RAELYNN "What the hell?" Rai breathed, his eyes widening. I forced out a smile, desperately trying not to flip out. Today was supposed to be one of the happiest day of my life. "Calm down. Let's relax and figure out what's really going on..."My voice trailed off when he suddenly winced, squeezing his eyes shut as he brought a hand to his forehead. Worried, I placed a hand on his shoulder to assure him that I was right by his side. When he opened his eyes again, his eyes had returned to their usual colour. A sigh of relief escaped my lips and I embraced him, resting my head on his chest. I could feel the wild racing of his chest. It made me feel nervous. "Did you...hear that?" He suddenly said, and I stiffened, looking up at him with wide eyes. "No, I didn't hear anything. What did you hear?" I asked and he frowned."Someone called my name," he stated and I shook my head."Ignore it. You should get some rest. You really look pale," I told him. He didn't resist me when I to
RAELYNN ".... Rae? Wake up."With a gasp, I jolted awake at the sound of Rai's gentle voice. He blinked at me, fixing a questioning stare at me. Disoriented, I looked around. I was back in bed with him and there was no sign of Nadia anywhere. "Were you having a nightmare?" Rai asking, cocking a brow. "A nightmare? When did I get back here? I went downstairs and...""Do you not remember what happened? We went to bed and fell asleep. I think you woke up in the middle of the night to attend to my fever. Then you slept off again," he told me. My eyes widened."I did? I was so sure it was real..."He brushed my hair away from my face, and brought the back of his hand to my forehead. "You don't have a fever. What did you see?" He asked."Nadia. She was standing by the window. She kept laughing at me. She stank so bad...""It was just a nightmare. Don't let it get to you," he said, getting out of bed."Where are you going?" I asked and he paused to glance at me."Did you forget?
RAI A few Years Ago, "Marry me," I said to Nadia and she blinked at me, her face devoid of emotions. Then she burst into laughter."Really?" She asked, tracing irregular shapes across my chest. I watched her carefully, wondering what she thought of my proposal. It was clear at this point, I couldn't live without her. I needed to make her my Luna."We both love each other. Besides, my father wants me to take over his position. I need a Luna," I told her and she arched a brow."Are you certain that you really want me to be your wife?" She asked. I brought a hand to the side of her face and she leaned into my touch. "Don't you know how I feel?" I asked and she heaved a sigh, pulling away from me."I don't feel complete yet," she stated and I frowned, confused."What do you mean?""There's someone who stole something from me. I want you to mess with her for me. It's the only way I can live with you happily," she replied, her gaze meeting mine."Nadia...""I know it soun
RAELYNN My phone buzzed from its position on the nightstand and I reached out to pick it up. I'd just received from Hunter whom I'd coincidentally run into, a couple of hours before. The text said:'Have you resolved your issues with Rai?'I groaned in annoyance, squeezing my eyes shut. I didn't have to tell him about my fall out with Rai, he'd been able to tell at a glance. And, I hated that. Although I'd refused to tell him what had really happened, he'd concluded that I'd had a big fight with Rai. I stared at the text for a while, contemplating my next line of action. Right before I could actually get down to typing a reply, I heard Rai call out for me. I closed my eyes, releasing a sigh. I couldn't tell if it was merely the effect of our bond, I itched to go to him. I was still upset. I still couldn't wrap my head around the actual reason behind the divorce. Rai had hurt me deeply. Even so, he was a changed person now. He was clearly tormented by his own guilt. Decidin
RAELYNN "Judy? Is everything okay?" I said, and she sniffled. I exchanged bewildered glances with Rai, who looked visibly worried, a crease forming in between his brows."Did something happen?" I asked, my insides twisting into a painful knot. I could feel my pounding heart in my chest. It made me hyperaware of the situation."Judy, please talk to me," I said, and she broke down into a sob. My eyes widened, and my breathing quickened. Fear sank into me, and I shot to my feet."What is it?" I asked cautiously."Everything is okay now. It scared the life out of me. I thought...Rae... I thought...""Breathe, Judy. You're rambling. Please tell me what's going on," I pleaded, my voice quivering.Rai had risen to his feet. He was standing by my side with one hand on my shoulder, silently assuring me that he was right there by my side."I had a bad dream. In the dream, someone kidnapped the twins," she said, and I stiffened, nausea sweeping through me.I didn't like where she was goi
