The next day, Alexander King came to visit his grandson in the morning. The old man paused outside the cabin and stared at Dorian through the rectangular glass on the door. He firmed his grasp around the cane and composed himself so that his grandson wouldn’t get a glimpse of his fear, of the terrible feeling of hopelessness he had experienced when Dorian didn’t wake up. He clutched the bent wooden head of the cane tightly to stop the quivering of his fingers.
He pushed the door open and walked in. Dorian opened his eyes as soon as Alexander stepped in. Ronan stood up from the couch and bowed. Kyle was yet to arrive and take the former’s post. The beta was juggling between the pack and the company.
“I will let you both talk,” Ronan said respectfully before leaving. Dorian sat up.
Oh noooooo
Serena could feel her heart constrict. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. She distantly heard someone shouting, then someone grabbing her arm because she was swaying on her feet. Her vision had become dim. Black spots danced at the edges of her eyes. Her eyes stung as she breathed through her mouth. Why would…why would he leave? Again? Was she being rejected? She couldn’t even feel his emotions strongly. They were so faint. She blinked furiously, hardly realizing that she was crying. Someone held her close to them, caressed her hair and shushed her. But her sobs suddenly seemed uncontrollable. She was trembling and then she felt a pinprick and before she knew it, her head had lolled to one side. ~~~~~~ Dorian hadn’t expected that his stepping out and going for a run to c
~2 years later~ Serena’s eyes brimmed with tears, not because of sadness but out of happiness. The little bundle of joy, the one she had carried for the past nine months stared back at her with guileless golden eyes. All the exhaustion, the tears and mood changes, everything was worth it. When she conceived, she had already become protective, but now as she held the little one in her arms; she felt she would do anything for her. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Dorian whispered, his voice hoarse with strained emotions as he pulled her closer to him. Serena blinked back to the present and nodded, unable to utter even a single word. Her throat closed up as the bay made soft sounds as she rocked her gently. 4 years had passed in the blink of an eye and now as Serena stared at their daughter, she couldn’t h
Hitching the backpack tightly, Summer trod towards the bus stop. She turned back to make sure that she wasn’t being followed. She hoped that they were busy enough to not follow her. She was far away from the place where she had stayed for the last 20 years. She let out a shaky breath, her heart pounding in her chest, the side of her ribs and legs ached with exhaustion. She pulled the frayed hoodie tightly around herself, stuffing her hands into either pocket as the wind picked up. A street lamp just above the bus stop flickered occasionally. People hurried on their way back home, the weather turning colder as the night darkened. As the adrenaline started to wear off, she felt herself shiver.The last bus to Melham would arrive anytime now. Her breath came out in puffs. She reluctantly drew out her left hand from within the hoodie’s pocket and checked her watch. 5 more minutes. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. The old sneakers did the least
“Thank you, please come again,” Summer smiled as she bade another customer goodbye. The curve of her lips straightened as soon as the door closed. She let out an inaudible sigh. It has been 2 weeks since she has started working at this bakery. The bakery had a steady flow of customers—some regular and some new. It had taken some time for her to get used to the regulars. She slowly learnt that regulars sometimes got a little extra just for being their regular patrons. Barbara stayed at the cashier and Liam, her husband, created magic in the kitchen.“Tired already?” Barbara asked as she brought in a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls. Summer pursed her lips and shook her head, concentrating on wiping the counters. Thankfully for her, the bakery was small, so there weren’t any tables for customers to sit and eat. She avoided socialising at all costs. The elderly lady had learnt about her nature very quickly. She was a friendly woman and mostly lef
“Did you not sleep last night?” Barbara asked as soon as Summer entered. She felt sluggish and naturally irritated because, as much as she wanted to go back to sleep, she just couldn’t. And ended up thinking, or rather overthinking, about a person named Serena and the untamed wolf.Summer mumbled, “Not much.” She plucked the apron from the kitchen and tied it swiftly. “At least you could have covered it with some makeup,” the older woman grumbled as she carried batches of freshly baked cupcakes and cookies. Summer could have replied that she was in a hurry or she had forgotten, but she didn’t. In reality, she did not expect her to even notice that she had a sleepless night. No one did before. She mumbled an apology, but said nothing further.The day went on uneventfully. Once they had served the last customer, Summer flipped the board that had the ‘closed’ sign and pulled the blinds. As she unknotted her
She hissed slightly as the cold water cascaded down her body. Belatedly, she realised that she had absent-mindedly scrubbed on a healing wound on her left forearm a little too hard. The water made it sting. She stared at it as the water cascaded down her body, rinsing the suds and sluicing down the drain. The wound had turned an angry red. She brushed her thumb over it and hissed again. It mocked her, taking more time to heal than others had as if serving as an angry reminder of her life that she had left behind. However, unlike the past month today, the scars stared mockingly at her.Turning off the shower knob, she stepped out, shivering at the sudden change in temperature. The heater had been acting up for a few days now and finally took its last breath last night. She hurriedly dried herself and pulled on her work clothes — a pair of black trousers and a beige cotton blouse. Tying her damp hair into a bun, she tossed the damp towel in the laundry basket. Looking out
Amber eyes clashed with a pair of silver, sharp and icy. She gasped, not at the cold-faced Adonis standing in front of her, but because of a sudden vision that flashed across her mind’s eye. Red eyes. The ones that she had seen a few weeks ago.Dorian looked at the employee with ill-concealed ire after the momentary daze that had convinced him that the girl was his mate. He glared at her. She was practically gawking at him, which annoyed him further. Who recruited her? He wondered. His wolf was another story. He was purring at the sight of his mate, the suppressants barely keeping him from taking over. He looked down at his now spoiled shirt. He’d have to go back and change again.“Watch your steps,” he gritted, continuing to glare at her. He glanced around. A sizeable crowd had gathered. His employees tried to be inconspicuous as they watched the scene unfold. No one dared to come close to him or offer him any help. Dorian didn&rsqu
“You have dinner with family at 7,” Kyle said as he flicked scrolled through the schedule in the tab. Dorian grunted. He scoffed internally as he thought about how his ‘family’ put up so much effort to meet each other once every week, but in reality, everyone wanted to kill the other, everyone especially wanted to kill him. As his eyes skimmed through the papers, that Kyle had brought for him to sign, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Oh, how they thought that appeasing him would help them be in his good books.“Alpha?” Kyle’s tentative call made him look up. His beta’s eyebrows had drawn together, maybe because he puzzled as to why he had suddenly huffed out a chuckle. Dorian plucked a silver pen, gifted by his grandfather from the pen stand and said, “I am just amused by this pretentious family dinner.” Kyle frowned but refrained from commenting on his view.Once alone in his office, Dorian&rsq