LAYLAMy wrist throbbed where they had bound them behind my back, but the pain was nothing compared to the icy fear crawling up my spine. The lights from the torches flickered and there , at the end he stood— the Lycan King.I could see him only from behind at first. His back was broad, his stance one of absolute power. The long white sleeves he wore stretched over his shoulders clinging to muscles that bulged.His hands were clasped behind him, giving me a glimpse of his hands thick with veins and strength. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing a tattoo which danced in his lower arm. A king Cobra with spikes on its head.There was something unnaturally still about him, like a predator waiting to pounds on its prey.My heart hammered in my chest as he spoke, his voice a low, rumbling command that echoed through the hall reaching every corner at once."Why did you sneak into my pack?"I swallowed hard, but my mouth had gone dry. His words were rich, wrapped in a strange, terrifying
LAYLAI couldn't believe my ears. This was the condition he said he had for me to stay in his pack?He couldn't be serious. "Swear your loyalty to me, body and soul."he said, his voice like a low, dangerous growl. " Become my slave and we will have a blood bond,.... or leave my pack and never return."I froze, feeling the air leave my lungs. My body...? My soul?. I came here seeking for refuge, not... submission. Not this. I felt tears stinging my eyes again. I could hardly meet his eyes, but when I did, slowly and looking away quickly. All I saw was a fierce, cold person— someone who had no heart at all How could he say this ?That moment I wished for death."Please." I begged softly barely able to hold back the pain in my voice. "There must be another way. I can't have a blood bond with you, I once had a mate...please.""Another way?" His voice dripped with mockery. " And he rejected you, correct? I don't need to hav
LAYLA I woke up to the sound of loud snoring. It filled the room, breaking through the silence. The older woman— the one who had been keeping an eye on me , was asleep, deep in her dreams, completely unaware. I sat up slowly, hardly daring to breathe, as I watched her. This was my chance and it may be my only one.If I stayed here with her and all the others, I knew I would never truly be safe. Not when the Lycan King had plans for me and I didn't know what they were. But the things they said about him... they were terrifying. I'd rather keep running , keep wandering in the woods or even live in the human world than stay here and end up facing him and whatever plans he had for me. And I will never agree to the blood bond. Never.Death was more honourable than that.It wasn't his fault. It was Derek , Antoine and even the moon goddess who had pushed me into a game I couldn't play.Using me as a pawn in her chessboard.I took a slow, deep breath , my heart pounding as I stood up
LAYLAAs I was plunged into the dark murky water, the shock enveloped me,jolting my entire body with the intense coldMy heart raced and I could literally hear each beat in my ears. I forced myself to open my eyes, squinting against the murky depths.I wasn't alone.A figure floated just inches away, his gaze fixed on mine. Before I could react, he raised a finger to his lips, silently signaling me to remain quiet. I didn't even need to nod—there was something about him that commanded my obedience.I heard footsteps crunching above, voices whispering anxiously as they searched. For something. For someone."Are you sure she was here?" A man asked." Yessir." Another reply." Stupid damn omega had no scent." A gruffy voice added.My heart quickened—I'd thought I was alone . Who were those guys?The voices faded, but the man stayed momentarily, as if ensuring it was genuinely safe. Then, in one elegant motion, he broke the surface, prompting me to follow suit, gasping for breath as I st
LAYLAAs we got to the Packhouse, I felt my breath hitch in my throat. The immense structure stood high against the bright sky ,its imposing presence both awe-inspiring and frightening. Each stone seemed deliberately placed to show respect, representing the might of its ruler—the Lycan King, Alpha of Alphas. I haven't taken my time to have a look at the Packhouse since I arrived, I guess it's the biggest I have ever seen and no Alpha could boast of a Packhouse like this one.I risked a glance at him as he dismounted effortlessly, his figure intimidating that I quickly looked away.He didn’t look back to see if I would follow, but I was expected to. His presence commanded fear and respect in me, that all through the walk here ,I was very quiet.Clenching my teeth, I stood aside , my eyes roaming and seeing the guards stationed at various places. I didn't see them when I ran out this morning.I felt my heart beating fast as I followed him, each step filled with a sense of worry about
DEL MORINO I stood looking out of the window on the moonlit night, I couldn't stop thinking about Layla. The vodka in my glass wasn't cold anymore, just like how my heart felt.My other hand rested in my pocket, a habit I'd developed over the years to hide my clenched fist.The memory of Layla's attempted escape simmered in my mind, growing my anger. I could still picture her desperate eyes, but I quickly pushed that image away. Weakness was not an option; not now. The punishment I had imposed was necessary—she needed to grasp the repercussions of defying me.As I thought about her, the memory of my late mate, crept into my thoughts. Layla looked so much like her that it was almost scary - they both had bright green eyes and dark black hair. It felt like fate was teasing me, making me remember the person I had lost."Your Majesty," a soft voice broke into my thoughts.I turned to see a middle-aged maid, her silver hair neatly arranged at the back of her neck. "Dinner is served, sir
