COAL'S POV
The days passed slowly, painfully. Time felt heavy, an unbearable burden on my soul and body, suffocating the very life out of my bones. I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to bear it.
Sitting at the large desk in my office, I stared blindly at the fireplace across the room, nestled in between floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Winter was coming. Soon, flames would fill the fireplace, flickering in a complex dance, releasing heat into the atmosphere.
But nothing would warm me.
Not anymore.
I suspected the cold pit in my stomach, and I would remain good friends for eternity. I leaned back, my hands clenching the armrests of the executive chair. The leather chair creaked in resistance.
Recent events ricocheted in my head like a pinball machine on crack.
Immediately following the shocking revelation that Brinley was my mate, I’d insisted she not clean my room anymore. I’d used some ridiculous excuse that I didn’t want her around my things. When in reality, I couldn’t care less if she touched everything I owned.
The problem was her delectable scent...
...sweet lilac with a splash of moonlight.
It would be my undoing. It drove my Wolf, and I damn near crazy. Just one sniff and my mouth watered and my jaw ached to release my canines into her.
I shuddered and shook my head, trying to clear it.
The same chant, I’d been telling myself for the last two weeks, played on repeat in my head. I just needed some time away from her. And then I would be okay.
The sickly sweet ache in my chest would go away. Yes, I was drowning in the worst depths of hell right now, but with just a little bit of time, I could get back under control.
I had to if I wanted to survive.
I pulled in an unsteady breath.
My father had resisted my request, the pretense of annoyance in his tone and body language, reminding me it was her job to clean the packhouse.
But I didn’t miss the cruel glint in his eye. No doubt, he wanted to torment her in some form or fashion, but there was no way in hell I was going to let him use me for that. In the end, I got my way, and Brinley no longer cleaned my suite.
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. Without waiting for my response, Calla let herself in.
I frowned.
She crossed the room and planted herself in my lap, the hem of her navy blue dress riding up her thighs. She wrapped her arms around my neck. Examining my sour expression, she cooed, “I’m sorry, baby. I can’t believe the Moon thought she would be a good choice for you.”
Her voice was sickeningly sweet. It turned my stomach. Funny, I didn’t remember her voice sounding like that before. But now, it grated my last nerve.
My wolf let out a growl. He didn’t appreciate her comment and envisioned snapping her head from her shoulders with his powerful jaws. I pushed him back under control.
“I don’t want to discuss it. It doesn’t matter. It’s not going to happen,” I bit out through clenched teeth.
I needed to get my shit together.
If I was going to move on with Calla, I needed to find some way to make it work. It was the last conversation I wanted to have, but I couldn’t avoid it.
I stood with her in my arms, released her to her feet, and walked over to the couch in the seating area across the room. She followed silently and sat down beside me.
Her chocolate brown eyes stared up at me. She gave my bicep an encouraging squeeze. It was clear, from her expression of pity, she thought I was distressed about having Brinley as a mate. She assumed I hated the idea because that’s what I wanted everyone to believe.
But she could not have been more wrong.
I wanted Brinley...
With every fiber and breath in me.
...but I couldn’t have her.
She was never an option for me because my love was her death sentence. My Wolf whimpered. He didn’t like that we were the cause of our mate’s pain and danger. But our suffering didn’t matter. We could die a thousand deaths, for all I cared. There was just one thing that mattered. One thing I would never allow to happen.
Brinley would not die for me.
Still, letting her go was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. Maybe even impossible. Sleep had been shockingly elusive. I spent hours lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, my chaotic mind churning over and over, trying to find a solution.
I’d even considered just taking her and running, getting as far away from this nightmare as possible. If my choice was her or my title, I didn’t give a shit about being Alpha. It was easy. I’d choose her.
But it wasn’t that easy.
If I ran with her, there was no doubt in my mind my father would cut her invisible tie to the pack, turning her rogue.
It was a simple solution for him. Just like that, he could invoke the most unimaginable and cruel punishment on both of us- because once Brinley was a rogue, I would kill her.
I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.
No Wolf could. Regardless of love or family, our compulsion to kill a rogue Wolf was impossible to deny.
And if by some miracle, she escaped me, she would be on the hit list of every Wolf that crossed her path. Her life here was poor, but her options outside of the pack were nonexistent.
No. Brinley wasn’t mine to keep. And it killed me to see the features on her beautiful face pulled tight with pain, sorrow caused by my rejection. A hundred times, I almost gave in and ran to her to confess my love, not so I could keep her, but so that she would know the truth.
But that would be a selfish dick move.
It would only mess with her mind, and make it that much harder for her to let go. I also wasn’t sure if I could trust her with the truth. I felt the fire in her veins. If she accidentally said or did something to reveal the truth, she would be the one to pay the ultimate price.
No. I had to keep silent.
Keeping her alive was my only priority.
The clutter in my head was an unending cycle of thoughts and arguments that only ever led back to one inevitable option-her death.
I had to do the right thing...
...I had to let her go.
