The very night she rehearsed and planned to say 'I love you' turned out to be the night she tragically lost everything. Starting from her mate, to her best friend, then the last, her pack.
The very night she rehearsed and planned to say 'I love you' turned out to be the night she tragically lost everything. Starting from her mate, to her best friend, then the last, her pack.
Elara's Pov
My heart pounded within my chest, a wild rhythm amid the lively city scene. Today was Kai's birthday, and I had arranged the best surprise.
A weekend escape to the Whispering Pines resort, located in the heart of Redwood National Park.
Kai loves nature, the aroma of pine needles and wet soil, the serene isolation of the woods.
I imagined us walking together, exchanging soft secrets beneath the star-filled night sky.
It was a significant difference from our small apartment in the city, where the only glimpse of nature we had was the drooping basil plant on the windowsill.
I grasped the tiny velvet case in my pocket, a nervous fluttering teasing my stomach. Inside was a silver wolf pendant, finely detailed with Celtic knots. It represented our bond, a vow of eternity.
Kai was consistently intrigued by werewolf myths...the instinctive bond with nature, power, and fidelity within a group.
He would even make jokes about being one himself...a playful sparkle in his eyes.
Naturally, I simply dismissed it with laughter. I had no idea...
I checked the time on my watch. Almost there. I informed Kai that I was working a late shift at the bakery...a needed falsehood to arrange this surprise. He would never imagine anything.
He was familiar with my extended hours and my commitment to my job.
He frequently grumbled...or at least teased...about my "flour-covered" kisses, yet I was aware that he privately appreciated my enthusiasm.
I halted in front of our apartment structure: an unremarkable, brick edifice located in an unremarkable area of the city.
The elevator was not functioning...as it often wasn't...and I huffed my way up the four flights of stairs while the scent of cinnamon and sugar clung to my clothing from the nearby bakery.
Arriving at door-4B, I retrieved the spare key hidden beneath the welcome mat and entered the house.
I crept in quietly, grasping my breath. The flat was unsettlingly silent. "Kai?" I whispered gently, partly anticipating him to leap from behind the sofa with a "Surprise!"
No reply.
I scowled. He ought to have arrived home by now. He finished his shift at the bookstore hours ago. Perhaps he had taken a break for a drink with his companions? I attempted to calm the increasing discomfort in my chest. I was acting foolishly. He was likely just delayed.
I chose to utilize the time to prepare. I prepared a small cooler filled with champagne and a selection of his favorite snacks.
I quietly entered the living room and started to organize everything on the coffee table. I lit several aromatic candles, filling the space with a cozy, welcoming light.
I even played his favorite jazz album; the soothing saxophone sounds floated through the apartment.
While I was organizing the champagne flutes, a small red envelope on the coffee table caught my attention. My heart skipped a beat. It was not written in my handwriting.
I extended my hand and grabbed it, my fingers trembling a little. It was directed to Kai, written in an elegant, almost fragile, handwriting from a woman.
A sensation of fear tightened in my stomach. I was aware I shouldn't, but realized I couldn't resist. I carefully opened the envelope.
Inside was just a single half-folded piece of paper. I opened it, my gaze scanning the text, and my breath caught in my throat.
Wishing you a joyful birthday love. I am excited to celebrate with you this evening. Meet me at The Crimson Moon at 8. Put on that shirt I love. And remember... I'm staying a bit just to perceive your scent again.
The name started with A."
My world shifted on its axis. It felt like the room started to whirl, the gentle jazz transformed into a distorted, mocking melody.
My hands started to tremble uncontrollably, my champagne glass fell from my hold, and shattered on the ground.
The fragments of glass were strewn over the carpet, mirroring the shards that represented my heart.
A... Who's that?
Suddenly, it dawned on me. A... Anya. My closest friend. The one who had been helping me with Kai's surprise...
A feeling of discomfort overwhelmed me. I stepped back, grabbing my chest as though the air had been knocked from my lungs.
This cannot be real.
Simply wasn't possible. Anya would never do that. She was my closest friend; we had remained inseparable since we were kids. We talked about everything, from secrets to dreams and laughter. Apparently, boyfriends as well.
My eyes stung, the tears eager to escape.
I gripped the wolf pendant in my pocket. The silver was cool to my touch, the extreme opposite of the burning when I bought it. A lie. It all was a lie.