DEL MORINO Dinner had been cleared minutes before I heard the sound of footsteps, heavy footsteps of the guards and something else which was light and the door was pushed open.I sat in my usual seat,draped in furs and arrogance, astwo of my guards practicallyshoved her forward. Laylastumbled, catching herself beforeglaring at them. I love that. If given the chance she had smack him on the head.She lookedworse, thinner than sheought to be, her cheekbonessharp and her eyes sunken and red which showed that she might have cried a lot. Thefire in those eyes, however,burned just as brightly as anything."Careful"' I growled at the guards."I didn't ask you to deliver herbroken."The guards muttered apologiestheir heads bowed as theystepped back. Not that I caredfor their excuses or for Layla My attentionwas entirely on Layla, who stoodher ground like a stubborn treerefusing to bow to the storm, she had even braided her hair.Nice."Leave us" I commanded with awave of
DEL MORINO It was raining heavily and the storm outside raged on,shaking the walls of my room.Lightening struck across the sky, illuminating my room in an instant. Itwas as if the weather shared thechaos inside my mind.I heard the thunder rumble even before I woke up with a jolt,drenched in sweat, my heart drumming in my ears, racing as if it could break free from my chest.It was the same dream. Thesame nightmare that had hauntedme for years. I wished it could stop but instead it continued stubbornly."Fay."Her name slipped from my lipslike a whisper, but there was noone to hear it. No spirits, nosaviors-just me and thememories. Memories I wanted to stop everyday but every night they reappear.I missed Fay. A lot. But the nightmares, I just wanted them to stop already. I knew one thing was fuelling them and it was my guilt , the power of not moving on was holding me back , feeding them every night. I rubbed my temples,trying to shake off the images which burned into
LAYLA'S POV. “Don't worry.” I said to the maids as I took the tray of food from her after having breakfast.“ Just take two days off and instruct the other maids to scrub the floors clean.”“Thank you so much, Luna.” She said, bowing slightly and left as I handed the tray to the maids behind me.“You can take just two hours off.” I said to her as I made my way to the garden to free my mind from my thoughts.At first, I didn't hear him because the rustle of the leaves in my little garden and the sound of the morning birds overpowered the sound of his footsteps. The delicate flowers Del had purchased for me were bathed in golden light as the sun continued to rise. To help me feel like I belonged, he had created this space specifically for me. This place made me feel secure. It served as my haven where I could escape stress and everything. Then I sensed his presence. With my hands still holding the watering can I froze. I knew it was him without having to turn around. His presence f
LAYLA'S I wasn’t sure what had come over me this evening The streets had been so busy, the food—so simple yet satisfying, a bit of normalcy in a life that never seemed to allow it. The maids had prepared something special something fit for an Alpha and Luna but Del ever the selfless one insisted they shouldn’t bother. “I’ll eat with you” he’d said offering that grin of his that always made everything feel like it might just be okay. But as we returned to our chambers, I couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort. Del on the other hand seemed at ease walking alongside me like we hadn’t just spent the day out there two people pretending to be something we were still trying to figure out. It was all my fault, even though Del said he wanted to eat with me, I was quite sure that he was still a little angry about what had happened earlier.My heart thudded in my chest, a heavy weight of emotions I didn’t know how to carry. Not for him not for me… but for what I had lost. I tried to shove
LAYLA'S POVDel Morino was supposed to be my mate, the one I loved, the one that should have been mine. Thats what everybody says anyway, that's what I knew, right ?But my heart was aching and no matter how hard I tried, that nagging sensation couldn't just leave . It was there . As we strolled through the bustling night street, the aroma of street food danced into my nose. He moved next to me, his hands holding mine lovingly and I knew I should be listening to what he had to say and how he spoke. But I couldn't , I had other things on my mind. My thoughts were faraway and I tried pushing them out.Del had knocked on my door and I hastily slipped the letter Adrian had given me into the pocket of my jacket. Its weight against my side served as a reminder of something I couldn't forget and that I didn't want Del to know about it, or it could cause trouble for me or Adrian, well, I don't even know."I'm taking you out." He said laughing." Not the normal dates." His eyes locked on min