RAI The weight of the spell threatened to crush my sanity, bringing along with it, a maddening depression. Three days had passed since Raelynn discovered the cuts on my arm, she was constantly on edge. Every few minutes, she would check up on me to make sure I wasn't harming myself. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I ran my fingers through my hair. It was in dire need of a haircut but I couldn't bring myself to go out in public. "Rai? Are you alright? You've been in there for almost an hour," I heard Raelynn say as she knocked on the door of the bathroom. "I'll be out soon," I replied as I eyed the sharp edge of the mirror. Raelynn had hidden all of the blades and at this point, I was tempted to break the mirror. The memory of the pain I'd inflicted on myself was rather vivid in my mind. I deserved this pain. All along, I'd prided myself to be untouchable. But, there was a glaring truth I'd refused to see all along. I was weak. I was stupid. It had taken years for Nadi
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
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 "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
RAI The weight of the spell threatened to crush my sanity, bringing along with it, a maddening depression. Three days had passed since Raelynn discovered the cuts on my arm, she was constantly on edge. Every few minutes, she would check up on me to make sure I wasn't harming myself. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I ran my fingers through my hair. It was in dire need of a haircut but I couldn't bring myself to go out in public. "Rai? Are you alright? You've been in there for almost an hour," I heard Raelynn say as she knocked on the door of the bathroom. "I'll be out soon," I replied as I eyed the sharp edge of the mirror. Raelynn had hidden all of the blades and at this point, I was tempted to break the mirror. The memory of the pain I'd inflicted on myself was rather vivid in my mind. I deserved this pain. All along, I'd prided myself to be untouchable. But, there was a glaring truth I'd refused to see all along. I was weak. I was stupid. It had taken years for Nadi
RAELYNN "Judy? Is everything okay?" I said, and she sniffled. I exchanged bewildered glances with Rai, who looked visibly worried, a crease forming in between his brows."Did something happen?" I asked, my insides twisting into a painful knot. I could feel my pounding heart in my chest. It made me hyperaware of the situation."Judy, please talk to me," I said, and she broke down into a sob. My eyes widened, and my breathing quickened. Fear sank into me, and I shot to my feet."What is it?" I asked cautiously."Everything is okay now. It scared the life out of me. I thought...Rae... I thought...""Breathe, Judy. You're rambling. Please tell me what's going on," I pleaded, my voice quivering.Rai had risen to his feet. He was standing by my side with one hand on my shoulder, silently assuring me that he was right there by my side."I had a bad dream. In the dream, someone kidnapped the twins," she said, and I stiffened, nausea sweeping through me.I didn't like where she was goi
RAELYNN My phone buzzed from its position on the nightstand and I reached out to pick it up. I'd just received from Hunter whom I'd coincidentally run into, a couple of hours before. The text said:'Have you resolved your issues with Rai?'I groaned in annoyance, squeezing my eyes shut. I didn't have to tell him about my fall out with Rai, he'd been able to tell at a glance. And, I hated that. Although I'd refused to tell him what had really happened, he'd concluded that I'd had a big fight with Rai. I stared at the text for a while, contemplating my next line of action. Right before I could actually get down to typing a reply, I heard Rai call out for me. I closed my eyes, releasing a sigh. I couldn't tell if it was merely the effect of our bond, I itched to go to him. I was still upset. I still couldn't wrap my head around the actual reason behind the divorce. Rai had hurt me deeply. Even so, he was a changed person now. He was clearly tormented by his own guilt. Decidin