KADE’S POV
I thundered into the pack house like a storm cloud. The guards at the door flinched as they bowed, and I barely registered their show of respect.
“Where’s my grandfather?” My voice was tight with barely restrained anger.
They glanced at each other warily before one of them answered. “He’s in his room, Alpha.”
I headed to the back of the building—the annex that belonged to my grandfather. As I went, my mind reeled with all the questions I had for him.
When had he contacted Andrea?
Why had he contacted Andrea?
What the hell did he say to Andrea?
I slammed his door open, startling him from his position on the couch in his room. Since I got engaged to Natasha, my grandfather stopped going to Hunting Festivals, since his goal had apparently been fulfilled.
He put the book he was reading down and raised a brow.
“Can I help you?” he asked calmly, clea
BECK’S POVThere aren’t that many ways to become an Alpha. You’re either born an Alpha, or you marry into an Alpha’s family.Mating with Tiana should’ve been my ticket to shedding my second-rate position as a Beta and becoming the Alpha I deserved to be.But Tiana had sisters, and her father, the Alpha of their pack, Silver Blood, was not impressed enough with me to hand over the Alpha role to me.It didn’t matter that Tiana was the firstborn, and by right, her mate should be the Alpha. Her father cared about bullshit like proving myself.It pissed me off to no end, but what could I do?If I wanted to win my future father-in-law’s blessing—and his title, I had to pull out the big guns.And what was bigger than allying myself with the newest, most powerful Alpha in town?My first choice would have been the Alpha of Obsidian howl, but due to his messy history with my ex, Andrea, and that embarrassing spiel at the banquet hall a while back, I figured that Kade Nightshade wasn’t very like
KADE’S POV“Which would you prefer, a spring, summer, fall, or winter wedding?” Natasha asked, scrolling through her phone.I rolled my eyes, shoving a huge piece of steak in my mouth so I didn’t have to answer her question. She’d been asking me the same question for five years. I don’t know why she thought now that my grandfather, the entire catalyst for this relationship, was out of the way, I’d suddenly decide I was ready to marry her.She was lucky I didn’t call off the engagement right there and then.As I chewed and ignored Natasha, my eyes roamed around the restaurant we were in. It had a warm, upscale vibe with soft lighting, elegant table settings, and a cozy, family-friendly section that seamlessly fit into the romantic ambiance.In addition to couples out on dates, there were families with little kids of various ages.Natasha chose the restaurant, and I think she did that intentionally to plant the notion of children in my head. Little did she know the storm my mind was in
ANDREA’S POVI just wanted a nice, quiet dinner out with my babies.Why the fuck was Kade Nightshade everywhere I turned? As if that wasn’t enough, now his intolerable fiancée was thrown into the mix, too.“What the hell is going on here?” Natasha repeated.I rolled my eyes, unwilling to get into anything with her.I tightened my grip on Matteo and Luca. “Come on, boys.”I started to move, but Natasha moved, too, blocking our exit.Her eyes looked down, taking in my children, and they widened. She looked from the twins to Kade, and my heart rate sped up.Did she see the resemblance? All Matteo and Luca took from me were my eyes—all their other features were Kade’s, and anyone perceptive enough could see that. It seemed that Natasha, for all her shallow, vapidness, had a working brain between her ears.I moved, blocking my children from her view. “Would you like to move out of the way, or would you prefer I threw you out of the way?” I asked, forcing my voice to be calm.Natasha looked
ANDREA’S POVBefore I headed to check the person I'd hit, I opened the back door and inspected Matteo and Luca closely, making sure they were completely fine.“Does it hurt anywhere?” I asked, unhooking their seatbelt in case the pressure was too much.“We're fine, mommy,” they said.“Are you sure?”They looked like they were coming down from the shock, which was good. They nodded, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. They were my entire world; if anything happened to them, I would lose my mind.“Stay here,” I instructed before closing the door.I headed over to the person. As I moved closer, I saw that it was a man. He was still on all fours, and his head was bowed.All I could see was a head of blond hair, and I felt a sense of foreboding.“I'm so sorry I didn't see you in time,” I said carefully, even though he was the one who had run out into the street suddenly.The road was still busy. Cars swerved past us, honking in irritation.I heard him curse, and my hear
ANDREA'S POVSafe to say, after the disturbing events, I didn't sleep well last night.I kept tossing and turning, and I lost track of how often I got up to check up on the twins.I had the irrational fear that Kade would swoop in in the middle of the night and take them away.I was glad when morning came. Luca and Matteo didn't seem to have any lingering trauma from the night before.They chattered excitedly as I fixed them some cereal.“Can we go exploring?” Luca asked excitedly.I thought of all the less-than-ideal things that had happened to the twins every time we stepped out of the hotel room and winced.“How about we stay in today?” I said. “We could watch movies all day and stuff our faces with candy and ice cream.”Their eyes widened. “Really?”I nodded. “Really!”Just then, there was a knock on the door.“Ooh, that must be Zayne here to play,” I said as I stood up from the small dining space we were at.I headed to the suite door and opened it.My eyes widened when I beheld
