KADE’S POVThe first thing Jaxon noticed was the toxic smell of wolfsbane. Then, his vision narrowed in on the two women in the middle of the room.The sight of Andrea, bloody and tied to a chair, stopped me in my tracks. For a second, it was like I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing. The fierce, badass Alpha I both lusted after and loathed had no business being in that position.Zayne, on the other hand, was dead serious when he said he wanted to do the killing this time. With no hesitation, his wolf surged forward and slammed against the other woman, sending her flying into the wall with a loud smack.I moved then towards Andrea. The force of Zayne’s shove made her chair tilt backward, and I Shifted just in time to catch it before she went crashing to the floor.“Andrea,” I panted as I righted her chair.She giggled, looking at me with unfocused eyes. “We have got to stop meeting like this.” Her words were a jumbled slur.I swore as I snapped the ropes, tying her wrists and ankle
ZAYNE’S POVAs soon as Kade climbed into bed with Andrea, all I wanted to do was reach out and rip him away from her.I hated how she instantly moved to him and how content she looked in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes so they looked like they were sleeping intimately.She’d been squirming in my arms all the way from the cabin, but as soon as Kade touched her, Andrea calmed down.I knew it had nothing to do with me and was an effect of the mating bond between them. But that only made me feel worse; I hated that she had that sort of connection with someone else.If she’d chosen me, I could be the one to calm her with our bond, I could be—‘Focus,’ my wolf, Alistair, murmured. ‘Her wellbeing is first and foremost.’I sighed deeply. Alistair was mostly always more sensible than me, and I could count on him to stop me from dwelling on my petty jealousy and focusing on the situation at hand.I moved to Andrea’s bathroom. There, I filled a bowl with warm water a
ZAYNE’S POV‘Your spirit’s bond holds the power to save her and the children. When darkness threatens them again, seek the sanctuary where fate and hope intertwine—you will find the help you need.’As my eyes opened, that one line from a dream I had four years ago—when Andrea’s life was threatened by her pregnancy and the changes she was going through—replayed in my mind.I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I tossed in bed. I had slept in the extra bedroom in Andrea’s house, not willing to leave her alone after everything that had happened.As I squinted against the early morning light coming in through the curtain-less windows, those words echoed repeatedly in my head.I’d had the dream four years ago when everyone was losing their shit over Andrea’s dire case. She’d had so many complications towards her delivery time, and we were all terrified that she would die.I don’t even know if I could classify it as a dream. It was more of a hazy jumble of images—of Andrea in pain, of the twins tha
ANDREA’S POV“Why does everything that concerns you bother me?” I asked softly, staring at an unconscious Kade in my bed.He looked so fragile—nothing like the powerful Alpha that drove me crazy.I sighed. “Please wake up,” I whispered, my voice shaky. “Wake up so I can hate you.”The only response I got was a distressed groan, but Kade’s eyelids didn’t flicker once.I sighed, holding my head in my hands.I don’t know how long I sat there, just waiting. I was worried about Kade; I was worried about my babies I wasn’t even allowed to see. I felt powerless and useless.Just like Tiana wanted me to feel.I wondered briefly what had happened to her. Had Kade and Zayne killed her? Or would she show up again in the near future to exact her revenge?A knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts. I stood and walked towards it, opening it gently. Zayne stood at the other side, his brows furrowed.My heart skipped a beat. “What’s wrong?”He shook his head. “The twins don’t have the plague Ka
ANDREA’S POV“I reject you, you filthy Omega!”I heard my heart breaking into pieces when I caught my boyfriend Beck kissing another woman under the moonlight. The way they embraced intimately as if they were made for each other tore open something inside me.As if the past two years he spent with me was a joke.When I accepted Beck as my boyfriend two years ago, I worried. In our world, Alphas paired with Alphas or strong Betas. Omegas were… the lowermost. Gentle, obedient, weak. But Beck had sworn it didn’t matter.He gently convinced me that I was the best gift for him and promised to love me with every strain of his life. Even if one day his fated mate appeared, I would be his only love.So when he told me that we'd bond at the grandest Hunting Festival in history, I was beyond excited.It would be significant. I mean, right in front of all the ones who longed for destined mates, we would take our vows as chosen mates. It was enough to prove our indestructible love.Yet now, he wa
ANDREA’S POVMy vision blurred as I moved. I was desperate to leave what was officially the worst Hunting Festival in history and nurse my broken heart in peace.Then I felt a hand grip my wrist, halting me. The point of contact sent electricity sizzling up and down my arm, and I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.Alpha Kade pulled me to him, turning him to face me.“Where are you going?” he hissed, almost furiously. The skank that had been on his arm was nowhere to be seen.I bit my lip, unable to meet his fiery gaze. The nirvana of finding my mate had faded, and all I could think of was the huge gap between us and the gossip about Kade. We would never work.'Andrea, our mate wants us!' Emrae jumped excitedly. 'I can feel his wolf. He's so damn hot and powerful!'Powerful? Beck had made it painfully clear—an Omega like me wasn’t enough. And this man? This towering, ice-eyed Alpha who reeked of power and dominance? He would laugh in my face if I dared suggest fate had bound us to