I had to know. I had to know what had really happened.
I took my purse in my shaking hands. I couldn't stay here, in this apartment, surrounded by the remnants of my carefully constructed surprise, the echoes of their betrayal ringing in my ears.
I ran out of the apartment, slamming the door behind me. I didn't even bother locking it. What was the point? My life, as I knew it, was already shattered.
I hailed a taxi and gave its driver the address of The Crimson Moon, one of the 'in' places downtown. I knew Kai hung out there. He had once taken me there several months ago. I still remembered the low-lit inside, plush-velvet-covered seats, air thick with the smell of expensive perfume and unspoken desires.
As the cab whizzed along the city roads, I suddenly felt detached from the world around me-some supernatural controls turning my life into a movie. I was numb. In shock. I couldn't believe this was happening to me.
The cab pulled up in front of The Crimson Moon.
I paid the driver and stepped out onto the sidewalk, the cool night air a welcome contrast to the stifling heat of the cab.
For a moment, I hesitated, my hand hovering in the air over the door handle. Part of me wanted to turn back, to convince myself I hadn't seen the letter, to hold on to that illusion of happiness, however fragile it was. But I knew I couldn't. I wanted the truth, however painful.
Taking a deep breath, I heaved the door open.
The bar was crowded, the music loud and pulsating. I scanned the room, my eyes searching for Kai. And then I saw them.
They sat in the little, low-lit corner booth against the back, framed in the pale yellow light filtering from a neighboring lamp.
Even Kai was donning the same shirt Anya had written in the letter of. He seemed to be chuckling, having his arm around Anya's shoulders.
And Anya inclined her head sideways into him as her hand went across his chest. They actually looked... comfortable. HAPPY.
My heart plummeted into my stomach. It was a physical blow, a punch in the gut, and the wind was knocked from my lungs.
I stood there, frozen, unable to move, my eyes fixed on them. I watched as Kai leaned in and kissed Anya, a slow, lingering kiss that made my blood run cold.
Everything around me faded into the distance: the music, the chatter, the laughter... all so muffled. The only thing I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears, the echo of their betrayal ringing in my mind.
I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I didn't even feel anger. I just felt... empty. Hollow. Like a part of me had died.
I turned and walked away-my footsteps echoing on the polished floor. I didn't look back. I couldn't.
The smell of betrayal was heavy in the air, a bitter, acrid smell that clung to me like a shroud. It was a smell I knew I would never forget.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"
On the night of her wedding, Evelyn Knight paid the ultimate price for trusting the wrong man-her husband murdered her with his own hands. But fate grants her a second chance. Reborn on the very day she's meant to marry Nathaniel Andrews, Evelyn wastes no time. This time, she won't be the victim. She escapes the altar and makes a bold move-straight into the arms of her husband's sworn rival. "Mr. Everett, will you marry me?" "This a surrender?" "No," she smirks. "This is a tactical retreat followed by a counterattack." What begins as a calculated alliance quickly spirals into something far more dangerous-obsession, protection, desire. Julian Everett never expected to fall for the woman who barged into his life like a storm. But now that he has her, he won't let her go. This time, Evelyn isn't just rewriting her fate-She's taking her revenge one kiss at a time.
Sophie stepped in for her sister and married a man known for his disfigured looks and reckless past. On their wedding day, his family turned their backs on him, and the town laughed behind their hands, certain the marriage would collapse. But Sophie's career soared, and their love only deepened. Later, during a high-profile event, the CEO of some conglomerate took off his mask, revealing Sophie's husband to be a global sensation. *** Adrian had no interest in his arranged wife and had disguised himself in hopes she would bail. But when Sophie tried to walk away, Adrian broke down and whispered, "Please, Sophie, don't go. One kiss, and I'll give you the world."
Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé. Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now-billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn't mind. I'd crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one? Wrong. One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That's when it hit me-he didn't love me. He didn't even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn't even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup. So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster-my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise. Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol. Enter him. Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I'd met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes. It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised. But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life. And, as it turned out, the best decision I'd ever made. Because my one-night stand isn't just some random guy. He's richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with. And now, he's not letting me go.
"You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don't we get married?" Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. "She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don't want that! What should I do?"
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