-RAINA’S POV- Valen threw his head back and released a rumbling, sonorous laugh. What was the joke? I thought that he’d be mad at me. When he finished laughing, he intently gazed at me, pulled his lips into a lopsided smile, and sneered. “You know my feelings so well, Raina.” What should have been a silent battle between us transformed into an activation of passion. Depth cried out to depth as the venereal mate bond did tug-of-war through our locked eyes. “Valen!” Luna Sianna vehemently demanded a direct answer, breaking up our fervid tussle. Gingerly, his deprecated emerald orbs met the challenging gaze of his mother. “Of course not.” His enunciating tone abetted me to question the stark assurance of the declaration. He was really frustrating, but still, I simpered in self-satisfaction. His obsessive gaze was fixed on me in a way that stated he was going to make me pay for it. It was unfair to put him in the spot, but it was time for me to step out and demand that he claim me. H
-RAINA’S POV- "Why does he get to stay?" Vaheed shoved his way forward past the others, displaying utter disapproval. “He should not be around her!” Instantly, Valen erected himself from the wall, facing Vaheed. His wolf bared his teeth and showed his presence and possessiveness, as his claws extended. Losing his temper slammed a gargantuan aura into the entire room. Veins populated on his forehead. He was ready to finish the brawl that had started at the bar in Furborg City. Vaheed flinched because this time Valen’s attacking position was different. It was dark, turbulent, and hellish. Clutching the sky-blue sheet, I held my breath and my heart beat wildly. My pulse thumped inside my ears. They should not be fighting again. Oh, goddess! A premonition of Vaheed's blood sprinkling over the white hospital floor tiles flashed across my mental vision. Two fighting alphas would be terribly bloody. “Boys, end this now!” Even Luna Sianna was peeved with her twitching eyebrows. Vance, th
-RAINA’S POV- Ultimately, Valen sighed in surrender and acquiesced with a go-ahead expression. My wolf yipped and warmth curled inside my gut. I wanted to kiss him right then. Too bad every part of me ached, preventing that reality. Additionally, the agonizing sensation from the physical contact would turn that first kiss into nothing more than a horrible memory. Doing the honors, I announced, since he wouldn't clear the air. "Valen's my mate. That’s why he wants to stay by my side." A sheen of happiness coated me. My eyes brimmed with tears of mirth and the smile tugging my lips broke into a pleased grin. A spark flared in his emerald orbs as they penetrated mine with a look that gave me a pleasant chill. Despite my ailment, excitement filled me. Can I jump on him now? Instantly, I wanted everybody to clear the room. "Oh, goddess!" Venus shrieked gleefully, then abruptly dulled in facade. "Oh." She realized what that meant for Vaheed and Valen, and quaked, "Oh no." In retaliatio
-VALEN’S POV- "Son, we need to talk." Dad summoned me through our mental link. "Come to my office." "I'll be there in a few minutes," I replied, and cut the link, opening my eyes and using my fingers to massage the ache in my forehead in a clockwise, circular motion. “You better not leave our mate’s side,” my wolf dictated. His pining augmented the same headache that I was trying to expel. “The meeting is important and we need help with our mate bond.” I reminded him in annoyance. It was inevitable that Dad would meet with me and Vaheed after our fighting. Dad encouraged unity among his children. He was strict, principled, and disciplined. Only Venus got the softer side of him. “Devin, I need you to stay with Raina while I go and see my father.” I beckoned my future Royal Beta. “I’m on my way,” he reported. Previously, Raina had gone quiet until she fell asleep. I never left the hospital room and was still sitting in the chair next to her bed. I was angry at myself for her suf
-VALEN’S POV- "That's not good enough!" The senior witch did not deserve my pugnacity. At this point, I could not control how unsettled my wolf was with what we were hearing. This was fucking insane. I can't stand another minute in this useless meeting. After relying on these witches for a solution, I sat here and was being told that they had none. I sprang from my seat and began pacing the floor. My aggression was building and I was about to shift. My hands clenched and uncoiled as my breathing increased due to exasperation. "Marlena will have to retrace Valen's and Raina's activities for the day before we can affirm anything," Miriam spoke to Dad, unfazed by me. She was accustomed to our alpha paroxysm in years of dealing with both Grandpa Victor and Dad. Due to the old Lycan-witch covenant established with the royal lineages, as long as they are honorable and help to protect our pack, we would never hurt them. "What do we do in the meantime?" Teary-eyed Hailey emotionally aske
-VALEN’S POV- Dr. Stone and three nurses clad in white uniforms and stockings surrounded a vigorously panting Raina. Washed in cold sweat, she sat up in bed holding the two sides of her head, her wide eyes blinking furiously. Flush-faced and frightened, shaking uncontrollably with the rapid drumming of her heart, she seemed completely whelmed by the mental terrors. Under her own deluded mind's seizing attacks, she was a victim held captive in its dark abyss. “Raina, sweetie,” Grandma Stone spoke calmly. “You’re safe. The earthquake is over.” Desperate whimpers came from her and she kept repeating my name. Making me want to do something, anything, to alleviate her pain. I'm uncertain that Raina and I will ever feel the power of the mate bond like we ought to in its natural course. Or even if there was a 'Raina and I’. Devin stood at the right side of the three-sided covered sepia bedside table observing. As her pain connected intensely within me, details of the world around me fade
-VALEN’S POV- Painstakingly, I had to leave Raina to collect the necklace from Miriam. It's very beautiful and I think she will especially like the gold chain that goes with the pendant. She's pissed that I left in the middle of our conversation, but I presumed that the necklace might essentially come in handy. Taking all precautions was necessary. I'll protect her with my life. We can't live like this. Her tiny voice replayed in my head. It's true, I will not deny it. Also, it left me speechless. The truth of the matter was that I was addicted to her. As daunting as the separation was, she had no idea how I zealously aimed to be her everything. I wanted to kiss her frown away and soothe all her discomfort. Tingles shoot all over my body despite barely touching, and that would be the mate bond declaring that she's the one. Perfectly born to complete me. It hammered my fucking soul that I couldn't walk with her cradled in my arms from the hospital. Currently, I was on the ground f
VALEN’S POV What on earth was this attitude for? For a long suspended moment, I was left frozen in my spot, contemplating the best course of action to defrost the fiery darts she was pointing at me. My wolf wildly circled my head as he understood our predicament. The plight had him acting like he was pmsing. He jumped around and scratched in my head irrepressibly. With Raina, he exclusively displayed this unruly behavior. Naturally, at her discomfort, his initial reaction would always be to caress her. It made being around her hard, but being away from her was even more challenging. “Calm down, Zeus,” I warned, and blocked him out to obstruct the control he was tackling me to have his way in touching Raina. “Don’t pretend that you don’t want to hold her,” he yapped. “My forearms are empty and just waiting for her to live in them.” “I do understand, but you know the dangers. Stop behaving like a drunk nutjob.” I scolded and pushed him into a dark corner since he would not comport