RAFAEL.
I lifted my face to the shower as the heated water flowed like a soothing cascade. My fingers swept through my hair and it was like I could finally breathe again—whenever I was close to Kayla, I was usually compelled to mark her. My wolf seemed to be troubled unless I did.I knew she was my mate but I doubted she had an idea. Kayla was an omega in the Blood Moon Pack and I was well aware she was yet to find her wolf. Other than that, it was also weird that she was fated to me by the moon goddess. It mattered not because she was the very least in the hierarchy but because she was the daughter of my father's nemesis, Archer.I dreaded taking her back to meet my family but it needed to be done at some point.But right now, all I focused on was calming my raging senses before pulling out of the shower in a robe. I dressed in my custom royal attire and when I looked to Kayla, she was fast asleep on the couch. She was mesmerizing, even with her eyes closed and my heart was tethered to hers. I could hear it pump slowly and steadily—she was calm.She felt safe.I stayed the whole night until the sun came up watching over her that I was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes. “Did you have any sleep at all?” She asked and I arose from across the room. “I’m glad you’re awake. I need to finally speak with your father” I croaked.There was a stint of uneasiness that filled her eyes but she trailed behind me.I opened the doors to the dungeon and we made our way down the stairs. I made sure my warriors were at every post and corner of this pack and it was almost like we’d taken over.It resonated an idea in me.“Archer!” I firmly called and my beta lifted his head to face me. Kayla was troubled and a shaky breath escaped her lips. “You have two options. You can either die or—““But you said” She immediately grasped my hands but I turned away from her.“You can die or fully surrender to us. My men are everywhere in your chambers. You might as well give up and let the two packs merge into one. I take over as Alpha of both and you step down” I was livid with my words but Archer with his expected ego shook his head.“Over my dead body!” He exclaimed and Rose cried out next to him.“Well it’s not just your life at stake here. The whole Blood Moon pack could be made history by tomorrow and I’d have them know it was because of you Archer” I snarled back at him and he fell into a brief silence. A tear fell from Rose’s eyes as he turned back to her. And there were Kayla’s step siblings who whimpered in the corner.“It’s over” Rose shook her head. “It’s already over” She whispered.Archer cupped his chin, firmly clenching his jaws. I could hear Kayla’s heartbeat pick up momentum as everyone waited for his response. To her, I must seem like a terrible person but she had no idea that everything I did including coming back here was to protect her.“I won’t strip you of all your responsibilities, Archer” I leveraged and after a few more seconds, he finally obliged. All he needed to do was take off his Aegean ring and place it against the grounds in surrender. In that ring held the Alpha’s true strength and identity and it commanded respect as the leader of a pack.I leaned forward to scrape it from there.“I’ll have Gerald in charge until I come back.” I said.“In the meantime, they remain here under close supervision” I ordered and my Beta, Gerald obliged with a salute. I treaded up the staircase and Kayla dutily followed me. “Where are you going now?” She questioned.I grabbed a bag from the top shelf and handed it back to her.“You’re following me to my pack” I replied her firmly and she was taken aback for a few moment. “What?” She batted her lashes. “You heard me, Kayla. I can’t leave you back here” My mind was mind up and she could see that through my willed eyes.“I can’t just give up everything and follow you, Rafael” There was a fear instilled in her voice. “I won’t know anyone but you and I’ll have no friends and most importantly, how am I supposed to leave my family and ensure they’re safe?” She raised her voice and i ascertained her a glare.“You asked whether I trusted you before and I said yes.”“Now I ask you Kayla, do you trust me?” I inched closer to her and a shaky breath escaped her lips. “It’s different now. You’re different now” She whispered and there was a sharp pain that rippled through my chest.“It’s a simple yes or no answer.”“You attacked my family. How am I supposed to trust you?” She asked. “But you’re still alive” I answered. “Which doesn’t make any sense how you could be the most ruthless of men to everyone else but be kind to me.I know I saved your life but I can’t shake off this feeling that you’re still hiding something from me Rafael.” She muttered, a little gibberish.I closed in another step towards her and now her back was against the wall. My eyes darkened in a desire for her that I hoped she could see. “I’m the daughter of your father’s enemy, how do you think he would react if I followed you back home” Her voice was low but her eyes fell to my lips.