Selene's gut clenches, and her hands start sweating. Mr. Carrot stands up and looks into her eyes, making her feel extremely drawn to his gaze, to his scent, and wanting to feel that warmth again that emanated from his body when he held her the other day. What will she feel when he holds her again? It's likely that when that happens, they'll be alone, and that idea scares her a bit, although she doesn't entirely dislike it.
As if something were pulling her, she takes a step toward him, and Connor smiles slightly. He can see it in her eyes; she's feeling the bond as strongly as he does. Too bad they're in front of so many people, or he would have taken her in his arms, just like at the clinic.
Selene takes another step and another, and to Connor's surprise, when she reaches him, she walks past him and goes to Ragnar, her father.
"Father, I didn't know you were back already," she says as she approaches and gives him a lingering kiss on the cheek.
"I arrived in the early hours, princess," Connor can tell that Ragnar dotes on his daughter a lot. "Now tell me, why did you take so long to come down? I sent for you over an hour ago. Alpha Connor has been waiting for you all this time."
"I'm here now, dad," Selene huffs and rolls her eyes. Both Katrina and Ragnar are embarrassed by her childish and rebellious behavior. That's one of the main reasons why they are willing to give their daughter to Alpha Connor.
"At least you could have combed your hair, cousin; you look like a street girl," Morelia's comment furrows Selene's brow. Connor doesn't like the way she expressed herself either, but looking at his mate, he agrees with Morelia. Selene's long, wavy hair is tousled as if she fought with her pillow all night, she's wearing only an oversized shirt that reaches below her knees, and... flip-flops. Jackson exchanges glances with his alpha, and Connor knows that deep down, he's laughing out loud at him. Perhaps seeking to be punished for it once they step back into their territory.
"Daughter, please, watch your words. What will Alpha Blazeheart think of us?" Rubí scolds her daughter, but Morelia just shrugs off all the looks on her.
Katrina looks at her daughter with disappointment and sorrow because she knows that Selene is doing all this on purpose to repel Connor. What she doesn't know is that the alpha is determined to claim her right now and take her to his pack tonight.
"She looks perfect to me," Connor's deep voice puts direct pressure on Selene's stomach, who avoids looking him in the eyes right now.
"Daughter, he is Alpha Connor Blazeheart of the Redwood Wolves pack, and he is here with us this morning to claim you as his destined mate and future Luna," Ragnar speaks the words Selene didn't want to hear. "What do you say about that?"
"No."
"No?" Connor asks with a furrowed brow, but Katrina stands up and walks over to her daughter.
"No what, Selene? Are you rejecting your destined mate?" Katrina asks with a broken voice. She finds it hard to believe that her daughter isn't willing to accept this new opportunity that the Moon has given her and that they have to resort to other methods.
Selene opens her mouth to respond, but Connor interrupts her.
"I won't accept any rejection from you. As an alpha, I have the right to claim what's mine, and you are my mate. Your parents and I have already reached an agreement, so pack your things, we'll be going to our pack tonight."
Selene looks at her parents, incredulous, but Ragnar's nod confirms her worst fears.
"Claro de Luna is my father's pack, where I was born, raised, and where I met my mate. I'm not going anywhere with you! Your pack is not and will never be my pack!"
Selene runs off, leaving Connor surprised and confused by her words. Her mate? Has she had another partner before him? Neither Ragnar nor Katrina have mentioned anything about that, and he didn't see any marks on her shoulder.
Morelia almost bursts out laughing at her cousin's childish attitude. Although she has seen everything from her, she always manages to surprise her a little more.
"I'll go talk to her," says Katrina, but Connor steps in her way.
"May I do it?" he asks, and both Ragnar and Katrina nod. Connor leaves the office and, following her scent, he goes up the stairs.
In the wide hallway, Sorem sharpens his hearing and manages to hear her sobs coming from one of the rooms. Connor turns the knob, and luckily, the door opens smoothly, revealing her lying on the bed with a pillow covering her head.