Yes l fell into a deep pit of sleep next to Coal, but the moment i did everything changed, i didn’t know where my subconscious was heading to but I was no longer feeling closer to Coal. At first, it was black with blasts of light coming from every corner and then I sunk deeper into the dream and woke up in the middle of nowhere.I glanced back, over my shoulder and found the wind whistling behind me and picking up the whatever was coming in its way. The long, thick trees wavered and branches snapped left and right. I pushed my hair behind my ears, holding them from blocking my vision.A part of me knew this was a dream but the other part of me didn't have a clue.A forest was stretched ahead of me and it reminded me of the one I was in, the time l saw the creature. The sound of the whistles and the wind speeding around me confirmed my theory. I was standing where the dark creatures found me in the beginning, the same exact spot.Fear immediately flowed through my whole body as l recal
As soon as we were alone Kaden tossed me onto the couch near the bed. I fall back on it and clutched the sides while he began circling around me. My breaths came out quickly as I gathered the scene in front of me.The bed was covered in blood, mostly his blood but not all. There's some of mine on the sheets because of the sharp wood but his blood covers most of it. The wooden stake sat near to the pillow until he grabbed it and brought it to me."You can't stab me. I will die." I tell him.He chuckles at my protest and twirls the stake in his hand before coming behind me. My chest raises and drops as he lowers his head close to mine while the stake remains in his hand."I could stab you, then heal you. You'd feel most of the pain, wouldn't you?" It's not a question, it's a threat.I mask my fear and smile. "It wouldn't be the same since I did stab you in the heart. You can't get anywhere close to mine because then I'd die. Not even your blood would heal me."His face turns into a twis
'Keep running because if I catch you, I'll bite you.'His laughter rang in my ear, and filled me with fear and horror as I ran through the woods on my feet.I've unleashed the monster, and now there was no turning back. He'was chasing me, he found the thrill in it and I don't. The cold gripped me from everywhere. The woods are completely dark, there's no source of light or life, just him and me. Fear instilled inside me as I tried desperately to find a path out of the woods and into the town I've escaped from.I don't even know where it is, to begin with. Nothing is familiar.The woods close in around me, dark, looming trees and crisp, cold air. The darkness is suffocating but I have to find my way back, back into Kaden's house where he can trap me forever.I already know he isn't going to let this go so easily. Forcing me to run across the woods, in the cold night while he chases me and threatens to bite me is only the beginning of his anger. It's only the tip of the iceberg.I stabbe
"Well, you're really not one for morning-after cuddles, are you?" He asked, a frown smeared on his face.Instead of replying, I screamed again, unable to believe that he's here. Right now. Right here. I killed him. I fucking killed him.It doesn't turn to reality until I feel his hand over my mouth, stifling my screams. I struggle against his grip, but it's vain, pointless. He's a lot stronger than me and the fear coursing through me doesn't help either."You really thought a piece of wood could stop me? How amusing." His voice is teasing now, a smirk playing on his lips but I don't take it lightly. There's a dangerous fire flickering in his face.I draw his hand away from my mouth and rushed out of the car to catch my breath. Cold wrapped around me. My chest raised and dropped. I blinked at him as he stepped out. My one hand falls over my hip while the other one is over my mouth. How is he alive? I stabbed him.He was dead.Literally dead."Oh, now you're the one scared." His smirk t
ISABELLA'S POV.I placed the pump back and headed into the store. I was finally free and out of the dark forest. The cashier smiled and waved at me as I entered. Rows of snacks, drinks, and road maps greeted my eyes. My stomach grumbled as I moved in the aisles. I really missed eating them. I didn't see anything in that monster werewolf world.Just staring at some cookies made my stomach to grumble again. I have never felt this hungry, this empty and so thirsty.Without hesitating, I grabbed whatever I could fit into my hands before returning to the cashier.The cashier smiled at me once more but this time I returned a fake smile. I damn hungry. "How has your night been?" The cashier asked while checking out the items in front of him.I sighed, not knowing what answer I should give me.He was trying to be nice to me but I wasn't interested at all. He didn't know what the hell was stressing me and what I passed through within one night.I killed my so called mate. What was worse, he di
My eyes flutter opened to find Kaden, asleep.The moment I saw a big black wolf , I lost conscious immediately. I couldn't help it but still I wasn’t saved because here I was now on his chest resting on it.How the hell did it happen?!I sat up startled then I looked around. It was still night, nearing morning.Currently he looked peaceful , his pink lips kinda open but still I didn’t like him.We are two different people. He is a werewolf and I am a normal person.Nothing of that is going to change. If he thought that sleeping with me will make me feel better , he was a fool.He's still cold, just like he's meant to be and I will never like him.Slowly I slided off the bed, my legs wobbling a little as my body adjusted to the after-effect of fighting with the bitch. I moved softly across the room, wincing as a small wave of pain shooted through my lower body. I clenched my teeth and pressed on.When I looked back, I found kaden still sleeping after all my movements. He's deep asleep