NIRVANA
What a jerk!
Prick. Prick. Prick.
I felt rejected.
A sliver of pain pierced my chest. Disappointment seeped through within me. I didn’t know this guy, but his words hit different coming from him— they sliced right into my heart. And it felt like I’d known him for a long time, that he meant what he said.
When Axell broke up with me, it didn’t hurt like this. What was with this man that caused me such agony?
He was gone for a few minutes. His footsteps faded in the hallway, but his expensive taste of cologne still lingered in my head.
When he knocked on my door, I was expecting an invitation, maybe a walk in the vineyards under the moonlight. Obviously, I was way over my head. But something must have happened after he left the dining room.
I saw the rage in his eyes and the clenching of his jaw. Whatever enraged him that had twisted his boxers— if he wore one, had nothing to do with me.
Maybe he just hated me. Perhaps he was just an ass. Whatever.
I picked up my phone and booked my first flight back to New York. I also arranged a cab early in the morning. I just didn’t know how to break it to Kailin. It seemed that that dick only treated his family right. Beyond that, everyone could go to hell.
He was such a jerk.
I dialed my grandfather Case.
“Vana, is that you?” His voice sounded far.
“Yes, Grandpa, unless you are waiting for someone’s call.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, Grandpa. How are you?”
“Honey, you wouldn’t just call in the middle of the night. And I can feel it in your voice.” Sometimes, I thought Grandpa was a psychic, but maybe he just knew me too well.
I didn’t know how to tell him. As far as he knew, I would stay at least a week in California. He was pretty excited about my plan to take a vacation.
“Um, I’m coming home. I booked the first flight.”
“What happened? Are you and Kailin have a misunderstanding?” The worry in his voice was palpable. He knew Kailin and I were like sisters. He also cared about her like his granddaughter.
“No. We’re good. It just feels like somebody isn’t happy with my presence. To be honest, Grandpa. I love it here. The vineyards are so beautiful, and some of these guys are awesome. I met Heartley. She’s so sweet. She even invited me for the wine tasting, but I can’t stay when someone might wring my neck while I’m sleeping.”
“I’m sorry, honey, your plan didn’t go well. Come back home. Maybe Italy is good for you, or France.”
“Grandpa, I don’t want to use my savings. Besides, I need a job.”
“I have money, Vana. And I thought you were going to help me around the restaurant.”
“That’s the plan.”
“Then come home, and we’ll talk about it.”
“See you tomorrow, Grandpa. Love you.”
“I love you, too. Good night, honey.”
I dropped my phone on the bed and went to the window, but the view wasn’t as pretty as Kailin’s. After drawing some deep breaths, I walked out of the room. If I only had one chance to see the vineyards, now was the time.
It took me a while to get in there. It was a long walk, and my mistake was to put my stiletto back on. Nevertheless, it was worth the pain.
The place was so spectacular that I had only seen it in romantic movies where lovers chased or spread blankets and had picnics or a vineyard wedding.
It was so peaceful around here, so serene, and nothing was more beautiful than a Californian night under the silver moon and the light of the stars. It was pretty romantic, but everything didn’t go as Axell and I had planned.
The earthy, floral, and fruit scent lingered in the wind, and it suddenly got cold around here.
I took fresh scents into my lungs as I walked through the lines of vines with white clusters of fruits hanging through them.
I still wondered why they called white when they were actually green. I wasn’t an expert on when the grapes would be ready for harvest, but they looked ripe enough.
Then I remembered Kailin. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry, Kailin.”
I was ready to leave. I was so done with moping until I heard thuds and crunches a few feet ahead of me. Despite the moonlight, I couldn’t see through the thick rows of vines.
NIRVANA “Anyone there?” I bent over to see who was on the other side but saw no one. Until a giant brown wolf appeared that almost gave me a heart attack. With my breathing stuck in my lungs, my heart pounded so hard, and my feet seemed rooted to the ground. My gaze was still glued to the wolf, and I had no idea there were wolves around here. And then the cracking sound of something broken pierced my ears— it sounded like bones crunching and excruciating. Goosebumps erupted all over my skin. Shocked, my eyes bulged out, but I couldn’t manage to blink or breathe until my lungs almost exploded and my chest began to heave. The wolf deformed before my very eyes. The bones cracked, and from the four-legged animal, it turned into a two-legged naked human in just mere seconds. It was not real. I was just dreaming, or the shadow was playing tricks with me. This was impossible. “Oh, no, no.” Shivering, I stepped back with my shaky knees and immediately crashed into something h
KNIGHT Shit. Things went out of hand quickly. She had just seen Gage shift, and she was terrified. Who wouldn’t be? She was human and only aware of our existence in fantasy, fiction books, and movies, and our representation was a terrifying beast that ripped human parts apart. And I pissed her off. It was better that way. She was away from our dark and dangerous world. She was better off out of my life. The longer she stayed at the vineyards, the harder it was to stay away from her. The pull was so strong it drove me crazy in just a little time I sat with her. She better hate me than drag her into my world. I dialed Alpha Califf, one of my allies. He had one of the biggest packs in the world, a witch coven, and the Lycan Alpha King at his disposal. “Knight, how’s life?” Califf found his mate, a lycan princess, Shadow Hawks, and they were stronger and fought enemies together. If I was being honest, I envied him that he had a stronger mate. Shadow was also a half-witch gif
