A wave of nausea washed over me as I listened to Noel. It felt like I was a cheap commodity. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. This was exactly what I had feared. The prejudice simmering beneath the surface had finally bubbled over. He would always prefer a werewolf blood than a human and make the child of his second chance mate the heir. Me and my child had no place in this pack. My resolve to leave solidified into a cold, hard certainty."I'm not your mate," I said with icy control. "Just a contract partner. Once the six months are over, we go our separate ways. There is no need to think about having babies with me.”The smile that had been playing on Noel's lips vanished in an instant, replaced by a frown. His grip on my hands tightened. “Are you so desperate to leave me? Why? "The child is innocent; it needs a father. I'm willing to take care of it. Why do you insist on leaving? Are you planning on going back to Richard?”“No, I’ll never go back to him,” I countered, gainin
As my senses slowly returned, a wave of disorientation washed over me, my surroundings coming into focus with agonizing clarity. I found myself bound to a worn-out chair. Rough rope dug into my wrists and ankles, biting my skin. Weakness seeped into my limbs, a lingering reminder of the drug's lingering effects.Panic flared, a primal instinct to flee sparking a fight in my weakened limbs. They responded with a pathetic tremor against the unforgiving restraints.I surveyed my surroundings. The building was an eerie tableau of decay, its walls marred by cracks and peeling paint, cobwebs draped languidly in the corners. The air was thick with the musty scent of dust and rust, the acrid tang of decay lingering like a haunting melody. Moonlight filtered through broken windows, casting ethereal shadows that danced across the grimy floor.No matter how much I tried to stay calm and focus on my escape plan, I grew restless with each passing moment. The building seemed abandoned for years, wi
The room vibrated with the frantic thump of my own heart. Restlessness gnawed at me, a dark premonition that something was terribly wrong with Adelynn. I slumped back in the chair, clueless about where to look for her.“Where are you, Adel?” I murmured. “Please stop playing games with me. Come back. I miss you.”Ring-Ring-Ring…A jarring ring shattered the tense silence. Tina's name blazed on the screen. I reacted swiftly and answered the call.“Hello? Did you find her?” I asked with a sense of urgency."Noel," Tina's voice, usually so full of life, was laced with a chilling anxiety. "She's not with Lily. She hasn't contacted her either."The world seemed to tilt on its axis. I shot up from the chair, the blood draining from my face. "What? Where is she?"“Calm down, Noel. She will be fine.” Tina tried to reassure me, but her words did little to ease my growing dread.“Noel!” Tina rushed over and blocked my path. “Where are you going?”“To find her.” Without wasting another second, I
“Alpha…” Caleb approached me as soon as I hung up the phone. “We can’t bring the cops into this,” he suggested. “We should go back to the pack and arrange the backup team.”"Alright," I agreed, realizing the gravity of the situation. “Back to the pack."We peeled out of the parking lot, the silence inside the car heavy. By the time we reached pack territory, the news of Adelynn's disappearance had spread all over. Mom and Dad were worried and had already set up a team to search for her.The packhouse bustled with frantic energy as I entered. Mom was the first to reach me, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy. "Noel, you disappointed me," she choked out, accusation lacing her voice. "I trusted you. I thought you would take care of her and my grandchild, and you failed them both. I shouldn't have let her go with you."Guilt coiled around me like a viper, squeezing the air from my lungs. "I'm so sorry, Mom," I mumbled, head hanging low."There's no time for tears!" My father boomed. “The rogues
Adelynn’s POV…Consciousness flickered back, a dull ache throbbing in my temples. I was still bound to the chair in the same dimly lit shabby room. A desperate wish flickered through me – I wished it was just a nightmare and this suffering would come to an end when I opened my eyes. But the scratchy surface of the chair against my skin and the damp chill in the air, all screamed reality. Escape felt like a distant fantasy. No one was going to come to save me.Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision. My heart ached for my unborn child. 'Forgive me,' I whimpered silently, a fresh wave of grief washing over me. 'Mama failed to protect you.'A harsh voice shattered the suffocating silence. "Well, well, Adel, look who decided to wake up! Perfect timing, wouldn't you say?" Richard's voice, laced with a sickening sarcasm, pulled me out of my reverie. I lifted my head, my gaze meeting his cruel smile. Repulsion welled up within me, and I forced myself to look away.He leaned in closer, th
Without listening to me, Noel focused on defusing the bomb. A sickening screech echoed through the room as a wooden board from the ceiling started its descent. My blood ran cold when I noticed the wooden board getting closer and closer to us."Noel!" I screamed. "Listen to me! You can still get out of here! You have a pack to look after. Your people need you. Don’t risk your life because of me. Please leave."He didn't even look at me. "Shut up!" he barked, his jaw clenched as he fumbled with the ropes binding my wrists. "I won't leave you."“Noel!” I shrieked as I saw the board getting even closer.“Hold on. I don’t know which wire to cut. It’s too risky. First of all, I need to free you from the ropes.” Noel struggled to untie me.The time was slipping away. The incessant ticking of the bomb was a relentless counterpoint to the pounding in my chest. Each creak of the falling board sent shivers down my spine. As I looked at the pointed spikes inching toward us, I trembled. My breathi
“He is losing too much blood,” I said worriedly. Panic tightened my gut as I looked at his pale face. “We can’t wait any longer. He needs medical help now.”“I don’t understand why the backup team isn’t here yet,” Tina muttered, frustrated. “They were supposed to be right behind me.”“We can’t wait. We need to get him to a hospital,” I insisted, my eyes darting around, desperately seeking any sign of help.“Let’s take him to the pack hospital,” Tina suggested.“The pack hospital? That’s hours away, and we don’t have a car,” I argued, my gaze returning to Noel, who was struggling to stay conscious. “He can barely walk. We need to get him to the nearest hospital.”“Have you lost your mind?” Tina barked. “He is a werewolf. A human doctor can’t treat him.”“I don’t care,” I shot back, my fear and frustration boiling over. “He needs medical intervention now, and we don’t have time to argue about this.”“He is an Alpha, Adel,” Tina continued, trying to reason with me. “He won’t die from his
Noel’s POV…Consciousness crept back in slow waves. I wrestled my eyelids open, greeted by a sterile expanse of white walls. My vision swam, blurry, and indistinct. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, a torrent of memories rushed back.I remembered leaving that abandoned building with Adelynn and Tina, but I couldn’t recall what happened after that. Shifting my gaze, I spotted Adelynn dozing beside me. Her head rested on the starched white sheets, one hand intertwined with mine.A warmth bloomed in my chest. She stayed here by my side. A surge of joy, a deep sense of contentment, washed over me. A smile, involuntary and genuine, spread across my face. Adelynn’s presence was what I needed the most. My hand reached out and gently stroked her hair. I couldn’t deny it any longer—I was deeply in love with her.Slowly, Adelynn stirred, lifting her head to meet my gaze with those beautiful eyes of hers.“Hey, beautiful,” I rasped, a smile still lingering. “Good morning.”“Noel! You’re awake