The sound of papers rustling fills the room as the shadow beyond the curtains surrounding my bed bends to pick them up.The person beyond takes a deep breath, seemingly to compose themselves before walking towards me and on instinct, I close my eyes before the sound of the curtain being drawn echoes.“Christ’s sake, Lucien…”Chief Owen mutters, his voice sounding broken.“I told you t-…I should have tossed you in my car.”His hand brushes my cheek softly before lingering on my lower lip.Niklaus is gone. He must be because I can’t picture Niklaus watching him touch me.But what the hell happened? What did Niklaus do to cause the chief to drop the subject of pulling me off the mission?His warm hand leaves my skin, and the sound of the curtains rustling is followed by his receding footsteps.Don’t leave!“N…o!”The word comes out, raspy and broken as I flutter my eyes open as if this were the first time in ages.Chief Owen’s frame stills mid-step before he snaps sharply to face me.“Ch
The sterile scent of the hospital seems to cling to everything—the sheets, the walls, even the food on my lap, which feels lukewarm at best.Chief Owen and a doctor with thick-rimmed glasses keep hovering around me; they seem to flinch each time I bring the sad-looking mashed potatoes (?) (I really don’t know what is on my plate) near my lips.It’s suffocating."Want a bite?"I ask, lifting a spoonful of the goop on my plate. A deathly silence follows my question.“Yikes, tough crowd."I say jokingly before shoving the bite into my mouth and forcing myself to chew; it tastes just as bland as it looked."Good."The doctor mutters before scribbling something down."Tomorrow, I’m planning to run some more invasive tests to make sure everything is stable. Depending on the results, you might need surgery.""Surgery?"I ask, the chewed food still in my mouth, but Chief Owen answers instead of the doctor."You rejected a dominant alpha’s imprint, Lucien. That’s dangerous. You know that.""I
Niklaus Heinrich Niklaus rested his legs on the broad mahogany desk in his private study, his frame illuminated by the soft glow of monitors live streaming the footage in hospital room five hundred and three.He wanted to see more, but Lucien turned the lights off, an act that grated his nerves.He reached for his phone, about to contact one of the men outside, when Lucien moved around the room, first to the bathroom, scowling at the camera and then back to the main room where he stood next to the window.With the information given to him by his chief, he should think the force set up the room for him, but something didn’t sit right with him.He looked too restless for someone who believed that.His grip tightened on his phone as he made a silent vow to take action should he try to open the window, but he didn’t even touch the glass, making his frown deepen.“Am I too paranoid?”He clicked his tongue as he voiced the question and leaned back in his seat.The hospital room’s door slid
“I-”Fuck I can't talk; my voice is too deep.The nurse checks her watch before sighing.“I don’t know if Ian asked you to cover for him, but don’t you dare clock out before I get to the bottom of this, Sandra.”She says after squinting to read my name aloud.“Wait for me in the lounge; this is highly unprofessional, whether you are new or not.”I nod and steady my nerves as I continue to push the cart down the hall.I can feel her watching my back as I continue to move down the hall.Don’t run. Don’t look back.You can't look back.I remind myself to keep my instincts from taking over.Fuck, which direction is the nurse's lounge? Is she checking to see if I am heading there?I can't use the elevator; it's too risky.I take a deep breath and turn towards the left staircase with an emergency exit sign hanging on the wall at the end of the hall.After pausing for three beats, a sigh of relief escapes my lips—no one called after me.With no guard and a free hallway to myself, my pace inc
My nails immediately try to grip the metallic surroundings, but the dust acts as a lubricant, allowing me to slide with ease as the man tugs me towards him.I twist my body, accidentally flashing my genitals to the poor man gripping my ankles; he winces at the sight of my nudity.“Blame your perverted boss; I! wasn’t! Given! Any! Boxers!”I kick my heel against his face as I stress each word until a sickening crunch sound echoes and blood spatters from his nose.A pained howl escapes his lips as his grip leaves my ankle to cover his nose instead, as if he were trying to rearrange the bone present.Without wasting a second, I pull my weight forward, ignoring the burn of my protesting muscles—I want to return to bed, too!To my delight, the end of the vent doesn’t have a cover, so sliding out is a breeze."Stop him!"The desperate voices echo as I tumble forward, using my arms to cushion the fall.The cool night breeze washes over me, and the warm sweat trickling down my skin instantly t
The air in the isolated hospital room tasted metallic, but the pungent stench of fresh blood didn’t stop; it grew more potent as the sounds of ragged breathing increased.A muffled wheeze came from a mass on the floor, too bloody to even be considered alive, yet the mass moved all the same, unlike the corpse next to it."P-please..."The man whimpered as his hand pressed his torn-up eye socket to keep himself from losing more blood, but his fingers trembled, nullifying his efforts."I didn’t— I told him to stop shooting! I stopped him!"He cried before a bloody cough followed, further staining the white hospital tiles.Despite his pleas, Niklaus stepped forward, his shadow swallowing the man whole.Resignation flickered in his expression when he noticed the cold gaze in Niklaus’ eye didn’t even waver.The jagged metal railing, now warm in Niklaus’s twisting grip, bent before he raised it again and struck the man, causing the man to scream as if his loyalty disappeared with that blow,