"Whoever you are, leave, I don't want to talk to anyone!" Connor hears her complaint, but he locks the door before walking over to her.
"Didn't you hear me? I said that..." Selene's voice trails off when Connor lifts her effortlessly from the bed, carries her to one of the armchairs, and sits there with her on his lap.
Connor rests Selena's head on his chest and wipes away some of the tears from her face with his fingers. He takes the opportunity to tuck her long locks behind her ear while observing her more closely.
Selene finds it extremely annoying how he manages to have that calming effect on her body within seconds. She hates feeling so good in his arms even though she wants to get up and slap him a few times. How does he do it? Is it some kind of spell?
Despite trying to resist, she closes her eyes and nuzzles her face into Connor's neck.
"Why does he have to smell so damn good?" she wonders mentally as she discreetly inhales his scent and feels that delicious tingling sensation running through her body under his touch.
"Because he's our mate," Saya answers, and Selene can see that she smiles happily.
"Pack your things, my dear," Connor whispers after a long silence between them. Selene looks up at him, and despite saying no earlier, she nods.
“Let’s get this straight, Mr. Carrot, I…”“Connor,” the alpha growls, interrupting and pulling her back onto his lap.“Whatever. I’ll go with you… Connor, because I have no other choice since my family signed that alpha agreement with you, but that doesn’t mean you can mark me or mate with me against my will.” Connor frowns at her words.“We can come to an agreement regarding mating, but as for the marking, I don’t think…”“You don’t think anything,” Selene tries to get up again, but Connor wraps both arms around her waist, holding her in place. “You will not force me; I won’t allow it. I do not agree with this bond, and I’ve told you already. No forced marking and no forced mating.”“And how long do you think you can resist?” Connor brushes some strands of hair from her face before running his fingertip along the tip of her nose. Selene’s lower abdomen tightens, and Connor can sense her turmoil. The hair on her arms stands on end, and she mentally curses herself for being so weak at
Selene sits on the couch while Connor takes a shower before their trip. They are already at the hotel, and Jackson has picked up Connor's belongings. They are only waiting for him to be ready so they can leave for North America.Just as she gets up to look out the window, the imposing figure of Connor emerges from the bathroom, filling her view as he dries his mouth. He's wearing only a towel around his waist, revealing almost his entire body—well-defined muscles, creamy skin, and the chest hair that forms a trail disappearing into his V-line. Yes, for a few seconds, she wants to reach out and trace that trail with her finger to the limit.He walks past her, and she can’t help but turn to look at him. Her cousin was right; Connor is definitely the wet dream of quite a few girls, and that will end up being a problem.“If you don’t close your mouth, you’ll drool on the floor,” Connor teases with a mischievous smile. Even he is surprised at himself for joking and playing with her, as it’
Jackson clears his throat, catching Connor's attention. He instantly lowers Inés to the ground, realizing what had happened."Sorry..." says the young woman, looking down as she notices the conflicted look on the alpha's face due to the fleeting kiss she gave him. The truth is, she isn't sorry at all. The days that Connor was away were the worst of her life, and she missed him terribly."Brother, welcome back," Clarisse and Carla, Connor's mother, come out of the house to greet him as well. Both seem quite pleased that he has returned. "How was your trip? Did you have fun?""Sister, mother," Connor hugs and kisses each of them. "The Amazon is beautiful. I will definitely go back there often.""We're so glad you're back, son. You must be very tired. Come, I'll have a warm bath and a sumptuous breakfast prepared for you before you can rest."Carla winks at Inés, and she knows what it means. Both take Connor by the arm to lead him toward the door, but he evades them before reaching out h