“I don’t care about that” I mouthed.“I don’t care about anything else but you, Kayla. You should know that by now.”“I may be different from the man that you saved but never will I ever lay a hand to strike you or allow such to happen. I would spend my whole life trying to protect you whether or not you like it because you, Kayla—“ He took a pause.“You are my mate.”My words struck her like a blow and her eyes widened in shock.I had no idea when it slipped out but it did.My hands immediately fell around her waist to rope her in for a kiss. She wasn’t the least resistant and Kayla surrendered into my arms. Her lips were plump and just as soft as I’d imagined and her whole body pressing against mine was warm.Her heart pounded through her chest as my hands grazed around her neck. I bit into her lower lip and then pulled away. “I’ve known from the very first moment I saw you” I whispered beneath my breath and there was a sparkle in her emerald green eyes.“I’m mated to the Lycan King” She replied in a dawning realization and I nodded with a finger sliding away a strand of hair from her face.“And i’m mated to the perfect Omega” I culled her self-doubt and there was a faint smile that appeared across her lips.“Will you come home with me?” I asked her again.But just as she was about to speak, she jolted forward with her temperature risen to the skies. Her face went crimson and she groaned like she was in a burning pain.Kayla’s hands struck out to mine and I asked. “Are you okay?” There was a visible vein along her forehead and she began to gasp for much needed air.Was this all because of the kiss?“Help me!” Was her wolf finally awoken by my kiss?KAYLA."Rafael" His name softly escaped my lips as my knees knocked to the ground. My body became feeble in a second but his arms were strong enough to wrap around me. I forced my eyes to remain open and I saw the same terror filled his."Rafael, what is happening?" There was a crack in my voice and a vein that protruded along my forehead. "I think you're shifting" He muttered with a voice overshadowed by a lightning strike. "Shifting?" I echoed."This is your first shift?" There was a subtle hint of doubt in his voice as I cowered my head. "I need to get you away from here. I need to get you to the river" He quickly said and my mouth hung open with so much difficulty to even speak. When the temperature of my body burned through my clothes, Rafael knew time was not on our side. And so he sped out through the doors on his limbs and I clung unto the hemming of his jacket. He turned into the beast I'd seen before but his was a lot calmer—like he was used to this. The whole journey was
KAYLA. The cold winds gushed into my face as I alighted from the car. The first thing to meet my eyes was the pearly resplendent gates of Rafael’s castle. The building was gigantic with a hundred narrow, open slits for windows. The scent of this part of Oakland was different as well. Way different from back home.As the evergreen trees danced to the tunes of the whirling wind, a colorful bird landed on the pavement right next to me and I couldn’t help but let my eyes wander until it flew back up into the skies. His tower was the heart of Oakland, a building that dated back to centuries ago.I’ve only heard about this place from people or read it in books. Never dreamed of the day I would be standing in front of the hundred feet beauty—the home to the Lycans. A diverse group of supernaturals that spent their whole lives exiled to this place.It was no wonder why they never complained.“It’s beautiful” I blurted out and Rafael’s hands wrapped around my shoulders. There was this state o
KAYLA.I opened my eyes after a rough night to see the sun setting in through the window. My eyelids were heavy but the pain in my body had subsided a large amount from the previous day. It felt magical waking up from a neatly laid, soft bed after living half my life sleeping on a rocky floor.The morning was beautiful until I suddenly felt an arm grope around my waist. I yawned and turned to the other side and behold, I was met closely with Rafael. He shot his eyes open and even when he realized his arms had slipped around me, he was still reluctant to take them off.I paused within his grasp, refraining my eyes from falling to his bare, hairy chest. There was a dragon tattoo spread sexily across his shoulders and it was the first time I'd seen it. His muscles were moist with sweat and even halting breathes escaped his lips.God, this man would be the death of me.His smirk stomped my heart and our eyes met for a few seconds. The morning was beautiful but it was also a time where the
