RAELYNN Air rushed into my aching lungs when I stumbled out of the closet I'd been locked in. Disoriented, I kept my eyes closed while I tried to catch my breath. Rai's soothing scent surrounded me, making me relax. Slowly, I opened my eyes and pulled away to look at him. My throat constricted at the sight of the tender gaze in his amber eyes and my heart started to race. Everything else seemed to have faded and it was just the two of us trapped in our world."Rai..." I breathed, tears filling my eyes when I noticed the way he held me in his arms. It was surprisingly gentle and warm. For a moment, I let myself believe that I was dreaming. "Rae? Are you alright?" He whispered, bringing a hand to the side of my face. I stared at him through blurry vision, fresh tears welling up in my eyes at the realization that I could've died today. If I'd died, I wouldn't be able to see my little girls again. Rai had rescued me. "Thank you," I croaked and his frown deepened. "Are you hu
RAISeveral Years Ago, I fixed my gaze on the white ceilings of the ward I'd been admitted to, my brows furrowed. My parents had left a few minutes ago. I could sense them lingering along the hallway. I couldn't blame them. The doctor had told them that I had barely escaped death. While I thought about this, my frown deepened. I couldn't recall what had happened to me. The door slid open and an unfamiliar girl walked in. She had roses in her hands and a bright smile on her face."Hey," she said and I blinked at her, puzzled. She leaned over to embrace me and when she pulled away to gaze at my face, I could've sworn that for a moment, her eyes turned purple."Who are you?" I asked and she froze. "You don't... remember me?" I nodded and she turned pale. Wide eyed, I watched as she sank to her knees by my bedside. "It's me, Nadia. I'm your girlfriend, don't you remember that?" She said and I froze."Girlfriend?"If felt off. Something was wrong but I couldn't figure out what
RAI I didn't stop to think, I went after the shooter in a blur of movements. He didn't have enough time to react. Before he could attempt to flee, I'd grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him while prying off his fingers off the gun. He screamed in pain as I twisted his fingers and pushed him to his knees. The gun fell to the ground with a dull thud and he flinched."Who are you?" I demanded and he kept his gaze lowered. Raelynn approached us with hesitant strides. Eventually, she halted right in front of us and slapped him across the face, twice. "How dare you?" She spat, her brows were furrowed at him. I could see the fiery rage in her eyes. "Who sent you?" I said to the shooter and he snarled."I'd rather let you kill me," he responded with a gruff voice and Raelynn picked up the fallen gun. I watched with wide eyes as she pointed the gun at his forehead."You really aren't afraid of death, is that it?" She demanded but he kept silent.In the spur of the moment, she aimed th
RAELYNN For the umpteenth time, I declined an incoming call from Rai. Sitting on my desk was a wedding invitation card, one that I'd received a few hours ago. Nadia had probably sent it to me, hoping to get a reaction out of me. But it was of no use. She belonged with a jerk like Rai. Hopefully, Rai would stop chasing after me once he gets married to Nadia. The door to my office was pushed open. Rai stormed in, his eyes filled with desperation. "Why are you ignoring my calls?" He asked and I leaned back on my seat, grinning up at him. "What's funny?" He demanded."You don't know? All of this is just so funny. Why are you here, Alpha Rai? Oh wait...I should congratulate you," I said and his frown deepened."Raelynn," he said in a warning tone. Picking up the invitation letter on my desk, I waved it at him. "But it's true, isn't it? You're finally getting married to the woman you love. Isn't it the reason you divorced me in the first place?" I asked. "I know that I've--"
RAELYNN I turned to fix my gaze on Rai who looked as though he would explode in a few seconds. For reasons unknown to me, I felt terrible. Taking a step back from Kyan, I sucked in a sharp breath. "Raelynn, what --" Kyan started to say and I shook my head. "I can't...I shouldn't do this...” I breathed and he reached out to grab my hand. In the blink of an eye, Rai had stormed over to us with a speed I didn't know he possessed. Grabbing Kyan by the front of his shirt, he slammed him against the wall, his eyes turning a bright silver."You bastard," he growled, punching Kyan in the face. Wincing, I attempted to break up their brawl, only for Kyan to break free of Rai's grip and punch him in the face. "Can you two stop it already? What if someone sees this?" I asked and they both froze. They were supposed to be affluent individuals with the perfect image. "Stay away from her, you hear me?" Rai spat and Kyan growled at him, his eyes turning a bright orange."Shouldn't you
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 It was snowing tonight, although not as much as it did during Christmas Eve which was a couple of days ago. Glancing at the light blue sky, I bit my lower lip. A smile tugged at my lips at the sound of the giggles of my youngest child, a new addition to my family. I could hear Rai's deep voice all the way from the sitting room. Together with the sound of the twins' laughter, these sounds had become my favourite. When the sounds ceased, I listened closely for the sound of approaching footsteps. The door opened and I turned around to find Rai standing there with little Aiden in his arms. His amber eyes warmed when they met mine. "Hey," I said and he made his way towards me, pulling me into a hug. I brought my hand to the nape of his neck, letting my fingers drift through the strands of his hair. Rai had ditched his long hair for a shorter hair and a clean undercut. "What's on your mind?" He asked and I beamed at him, running my fingers over his handsome face. "I'm j
RAI Her wedding dress was perfect. Watching her walk towards me with her father made my heart flutter wildly against my rib cage. This wasn't our first wedding. Even so, this day felt like something out of a daydream. When she got to me, she held out a gloved hand to me, which I accepted right away. Steering her towards me, I took a deep breath. "Rai," I heard her whisper. The mere sound of her calling my name sent a wave of heat coursing through my veins. Her gaze met mine and I smiled, a wave of relief washing over me. I'd spent years yearning for her. Still, I'd lied to myself. I'd refused to accept how much I wanted her. I'd been foolish. It didn't help that I'd been struck by an overwhelming guilt when I'd learnt of her 'death'.Fate had given me a new chance to love her properly. "Rai Vidal, do you take Raelynn Norman as your wife and partner, to love and to hold for the rest of your life?" I heard the priest say. "I do," I said, linking my fingers with Raelynn's. She h
RAELYNN "If you don't want to die, open this door," I stated and she swallowed hard, sweat dripping down her temples.All of a sudden, she burst into laughter and doubled over. I eyed her with annoyance. Was everything she'd just displayed merely an act? If it was, it made a lot of sense. She was a part of the witch council. There was no way she was truly afraid of me. Was there something I was missing? As I thought about this, she straightened and cracked a manic smile at me, her eyes glowing with what appeared to be a murderous intent. "You're going to pay for everything you've done," she drawled and I clenched my fists. I didn't understand what she meant. As far as I could tell, I had never encountered her before. Therefore, there was no way I could've offended her unless..."You're the one who invited me here, aren't you? You planned this from the start," I said and she chuckled dryly. "I guess you aren't dumb," she commented, folding her arms across her chest.I obse
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