RAVEN'S POV
The glass in my hands slipped, crashed onto the marble floors, and broke into bits. I could feel countless eyes settling on us, boring into my back as though they wanted to see through me. However, at the sight of the face in front of me, I froze, and I didn't even realize I had just disrupted the meeting.'Why... why is he here?' I thought.It was as if seeing his face tapped into my memories, and all the memories of last night came flashing through my mind in torrents. I shivered unconsciously as blurry memories of him leaving his marks on my body, as I came undone in his arms, took away my senses. It felt as if I had returned to last night, and I was sensitive all over.I couldn't help but wonder why I still remembered every moment even though I was completely drunk last night.But his warm fingers on my wrist brought me back to reality as I realized I wasn't meant to be standing there dumbfounded and disrupting the meeting. It had been a chaotic week, and I really didn't want to bring more attention to myself.Also, I hadn't noticed all this while, but now that I did, I realized this stranger, my one-night stand, was seated at the head of the table, and earlier, someone seemed to have referred to him as the alpha king. If he truly was, then I was in big trouble. Lucas was already nasty enough, and I didn't dare imagine what would come next when the supposed alpha king finds out I'm just an omega in this pack and of no use to him. He would definitely ridicule me like the others have done, and things would only continue to get worse for me.I decided to leave and try not to appear in front of him until they all leave the pack to avoid becoming the object of gossip for the rest of the day. I immediately wriggled my wrist out of his grip swiftly, catching him off guard, and bowed, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."It seemed my words brought everyone back to reality, as Nadia was quick to berate me loudly, "You lowly wimp. How dare you? Clean that up and get out of here.""I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," I repeated again as I lowered my head and scrambled to pick the shards of glass on the floor quickly so I could make my way out. But due to my impatience, my finger was pricked by the glass, and it stung, making me let out a low hiss.Out of nowhere, the man across from me stood up abruptly from his seat, grabbed me by the wrist swiftly, and pulled me toward the door. I was left dumbfounded by his action, and I could tell everyone was too, considering how Nadia was staring at us with widened eyes as he pulled me out.When we got out of the room and were in the hall, I quickly came back to my senses and jerked my hand out of his, quickly lowering my head."Alpha King..." I was about to speak when he suddenly bridged the distance between us and grabbed my finger. He stood in front of me, his tall frame looming over me like a shadow. The scent of his cologne instantly pervaded my nose as he approached me, and the familiarity scared me deeply.But I flinched when his finger suddenly brushed over the tiny wound where I was pricked by the glass, and it stung. I jerked away from him, startled by his touch, and he looked up at me, his lips curving into a small frown.He regarded me tensely with his eyes that I just noticed were dark but with a tiny strand of white band around them, making them look greyish. It was like a dark whirlpool, pulling me in, and I couldn't look away."Do you not remember me?" He suddenly asked, inching closer to me again. I wanted to step back but, for some reason, I couldn't move my feet. His eyes bore into mine as he added, tilting his head, "Or, you're just pretending not to?"Of course, I did. I remembered every single part of last night, but I knew better than to let him know that.His presence made me feel strange things that I couldn't put a name to, and I badly wanted to avoid him, as I unconsciously didn't want him to see this side of me. Why did he have to appear here now and see that I was not that confident woman he met last night?"I don't know... you, Alpha," I spoke up gently, still avoiding his eyes with hope he would let it go."No, you do," he said, directly covering the remaining distance between us, making me step back unconsciously. But I had forgotten I was already close to the wall, so I was cornered by him.Before I could move, I felt his arm snake around my waist, forcing me closer to him. I writhed involuntarily at his touch, and suddenly, I was sensitive all over. It felt as though my skin came in contact with electricity, and I couldn't help but tremble."See..." he suddenly whispered huskily, making me look at him. "Your body does remember me."I didn't have anything to say, and my mind went blank as I just stared at him. My eyes followed his fingers as they settled on my lips, as he traced their outline carelessly.He asked, his voice low and hoarse, "Are you deliberately trying to avoid responsibility after begging me to sleep with you?"I suddenly felt ashamed as I recalled how brazen I was, asking a stranger to sleep with me. He must think I am a vulgar and shameless person now.That thought instantly made me recall that I shouldn't be playing around with him like I was doing. I wriggled in his grip, but when he didn't let go, I breathed out, my face becoming more serious."Yes. I would rather not take any responsibility," I told him, before shaking my head. "Scratch that. There is nothing to talk about between us. Last night was just a one-time thing, and it won't happen again. So, why don't we..."His eyes darkened, and I could see his jaw tightening as he cut in, "Are you going to say we should forget it all happened and move on?"TRISTAN'S POVSeeing how her lips clamped shut, I could tell that was what she was truly about to say, and it only served to make me feel worse than I already felt. Was it the way she was being treated by those people inside the most irritating, or how she had hoped last night would be a one-night stand? I couldn't decide. But both options were getting on my nerves.The shock that I felt, confirming it was really her earlier, knew no bounds, as I was not even expecting to find her so soon. I had thought it would still take a while for Ethan to retrieve the CCTV from the hotel and find her, not expecting she would be in this pack.Thankfully, I didn't decide at the last minute to pull out of the meeting today. Otherwise, I would have missed her altogether.She was still cornered against the wall by me, but she was still trying hard to prove she was not intimidated. Her brows were tightly drawn as she tried to look serious, but whatever image she was hoping to convey in my eyes was fail