KAYLA.The chirping of the birds echoed above me as I clung to the edge of the balcony. Below I could see where everyone was gathered, hands around their champagne glasses as they exchanged pleasantries. Time had passed and I was somehow able to forget about the whole Rafael thing.Heaving a deep breath, I just craved some much needed air and silence that I got from up here. The winds were colder on this axis, raising the hair across my skin as it gushed into me. Perhaps it was because of the acres of forest in the near distance.The Manila forest was home to many tales and legends—some of which were even too frightening to consider more than a myth. I tore my eyes away from the trees and looked down at the Blood Mountain Pack. There were about a hundred people or more in attendance and a quarter of them were women who came with the hopes of drawing the Alpha’s attention.Rafael.You could tell by the lascivious way they dressed and the large diamonds that fell around their neck. The
RAFAEL. Tearing down the castle doors, I made my way through in search of my parents. "Mother!" I gritted through my teeth before seeing her against the throne. "Ohh Veronica has been looking everywhere for y—""Where's dad?" I interrupted her and she batted her lashes at me. I wasn't interested in Veronica nor was I in whatever she was about to say. And just then, the door opened to my father. "What's going on?" Carlos could scent the tension fill the room."I've decided that Kayla isn't going anywhere" I replied, darting a stare to the both of them. Ingrid was the most bewildered, taking a step down the throne. "What do you mean, Rafael?" She asked."We've already had this conversation and I assumed you'd make the right decision for the very first time" She snarled. "There's simply no way you're getting married to that woman, Rafael" My father chipped in as well and I shook my head at the both of them. Flashing behind my eyes were the memories from the first time I’d met Kayla.I
KAYLA.Ever since I was a little girl, I've found out that journaling was the best way to express myself. Having literally no one else to talk to forced me to pick up a book one day and start channeling my emotions into it. It was the best form of therapy and I usually assumed I was speaking to my mother.Whenever I wrote, it was almost as if I could feel her presence surround me and in the times of tears, I could fell her arms stretch out to comfort me. I usually told her about the wrath I faced in Archer's hands and how everyone hated me since she passed but most of all, I told her how much I wished she was still here.How my life would be so much different if I had my mother by my side.Then one day, my step sisters got their hands on the secret book and their first instinct was to take it to my father. He was furious when he found out all I’ve been saying. I could remember his exact words, calling me selfish and ungrateful for everything he'd done.It was that day he gave me the s
RAFAEL.The royal chambers were occupied with a number of us. Night had fallen and it was time for dinner. I’d called a meeting with the elder betas including Veronica’s father and I watched as he exchanged pleasantries with both Ingrid and Carlos. They took their seats around the table and Veronica set her venomous eyes on me.“I’ve been thinking” Her father started.“My daughter is really keen about the wedding preparations” He added and my mother chuckled. “So is the King” She replied. There was a contagious laughter that went around the table but it all silenced when the door drew open again. My eyes lit up as Kayla walked in.Veronica cowered her head and Ingrid didn’t hide the displeasure flash in her eyes. I ordered when we first got here that she have dinner with us but for the past few days, I hadn’t seen Kayla. It was so much of a relief to see her face and that she was doing okay but I couldn’t shake from my thoughts what happened the last time we spoke.As she took her se
KAYLA“Oh wow.”I marveled at the sight of the glowing pendant because I’d never seen something quite like this. A gazillion questions roamed behind my eyes, including whether or not Rafael knew about this. The tears seized from falling down my cheeks as I reached across to the necklace.Like an amulet, its light hit the ceiling and emanated a purple hue. I enclasped it like an artifact in my hands. narrowing my eyes at the hauntingly beautiful diamond. It was warm and embracing, like a presence flowed through the stone—a presence that seemed to choose me.What was this."Am I making the right decision?" My first instinct was to speak to it and after a moment, it beamed twice. I had no idea what that meant but a faint smile crept to the corner of my lips. It seemed like the crystal was talking back to me."Was Sarah murdered by a wild animal in the woods?" I asked the next obvious question and this time, it was hesitant although it still beamed. It was like an ancient artifact with