what looked like a small, empty room.The wall facing me was made of thick, transparent glass.I couldn’t tell how they managed to get me in here—there was no window or door, only a narrow slot likely meant for passing food and letting in just enough air to keep the ‘prisoner’ alive.I could only assume there was some kind of hidden entrance.My hands and ankles were bound with thick silver chains.The chains felt excessive—I could barely move a muscle.More wolfsbane than I’d ever consumed in my entire life had been pumped into my system, completely immobilizing me and filling me with this nauseating, sickly feeling. I hadn’t realized I was shivering until I noticed the tremble in my fingers.The room was chillingly cold, and with the wolfsbane suppressing my werewolf abilities, I was no exception to the cold. I tried to summon flames. Nothing.Maybe I was just too weak to summon the flames. The crushing feeli
1KADIA’S POVWhen I discovered the news of my pregnancy, I had been so happy. But I knew a lot would have to change.I had to be more cautious—for the baby. That meant I wouldn’t be able to keep training the pack soldiers for much longer. Of course, I’d have to give up that duty eventually and it had become a part of my life. I would have to watch my diet, too. And then there were other things. Like the fact that I would grow big, and I might not look the same. My toned stomach which I had spent years working on would be no more.This had been the type of life I once abhorred, but everything was different now—I wanted this. I could see a future with Alexander, filled with laughter and little kids running around, and the thought made me smile.Lara was the first person to find out I was pregnant.After I discovered the pregnancy test was unmistakably positive, I was as scared as I was excited.Lara happened to be visiting the pack, and we kind of bumped into each other. She was all s