KNIGHT “Yes.” I nodded glumly. “She’s better off without me. She’s—” “Human? Yeah. And the intoxicating mating pull was nothing I’d ever felt before. It was so strong I couldn’t control it, and it started to drive me insane.” “Poor thing. I won’t help you, Knight. You’re being selfish. Werewolves and Lycans can have human mates. It works just fine.” “Really?” I met her gaze. “What’s the lifespan of a human? She grows old, and I barely age. I can’t go through that. When my father died, my mother took her own life. And they were both werewolves and were strong, but my mother couldn’t handle losing her mate. She couldn’t handle the pain.” Every time I thought of having a mate, I saw my mother’s lifeless body in her bed as she took poison to end her life. “Is that why you don’t want a mate?” “Yes. We will both suffer in the end. Considering how weak humans are.” “You’re wrong. When Shadow lost her wolf and her ability, she did everything to fight against Aciano. She may not have wh
NIRVANA I felt so cold, my chin trembling. I was in my pajamas, barefooted, and walking in the woods alone in the dark. I couldn’t remember how I ended up in this place, but I had a feeling I was lost. I wrapped my arms around my body when chilly air seeped through my bones. My body shivered, and my breath steamed as I mindlessly walked through the dirt path. Then, a big gray wolf appeared before me. I stood frozen. My heart hammered as its dark eyes narrowed, and the rings around the irises glowed golden as if it just found its prey. I’d never seen a wolf so big before, taller, more robust, standing with pride, its fur shining against the darkest night. The wolf prowled, growling, exposing its long, sharp, white fangs. “Don’t hurt me!” I jolted up in bed from a dead sleep, drenched with sweat, still catching my breath. My heart pumped so hard in my chest till it was so uncomfortable. And my dream felt so real. “Oh, thank God.” I wiped off the beads of sweat all over my for
NIRVANA “Knight is visiting Blackwell Firm, and since I’m his assistant, I came with him and used his card to book a suite for myself.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You book a suite for yourself?” “That’s what we agreed upon, or I’ll leave the vineyards, stay with you, and find a job.” “Huh.” That was all I could say. “He’s loaded anyway. He has a penthouse here. He can stay there or book a suite for himself, but I didn’t.” Of course, it wouldn’t be a surprise, but Knight, besides his nasty, gruesome attitude, seemed grounded. Before I could reply, a knock on the door interrupted us. “That’s our coffee.” Kailin rose to her feet and went to the door. Since she was my roommate, she still had keys to our apartment, even if she left months ago. I was about to get up when I heard a familiar voice from my small living area. I was curious to know if it was still a remnant of my dream. I went to see if what I heard was right. “Be nice, or I swear to—” Kailin warned Knight when they
KNIGHT “What the hell is wrong with you?” Kailin was still pissed at me. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. It seemed that every time I saw Nirvana, the world stopped spinning, things suspended, and my mind went blank. The pull between us was getting stronger and stronger. I started to lose my mind, and it seemed that I was the only one who was affected. And it fucking drove me insane. “Don’t challenge me again, Kailin.” My warning didn’t seem to budge her. “You don’t wanna see me mad. And I’m still your alpha.” “Then tell me, why do you hate her so much?” “I don’t hate her.” “Then why do you act like she has some kind of infectious disease when she’s around?” “I don’t wanna talk about it. You can stay here if you want to. I’m just going to visit the firm. See you at lunch.” I was already walking towards the door when she held my arm. “What?” She sighed. “I apologize because you’re my alpha, but not as my cousin.” “Apology accepted, but don’t ever challenge me again, espe
KNIGHT “Mr. Blackwell, welcome to Case Restaurant.” He offered his hand. “Thank you.” I shook his hand hesitantly, but he was in a pack. I could smell that. “Oh, you two have met.” My cousin had just arrived, or she was already here. “Yeah.” I was still confused, and the man didn’t introduce himself. “I’m Case Woodrow.” He smiled as he must have seen the look on my face. “You’re the owner.” My pulse accelerated. I looked at Kailin, and she just shut her mouth. “Yes, son. And you’re an alpha.” “Yes. White Moon from California.” I paused for a moment to gather my bearing. “Can we speak in private?” “Of course. My office is downstairs. Follow me.” He gestured as he led me the way. Before Kailin could follow Case, I held her wrist. “You knew?” “Obviously, I can smell him.” I tightened my grip around her. “Are you going to tell me about this?” She met my gaze, and I instantly saw the guilt in her eyes. “I promised Case I won’t tell what we are to his granddaughter.” Case open
NIRVANA I checked the time on my phone— it was supposed to be lunchtime on the reservation. I had already been in the restaurant since morning, but Kailin hadn’t arrived yet, nor did her grumpy hot biker cousin. To be honest, I was excited to see his annoying, handsome face, so I sent a quick text to her. “Mara, has Kailin arrived yet?” She’d been working here for five years and knew my best friend. “Yes, and Mr. Blackwell.” A small smile appeared on her lips. I knew what it meant. Even the blind could see how attractive Knight was. “I saw them went to your grandfather’s office and the beautiful woman.” “Beautiful woman?” My brows knitted. A sliver of jealousy pierced my heart. “Yes.” “Okay.” That was all I could say before I went to knock on my grandfather’s office. I still felt the pang in my chest when the door opened wide. Grandpa, Kailin, Knight, and the beautiful woman Mara talked about were there. She was indeed beautiful in her thirties, but I’d seen her before. “Oh,