Three days had passed, and Niklaus was seated at the desk they added in Lucien’s hospital room.Fittingly, it had become his new office.The sound of the machines around Lucien had lessened. He now breathed independently, and the doctor marvelled at how fast he was healing.Just the thought that he would soon wake up made a smile touch his lips, even though the document he was reading showed proof of the bastards in his office embezzling from him.The door creaked open, interrupting his thoughts, and the last person he expected slid through the open door.Stephen—his stepfather, although given his role in the bedroom, it was more fitting to call him his stepmother.Niklaus’s eyes scanned the designer loafers that invaded his space with ease. Without looking up at the man who wore his orchid pheromones like perfume, he spoke.“It’s almost as if you have nine lives.”“You can't blame me for being concerned when my only stepson misses the third family dinner in a row. I must say, though…
The doctor flashes a bright white light directly into my eyes, making me wince."Follow the light."He instructs belatedly as he moves the light from left to right."What’s the last thing you remember?"His voice is calm, as if not wanting to increase my obvious anxiety, but nonetheless, my pulse quickens.The last thing I remember? Waiting for Niklaus to finish fucking a senior and punching him for Maya’s sake. Just because she had expressed her interest in him to me.In hindsight, I had no right to punch him. They had met, what? Thrice? They weren’t in any relationship, so why did I?Even as I ask the question, I already know the answer.When his gaze locked with mine…it almost felt as if he were fucking me.The way his hands tightened on the senior, the ruthless way his golden eyes held mine as he swung his hips-“Mr Sinclair?”The doctor calls, snapping me out of my thoughts.My eyes flicker to Niklaus standing by the door like a menacing statue. “What...what is this? What’s hap
My heart thunders loudly in my chest, the beastly sound serenading my earnest exit.Skipping the elevator, I rush straight for the stairs, taking two at a time until I reach the back door.The bag I left is still there, so I switch out my dark hoodie for a light one in case it's identifiable. As soon as I make the switch, I turn to the door and grab the knob, but unlike the freedom that I envisioned, my hand stings as soon as I hold the knob, causing me to groan and take several steps back."What the hell, why is it hot?"The door swings open with a heavy force before the answer can even form in my mind. Two men in full gear step in, their black rifles raised and aimed directly at me.My breath catches in my throat.Contrary to my instinct to stand still and raise my arms in submission, my legs turn back towards the steps.Niklaus looked up at me. But the angle, he couldn’t have seen me, could he?No, no way, even if he did, I shot immediately, so… fuck.How?My mind races as I calcul
I can feel my chest heave from the burning anger at his words, but fighting him like this when I have never won a physical fight with him is pointless."Don't touch me."I say as I slap his hand away from my hair."How long?"He asks as he steps away from me, pressing his hand to his nose as if inhaling it, but I don't have a scent, so maybe he is rubbing his nose."What?""How long until you make a move on me, Luci."By move, does he mean how long until I try to kill him?Hah...this lunatic."Don't worry, you won't have to wait too long."**“What’s this?”Niklaus asks, gesturing to the pillows I set up in the middle of the bed as he dries his dripping wet hair with a damp towel.As if tired, he tosses the towel aside and pulls the one on his waist off, exposing himself to me.Why…why the fuck is he hard?I groan inwardly as I turn my gaze away from him.“Turn off the lights when you are done.”I say, before switching off the lamp by my side.After a bit of shuffling around, the pillo
"There, dinner."I say as I place a bowl of burnt pasta in front of Niklaus."You should be a chef...""I thought I wasn't allowed to work."I answer cooly as I walk to my seat."I was under the impression that spaghetti is prepared by boiling. How did you manage to burn it? That shows talent that shouldn't be ignored.""Oh, haha..."Without smelling or waiting for the steam to fade, Niklaus pokes his fork into the charred mess, spins the charred white strings covered in red sauce on his fork, and eats it.If it had poison, I'd be as good as done now...But something about what Anna said makes me doubtful of poison as a means to kill him.She mentioned being immune; is Niklaus the same?"So, where did you go?"Niklaus asks as he wipes his lips with the napkin, his lips obviously twisted in disgust."Out. Are you not going to finish your meal?""It's not poisoned, is it? Since it's not, there is no need for me to finish it. It's disgusting; hire a chef, honey."I groan at the word ‘hon
