Rebecca As I stood before the full-length mirror in my ornate, flowing golden bridal gown, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. Today was the day I was supposed to marry the man I had been arranged to marry to strengthen the bonds between our kind. But my heart was heavy with the knowledge that I was in love with someone else – Sage. Sage was everything the Fae Prince was not was not, and I still loved him. The Prince, Alexandr, was kind, gentle, and had a heart that overflowed with love; Sage was rough, selfish, and had a heart of ice. But ask me which one I’d gladly be with and I’ll still tell you it’s Sage Volkov. I had grown up knowing Alexandr, and over the years, we had grown close because of mutual acquaintances. We had shared our hopes and dreams, and actually made a pact to marry one day. It was a joke back then. Now, neither of us wanted this because even as we’re betrothed, we’re both in love with other people. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I could feel
The sound of falling anchor chains doesn’t send a shiver of fear through my body anymore, neither does the sting of the cattle prod or the sliding of that barrel bolt lock on my cage.“One slip-up and Marie will take your place.”“Fail tonight; Eva looks strong enough to take over from you.”They figured out that using my sisters' lives works better than violence, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop the whippings or physical torture. What makes it even worse is that these are the people who should be taking care of us, the ones who should love us unconditionally. They chose us to fill the void of not having their own children.I mean, it used to be like that until I accidentally shifted the night I got my wolf. They saw the damage I did to their cattle and decided I owed them… I was only eight years old and forced to fight in illegal dog fights.Yeah, you read that right. And while my wolf is stronger than any pit bull, it didn’t mean I would come away unscathed. My body is littered wi
The flames lick the side of the funeral shroud, igniting the cedar twigs and leaves and sending the scent of fresh Spring rain into the Autumn air.The familiar scent I’ve known since birth - my mother’s scent.I’ve done nothing but stare at the white shroud since my father brought her body onto the pyre, I’ve felt nothing since her passing three days ago. Just a deep void of nothing, a chasm of numbness as the realization sets in deep.This woman was my peace, she was my rock and the glue which held the pack together. I wanted to become a better man and Alpha for her, but now that will never happen. She’ll never watch me meet my mate, she’ll never see how her spirit will live on in my heirs.I wanted to make her proud of me, I wanted to feel that pride radiating from her. Now all I feel coming from her is the heat of the funeral pyre.This body is nothing but an empty vessel now, I know this. Her spirit has ascended since she was the reincarnation of the Moon Goddess and others need
My knuckles are bloody, but I continue to hit the punching bag in front of me. The sting of the wolfsbane-laced fabric always serves to make me hit harder; I need to be stronger than the pain. I need to get used to it so it can no longer hurt me. “Creed,” I hear my cousin, Luka, calling behind me. He’s my closest friend right now as well as my Beta and Brigadier, but lately, I’ve been pulling away from him and everyone else around me. What I like about Luka is the fact that he doesn’t pry, but when you eventually open up then he’s a good shoulder. “I haven’t seen you here in ages,” I say as he walks up to fist-bump me. He shakes his head. “I hardly ever see you lately and I’m supposed to be your second in command,” he says while trying to sound nonchalant. “So I thought I should rather come to you and see what’s up.” I shrug. “It’s been three weeks, and the pack is still in mourning at the loss of their Luna,” I say when I see him wrapping his fists as well. “Did Viktor send yo
My heart feels like a barbed wire has strangled it to the point of being unable to breathe. It’s the night of the fight and it feels like it will be my last night alive.I still don’t understand who okayed this fight because it doesn’t make sense at all. I am 5'6 and weigh 145 pounds while Creed is 6’4 and 240 pounds of raw muscle. He’s a fucking heavyweight and by all counts, this fight should be illegal! I’m a pipsqueak compared to him, a featherweight for God’s sake; I am going to die at his hands!But I couldn’t say a damn thing to my mother because I know she had something to do with this. Not only that, but she forbade me from going to the gym to fight, instead she kept me locked up in our home gym to train.The director of the fight committee and owner of this gym is Creed’s Delta and known to be heartless when it comes to placing fights. But that isn’t even what hurts me the most…it hurts knowing that even if I die, my family will get one million from my death. That’s the mos
My father has let us know he’s not coming back anytime soon, if at all. The worst part? He told Viktor to tell me, he didn’t even bother to tell me this himself. Just like that, he won’t even come home and he won’t tell us why. I’m starting to think it’s because of me, but then again, he never rejected the pack./“He will soon,”/ Haze chuckles. /“Alpha Kai is a coward without his Luna.”//“Shut the fuck up!”/ I growl, not understanding why I’m defending my father right now when he’s clearly running away. /“My father is no coward.”/I know what Haze is doing and I am powerless to do anything about it. He takes advantage when I am angry and I am helpless to stop him…just like now.The second I walk the path to the octagon, my self-control slips and Haze takes over. I don’t even know who I’m fighting, all I know is that I need to feel this person’s blood on my fists, his bones crushing beneath my grip, and listen as his last breath is taken.I never let Haze lead in my fights anymore, bu
I’m used to this. I’m used to this. I’m used to this.No matter how many times the whip lands on my back, that little voice tells me I am not used to this. I will never get used to being strung up in silver chains and whipped within an inch of my life with my mother screaming about how useless I am.“All you had to do was DIE!” she screams, landing another lash. “Just lay down and die like a good little bitch, but no! You just had to fight back!”“It’s…what you trained me for…” comes out of my mouth before I can blink and this time a silver bar lands across my ribs, cracking them.I cry out at the viciousness of the blow and she laughs as if she finds some sick joy in this abuse. Then again, it’s definitely not an ‘if’ because she does find pleasure in inflicting pain. I think it’s the biggest reason my father is terrified of her.“How did you do it?” whip. “Tell me how you won against a beast like Creed Volkov!”But I can’t bring myself to say the words. I can’t tell her that my wolf
“Why am I here, Pappa?” I ask for the thousandth time as we walk through the forests of the Taiga. When I saw my father in the mansion after my fight with Cherie, he didn’t have much to say. Only that I need to follow him because it’s a matter of life and death and it includes my Lycan. He’s been cryptic about it ever since, and from the way he looks now, you would have sworn my father has gone off the rails.His hair is completely silver now, as well as his beard and his blue eyes which used to sparkle with purpose, are now dimmed with what I can only assume is madness. It seems like my father has completely lost it after my mother’s passing.Responding to my question with a grunt, he continues further and I can do nothing but sigh and follow him. “We’re almost there, then I will explain everything,” he says again.Gritting my teeth, I push forward because even if my father has lost his mind, I trust him with my heart. He felt comfortable enough to come to me and seek me out this ti