Arella’s POV
My Nana had a saying--- well, it wasn’t as much her saying, as it was just a general consensus. But back home, she was the one yelling it at me and my cousins the most, because we would steal her cookies. Not that she could ever prove it and hence the saying…
No tempo de Salazar isto não aconteceria!!!
OK! So, not really related, but the truth will set you free, right?
And wasn’t that the fucking truth?
Too bad the saying didn’t warn about the utter agony that the truth causes. Because no matter how much I wanted to deny it, the fact that Zane had only stayed with me because of his wolf, hurt! And it hurt even more because there had been a part of me that truly wanted to believe him. To believe everything he’d said.
That he wanted me…
But no!
Apparently, he only wanted me because I was fucking Advil to h
Arella’s POVI hated this part!First, the deafening silence had settled over the cabin when Zane left. It wrapped around the cabin like a suffocating blanket, every creak of the wood or rustle of the trees outside setting my nerves on edge. My grip on the ax tightened, the cold metal grounding me as I paced the room. It was worse than any horror movie suspense and I hated it.But then came the howls!The night was filled with haunting growls and the distant sound of fighting sent shivers down my spine. My pulse quickened and my wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin. My body ached as if I was about to shift. But as much as I would love to be in my wolf form right now, Zane was right about one thing:I didn’t know how to fight in my other form!Damn, that stubborn, sexy beast…A noise outside the cabin pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. My heart leaped into my throat a
Zane’s POVROGUES!I was fast asleep, when suddenly my wolf let out a howl, waking me up. The beast snarls, tearing through my mind like a warning bell. A second later, I realized that he was right. The sharp scent of rogues in the wind jolted me awake. I sat up immediately, my heart pounding. The cozy warmth of the cabin vanished under the icy wave of adrenaline.Why the hell didn’t our guards alert us?Using my wolf’s senses, I scanned the area, realizing that the rogues were quite a far way out! But to my confusion, my guards were still in position, circling the cabin with precision, as if they were patrolling.What the hell---?!The tension between trust and doubt gnawed at me. I had handpicked these wolves, these men, to protect m
Arella's POV“Wha---what are we doing here?” I gaped, blinking up at Zane, who easily shifted back to his human form. He smirked mysteriously, pulling on a pair of black jeans and a T-shirt.“You’ll see soon enough,” he smiled, handing me a tank top and jeans. I shifted to my human form, almost laughing when I saw the King snarl into the trees. What? He thought the woodpeckers would like my tits or something?Zane took my hand, and like a true gentleman, he opened the front door for me. The memories of our first encounter flooded back. All the chaos, the witty jokes, and--- holy shit! I just realized how many hints I’d missed, indicating that Zane was a werewolf.Illuminate!No wonder he’d laughed...As we stepped inside, the scent of burning wood mingled with something sweet and savory. I gasped as the space had been completely transformed. A small table w
Arella’s POVI was going crazy!That or I would be the first person to die from boredom. Going from having my day filled with birthday party planning to having absolutely nothing to do, was killing me in ways I couldn’t even imagine.Talking about brain rot!The day had dragged on endlessly, and I was bored out of my mind, practically climbing the walls with boredom. My guns were spotless, every screw and mechanism gleaming from meticulous care. I’d devoured an entire book and flipped through two more, but in the end, I’d been unable to focus. I even contemplated reorganizing Zane’s room just to have something – anything! – to do.“Don’t look at me like that,” I’d snapped at Tiny when my fingers had been itching to rearrange Zane’s wardrobe. But the chameleon had given me a dirty look – basically licking his eyeball – so I
Zane’s POVI gritted my teeth, his question gnawed at me, poking at a part of me that I didn’t like to acknowledge.“You’re not going to claim the Runt, right?” he’d asked, his tone sharp enough to cut. I’d bristled at the insinuation. No, Arella wasn’t my fated mate nor my second chance mate, but that didn’t change the way I felt about her. I didn’t care that she wasn’t faithfully mine. I’d once tried to “do the right thing” and kept away from her. But that had resulted in agony for both of us.I wasn’t going to make that mistake again!“And if I were?” I’d shot back, barely keeping my anger in check. Hell, the bastard was lucky that my wolf was once again asleep, otherwise the beast would have happily ripped him to shreds.“Listen, I know she matters to you,” he’d tried to backpedal, fumbling to explain hi
Zane’s POVI’d never really noticed the view from my office before. How the cloud descended upon the mountains, like shadowy hands, gently wrapping the landscape in its mystical palms. It was truly magnificent and beautiful in a hauntingly peaceful way as summer slowly gave way to fall. Perhaps I had noticed the stunning landscape before, but only recently did I honestly appreciate it.The aftermath of the party still lingered in my mind as I leaned against the balcony railing, the cool morning air doing little to calm the whirlwind of thoughts in my head.Arella…Her name alone sent warmth surging through me. She’d done so much for me and my pups, that I wasn’t sure how I could ever repay her. Everything she had done, from arranging the birthday party to organizing that play, that created such a meaningful moment for me and the kids. It was extraordinary.She was extraordinary!
Arella’s POVEva grinned, buzzing with excitement. And it broke my heart just a little, knowing that behind that sweet innocent smile, was a little traumatized girl. I wasn’t sure how just yet, but I was going to do everything in my power to help her – Runt magic or no…Unable to help myself, I leaned down and hugged her tight. For a second she seemed surprised, but after a second, her little arms came around my neck, and she sighed contently into my thick hair. And suddenly, I understood why my mom would always say that the most beautiful jewel she owned was my arms around her neck.This felt fucking perfect…Suddenly, my wolf let out a low growl and over Eva’s shoulder, I noticed Noah strolling over. Standing quickly, I met his gaze head-on, protectively holding Eve to m
Arella's POVBefore I could, however, she went back to her daughter, talking about ironing out some details in her upcoming petition. Her words tugged at something deep inside me. A distant memory of the woman who raised me. Her love and care, that never faltered no matter what I’d said and done.Who showed me what grace truly was...I turned my attention back to Zane, noting with a grin that Eva had now joined her brother, hugging him with her new bunny-teddy as to tell him “Well done”. Yeah, this family wasn’t perfect, but they were trying. And Zane, with all his flaws and struggles, was right there, giving his pups the happiness they deserved...“Erm, excuse me? Arella Garcia?”The voice startled me, and I turned to see a young woman standing nearby. I hadn’t noticed her approach, but instantly I felt at least 6 pairs of eyes on me, but my wolf informed me that they were the guards that
Arella’s POV“You, my dear,” Selena’s voice cheerfully drifted towards me, and I spun towards her, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Are a goddess-send!”I was standing near the refreshment table when Selena glided over. With a broad grin on her face, she greeted me with an air kiss on each cheek. She then grabbed us a drink each and pressed a glass into my hand, clinking it with her own.“I haven’t seen the castle so lively and happy in over a year!” She grinned, gesturing to a group of pups that were trying to pin the tail on the donkey. And of course, Zane dunking for apples had a bunch of kids laughing outright while a couple of grownups were discreet enough to hide their grins behind a subtle hand gesture. And then there were people like me, shamelessly recording the whole thing and saving it as my screensaver.I smiled, shaking my head modestly.“Most of this were the Omeg