LOGINThe sky above the cemetery is a shade of gray, threatening to break open and pour rain at any given second while the wind howls through the trees, carrying the chill of the incoming winter.Ilya stands before the familiar gravestones with a single rose. Slowly, he drops to one knee, and instantly, the damp grass soaks through the fabric of his trousers, and gently, he brushes off the collection of dead leaves from the carved names of his mother, father, and two sisters.Instantly, Ilya is overwhelmed with a suffocating weight of grief, a pain he has carried on his own for many years. He's too familiar with it, yet it tightens around his throat like a vine."I'm sorry it took me so long to visit," he whispers, his voice raw, stripped of the tough persona he wears for the rest of the world. Here, he's allowed to be vulnerable and seen.He stares at the worn stone, and the memories return."I haven't forgotten," he continues, his voice dropping into a vow. Slowly, he reaches out to trace
The maître d’ pulls out the velvet chair, and Valen takes his seat with a completely unapologetic expression. Well, you see, he’s exactly forty-five minutes late to the dinner date.Sitting across the table is Warren, his so-called Omega fiancée.Valen tilts his head as he notices the changed demeanor in the Omega; he recalled seeing a terrified, trembling little thing on their first meeting, keeping his eyes on the floor and stuttering through every sentence, but tonight, however, the act is gone. Warren is calmly sipping a glass of expensive red wine, his posture completely relaxed, like this is just another business meeting that he can wait to get over and done with.An amused smile crosses Valen's lips as he licks up his own glass of wine and takes a sip. It's the first time someone has been this nonchalant around him, and he's almost intrigued."Traffic?" Warren asks, his tone entirely casual."Something like that," Valen replies dryly, and then Warren reaches over the waiter fo
The night is cold against Rue's skin, but she barely feels it as she speeds down the corner, panting heavily. Her heart is almost beating out of her chest, pounding as if she's being chased by the devil himself... or maybe she is. Because the one behind her is a monster.She keeps running, looking over her shoulder until she collapses against the wall of a dark alley. She doesn't dare waste another second, but the moment she tries to run again, all she hears is a sharp whistling sound before a blade flies across the air and hits her square in the shoulder, sending her violently back against the wall.She cries out in pain, but before she can even catch her breath, a suffocating wave of pheromones hits her with full force, and, in a wink, a hand grips her neck, and her back is brutally slammed against the brick, completely choking the air out of her lungs."Keep running. I dare you," Theon growls, his face mere inches away from hers while his gaze blazes with rage.Rue chokes, her hand
The cool afternoon wind sweeps through Soren's hair as he walks along the sidewalks. For the first time in weeks, he actually feels a small sense of normalcy, and he isn't alone; Theon walks by his side, carrying two bags of groceries from the store just a block away from the alphas' home.Without a single word, the alpha suddenly reaches out with his right hand and gently intertwines his fingers with Soren's.Soren’s breath hitches, and just like that, a deep, furious blush immediately spreads across his cheeks and all the way to the tips of his ears.The public display of affection is simple, but it makes Soren's heart pound wildly against his ribs. He looks down at their joined hands, and a shy smile pulls at the corners of his lips.Theon treats him like they're in a relationship. They never share a bed, but everything else they do is what couples do, and it's honestly driving Soren insane.The alpha might have promised to keep him and the baby alive, but he has never established
The doors of the supply room slam shut behind him.Theon wipes the sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm, letting out a deep breath, exhaustion washing over him as he just finished hauling twenty bags of raw clay into the storage room, and all he wants to do right now is get back to the front of the shop, wrap his arms around his mate, and finish teaching him how to use the wheel.A small smile curls at the corner of his lips as he goes over the supplies one more time to make sure everything is in order, but then he hears the sound of footsteps before the clearing of the throat, and slowly, he turns around to find Rue standing there.She smiles at him as she walks closer. Theon notices the top three buttons of her blouse are completely undone, exposing the lace of her bra and the curve of her chest while the scent of sweet, seductive pheromones circles around her, trying desperately to trigger his Alpha instincts.Theon's jaw clenches, and his hands ball into fists at his s
The bell above the glass door rings as Soren follows Theon inside his pottery studio.The air in the shop is cool and smells of raw clay, with shelves lining the walls, filled with drying vases, bowls, and beautifully crafted ceramic mugs. The alpha is so good at his work that Soren is left in awe every time.Over the weeks, Soren has always stood outside this shop, never for once daring to enter, but it's different this time."Make yourself comfortable," Theon says, taking off his jacket and grabbing an apron from a hook and tying it around his waist. "I just need to finish a custom order before the supply van gets here."Soren nods and then watches as Theon walks over to the corner of the room where the potter's wheel sits.He wanders over, standing near Theon’s broad shoulder as the Alpha slaps a thick, wet lump of gray clay directly onto the wheel.Soren tilts his head. Watching the alpha work is so beautiful.Theon suddenly lifts his head with a smile. "Want to try?"Soren immedi
Ilya wakes up mindlessly. He scratches the back of his head as he drags himself off the bed and aimlessly finds the door to the bathroom, ignoring the ache between his thighs and lower back. The bathroom light is too bright and the smell of whiskey and cedarwood mixed with his own caramel scent sw
The moment Ilya steps outside the casino, he wipes off the lip gloss on his lips and starts to tug at his clothes, wanting to take them off as they crawl on his skin.“Come on, you don’t have to be so dramatic."Ilya hears the sound of Valen’s voice behind him, but he does not stop to look back as
The alpha straddling his hips smells like whiskey and cedarwood. Ilya gets drunk on it before he even realizes. He inhales it, filling his lungs like it’s a drug; It’s masculine, dark, and dangerous.His fingers twitch against the sheets as his body reacts before his mind catches up, warmth spreadi
Three days later, Ilya returns to work at the D’Avorin mansion wearing a black turtle neck tucked into a pair of pants but with a new mission in mind. The new plan is simple; get Valen D’Avorin out of his way and break free from this cursed bond. His jaw clenches as he walks down the long hall, i







