KAELMy heart thudded with a blend of dread and trepidation as soon as I stepped out of my car in front of the Ashbourne’s Pack house. I wasn’t scared or confused. I knew exactly what I was doing, and I knew I had to do this. I wasn’t here for Maya. I only came to see her parents, have a little talk with them, and then drive back to my place. But who was I kidding? Because deep down, I wanted to catch a glimpse of her so bad, even if it were for a second. Ever since my chat with Tobias, Fenrir had been pacing back and forth in my mind. I thought I’d feel better once he finally responded, but my condition only worsened. He wanted her so badly it weakened him. And now the healer’s potions weren’t even working, no matter how strong the dose I took.I didn’t come alone. I wanted to, but being the king of the Lycans, I had to have protocols. Tobias walked beside me, and twelve other warriors accompanied us. Alpha Darius stood outside with his wife, Luna Seraphina, and their other daught
KAEL“What?” I let out a bitter laugh. “My mate? A wolfless deviant? That’s… awfully ridiculous.”“You can stop hiding it from me, Alpha.” Tobias’s words hit me like a blow. “You rushed to that forest for her, even after I told you it wasn’t wise. No other woman could’ve ever made you do that… except for your mate.”“Okay, okay,” I raised my hands in mocking defense. “You caught me. It was a mistake, alright. I told you, it’s her pheromones. They drive me insane. And just to make things clear… I rejected her.”“Yeah, I know you rejected her,” he taunted, lifting two fingers and squeezing them together in the air, pressing on the word like it was something sour. “And that was a dumb move. She’s not some Omega or Gamma. Her parents are Alpha blood.”“She’s wolfless goddamnit!” I stammered. “Why didn’t you tell me that you knew?”“Don’t do this, Alpha,” Tobias shook his head and then shrugged, letting out a low breath. “I was waiting for you to tell me yourself, but you didn’t, so I thou
KAELIf it’s tearing me up this bad, an Alpha with a powerful wolf to anchor me, how much worse must it be for her? I thought rejecting her would kill the bond, but it’s like hacking at a rope that just won’t break.I lay on the healer’s table. Sweat covered my body while I shook uncontrollably. I felt a wave of pain as though there was liquid fire trying to burn me from the inside out. My muscles contracted to the point where I was fairly certain they were in danger of ripping, and each joint in my body hurt as if it had been forcibly dislocated. I gripped my chest, willing the searing ache in my heart to end, but it kept hammering. I groaned, trying to stifle the cry. One week had passed since Maya left.But the agony worsened with each passing day, which kept reminding me that the connection was not some old wives’ tale to be shrugged off.The healer hesitated a moment, and then his brow furrowed in concern. “You’re condition’s worsening, Alpha,” he mumbled, sounding uneasy. “I’v
FINNEverybody had a first: the first kiss, the first hug, the first love. Mine were different, though. They weren’t about moments that pass or milestones carved in romance. Every first I’d ever experienced, the agonies and thrills of them all, were bound up with Maya, stitched into my life like a seam I couldn’t tease apart.Maya was my everything, though she had never known it. I was 10 years old when my mother died. I drowned in grief so deep I could hardly breathe. For days, I sat in my room, looking at the wall, lost in the void of her abrupt absence. She’d gone to the pack hospital to have my baby brother, but she never came back. My father was similarly overtaken by his own grief, barely able to meet my eyes, let alone offer any comfort. His responsibilities as Beta of the Ashbourne Pack consumed him quickly, and I was left to deal with my grief. But Maya… she was there.I even pushed her away at first because I was too buried in my grief to let anyone in. But she didn’t giv
MAYA“You think I don’t know she’s my own daughter?” Father’s jaw tightened as he gave Finn a cold glare. “It doesn’t matter how bad she looks… fleeing from the Alpha of all Lycans, or the White Throne Council, endangers us all. You may not get how grave this is, but I do.”My mother looked at me with those hate-filled eyes of hers. “You’ve always been stubborn, Maya, and now you’ve just dragged poor old Finn into your mess. Don’t play the victim here.”“I did not run away,” I finally decided to speak up, though my voice was little and weak. "The Lycan Leader sent me away himself.”“That’s impossible!” Father’s eyes opened in surprise. He should’ve been happy to listen to the news, but there was something else in his eyes, which told me he wasn’t happy at all. He continued, “The minimum sentence for failing to keep your heat on is six months, not to mention you tried to seduce the king himself. You were barely a month there.”I was too damn tired to keep arguing and proving myself wor
MAYABy the time Finn turned into the driveway that led to the Ashbourne Wolves’ Pack house, the place I used to call home, the sun had started to set. I bit back a pang in my chest at the familiar sight of the stone manor stretching below. I sat paralyzed in the passenger seat with fisted hands on my lap. The burden of returning was so heavy on my shoulders that I could barely move.Finn looked me in the eye, and his warm, chestnut-coloured gaze caught the hesitation in my gaze. He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Do you want me to go in with you?” I nodded, thinking I would be dead by now if not for him. “Please,” I forced a whisper.The gravel crunched beneath my feet as we got out and walked up to the front door. My heart pounded with fear, and my hand shook as I grasped the door handle. Finn put his hand over mine and smiled gently at me. “You ready?” he asked, although we both knew I wasn’t.Do I look like I’m ready? Oh Goddess, how am I going to face them? I shouldn’