ANDREA’S POVI was burning.I was burning from the inside out, and the heat of the male with his arms wrapped tightly around me wasn’t helping.Kade slept beside me, his dark lashes casting shadows over his sharp cheekbones. In sleep, he looked almost... peaceful. Not the ruthless Alpha who had ruthlessly, and wholly claimed me with last night.‘Explosive’ was the only word that came close to describing the passion of our mating last night. I’d never been…loved so thoroughly before. Kade had been dominant yet tender, passionate yet sweet.It had been incomparable to anything else I’d ever experienced, and I was so glad I hadn’t shared last night with Beck, my cheating ex. The connection had felt raw, intense, and all-consuming, as if we were not just sharing our bodies but intertwining the very essence of our souls.Now, I wanted to lay in this moment forever, just staring at the gorgeous face of my mate while he slept. I stared and stared and stared, memorizing how his long lashes ca
KADE’S POVI hadn't slept this well in a long time since my parents passed away.I had slept with many beauties but none of them could compare to Andrea. My mate was perfect. Her plump body, her tight pussy, and even her naughty claws that had scraped my back were perfect. I would never get tired of making love to her.Was that the power of the bond? If so, I couldn't wait to do it all over again. And again, and again.I stretched like a big cat reaching out for my mate’s warm body, already yearning to make love to her again.However, I felt nothing. My eyes flew open and took in her side of the bed—empty. The only evidence she had ever been there were the rumpled sheets and her scent clinging to me and the air in the cabin.“Andrea?” I called out as I climbed out of bed.“Andrea!” The bathroom door was ajar, and there was no one inside.My heart rate quickened as I did a three-sixty turn like a fool.She was…gone. After sex with me?How dare her? This little Omega!'Is that a big dea
ANDREA’S POV“Why does everything that concerns you bother me?” I asked softly, staring at an unconscious Kade in my bed.He looked so fragile—nothing like the powerful Alpha that drove me crazy.I sighed. “Please wake up,” I whispered, my voice shaky. “Wake up so I can hate you.”The only response I got was a distressed groan, but Kade’s eyelids didn’t flicker once.I sighed, holding my head in my hands.I don’t know how long I sat there, just waiting. I was worried about Kade; I was worried about my babies I wasn’t even allowed to see. I felt powerless and useless.Just like Tiana wanted me to feel.I wondered briefly what had happened to her. Had Kade and Zayne killed her? Or would she show up again in the near future to exact her revenge?A knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts. I stood and walked towards it, opening it gently. Zayne stood at the other side, his brows furrowed.My heart skipped a beat. “What’s wrong?”He shook his head. “The twins don’t have the plague Ka
ZAYNE’S POV‘Your spirit’s bond holds the power to save her and the children. When darkness threatens them again, seek the sanctuary where fate and hope intertwine—you will find the help you need.’As my eyes opened, that one line from a dream I had four years ago—when Andrea’s life was threatened by her pregnancy and the changes she was going through—replayed in my mind.I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I tossed in bed. I had slept in the extra bedroom in Andrea’s house, not willing to leave her alone after everything that had happened.As I squinted against the early morning light coming in through the curtain-less windows, those words echoed repeatedly in my head.I’d had the dream four years ago when everyone was losing their shit over Andrea’s dire case. She’d had so many complications towards her delivery time, and we were all terrified that she would die.I don’t even know if I could classify it as a dream. It was more of a hazy jumble of images—of Andrea in pain, of the twins tha
ZAYNE’S POVAs soon as Kade climbed into bed with Andrea, all I wanted to do was reach out and rip him away from her.I hated how she instantly moved to him and how content she looked in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes so they looked like they were sleeping intimately.She’d been squirming in my arms all the way from the cabin, but as soon as Kade touched her, Andrea calmed down.I knew it had nothing to do with me and was an effect of the mating bond between them. But that only made me feel worse; I hated that she had that sort of connection with someone else.If she’d chosen me, I could be the one to calm her with our bond, I could be—‘Focus,’ my wolf, Alistair, murmured. ‘Her wellbeing is first and foremost.’I sighed deeply. Alistair was mostly always more sensible than me, and I could count on him to stop me from dwelling on my petty jealousy and focusing on the situation at hand.I moved to Andrea’s bathroom. There, I filled a bowl with warm water a
