Of course, I was filled with joy knowing that my family had decided - on their own - to attend my ceremony. They seemed so happy for me, even though I still felt upset and rejected by my father.I mean, I don't know if, despite the years of harsh insults from him - and I have to admit this - I can still see a different sparkle in his eyes when he looks at me. It's not gratitude or love, like my siblings have for me, it's something I can't quite identify."You look beautiful," Mom says, running her hand down the side of my dress. She cups my face and makes me look at her. "You are strong, Malia. Go in there and do better than I ever could have done.""My girl," Peter says, pulling me into a hug. "I never imagined you would be with Jaden. With Jaden.""Is it really that hard to believe?" I laugh softly, looking at him."He was my friend, dear," he holds my fingers. "We weren't the best, but we were close. He always pointed out how cool he thought it was to treat you so well...""Well,"
Catherine | Malia’s Arrival"Good morning," I muttered, grumpy."Good morning, dear," Paul said as he put on his lab coat."What time is it?" I asked."Late." He stared at me, his eyes scanning my entire body, and let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "How long are we going to live like this?""What do you mean?" I asked."How long are we going to ignore the fact that you don't love me? That, in reality, you hate me with all your might," he said through gritted teeth. "That we put on a show in front of others and that you are disgusted by me and my touch. That you wish for someone else... someone who wouldn't even look at you that way, to take you to bed and give you a child.""You don't know what you're talking about," I rolled my eyes, throwing the blanket aside and heading to the bathroom in our suite."Don't try to deny it, you told me everything last night," he muttered, rubbing his face. "But give it up, Catherine!""What did I tell you?" I asked, feeling the blood drain from my face
He stops abruptly. "You won’t get far with that girl, Bruno. I want to finish her off myself," the familiar voice echoes, sending shivers down my spine.I turn my neck, trying to focus my vision now and I find Catherine standing in front of me. I open my mouth, a little shocked."Catherine, let me pass," Bruno asks. "What are you doing?""What part didn't you understand?" She snorts. "I’m telling you to hand over the girl. She and I have unfinished business. You don’t need to get involved.""Move aside, Catherine, I'm warning you," he growls."Or what?" She rolls her eyes at him. "Going to threaten me? You? Who doesn’t even have the guts to admit you're that witch’s mate? Deep down, we are the same.""We are not the same," he growls. "Lilith and I have our reasons for not being together," he narrows his eyes at her. "How do you know all this? I never…""I'm not as stupid as the others, Bruno," she scoffs. "But what does it matter? If you don't hand over Malia, you’ll be a dead wolf and
**Jaden**My heart was beating so rapidly, I was afraid I might die of a sudden heart attack at any moment. Nervousness coursed through my veins.I can't believe that Catherine is the traitor. It simply doesn't make any sense, and I can't believe this is really happening right now.On top of us being invaded, Malia discovered she can heal wounds made by silver.I never expected much from Joshua, to be honest, but knowing that he managed to infiltrate among people I fully trust showed me that maybe I had underestimated him too much. He is a treacherous man, and I doubt he didn't take after our parents.I grab Malia's fingers as we run outside. The pack's castle had not been invaded yet, but I knew it was just a matter of time. Joshua looks down from a horse, like a fool living in ancient times, and smiles at me, slowly dismounting and walking towards me.The battle is fought by our warriors, but he walks towards me unconcerned, as if he knows no one is capable of hurting him. He is arro
"Jaden needs to have time to rest," Bruno opines, still confused."He needs to learn to control his strength, his powers," Lilith says, turning to me.We are in a small group in an empty room of the castle. The curtains are closed and the doors properly locked. Lilith even went to the trouble of sealing the gaps with cotton and tape so that no one could see what was happening here."That's what the enemy expects, for you to rest and have the confidence to go to the battlefield without preparing. That's why we're here," she explains. "Everyone present must promise absolute secrecy.""Well, there's a problem," Malia says, shrugging. "My brothers owe their loyalty to Joshua. Even though they are here, if he uses the alpha bond against them, they won't be able to keep their mouths shut.""Malia is right," Peter murmurs."What can we do?""Actually," Now it's Toby who speaks, walking toward us with his broad shoulders and threatening posture. Deep down, his expression was always like that,
MaliaI can't fall asleep. Even with my body relaxed and wrapped in Jaden's arms, I still feel completely suffocated and scared. Scared to sleep and wake up tomorrow, only for everything to go wrong and for me to lose him.In my head, all the scenes Jaden and I have shared replay, scene by scene.And here we are, in what could easily be our last night together. I mean, who would have thought?I never imagined I would be so afraid of losing Jaden like I am now. I wish I could wrap him around me and never let go, like a caterpillar cocooning itself. I want to take care of him and keep him here.“What’s worrying you?” Jaden asks, his voice hoarse.A lump forms in my throat and I lift my eyes to meet his. My lips tremble, my fingers grip him tighter, and I cling to him, hiding my face in his neck. God, I'm so scared of losing him. My man, my mate, my fiancé, my future husband, and above all, my king!“I’m so afraid of losing you,” I whisper.“You’re not going to lose me, Malia. Never!” he
Sitting at the breakfast table, I laughed out loud as Jaden and his best friend, Damon, joked with each other for almost two hours.The atmosphere seemed much more relaxed for us now, but I could see the nervous eyes of the pack members, anxious about what was about to happen.Everyone paid their respects to Jaden, some even daring to voice their displeasure with the upcoming fight. The fear of falling into the hands of another cruel leader drove the pack to despise Joshua even more."A man who can't recognize the good you've done for us, my son, doesn't deserve the power of our pack," said an elderly woman. "I hope you win, or we'll fall into a new limbo like the old one."She had the courage to approach us. She was old and had been born into this pack. She had lived through two Alphas before Jaden, father and son, both with a terrible track record with their packs.She had begun to thrive after the arrival of my mate, and that was why they feared a man like Joshua so much."I'd be wi
**Jaden**Of course, I was completely terrified that night. But, in some strange way, I managed not to show it and conveyed confidence to my mate, who seemed on the verge of bursting into painful, fearful tears at any moment.I understood her. I knew some things might spiral out of my control, that my fate could be to die there, among a million other possibilities, but I wanted to pretend everything was fine and that things would turn out well, as I always had.When we arrived at the place where the fight would take place—a huge training arena—Joshua was on the other side, talking with my father-in-law and some other unknown men. I sat at the small table set up, next to Damon and Bruno, and took a sip from the water bottle they had given me.“It’s going to be okay, man,” Damon smiled at me.“It has to be,” I sighed, letting out a breath. “I still wonder why he’s so confident.”“I find it strange too. Either your brother is very arrogant, or he really has something up his sleeve.”“I w