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[A Favor] ARIELLA “All right, I can do that. I’ll tell you everything once you promise to do something for me in return.” He nodded, continuing to eat. “What will that be?” “I just need to know my family is okay. My cousin Amanda, the one I was here with recently, is pregnant. My mom is sick and—“ “Say no more,” I chimed in, cutting him off. “It is mainly my fault you are in this cell. Had you not been my mate—although you could’ve died in battle—you wouldn’t have been here.” He stopped chewing, looking at me with intense curiosity. “Are you sure you don’t want to know what I need you to do for me or the time to think it over?” I shook my head. “I doubt it’ll be worse than you locked in a cell.” “Okay.” He gave a brief chuckle. “I think this will be the first time I ever requested a favor from a wolf—a favor for a former hunter.” “A favor from your mate,” I corrected, which made him smile. “I will check on your family, Malik. If they’re okay, I’ll come back and tell you, an
[Memories] ARIELLA “I have a better idea,” I murmured as I studied the guard. “Instead of repeating everything to my father, why don’t you tell him yourself? Or, even better, have my mother look into your memories.” “Look into my memories?” Malik’s brow quirked in question. “How is she gonna do that?” I flashed him a smile, confident in my plan. “Here’s what hunters don’t know about my mom. Unlike the other wolves, my mother was born a witch from another realm. A realm where only witches, wizards, and mages existed.” “That’s, uhm... that’s something,” Malik acknowledged, the wheels in his head clocking overtime as he processed the information. “Yeah, so recently I learned my mom has this cool ability to see people’s memories,” I explained. “Lucky for me, I was born with a similar power. Mine is to see the outcome of major events. At least that’s what I think. Which was how we had known to expect another attack.” “From the moment we met, I knew there was something special about y
[This Is Not The End] ARIELLA It took us a while to get there, but it was a pleasant walk. The trees were all in full bloom, and it smelled delightful. As we walked, I started feeling a little better. I felt lighter and happier. He was right, though. I didn’t need to worry about him. He was fine. And if he wasn’t, I would be there to take care of him. We reached the stream, and it was gorgeous, surrounded by a ring of tall redwoods and the sun setting behind them. The water glistened in the light. “It’s beautiful,” he murmured. “Yeah,” I agreed. I sat on the edge of the stream, watching the ripples in the water as the gentle breeze stirred the surface. Malik lay on his back next to me, his eyes closed and a contented expression masking his features. “I could get used to this. The tranquility here is unlike anything I’ve felt in a long time.” I rested my chin on my shoulder, watching him, feeling the butterflies flutter with glee in my stomach. Immediately, I felt better than I
>"What did I do to deserve this betrayal? After everything I did for you, I stayed by your side when you had no one, and this is how you thank me—by killing me? How callous must you be to murder someone who simply wanted the best for you?"Unamused, she cocked her brow and tilted her head to the side. "You wanted what was best for me?" Her throaty chuckle overshadowed her contemptuous comments. "It's funny you mentioned that." She stalked closer to me and kneeled at my level, waving the bloodied blade in my face.I winced from the pain in my side, edging away from her and more towards the bed. Pain coursed throughout my body. "Were you there for me when my mother burnt me with a cigarette bud? Maybe when she flogged me for refusing to sleep with one of her men. What about the time she abandoned me in the middle of the night, starving? Were you there for me, then?"Tears stung my eyes, and my lips trembled. The stored tears continued to flow and the sobs wracked
[Nightmare]SIERRA>Images replayed in my mind on repeat. Like a loop. A sense of loss and emptiness washed over me, creating a lump in my throat. Unable to breathe, I gripped my chest. Yet nothing helped ease the tightening in my chest.In a fraction of a second, a bloodcurdling scream broke from my lips, drowning out the hammering of my heart against my ribs. What started as a whimper became a full-fledged outcry, forcing my body to quiver and my lips to quake."Sierra, sweetheart, it's time for you to wake up." Someone shook me awake, and a soft, familiar voice soothed me, breaking through the fog of my somnolence.I sprang up in bed, my eyes wide with tears streaming down my face, and my trembling hands fisted at my side."You are okay," my mother reassured me, rubbing her hand over my back in a circular motion, attempting to soothe me from the nightmare that kept plaguing my dreams. Her short, salt-and-peppered hair had become disheveled during the night, n
[Backward or Forward]SEBASTIAN"Sebastian, you can't keep living your life like this, in tatters, dishonoring Sasha's memory. She would not want you to live like this, son. Round-the-clock intoxication, having countless women in the same bed you previously shared with her, none of it. Neither does your pack. And frankly, nor do I. Something needs to change... or else." My mother and Ambersky pack's former Luna stated with disgust."So, mother, what would you have me do? Would you rather I pretend it never happened? Continue to exist in the absence of her? Is that what you want me to do? Or would you rather that I choose a replacement for her?" I peered at her, observing the same shattered reflection I saw every time I looked in the mirror. She, too, had lost her mate, my father, former Alpha Dimitri Maddox."That is not what we want for you, son. Yes, we want you to be happy, but this is not happiness," she retorted, taking a few steps toward me. "It hurts. I understand the agony you
[Making Claims] ARIANNE “Why do you continue to torment yourself like this, Ari? You are in love with a man who only sees you as a plaything when he needs a release. Alpha Sebastian can never love you. He is an Alpha, which means his second mate is somewhere out there, and so is our mate,” Sable, my wolf, growled in my head. That did not sit well with me. Sebastian and I loved each other. I would wait. Even if it took him years to see what I could offer him, he was worth every second I had to wait for him to come around. He needed me, and I needed him just as much, if not more. “Sable, you do not understand; you are a wolf. You have never been in love. So, you will not comprehend the heartache. You do not know what it is like to seek their touch, to wish to see their smile; if only it could make your day bearable. That is what Sebastian is to me. He is the center of my universe.” I peered out at the tannin-brown woodland with skyscraper-like trees. The morning stars sparkled like
[Secrets] SIERRA "What are you on about?" I stared at her as though she had grown an extra head. "I’m saying I caught Jensen with someone else who wasn’t you. Sierra, he doesn't deserve the sweet and kind person you’re, and neither do you deserve to be treated this way." I shook my head in bewilderment as I laughed dumbly. "No! No way, Katie! Jensen wouldn’t do such a thing. He'd never cheat on me." I couldn’t help but wonder if I believed the words as they left my lips and lingered in my head. Once upon a time, I would have believed it. But I wasn’t so sure anymore. "Have I ever lied to you? Sierra..." Her words trailed off with a heavy sigh. "It's obvious you don’t believe me, and that’s fine. You have given this man something you have never given away so readily before. Therefore, hearing this would be unacceptable." "Jensen has been there for me in ways that neither you nor my mother could. He’s gentle and sweet and makes me smile like I’m the only girl in the world. How wou