EDEN POV
Everything was happening too fast… or maybe too slow, I had no idea. All I knew was that something was happening and everything else was making my blood run faster, my heart pump quicker, and my lungs work over time. It was overriding my system with what felt like a ball of fire and my mind was failing to have a firm seize on the whole situation. It was as though I was left grasping on the thinnest shards of a sanity and I was damn sure I was this close to losing it. Was I supposed to feel this way? Like I didn’t belong? Yes, I get it, this place was so foreign. My whole life, I have known the small island, and if I were to really think about it, I still didn’t belong there either. But now, everything felt different. With all these thoughts running amok in my mind, I rolled up the window and turned the ignition, before kicking off the side of the road and driving the remaining kilometers to the pack house. It had been a few minutes since I stopped for a quick pep-talk while the others took off, and they must have been at the house by then. I was lost in thought, drinking in the green of Ashford and what others knew as Blood Moon Pack. As soon as the castle-like building peeked through the trees, I knew there was no turning. Yes, I could turn the damn Lamborghini around and vanish into thin air- although I suspected there was a tracker on this beast- or I could just… Anyway, running was totally off the charts. So with the remaining strength, I pushed onto the gravel driveway with trees lining up the sides, all while gawking at the structure that lay sprawled before my eyes. Blood Moon Pack House had to be the most lavish and grandest house I have ever laid eyes on, and everything Serena told me suddenly made sense. Souring four floors up, the pack house that... the pack castle had to have close to a thousand rooms if not more. With vast majestic windows and the world's finest tapestry, all in cream shades. The towers on each corner were all breathing entities, larger than life and anything I'd ever seen before. I wasn’t even aware that was right before the majestic structure until I came to behind the black Cadillac, one of the three that were sent for us. As quickly as ever, I regained my composure, looked into the rearview mirror to see if I was still presentable, and then stared ahead at the audience glaring my way. My cheeks warmed when I spotted giant wolves standing guard and sandwiching three men who were all clad in black, and I instantly made out Chase from the trio. He was hard to miss, thanks to his looks and his exceptionally red hair. The other one was fairly tall, with a shiny black razor cut. He had an aura of enigma, like a scroll waiting to be unfolded to discover deadly secrets. The one in between was a whole different case. He looked… Like he didn’t belong here. Like he was from a whole different world. And the assault of his stare could be felt more than I did of the others. Aside from them were the other unfamiliar werewolves, in human form. There had to be four of them, and were standing like statues behind the men. A scoff ripped its way out of me before I pushed the door of the Lamborghini open, and let myself out. My foot touched the English soil, and the temperatures spiked. It felt like the air around us had been charged with a blue current, violent and zapping through my brain with unforgiving licks. My breath hitched, and my nose flared under the richest assault of musk, fresh raindrops, and Orion Nebula. My insides stirred uncomfortably, my heart hammered against my chest and my vision blurred. My eyes seemed to make out nothing except the beast clad in black from head to toe, shoulder-length hair, muscles that would bring down mountains, and a frown deep enough it could form a stream. And then it happened… as slow as ever, and with nothing but cotton smoothness. A voice called in my head, uttering one word that clued me in one spot. MATE. My eyes widened just in time as his. Realization hit us like a whiplash, and the shock on his face wrapped around my throat like invisible fingers. “Well, this is an interesting turn of events.” A voice from another realm called out. And reality dawned on me like a cold shower. It couldn’t be! The universe couldn’t be that much of a joke. How… Riftan was my mate? The questions bombarded my mind mercilessly, almost gluing me to the ground. What now? Wasn’t he supposed to run to me and scoop me in front of everyone and start claiming how much he loved me? Why did he stand there like a frozen statue, eyes gawked wide like I had just insulted him? Why? Why and motherfucking why? Tears threatened to clog my throat, but I pushed them down with a small swallow and a perfect breath that shook me out of the stupor. This wasn’t the time to start weeping. I will get all my answers later. If not sooner. With that in mind, I walked graciously to where everyone stood, stopped a good foot from them, and greeted them. My heart thumped louder, and I bet everyone in a 5-mile radius could hear it hammering against my chest, but I left nothing on my face. My expression was a solid mask of sophistication; everything was flawless. “A lovely day, everyone. I am Eden Noles.” My hands were clasped in front of me, a straight expression allowing nothing to be seen on my face. “You took your sweet time.” A voice like no other called out, and my eyes drifted to the one that smelled like life and death wrapped in one box with a red ribbon on it. In a second, I