RAI A few hours before, "Where the hell are you going? I'm talking to you!" Nadia said, hurrying after me as I left the cafe. According to her, we'd coincidentally ended up in the cafe but I was having a hard time believing what she'd said. It didn't help that she seemed to have been following me around all day. Once we were outstide the cafe, she grabbed at my arm and I halted, sucking in a sharp breath. My patience was quickly wearing thin. So I slowly turned to look at her, keeping my expression blank. "What the hell are you doing, Nadia? Don't give me some bullshit as an excuse," I said and she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, pulling at her hair with apparent frustration. "Ever since I told you about the baby and our wedding, you've been acting so cold to me. Why? Is it because of Raelynn?" She hissed.I glanced around, making sure that there were no eyes on us."You're the one who decided to send out invitation letters without talking it out with me," I
NADIA A smile of satisfaction curled my lips when I saw the expression of distress on Rai's face. It was amusing to watch him live ignorantly. He hurried out of the ward without paying attention to me. He must've heard about what had happened to his sister. **Flashback***I stormed into Rai's house, ready to rip everything into pieces. I felt pathetic for being so frustrated over him. It was never supposed to be like this from the start. I was only supposed to keep him by my side, long enough to gain his trust and smash through his defenses. Instead, I'd fallen head over heels for him. Letting out an angry yell, I grabbed the blue and white flower vase in the sitting room and smashed it against the wall. "What the hell are you doing, Nadia?" I looked up at the stairs to see Izzy approaching. I'd forgotten that she'd temporarily moved into Rai's house. Cursing under my breath, I waited for her to descend the stairs. She glanced around the mess I'd created and smirked at me.
RAI The feeling of discomfort did not ease up as I sat up in bed, feeling as though I'd just been hit by a truck. My wolf was particularly restless and this sudden weakness of mine felt unnatural. Glancing around the room in search of Nadia, I got out of bed, squeezing my eyes shut when a wave of dizziness rattled me. When I was steady again, I made my way out of the bedroom, my feet coming to a halt at the sound of Jared's voice. Making my way down the stairs, I was greeted by the sight of Jared who had his fingers wrapped around Nadia's throat. They both pulled away from each other and I stared at them, puzzled."You're awake," Nadia said, rushing to my side with a smile on her face."What's going on here?" I demanded and she awkwardly cleared her throat."You were probably imagining things. There's nothing going on," she said and I glanced at Jared who looked visibly annoyed. "Since when did you get here?" I asked and he shrugged."Not too long ago. Your father asked me to c
RAELYNN "I could've sworn that I saw your daughters earlier today at a grocery store," Judy had said to me a few hours ago, when she'd visited. I'd tried not to think of the possibility that Theo had brought my kids along with him but the more I thought about it, the more I grew worried. So I called him and eventually pressured him into telling me the whereabouts of my children. And my hunch had been right.So I hurried to his apartment as quickly as I could while trying not to combust from all the annoyance boiling inside of me."Where are they?" I asked and Theo pointed at a white door with a wince."I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have brought them over without your permission. I just wanted to give you a pleasant surprise," he said. I couldn't be truly mad at him because I knew that he had good intentions. "It's fine. As long as they haven't encountered Rai, it's all good," I said and he stiffened.I narrowed my eyes at him, folding my arms across my chest."Don't tell me
RAI "Let me meet them," I rasped, fixing my gaze on her. "What?" She breathed, her eyes widening. I swallowed hard, my chest tightening as my emotions swelled within me."Let me meet the girls. I...I want to be a part of their lives," I said to Raelynn and the frown on her face faded, leaving her emotionless. "What if I refuse?" She asked and I shook my head, the ache in my chest growing by the second."Please, Rae. I want to fix..."She cut me off, tears filling her eyes."You can't. It's too late," she told me and I rose to my feet, reaching out to grab her hand. "I refuse to believe it," I stated and she heaved an exasperated sigh. "It's no use arguing with you," she said and I gazed at her, feeling like my chest would explode. "Raelynn...""I'll think about it. I'm not making promises," she said and walked away from me.I returned to my house utterly wrecked and it only worsened the next day. At night, I decided to go on a drinking spree. It took me quite a while to get
RAELYNN I shot to my feet when I heard Klaus's voice through the phone. Rai had probably forgotten to end the call. Therefore, I could hear what was going on rather clearly. "I'll go straight to the point, Mr Vidal. You are currently engaged, are you not?" Klaus said and I winced."Yes, but--""You should stop trying to weasel your way back into my daughter's life. I won't allow it. She deserves better.""Your daughter?" Rai said, his voice tinged with disbelief. The line ended and I started to pace. It was strange how I started to feel nervous. My phone rang and I picked the call right away. It was from Klaus. "I heard that you went to see Rai," I said. "Already? That was fast."He sounded amused."Did you really have to do that? Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?" I asked."I'm only looking out for you. Besides, I wanted my visit to be a surprise," he replied. "Please tell me you're not planning something big," I grimaced."I'll have to disappoint you on that,"