TRISTAN’S POV:As I stepped into the room, a hushed silence fell over the crowd. I could sense the covert conversations and plotting, but I chose to keep it to myself. I returned to my seat, my hands clasped, offering an apology for the interruption. Judgemental glares met my words, their grievances unsaid but palpable. In any case, I wasn't in the mood to get angry today.Out of nowhere, Lucas, seated across from me, grunted disapproval. "Leaving a meeting without a proper reason isn't fitting, Alpha King," he admonished. I met his challenging gaze, but I had no intention of engaging in a power struggle. Instead, I apologized, maintaining eye contact. It was clear he was disgruntled, not expecting me to yield, yet he chose silence."Shall we continue?" I inquired, directing my attention to Alpha Odette, the acting female alpha of the Peak Ocean Pack. "Alpha Odette, please proceed with your pack's report.""Yes, Alpha King," she responded swiftly, opening her file, and the meeting res
TRISTAN’S POV:I found myself lurking by the curtains, peeping at the Moon Peak Pack army out on the field through the window blinds that were conveniently up. The spectacle was the pack's army training, and I couldn't resist evaluating their skills.Now, don't get me wrong, they were decent, and Lucas seemed to think they were the bee's knees. He wanted to flaunt his army's prowess to the rest of the pack. But let's just say, they were like amateur hour compared to my pack's Iron Army. Those guys were specially trained to tackle formidable opponents, and I can confidently say no other pack in the country even comes close to them.Only someone like Lucas would think he was so important.After a few more minutes of observing their formations and tactics, I sighed and plopped down on my bed, fishing my phone out of my pocket.My messenger was flooded with messages, and my email had an inbox brimming with reports, business proposals, messages from friends, group chat mentions from the fa
AUTHOR'S POVAlpha Odette, one of the guests of the treaty negotiation, was in the lounge assigned to her, standing by the window. She held a binocular in her hand as she watched the figures in the building across from her. There were two men there, discussing. It was Tristan and his beta, Ethan. She watched them for a while, unable to hear what they were talking about, but it seemed rather serious, as his face soon turned solemn.But even so, she didn't seem discouraged and continued to stare at him, clearly intrigued. It wasn't hard to tell she was interested in him. But just then, her assistant entered. He bowed, clutching an arm to his chest in greeting, "Alpha."She looked up from the binoculars and glanced at him over her shoulder. "How is it?""I found out some things, Alpha," he announced, approaching her.She paused in what she was doing upin hearing that and moved away from the window. She settled on the couch and crossed her legs, clearly interested. "What did you find?
RAVEN'S POV:As Nadia strolled into the room, the girls who had me in their clutches loosened their grip, and an eerie silence took over. She sauntered over, wearing a snobby expression."What on earth do you think you're doing? Do you realize you're making a mess in the kitchen, and we have guests to serve?" she reprimanded sharply, her furrowed brows showing her irritation. "Don't ever pull this stunt in the pack's kitchen again. If you do, there will be consequences."But it was obvious she wasn't chastising them for tormenting me; she was more concerned about the location of their antics.Despite her seemingly stern tone, I could see a glint of satisfaction in her eyes. I couldn't help but wonder if she had something to do with Camille learning about my encounter with Tristan.Camille, trying to appease her, quickly apologized and signalled her minions to leave. Just as they were about to depart, she turned back and issued a warning, "Consider yourself fortunate this time, Raven.
RAVEN'S POV:"Can you get up?" he asked, his strong hands firmly holding my shoulders. He leaned in so close that I could see every detail of his face, and strangely, it only made him more handsome. Most people don't look good up close, but he was different. His features were striking, and I couldn't help but be inwardly impressed by his good looks."Raven..." I heard him call, snapping me out of my daze. I quickly attempted to rise, but my throbbing ankle betrayed me, and I stumbled. His hands steadied me, and he chuckled softly, his voice a deep, melodic rumble. Leaning in, his breath brushed my cheek as he teased, "Are you trying to fall into my arms on purpose?"My heart raced at his question. Everything about him affected me in a way I couldn't handle; it was driving me wild. I realized he was only teasing, but I couldn't help but clarify, "No, I didn't..."His hand still gripped my shoulders for support as he guided me, half-limping, towards the door. Despite my response, he see
RAVEN'S POV:I was shell-shocked after his words and couldn't say anything, just staring at him with a blank expression. I had no idea if it was how blunt he was that took me off guard or what he said itself."Sorry?" I blurted out subconsciously, unable to come to terms with his words.His gaze was fixated on me, and his expression was so serious that it made me antsy. I watched his lips graze each other as he repeated in the same succinct manner, "Be my woman."It was only then that I came to terms with his words. He meant it and wasn't joking or teasing me. He wanted me to be his woman; whatever that meant. But every part of me could only keep thinking about those words, and it kept revolving in my head.When I didn't say anything, he added, "Don't think too much about it. You get your freedom, and I'll take you away from here. Under the premise that you become mine."I looked up at him, speechless. But now, the wheels in my head were turning, and I realized there was something wro
RAVEN'S POVI was still reeling from what had happened with him as I made my way back to the omega quarters. Lost in my thoughts, I failed to sense the presence sneaking up behind me. It was only when I felt a searing pain in my head and then crashed to the floor, my hair being violently pulled, that I realized something was wrong.Dizziness overwhelmed me as my head collided with the unforgiving brick floor. It felt as if my brain was rattling inside my skull. The agony was sharp, and for a moment, I could hardly think.When I finally regained my senses, I found myself looking up at Camille, who stood a few feet away, wearing an arrogant expression. I didn't need anyone to tell me she was there to torment me, as she often did. My head still swam from the fall.Glancing around, I realized she wasn't alone. A crowd of pack members had gathered in the hallway, their faces filled with curiosity, as if this was some sort of twisted entertainment.Panic surged within me. This was clearly a