ANDREA’S POVIt took me exactly one minute to run from the Starbucks back to the hotel and up four flights of the emergency stairs to my suite. It was the longest one minute of my life.I stopped at the door, panting harshly. My heart was racing a hundred miles a minute, and it wasn’t because of the physical exertion.My babies were missing.Zayne was on the phone when I burst the door open.“Andrea—”“Matteo!” I roared, heading straight for their room. The door was open, and the room was exactly as we’d left it when they tumbled out of bed this morning.“Luca!”I rushed to my own room. The door was open, too, and I heard Zayne say, “I’ve searched the suite from top to bottom, Andrea.”I ignored him, unable to think clearly. I searched the bathroom, the balcony, the dining, I even opened the tiny mini fridge on the off chance that my children had shrunk, instead of disappeared.“Where are they?” I asked, Zayne, panting harshly. “Where are my babies?!”Zayne shook his head, his face tw
ANDREA’S POVI never thought the day would come when I would so desperately ask Kade Nightshade for help.But my babies were missing, so all bets were off.He looked slightly shocked that I had actually asked him for help, but he schooled his face into a serious expression.He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll need detailed descriptions of both of them. I have contacts all over New York. We’ll find them in no time.”“No!” I grabbed his hand, stopping his movements.Kade raised an eyebrow in question, and I shook my head. “I can’t have their details exposed. It’ll draw too much attention to them; it’s not safe.”He scoffed. “Right, as opposed to right now when they’re safe and sound.”I growled at him. “Does now seem like a good fucking time for sarcasm?”“Fine,” he huffed. “If you don’t want me to use my resources, how do you suggest we find them?”I ran my hands through my wild mane, groaning in frustration.Sighing, Kade shoved his phone back in his pocket. He grabbed my arm
BECK’S POV“No!” Luca screamed, kicking his little feet. He made contact with the bowl of cereal and sent it clattering to the floor. “I don’t want Lucky Charms, I want my mommy!”I rolled my eyes and stood to my feet. “Yeah, you little shit. I want your mommy, too.”The little bastard and his twin glared at me, and I rolled my eyes again. Neither one of them had shed a single tear since I’d taken them from their hotel suite six hours ago.It had been ridiculously easy to take them, too. All I needed was a signal jammer to mess with the security cameras. Stealing the room key from the front desk had only been a little tricky.Silly Katie was lucky the cameras had been down, or she would’ve been fired when it was discovered that the key was stolen on her watch.Getting them out was a combination of chloroform spray and an unattended cleaning cart.It was after they woke up in an abandoned cabin in the woods that things got frustrating. I’d found the cabin a long time ago when I was run
KADE’S POVIt seemed like today, the universe was determined to test me on which of the batshit crazy women in my life I would kill.My money was on Natasha.I made the split-second decision between following my testy sister and undoubtedly getting into another argument that wouldn’t do anything good for our fragile relationship or talking with my ex-fiancée, who’d drugged me.Natasha was waiting for me in my office, and Jaxon growled the minute I laid eyes on her.‘Let me at her,’ he snarled. ‘I have a thing or two to teach her.’“Calm,” I whispered.Natasha turned at the sound of my voice. She had the good sense to take a step back and cower.I still felt anger coursing through my veins at the sight of her. I was furious at what she had done, and I wanted nothing more than to punish her brutally, but I held myself back for two reasons.One: on some level, I u
KADE’S POVWhy were the females in my life so keen on driving me crazy?If it wasn't Andrea getting on my last nerves, it was Nora pushing every fucking button I had.“You haven't even been back twenty-four hours,” I hissed, slamming through the front door.Nora looked up from her perch on the couch in the living room. She was surrounded by two guards who I’d instructed to watch her like a hawk so she wouldn't try to escape again.My little sister rolled her eyes as she stood. She looked so much like our mother, sometimes it hurt to look at her. She'd been little more than a baby when they'd died, and now she was a full-grown woman.Who still acted like a baby.“Exactly!” Nora spat, folding her arms in a huff. “I haven't been here twenty-four hours, and you're already suffocating me, controlling my life.”“I gave you one instruction when I left. Just one! Wait here for me ti
ANDREA’S POVI don’t think I’d ever seen Zayne as furious as he was at that moment.He stood at the door, his eyes blazing as his chest heaved. He took one look at Kade and me—at him pressing me against the table with his body—and he growled.“Get the fuck off her!” He appeared beside us so fast, it was like he flew.He grabbed Kade’s arm and ripped it off me.“Get your hands off me,” Kade growled, snatching his arm out of Zayne’s grip.As intimidating as Kade was, Zayne wasn’t backing down. He grabbed Kade’s collar and charged forward till Kade’s back slammed against the wall.“Touch her again, and I’ll kill you,” Zayne snarled in Kade’s face.Kade’s eyes flashed, and I saw Jaxon in them. He growled and grabbed Zayne, spinning with force. Next thing I knew, their positions were reversed, and it was Zayne pressed ag