RAELYNN I was starting to get used to constantly flashing counterfeit smiles at my guests. It didn't help that my mind was plagued by thoughts of Rai. No matter how I thought about it, I still couldn't believe that he wanted me. On the night of our honeymoon, he'd blankly told me that I would never mean anything to him. So why now?Why was he so desperate to make me choose him?What if there was more to his statement?What if he was merely toying with my emotions?"We are gathered here tonight to appreciate one woman. She has been through a lot but she's one heck of a fighter."I looked up at Klaus who was standing on the podium, addressing the guests. "You must have all heard about the mysterious healer who has been famous for her healing abilities. Tonight, she has chosen to grace us with her presence," Klaus continued and the audience erupted into a thunderous applause. "Raelynn, please join me," Klaus said and I rose to my feet. All eyes were fixed on me as I ascended th
RAI Everything around me faded into black and I was sucked into a subsconcious grey space. Slowly, images began to appear in this small space of mine, bringing me more confusion. These images morphed into what seemed to be memories of my teenage years. Memories that I'd lost. Furrowing my brows, I concentrated on a certain memory which appeared rather strange. **Flashback** I was watching her from afar. The sunlight bounced off the strands of her deep brown hair and when she spun around in a gleeful dance, the corner of my lips curled upwards. So I thought to myself: She's beautiful. I lowered my gaze to stare at the strawberry-flavoured candy she'd left in my locker as usual. When I looked up again, she was standing with her blonde friend. I yearned to see her face again. But as I stood there, everything became distorted. Slowly, it all faded out of my sight.**End of Flashback**I opened my eyes slowly, wincing when my eyes were exposed to bright lights. At the t
RAELYNN Austin took a sip from the can of beer I'd offered him. Then he heaved a sigh, his gaze finding Rai's. "You're still not going to say anything? It's been nearly ten minutes, you know?" Rai said, his gaze unwavering.Austin cleared his throat, leaning back on his seat."My bad," he mumbled and I raised a brow at him. "Alright, try not to freak out--" he started to say, and Rai's expression darkened."Are you kidding me, Austin? Spit it out already," Rai hissed, his impatience written all over his face. "The witch council wishes to have a meeting with Raelynn," Austin stated and my frown deepened."And how's that supposed to be bad news?" I asked and he winced."They must have gotten wind of your involvement with the red tulip cult. They also learnt of the fact that you got rid of the plague," he added. Rai heaved a sigh, running his fingers through his hair."That's not good," he mumbled."I still don't understand. Am I too dull for this?" I said and Rai reached acr
RAELYNN Rose must've thought that she was doing a good job at blurring the line between the truth and the lie. Nonetheless, I'd figured it out. The spell was linked to the fact that I was mated to Rai. "Raelynn..." Rai rasped, his breathing strained. My heart ached for him. It was obvious at this point. Our destinies were ill-fated. We were bound to hurt each other as long as we were bound by our bonds. I'd forgiven him for hurting me and I didn't want him to suffer because of me anymore. With this thought, I came to a conclusion that the only way to save him was to lose him. "It's alright. I'll set you free," I whispered and he smiled weakly. The lights in his eyes grew dim as he gasped for air. I swallowed hard, fresh tears filling my eyes."I, Raelynn Norman, reject you, Rai Vidal..."His eyes bulged in their sockets, terror written all over his face."No...." His voice was laced with desperation when he spoke again.I knew he would refuse to reject me. Even s
RAI At first, I felt as though I was trapped in an empty space. I couldn't feel my body and I didn't know where I was. By the time I snapped back to reality, I felt as though I was watching myself from afar. And, when I saw the mortifying scene unfolding before my eyes, I went ballistic. "So this is it. This is what it feels like to be in Alpha Rai's body," I heard myself say. It took me a moment to realize what was really good on. Kyan was inside my body. But how?How did things escalate to this aggravating point?It didn't help that I couldn't recall much. When Kyan attempted to kiss my woman, a dam of fury was unlocked inside of me. Therefore, my will to recover my body waxed stronger. Raelynn attempted to push my body away from her and when it didn't work, she jammed her elbow into my guts and I doubled over. I was relieved to know that she'd managed to free herself from Kyan. "Why are you running? Play with me a little longer, will you?" Kyan screamed as he chased afte