found myself staring into the world’s most beautiful eyes ever. The left eye resembled sunset, a cross between an alluring yellow and orange that made me wonder if this man was handcrafted by the goddess herself. The right eye was midnight black, with what looked like an ice blue split in the iris. I didn’t mean to, but a smooth “Wow” rolled down my lips, causing his face to split in the most beautiful grin ever. This man was so beautiful. Tall, black midnight hair that cascaded over his shoulders like the mane of a lion, a strong, firmly built body that made him look like he was carved by the gods. And he was my mate! “You must be Alpha Hawk.” He had to be. I settled for nonchalance, masking all my thoughts and refusing to let him know how affected I was by his mere presence. I was still muddled by the idea of having him as my mate, and now seeing him up close made me feel things I never knew I was capable of. But one thing for sure, I found myself wondering just how in the world would someone be this perfect and yet have the worst reputation. Riftan Hawk had to be in the celestial realms, amongst the stars and the gods. “That I am.” He spoke, low and clipped like he was having a serious internal warfare with himself. If it was anything close to what I was having at the moment, then it served him right. “Since our lady has arrived…” Chase, the gamma who seemed to be a god in saving awkwardly clapped his hands and gained everyone’s attention. “How about we take inside?” He grinned at me before eying his Alpha whose gaze was burning holes into my skin. “That’s a good idea,” I responded with a small smile, ignoring the hot glare from the alpha. “Shall we?” He half-growled before spinning around and storming into the house. The climb up the stairs took him a second before he disappeared into the giant castle-like house, leaving us with jaws on the floor. “That was…” I probed after a long pause of pure silence. “Apologies, Alpha Noles, Miss Noles.” The man who has been standing beside Riftan since I arrived claimed with a small bow, and I concluded right there and then that he was Kylek. “You must be Kylek,” I said with a small smile, causing the man to respond with a curt nod and a small bow. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Noles.” He stretched his hand out, and I was quick to clasp it in a firm shake. His hand was warm and strong with an iron grip, and I found myself asking even more questions. Was Riftan as strong as his men? Chase had an iron grip too. Was his hand hot too? Or he was a cold-hearted monster the world knew him as? “Please, let’s all step inside.” Kylek walked a few paces before all of us while we came trailing behind him. A soft tug on my t-shirt had me slowing in my strides. “I forgot to mention one thing,” Serena whispered behind her palm. I stopped dead in my tracks and inched closer so she could whisper in my ear. “Alpha Hawk is not so big on the mate bond.” Her revelation felt like an icicle shoved down my throat. “Sorry to say this, my lady, but we are in deep shit."RIFTAN POV This had to be a joke. It had to be one cruel joke. There was no way Eden Noles was my mate. I fucking didn’t do mates. This whole damn world knew I had no strength in me to abide by all the rules of the mate bond and whatever crap it came carrying on its back because… I fucking didn’t ask for this. Eden Noles was supposed to be a docile Luna who would sit on the throne with me and shield me from all the drama. Not a fucking… “Alpha…” The door to my office suddenly burst open, revealing Kylek who seemed even more rattled by my reaction. “Is Miss Noles…” He let the words trail to the background, but everything he wanted to say to me was written bolder than HOLLYWOOD on Mount Lee. “Kylek… She can’t be here. She has to go back. You know I can’t…” “Can't what, Alpha Hawk?” Ethan Noles stepped into the room, followed by none but one who was surely going to send me to an early grave. That silver hair, the one scent that seemed to fill the whole house… I wanted to
RIFTAN POV The woods whooshed passed me with motion blur, the air stayed glued to the tips of my fur as I zoomed through tree drunks and further into the woods. Y lungs felt lighter, and the bloody rosey scent was less concentrated. Paws hit the dirt violently as I ran further and further from the source of my torment, and deeper into the bliss of solitude. I arrived at the meadow and stopped, then turned to look back at the brightly lit castle protruding from behind the dense forest. My breathing came out in pants and my heart thumped harder and stronger. “You made it, Alpha.” A smooth voice called out from the darkness, peeling my gaze from the trees and into the shadows. I stood on my hunches and shifted back to my human form, then huffed harder. I was damn glad I decided to take that run. Heavens knew I was going to lose it if I hadn’t. All because of that smart-mouthed pretty-faced bambolina who was currently soaking in my tub, and in my castle. A lean lady emerged fro