KADE’S POVIf anyone other than Andrea fucking Carter spoke to me the way she did, if they showed me a fraction of the utter disrespect she did, they’d find themselves missing all their limbs instantly.But when it came to Andrea, all that anger and rage demanded expression in a different way.The more she taunted me, the more disrespectful she was, the more intense the urge was to bend her over my knee and spank her, then fuck her till she couldn’t walk.I grit my teeth. “You didn’t have a problem with my bedroom skills last night when you were screaming my name and cumming all over me.”The maddening woman scoffed. “Women fake that sort of thing, Kade.” She smirked. “You’re not all that. That’s the real reason I left in the morning.”Jaxon growled. ‘Are we taking that?’I bared my teeth. ‘No fucking way.’In one swift movement, I s
ANDREA’S POVOf course, the contractor was Kade. Of course, the moment I decided to force him out of my mind and focus, he became literally unavoidable.I glared at Mayor Blackstone. “Why would you keep this information from me until now?”“I—” He gulped, wringing his hands. “I just thought…I didn’t think it was…I mean—”I rolled my eyes. The poor guy was sweating, even though the ACs were blasting. “I expect full transparency when I work with someone, understand?”He nodded vigorously. “I’m so sorry, Alpha Carter.”Kade snorted from behind me. I turned sharply. “What?”He shrugged. “It’s just surreal—hearing people call you ‘Alpha.’”I narrowed my eyes. “I am an Alpha; got a problem with that?”He shook his head, his eyes hardening. “No, that’s no
ANDREA’S POVIt was official—there was something horribly wrong with me.Here I was, standing in front of the perfect, most amazing man who loved and cared for me and was willing to do anything for me. But even as I rejected him for the second time, all I could think about was the scumbag whose favorite pastime was breaking my heart.I didn’t understand it, and it frustrated me to no end. Why couldn’t I just pick Zayne? All my problems would be solved, and I could actually be happy.Here he was, so sweet and kind, offering a love so pure and honest—and all I could think about were Kade’s dark eyes and the powerful way he gripped my body.I meant it when I said Zayne didn’t deserve me. He deserved someone who could love him in return and not keep him as some sort of second option. I felt horribly guilty every time he offered himself up to take care of me or the twins.Like right now, I felt so guilty,
ZAYNE’S POVAnyone who knew my story would probably shake their head at me and brand me a fool.Andrea had clearly rejected me before. Now, she smelled like another male, and I wasn’t stupid; I knew what that meant.Yet, here I was, offering myself up to her again.Honestly, I didn’t understand it myself. When I’d first met Andrea, back when she was with that scumbag, Beck, I’d felt an instant connection.I was never going to come between her and Beck, and truthfully, I was content with being her friend.Then they broke up, and she got pregnant and was suddenly moving to Italy. I didn’t even have to think about it for a second before I decided I was moving with Andrea. The decision felt natural—like the abnormal thing was if I stayed behind.And over the last five years, as we’d gone through thick and thin together, I’d felt our bond grow stronger and stronger between us.Somedays, it felt like love and other days, it was a fierce need to be by her side and protect her at all times. T
ANDREA’S POVI spent an unholy amount of time in the shower.I scrubbed and scrubbed, harder than I think I’d ever scrubbed in my life. I wanted the scent of Kade off me. I wanted to stop feeling the print of his hands on my skin and the weight of his body on mine.I stood under the sprays till the hot water ran out and freezing droplets ran over my skin.“Mommy!” Luca banged against the bathroom door. “I have to pee.”I sighed, turning off the tap.“Hold on, hon!” I called back out.I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel.When I had wrapped it around myself, I opened the bathroom door, letting Luca in.“Can you help me unbuckle my belt?” he asked innocently.I smiled, leaning down. “Sure.”As I unhooked his belt buckle, he sniffed my hair and giggled. “You smell like daddy—and Aunty Nora.”I stiffened, resisting the urge to run back into the shower and scrub till my skin bled.I cleared my throat. “I thought you didn’t like the idea of a new daddy,” I asked Luca.He shrugged
ANDREA’S POVWaking up in Kade’s arms to the sound of my phone ringing was like de ja vu. Especially when the caller ID showed Zayne.My eyes widened as I answered the call. I was only supposed to have gone out for a short walk, and instead, I’d spent the entire day and night out.“Shit, Zayne, I’m so sorry,” I whispered into the phone, gently pulling out of Kade’s grasp. “I lost track of time, and—” I paused. I couldn’t possibly tell the man who I knew was in love with me that I’d left him to watch my kids while I fucked my ex all night.“None of that matters, Drea,” Zayne said, his voice slightly panicked.Ice filled my veins. “What happened?”He swore. “I swear I didn’t let them out of my sight. I even slept in the room with them, but then I woke up, and they were gone.”“What?” I felt lightheaded.“The twins aren’t in the hotel.”“Fuck!” I hissed, climbing out of bed. My dress was hanging over the chair in Kade’s room, and I grabbed it. As I hurriedly threw it on, my heart pounded