RAELYNN "What are you talking about? Raelynn, you're engaged," Hunter said, his face contorted in incredulity. "I need your help," I said and his frown deepened."You have to be clear about what you need my help with," he stated slowly. "I asked my dad to help Rai and he did. But, in exchange, he wants me to marry you," I told him. "What? That's insane," Hunter said. "The thing is... he already held up his own part of the deal," I stated and he whistled under his breath."That's fast. How is Rai doing? Shouldn't you be with him right now?" "I've been anxious. I just thought I needed to get this situation off my chest," I muttered, gulping down more water. "I'm guessing that Rai doesn't know about any of this," Hunter pointed out and I nodded."He's going to be so mad if he finds out.""So, what do you want me to do?" He asked and I clenched my fists, tension gripping me." I'm thinking you can just pretend to be my fiance for a little while and after a month we can offici
RAELYNN "He wants to know the truth, Rae. You're planning to marry Hunter, aren't you?" Caroline had a smug expression on her face when she spoke. My gaze met Rai's bewildered ones and I knew right away that I couldn't get away with telling a lie. I'd hoped that I could keep it away from him, long enough to get him the help he desperately needed. "Tell me it's not true," Rai croaked and I lowered my gaze, my eyes brimming with tears."I'm sorry," I croaked. This scenario was the last thing I'd expected. I should've known that Caroline was up to no good, the last time I'd encountered her. **Flashback**I was stepping out of my father's office when I nearly bumped into a familiar figure along the corridor. It was Caroline. I hadn't seen her in a very long time. She appeared gaunt and miserable. "What are you doing here?" I asked and she grinned at me."You're getting married to Hunter? Who's Hunter? Another hotshot?" She asked and my eyes widened."Where did you--""I over
RAI The cheerful sounds of my daughters’ voices awakened me from my slumber. Slowly, I sat up in bed and found that I was all alone in the room. When I took a deep breath, the mouthwatering smell of fried chicken saturated my senses.'Raelynn must be up to something tasty,’ I thought as I got out of bed, ignoring the aches that assaulted my body each time I moved.Making my way into the bathroom, I halted in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection for a while. I was such a mess. I pushed my fingers through my messy bed hair and attempted to bring a smile to my face. I managed to smile, although it was somewhat broken.After going through my morning routine, I stepped out into the dining room, where the twins sat with their mother. They all beamed at me, urging me to join them.After breakfast, we all settled down in the sitting room. The twins were engaged with their toys while Raelynn and I watched over them.All of a sudden, my nose began to bleed. In a flurry of movem
RAELYNN I stared at Rai's immobile form, clenching my jaw. His right and left arm were wrapped in bandage and his face was as pale as sheets. Jared heaved a sigh, his gaze resting on Rai. "Do you really think he did that to himself?" He asked and I clenched my jaw, willing the tears to go away. My eyes were sore from all the crying I'd done earlier. "What do you think? Clearly, he did it to himself," I replied and he muttered a string of curses."I should have stopped him. I knew he was struggling. I just didn't think it was this bad," Jared stated and I shook my head."I didn't see this coming either. I thought I'd convinced him not to hurt himself. I was stupid," I said, running my fingers through my hair."What do we do now? It's been nearly six hours. He's yet to regain consciousness," Jared's brows were knitted into a frown as he spoke. The words had barely left his lips when Rai let out a groan, a frown settling in between his brows. I rushed to his side, bringing a hand
RAELYNN "Go ahead and reject me," he droned and I halted, my heart racing in my chest. A lump formed in my throat as I struggled to maintain my composure. Slowly, I turned around and dragged in a sharp breath. "Is that really what you want?" I asked and he clenched his jaw, his eyes going blank. "Do it."We stared at each other, our gazes unwavering. The tension in the air had tripled. Despite my attempts to appear cold and unforgiving, I was hurting inside. For the life of me, I knew I couldn't bring myself to reject him. No matter how hard he pushed me, I knew I couldn't give up on him. "You can't do it?" He said and I clenched my fists, annoyed. The mockery in his tone was unmissable. "I'll get you the help you need," I said and turned away from him. "Why?" He asked, following after me as I left the room. My feet came to a halt, angry tears filling my eyes. I could still smell the fresh blood leaving his body. I hated the fact that he was letting himself bleed like th
RAELYNN I was returning from the grocery store when I noticed the car parked right in front of my house. Frowning, I fished for the pepper spray in my coat. The moment my fingers curled around the container, the door of the car was pushed open and Hunter stepped out. He held up his hands and flashed me a smile."How do you know where I live?" I asked and he beamed at me."I did a little research," he replied and I scoffed at him."What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear that I'm not interested in you" I said and he winced."Although I'm hurt about that, I perfectly understand why. I'm just here to check up on you," he said and I rolled my eyes in annoyance."Now's not a good time, Hunter. Besides, I don't see why you should be concerned about me," I said, attempting to walk past him. "You look tired, Dr. Lynn. Your dark circles are massive and you've lost weight. You haven't been sleeping much, have you?" He pointed out and my feet came to a halt.I hated that he