ClarissaJalen's explosive shout took me by surprise, leaving me momentarily speechless as my heart raced in my chest. His anger was palpable, a seething heat that reminded me of the previous evening when his inner demons had taken control.As he loomed over me, the tension in the room was almost suffocating. I could feel the knots in my stomach tighten with fear, and I wisely chose to stay quiet, not wanting to further incite his wrath.Despite the anger he had displayed just moments ago, I thought I saw a hint of something like regret flash across Jalen's face as he ran a hand over his face and slumped against the wall. But he was skilled at hiding his emotions, and I couldn't be certain of what he was feeling.With a final, piercing look in my direction, he stormed out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I let out a sigh and cast my gaze around, hoping that my father would somehow find me and rescue me from this tumultuous situation.But deep down, I knew that it was a
As I crept out of the abandoned building, I looked left and right making sure that no one was watching me. There was no one in sight among the tall grasses. I quickly made my way to the van which had seen better days, parked close to the building. The building was hidden among the grasses except for a barely visible roof and peeling painted wall. I drove behind the wheels and my hands gripped the steering wheel tightly navigating the twists and turns on the road. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Clarissa. The abduction had proven to be more complicated than I had anticipated, especially when Cade and I visited the elderly herbalist, who informed us that the hypnosis potion would only be effective if Clarissa willingly consumed it.Also, the abduction could lead to a war between the Lycans and the werewolves. Clarissa's dad was surely looking for her by now, and I knew I had to act fast. The consequences of my actions weighed heavily on my mind as I raced home.I killed the en
ClarissaIt has been over twenty-four hours since I was kidnapped and tied up in this hellish, depressing building. My brain was going into overdrive and I couldn't even sleep for fear of what Jalen and his friend would do to me. Ever since I heard their plans to try to hypnotize me, I knew that I couldn't trust either of them. If his friend was really as nice as he pretended to be, he would have reported Jalen to the authorities for kidnapping instead of being an accomplice.The situation was so frustrating because I had a lot of work to do in the office. One of my clients had given me a project, and the testing and debugging was set to take place the next day. I also had a marketing and advertising campaign to oversee, but instead of working on these important tasks, I was stuck here, all thanks to my supposed mate."Did you feed her?" Jalen asked, treating me like a pet that needed to be fed."She said she wasn't hungry," his friend replied.Jalen pulled his friend to the window a
Downstairs, Jalen led me to a navy blue beat-up van and we both reached for the passenger door handle at the same time, our hands brushing. He stared at me with a mix of longing and sadness in his eyes, but quickly masked it and returned to his stoic, guarded self."Get in the van," he commanded, but his tone was not angry, instead my foolish wolf found it sexy. Jalen walked around to the driver's seat and I climbed into the passenger side. As he drove I felt the mating scent in the air and whenever I stole glances at him out of the corner of my eye, I felt a shocking sensation that ran from my head to my toes. I knew that he felt it too, the powerful pull of the bond between us."You know, it's funny that you think you can just pull a stunt like this and go scot-free without getting punished," I said, trying to start a conversation. "Do you know what my father would do if he found out that you kidnapped me?""How many times do I have to let you know this? I'm not scared of your fath
ClarissaIt was a restless night for me. I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to find a comfortable position despite the plush blankets and satin sheets. I even tried counting sheep, but it was no use. At midnight, I got out of bed and opened the window to let in the cool night air, hoping it would help me relax.But my mind was racing with thoughts of what had happened and the fact that I now had a bodyguard following me everywhere, thanks to Jalen. When I finally managed to fall asleep, I woke up feeling groggy and tired.Despite the lack of rest, I forced myself out of bed and got ready for the day ahead. I took a bath and chose a tailored navy blue power suit with matching pants and a crisp white blouse that showed a hint of cleavage.As I went downstairs, I saw my dad sitting in the living room with Detective Troy, an old family friend, and a long-time worker in the security unit. "Honey, can you give us a minute?" my dad called out to me. "Detective Troy needs to ask you some q
JalenI sat outside Clarissa's office building, smoking a blunt. I didn't know what had come over me earlier, to even think of working for her. I was overwhelmed with the urge to see her again, but I was too proud to admit it to Cade.When I brought up the idea to him, he couldn't control his burst of laughter. He laughed like a hyena, and I gave him a blank look."Dude, she's never going to accept you. How can you go work for her?" he said, still chuckling.My heart raced, and I dismissed the negative thoughts of what could go wrong. "I don't want to lose sight of her. What if she goes and, out of desperation to forget me, gets married to someone else?""I understand how you feel, but working for her is not a good idea. I'm sure she must have reported you to her dad, and they're on the way to get you arrested," Cade pointed out.I sneered smugly, tossing my head back. "I can bet with the last coin in my pocket that she didn't say anything to her dad," I said, feeling confident.Cade
The week seemed to fly by in a blur, as if time was slipping through my fingers. And before I knew it, the weekend had arrived, as it always does. But for me, the weekend ritual was something I looked forward to every week. It was the one time of the week when I got to spend some quality time with my beloved mother.We headed to an extravagant spa for a day of pampering and relaxation. My brother's girlfriend, Sydney, also came along with us, which was a nice change of pace. As we walked past the reception area, we were greeted by a sea of my mother's affluent friends. They had all heard about my recent ordeal and were giving me sympathetic looks.I tried my best to remain stoic, but the weight of their stares was overwhelming. I took a seat on the plush sofa, and as the hundredth woman asked me how I was holding up, I simply replied that I was fine.I needed a distraction, and soon enough, I found one. I walked to the cosmetics section, picked up a brochure, and began browsing throug
As I made my way home, a feeling of irritation washed over me at the realization that Jalen, that stubborn Lycan, was following me. I couldn't fathom what he could be up to, but if he didn't stop tailing me, he would surely get himself into a great deal of trouble. Ivan drove me home. He must have sensed my mood, as he didn't press me to talk on the ride home. When we arrived close to the mansion, he asked, "Did I do something wrong?" "Huh? No, you didn't," I responded absently, looking out the window. He continued driving until we got to the mansion. As I stepped out of the car, Ivan called after me. "Rissa, I'd love to do this again. Can I call you and plan another date?"I forced a smile. "Sure, just let me know beforehand."I made my way into the house but came to a halt when I saw my parents standing on the staircase, their faces alight with excitement. "How was the date?" my father asked."It was good," I replied flatly."You don't sound very excited about it," my mum observ