"Don't touch me."I growl the words when Niklaus’s hands wrap around my waist as we leave the car.Of course, he doesn't listen, leading me to push his hand off my frame."I'm meeting Anna Stone tomorrow for coffee.""Coffee? That's funny. Why is my husband meeting another woman?”“We aren’t married yet.”“Three days isn’t long, Lucien.”“You are rushing this. I told you that for this to be believable, we need at least six months.”Niklaus shrugs.“I don’t care about believability; I am not selling a story; I am tying you to me, permanently. And about meeting Anastasia tomorrow…hmm, it might not be possible.”He adds casually.“Why not?”To my question, Niklaus places his hand on my waist and pushes me towards the house, but rather than the sight of the staff welcoming us back home most of them have suitcases.“What’s going on?”“Well, you are the new madam of the house, so you get to redesign this place, from the staff to the artwork.”“Are you- Did you fire them?”“Yes, they were se
Revenge with a baby is messy.Dear God, am I really going down as someone who murdered my child’s father?Well, they don’t have to know. I don’t mind being a tragic widower as long as we’re rich. But what kind of life is that? Hah… I don’t want to resemble this bastard.“There is no need for the surgery.”I whisper the words, but the stillness in the room means they heard me.“Pardon my interruption, but without pheromones-”“Beta women give birth fine.”I counter.“Yes, beta women, not men. The male omega faculties are regulated by their ability to flow and receive pheromones. That is why morning sickness is worse without the child’s father and-” “Fine, fine.”I say, waving my hands in the air.“It’s fine; I will just not keep it, so there is no need to continue with the explanations.”Even as I say the words, my hand still strokes my belly, as if I were talking about a situation that doesn’t concern me.Deathly silence follows my confession.“By ‘it’, you mean…”The doctor prods as
Niklaus rose abruptly from his seat. His force pushed my chair back slightly, making me realise he had never locked it in place."A recessive omega? I never said the type you were."His lips curl into a lethal smile."It- it was obvious from our agreement that you sleep with a dominant omega during your rut."The blood rushing in my veins at the word ‘pregnant’ warms my skin.I can feel my muscles tense as thoughts of running fill my head, but the bastard's large build blocks me.Is that why he stood?"Right...Right, our Luci sure is sharp. I bet your little head is racing right now.""Can w-we stay on topic?"Niklaus strides slowly towards me like a predator. His large hand cups my collarbone before he moves behind my chair.I half expect him to push it, but something clicks into place, jolting me—the lock."Wha-"My words halt in my throat when his hand slides down my collar and lifts the hospital shirt, exposing my chest."What are you-"Before I can express my outrage, both of Nik
"Married?"I repeat the word as though it tastes bitter.Perhaps lying and saying that my last memory was the kiss at the ball made him too brazen because what kind of nonsense is this?“Yes, Lucien, at the ball, we had a lengthy discussion, and you decided to honour our arrangement to get married.”...the audacity of this man.His warm hand caresses mine. I want to smack his hand away, but again, the roughness in his touch, as if he were desperate, is intoxicating.Don't worry, Niklaus; it gets worse. I will make sure of it."I'm sorry, I just...put yourself in my shoes; this is coming from nowhere."I lift my gaze to him, softening my eyes as if I don’t know any better."Lucien... you saw the news; our wedding was incoming before the accident. Plus, is it really from out of nowhere when we are engaged?"Biting my lip draws his focus to the plump flesh; alphas are so easy to seduce; seriously, I don’t even have pheromones, but I can smell the hunger off him.Still, I expected to be t
Niklaus’s fingers tapped ferociously against his chair. It was an abrupt meeting that needed his attention, one that didn't seem to end, and one in which his father was in attendance, so if he skipped it, he could be punished by a poisoned meal.Nothing like familial love to bond people."Tell me about your wedding plans, son."The person giving the presentation froze at this question, which was clearly out of topic."I thought this was a very important meeting?"Niklaus asked, testing his father in the same way."Your mother is very worried about you.""You mean stepfather, and I'll get back to you on that during the next family dinner.""I have arranged a meeting between you and Anastasia Stone-""I appreciate it, but Anna and I-""The meeting will be at three pm. Dress in golf attire, I hear she takes after her father."His mouth pressed into a fine line.“My engagement is real.”“To a beta?”His father spat out.“We have an arrangement.”“Whatever arrangement, the Heinrichs only n
For some reason, the car ride home was tense. Even the hum of the engine couldn’t soothe my mangled nerves.Despite the countless times I rubbed my lips, which still tingled from the unfamiliar kiss, the sensation of Niklaus’s roughness on me neither faded nor fizzled.Why the hell did I moan when he flicked my nipples? I am a beta….Why did he even flick my nipple? I want to scream sexual assault because all this time, I thought of him as a kid brother instead of the panting beast from that time, but we are engaged…we are engaged, right?Fuck.I curse inwardly; the buds on my chest, which I often refer to as dud, feel tender for some reason.My body curls further at the thoughts clouding my mind before I turn my gaze to Niklaus. He still looks furious.Yet despite the fury on his face being my fault—just a gut feeling, each time the headlights of a passing car washes his frame, I am drawn to his mystical beauty.Whoever knew eyes could be that blue.My mouth dries as his gaze turns to