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
RIFTAN POV “Why do you keep glaring at me like everything else was my fault? And stop growling at me because I will turn you into fine ash right where you are standing." Grace leveled with a reproving glare from across the room, her green eyes shimmering a rare light. "Well, is it not?" the storm pent up from the whole week of worrying helplessly about my sick mate and our inevitable future came spilling out in that instant. "From the moment you walked through those gates, through my pack borders, shit has been happening; the shit that you know of and of course decides to hide from me." my tone was disapproving just as it was accusing. Because fuck... What in the actual hell was that? "Blame me all you want often, but this... This is your life. The universe..." "Thank fuck for bringing me into this shitshow." I huffed angrily and crossed my arms across my chest. Grace paused in her sentence before a deathly halo formed at the back of my head. I know that it took only a snap of a