EDEN POV For the rest of the evening, I replayed Serena's words on a broken loop, hating how my chest tightened from the smallest idea. Riftan may not want me, but that didn't change the fact that he was my mate. And that only made my heartbeat flutter at the thought of having him around. After a few more minutes, I left the guest room clinging onto Chase's arm, my heartbeat thrumming in my ears. "You need to relax." being the charming grace he was, he placed a hand on top of mine, halting the two of us. "Your heart is beating like really loud." his brows lifted with the words, and I was taken aback by how handsome he actually was. Red hair, bushy brows, and lush lips. Add a diamond nose ring to the mix. He'd have any girl spread her legs wide open. Any girl but me. “I'm a little nervous..." I confessed, and he responded with an understanding nod. I waited for something more but was responded with his body going rigid against mine. His eyes turned storm grey, making it seem like
EDEN POV “A minute.” his deep drawl sent a chill running down my spine. A part of me wanted me to curl up in a ball and die. But a bigger potion of my brain wanted nothing more than to morph my very being with his and just bury myself deep within the realms of his blackened soul. So I nodded before placing my hand in his and then regretted it a second later. A shock of electricity lasered from the contact, zapping through my skin and sending a sheer volt to my brain. I flinched at the impact before masking off my expression, then rose from my seat and mumbled a small ‘excuse me’. We walked hurriedly out of the dining room and into the vast corridor, then wound through bazillion more corridors and hallways before stopping and coming into the familiar room. His office. He banged the door behind us, making the sound to rattle and shake the very grand foundation of the fortress we were in. Another flinch ripped from me from his sudden outburst. Devastation and defeat bubbled insid
Chapter 8 RIFTAN POV “Take care of my sister, Riftan. I am not asking you as an alpha, but as a brother whose hand was forced." Ethan drawled with the resemblance of a pleading look in his eyes. It took more than respect for an alpha to shed his pride in front of another alpha and beg. But Ethan did, and my respect for him fleshed out with tiny petals in that instant. My throat bobbed with a hard swallow before I responded with a curt nod. I may not be the man who was going to give her heart and emotions, or the one to hold her hand and run down into the sunset with her, but flowers and chocolates were going to run down her chimney every day of her life. And I was going to make it my mission to protect her with everything inside of me. As though he could read my mind, Ethan thinned his eyes at me, a warning flashing across his hard features. It was as though he was reluctant to leave his darling sister with me, and I didn’t blame him. I had my reputation cut out for me and I would
Chapter 09 EDEN POV 'Digging will only bring you remorse.' The voice in my head called out, and I knew that heeding its words was the best thing to do. But my curiosity was soaring up in the clouds while my judgment simmered on low. The white screen of the iPad stared back at me as I stood back on the precipice of indecision and my mind reeled with everything I heard from Riftan. I felt like a hamster on a wheel, chasing the unknown and nothing at the same time. The information had been brief. Heck, the only thing I knew was the name of the savages that attacked my pack, and something held me back from digging deeper into them. The Remdragons. A pack of rogues that was responsible for the doom of my pack and my parents’ murder. A small part of my brain was screaming at me, telling me to let go, that opening this box of pandora was going to be nothing but a dip dive into great misery. And my wolf agreed. I could feel her stomping her paw on my soul, trying to tear me from the d
EDEN POV I could barely hear anything over the loud pounding of my heart and the hum caused by the adrenalin rush as Venice helped me onto the couch. Every inch of my body was vibrating with an unknown force as though it had come alive, and my vision remained clouded the entire time. "Seriously guys, we don't have to raincheck. I am fine, just a little lightheaded. "I argued trying to claw my way out of their iron grips. "Like hell you are," Grace called from somewhere in front of me. I pinched my eyes closed, trying to expel the dizziness that held me prisoner. "My lady, can you hear me?" Serena's familiar hand landed on my shoulder, concern and worry dripping down her voice. "Of course I am. I am just lightheaded from moving fast. Which is totally normal." the words were coated with slight annoyance. "There is nothing normal about the way you leaped three floors from the ground." "Exactly!" Shit. They were not going to let this one go. I peeled my eyes open and did a tiny bo
Chapter 11 EDEN POV The whispers began halfway through the Full Moon Faire Slash Luna Ceremony. I was on my third glass of a finely brewed wine, and I was hot from the root of my hair to the tip of my toe. The moon was as bright as it could ever be, channeling a rush of foreign energy and dumping it in my veins. I couldn’t put a finger on it. It was strange; a cross between excitement and something else that made my blood hum harmoniously inside of me. I could literally hear the blood roaring in my ears with each forceful thump of my heart. My body was overcome with chills the entire evening, making it an impossible mission to sit still. Maybe it was the liquor, but I was far from calm. I feigned composure, sipping on the wine with utmost ease while ignoring the hum of blood in my body. Riftan on the other hand was everything composed. Dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt and matching pants; his alpha dominance seemed to come out concentrated as we sat there basking under the