Saya growls in Selene's chest and unsheathes her claws at her mate's display of affection. Connor anticipates what's coming and grabs Selene's wrists, managing to restrain her fury. The alpha knows his mate is upset about what happened earlier, but he's determined to show her that it was just a misunderstanding and not what she's thinking.Slowly, he enters the room with her and closes the door with his foot. Selene is trembling, trapped in his huge arms, like a small wild animal wanting to be set free to cause chaos."That young woman..." she growls, but Connor interrupts her with a loud kiss on her cheek."Why...?" she tries to say again, but is once more interrupted by a kiss, this time longer and louder than the last."Damn you..." she pants as her mate turns her around and leaves a soft kiss on her lips, leaving her dazed for a few seconds.She takes a moment to process what just happened, and the fact that she is now completely at his mercy makes her even angrier. How dare he ki
"Alpha, you should come see this, it's urgent." Jackson's voice mentally interrupts the meeting Connor had planned in his office with Inés and his mother, who are about to arrive."Can't it wait? I need to resolve some matters here with my mother," he responds immediately."Maybe you should come see this before anything else. I'm in the parking lot," Jackson cuts the link with Connor, and he sighs before getting up from his seat."When Inés or my mother arrive, have them wait," Connor instructs Beltrán, who acts as his secretary when he's in the office to handle pack matters. "They must not leave. We need to clear everything up before lunch.""It will be done, Alpha."Connor heads to the parking lot. He has no idea what could be so important and urgent that Jackson needs to show him, given all the matters he needs to handle right now. Work has piled up due to his trip to the Amazon, and if he doesn't catch up, it will be worse.He reaches the parking lot, and Jackson greets him with a
Full moon of October 2023, at some point in the Tierra de Pinares forest, time: 03:00 in the morning...The air thickened with a silence heavy with tragedy as Selene watched the scene before her in horror. Her beloved's body lay lifeless on the ground, surrounded by the darkness of the night and the cruelty of the rogues. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but her heart refused to believe what she saw. It couldn't be true. She couldn't accept that the man she was destined to spend eternity with, the one who had marked her soul under the moonlight, now lay cold and lifeless in front of her."Dexter, please, wake up. You can't leave me like this!" Selene pleaded, her voice breaking with anguish, but there was no response.It was too late; Dexter was dead, and Selene's heart was shattered. From her mark, a watery red liquid, much like blood, began to ooze. Her body trembled terribly, and her heartbeats slowed to the point where she believed she too might die."Please..." she whispe
One year after the attack...“How do I look in this dress?” Rouse spins in front of her sister, a broad smile on her face. “I think this color is divine, and besides, Mom loves white, so she’ll definitely approve.”Rouse glances at Selene through the mirror and shakes her head. Her sister is absorbed in her cellphone, completely ignoring her.“Selene!” Rouse calls, hands on her hips, frowning at her. Rouse is very sweet and charming, but she hates when her sister does that.“What?!” Selene’s question only confirms to Rouse that she hasn’t been paying attention at all. Clearly, she’s only here out of obligation because Katrina ordered it.“You should choose yours. This is the last store we’re visiting, sister, and you haven’t tried on or bought anything. Our mother will be angry if you’re not dressed properly, remember that many...” “Many packs from all over the world will be present. We need to make a good impression on the guests,” Selene finishes her sister’s sentence sarcastically
Selene doesn't dare to breathe loudly. She is literally trapped between two huge mountains with orange-red hair, making her look even smaller than she is. Both men at her sides are too big, and their legs even suffer in the back seat of the car. What kind of wolves are they? Not even her father or brother are this big. Why had she never seen or heard about them before? What is that scent they emit?Selene stopped struggling the exact moment she realized she was at a clear disadvantage. The man on her left hasn't stopped staring at her, and that silly smile on his face gives her the creeps. What's his problem? Does he find something on her face amusing? Aren’t his cheeks hurting from smiling so much? She tries to scoot away from him, but it's impossible to move even half a centimeter without bumping into the other one.The man on her right hasn’t moved the entire trip. He keeps his eyes closed, and his broad hand rests on his thigh while his long fingers move in a coordinated way, as i