LAYLA I was having trouble breathing. My chest felt tight as if I were being choked by invisible hands The words echoed around me and immediately I felt like passing out.The words were swimming before my eyes as the parchment shook in my hands but I was unable to understand them. I didn't want to. Aunt Charlotte. Uncle Benjamin. Gone. Just like that?I couldn't tell how long I stood there speechless and unable to think, my mind too consumed by the awful thought of their deaths. It was just so unbelievable, I felt something wet on my cheeks and it was when I touched my cheeks that I realized that I was crying.All I could feel was the emptiness that radiated through my body, the tightness in my throat and the raw sting in my chest. They were the ones who were there for me after my parents death. I had grown up with them. I could not recall anyone else loving me or caring for me in the same way that they did. And they had vanished. In that exact same way my parents had left.Not a
LAYLA My fingers curled around the parchment Adrian had given me and when I set the mug down the tea was just lukewarm. As I tried to read the exquisite script, the ink continued to smudge beneath my fingers. It was definitely from Drake, the man I had once believed would be my mate but who had turned me down. I was baffled as to why he sent me this. How did Adrian get it anyway? I turned to face Adrian who had somehow gotten closer to me while I was absorbed in my thoughts. His eyes were unreadable and calculated as he stared at me. His normally composed manner felt more abrasive and menacing just like that of a predator circling its victim. A darker, more eerie quality had taken the place of the warmth that had once surrounded our friendship. "How do you know about this?" My voice shook a little as I waved the letter at him.How did you even get this from Drake?."Too controlled and too practiced Adrians lips curled into a tiny knowing smile. "Drake and I go way back." he said
LAYLA.The weight of Del Morino's words began to press down on my chest in the late afternoon. Del had gotten me a new chamber and I had pease here.I tried to distract myself by arranging books on the couch in different places and running my fingers along their spines But nothing was able to divert me from our earlier discussion. Little shivers of confusion ran through my mind as his voice continued to echo. I believed I understood the strain of living in his world and I felt really sorry for how unstable his life had been from the onset. I shifted uneasily on the couch and flipped through a book, hardly reading the words. My gaze was constantly drawn to the window. I exhaled and tried reading when I heard a knock. I quickly rushed there hoping it was Del but when I opened the door, I was kind of surprised "Adrian." I said surprise lacing my tone""Hey,Layla." He said quietly. "It's been a long time." I said, moving aside to give him access. I knew Adrian well enough to fee
LAYLA Sitting across from Del, I tried to quiet the raging mental storm but it couldn't go away. Carleton Antoine Morino. That name, I have heard it before but where? The name sounded awfully familiar.Del was staring at me when I looked up. He was waiting and I sensed it. He was waiting for me to ask, for me to say something that would cause a chain reaction. I was unsure of what to say. His name *that name* weighed a lot on my chest. Even though I thought I had heard it before, the memories were so distant and out of my grasp. Why did my heart race each time I thought about it and why did it seem so important? At last,t when I couldn't hold my questions any longer, I spoke barely raising my voice above a whisper. "Del I've heard that name before, especially the name Antoine. I am certain that I have. But I don't know where or why does it seem so familiar?"He shrugged and reached for a glass of water, took a sip and continued staring at me but there was something in his eyes.S
DEL MORINO I was staring out the window when I felt Layla's eyes pressing down on me. The room was flooded with moonlight, which created shadows on the walls that appeared to get bigger by the moment. I couldn't bring myself to speak, not just yet, so our silence dragged on longer than it should have. Sharing was never my style as a man. Not with anyone. Not her at all. But tonight something was different. I was now staring out of the window as I sipped from a glass of Martini. There was something about the way she was staring at me that suggested she genuinely wanted to know and understand me. It made the words flow out of me in a surprising way. For a moment I believed I could ignore it—pretend like nothing was wrong—because the air between us was heavy with unsaid words. Act as though I didn't have the urge to tell her the secrets I’d long kept hidden. But I always pretended not to care. Isn't that the thing about me? As if I was independent. The silence was broken by Layla'
DRAKEIt felt like ages since dinner. The sound of cutlery clinking on dishes,Sophia's chuckles and her kind smile. The storm raging inside of me was cruelly contrasted with everything else. Tonight was supposed to be normal for me. I had shamefully returned from Corbin's pack into the waiting arms of Sophia, as I stared at her from across the table I remembered that my role was to pretend to be the man she believed me to be. But I couldn't maintain the persona for very long. It felt like an insurmountable burden was pressing down on my chest every minute I spent with her smiling and acting as though nothing was wrong. She talked about the delicious food but I could hardly hear her because I was seated across from her at the dinner table and my mind was elsewhere. Her tone was gentle, almost reassuring. I should have felt better after that. Rather it merely served to remind me of what I had just done. I told her a lie. I explained to her that I had been going about some business a