KADE’S POVThe first thing Jaxon noticed was the toxic smell of wolfsbane. Then, his vision narrowed in on the two women in the middle of the room.The sight of Andrea, bloody and tied to a chair, stopped me in my tracks. For a second, it was like I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing. The fierce, badass Alpha I both lusted after and loathed had no business being in that position.Zayne, on the other hand, was dead serious when he said he wanted to do the killing this time. With no hesitation, his wolf surged forward and slammed against the other woman, sending her flying into the wall with a loud smack.I moved then towards Andrea. The force of Zayne’s shove made her chair tilt backward, and I Shifted just in time to catch it before she went crashing to the floor.“Andrea,” I panted as I righted her chair.She giggled, looking at me with unfocused eyes. “We have got to stop meeting like this.” Her words were a jumbled slur.I swore as I snapped the ropes, tying her wrists and ankle
ZAYNE’S POV“Hey,” I greeted as I answered Andrea’s call. “Gotten an Uber yet?”A weird sound responded. I frowned and stood up from the couch in the living room. Nora looked up from the TV at me in question.I signaled that I would be back and moved towards the foyer.“Drea?” I called out.I couldn’t hear anything other than that strange sound like…choking?“Andrea!” I called out again, feeling panic rise in my chest. “Andrea, can you hear me?”I heard a soft thud, like the phone had fallen. “Andrea!” I yelled.Then I heard a small shuffle and a feminine voice I didn’t recognize floated through the speaker.“Andrea can’t come to the phone right now, but feel free to leave a message.” There was a manic giggle. “Although I can’t promise she’ll ever receive it.”Dread settled in my stomach. “Who—” The dial tone cut me off.My hands shaking with panic, I dialed Andrea’s number again. An automated voice informed me that the number I was dialing was unreachable.“Fuck!” I roared.Who was t
ANDREA’S POVThe first sensation I felt was a headache that threatened to split my skull into two.I groaned, reaching up to clutch my head—but my hands didn’t budge. I felt resistance around my wrist and the rough bite of something digging into the flesh there as I tried to move again.Slowly, sensation filtered in. I was seated on a wooden chair, and my wrists were tied to its legs.I tried to lift my head, but the pain stabbed through my skull again, and I whimpered as my eyes slowly fluttered open.The light in the room I was in was dim, but it stung my eyes, and blinking hurt like a bitch.“Awwn, you’re up?” I heard a voice say. “Have a nice nap?”I clenched my jaw and forced my head up, biting back a scream as pain rushed through me.Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the light, and I recognized the room I was in. My heart skipped a beat.Was this a sick dream? Had I somehow replaced my children in the hellhole where Beck had kidnapped them?But this didn’t feel like a dream. Yet, it w
TIANA’S POVA week ago“T, come inside,” my younger sister, Marissa, said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.I shook my head. “A little longer,” I whispered, staring at the freshly filled grave. “Just a little longer.”She sighed and squeezed my shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t like him much, but I know how happy he made you.”“Of course, he made me happy,” I said hoarsely. “He was my mate.” Talking about Beck in the past tense made my skin tighten painfully over my bones.She sighed. “Come in soon.”She left me then and followed the rest of the funeral crowd into the reception hall.Finally alone with Beck’s grave, my legs wobbled, and I crumpled onto the floor. Without the prying, sympathetic eyes on me, my eyes quickly filled with tears that spilled over my cheeks without hindrance.“Baby,” I whispered brokenly, clutching my chest. There was nothing there—no heart beating behind my rib cage. It had stopped beating the moment the bond snapped.
KADE’S POVAndrea fucking Carter was everywhere.Even when I didn’t seek her out, there she was. I didn’t know if it was serendipity or some shitty karma for a sin I committed.“Mr. Nightshade,” Minister Robert’s aide called out, surprised when I suddenly stopped in the middle of the foyer.I paid him no mind, though. I couldn’t take my eyes off Andrea. Even when I hated the sight of her, I couldn’t deny that she was the most gorgeous creature I’d ever laid eyes on, and I could stare at her for the rest of my life.She seemed to recover from her shock first and descended the stairs towards me.“What the hell are you doing here?” I hissed, conscious of our environment and the two aides watching us in confusion.Andrea scoffed and folded her arms. “Stalking me is one thing, but feigning ignorance about it is a new low for you, Nightshade.”I scoffed incredulously. “Stalking you? What the hell are you on, woman?”She rolled her eyes and waved a sealed envelope in front of me. “Whatever.
ANDREA’S POV“Gina,” I said tightly. “I’ll think of something and call you back.”“Okay, Alpha.”I hung up and tossed my phone aside with a growl.“Is there a problem, Andrea?” Nora asked hesitantly.I ran my hand through my hair with a sharp exhale.“It’s fine; nothing you need to worry about,” I told her.She moved closer and put a hand on my shoulder. “Still, maybe if you talk about it, you’ll feel better.”I snorted, grabbing my wine glass. I downed the whole thing in one gulp. “Talking about Kade Nightshade has never made me feel better.”Nora raised a brow. “The person you have a problem with is Kade Nightshade?”I turned to her. “You know him?”She leaned back and folded her arms. “In passing. What did that asshole do now?”I raised a brow. The tone in her voice suggested she knew Kade in more than just passing. Nora shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, I hear stuff about him on the…news. People like him piss me off.”I shook my head. “I’m not disputing you. He’s definitely an