His body collapses into mine as my back slams on the wall. "You were touching yourself because of me weren't you" his musky scent suffocating me. My core immediately picks up a heart beat with our proximity as he pins my hands above me on the wall. My bare nipples harden at his touch. I can only think of two words at this moment. Touch me. ***************************************************** Never in Ivy Carter's life did she ever think that she'd fall for a man she couldn't have,especially when the man was not only her professor but also her new step brother. Caden's heart has always been where his pack is, gilded by the pack's legacy but the minute he lays eyes on Ivy Carter his walls come crashing down. But he can't have her even though she's his mate. Their worlds collide with an irresistible force and it's only a matter of time till they cross the line, breaking all restraints with an unholy attraction.
Chapter 1.
Ivy
If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that I, Ivy Carter, am a terrible runner. But here I am running from a beast in the middle of the dark and oddly cold forest, my legs taking off in full speed like a pair of propellers.
My heart beat rages in my ear as I run into branches,overgrown leaves and thorns. Do I know where I am?, no, do I know where I'm running to?, also no.
The roar just a few kilometers away from me escalates the rhythm of my breathing, my heart almost at the verge of exploding with fear.
"Somebody help me, anyone!" I scream, but the forest is isolated and again cold. I can't even remember how I got here.
I slip and fall face down to the ground with a thud once I come in contact with the shrubs.
My feet ache in pain and fatigue as soon as I spring up from the ground, looking for the best exit or a place to hide.
The beast roars again but this time it was closer than ever.
It charges at me springing in front of me just centimeters away from my face. I scream in fear falling on my butt as I shake uncomfortably.
It roars and rages as it comes closer. With every step it's eyes sparkled in the shade of crimson.
Oh fuck, I'm going die,I'm going to die, I'm going to die.
It growls loudly, as it stands on its two feet. Its towering frame and large size was enough to make me wet my pants.
It flashes its razor sharp teeth that dripped with saliva at me, sensing my intense fear.
Just when I was so sure that I would be dinner, something like a flash of lightning strikes the beast and right before my very eyes it was on the ground fighting with some other kind of giant dog.
I crawl backwards away from the scene as things begin to get bloody. The beast wails but fights back. Nothing I was seeing made sense and it all happened too fast and before I knew it the beast became still on the ground lifeless.
My eyes pop in surprise and curiosity and I take a better look at the dog. Its fur had the color of snow and it was the size of a lion.
"Wait you're not a dog, you're a wolf"
It turns around at me with piercing eyes that reminded me of the ocean, mesmerizing and chaotic.
Its chest rises and falls with the rhythm of its heavy breathing.
I continue to stare in awe at it.
Its fur is so shiny and magnificent.
I just want to touch it.
I had no idea when my hand left my side, it was only when it began to take a step back that I came to my senses.
"Oh I'm sorry" I blurt.
It growls slowly, shaking its head from side to side.
Something's wrong.
"Do you need help?" I ask
But of course it doesn't answer. It growls again and it morphs into a human form. Standing tall on his own two feet.
It turned into a man.
He's naked!!
I gasp, holding my mouth with both hands.
Just before my eyes can meet his face something or someone shakes me to my very core and my world begins to vibrate and everything vanishes.
"Ivy, wake up!"
I gasp sitting up straight, looking around frantically for the naked man till I realize I'm on my bed.
"Ivy snap out of it" comes my mom still shaking me
"I'm up mom, I'm up!" I groan
"You sleep like a log" she says letting go of me "just like your dad"
I rub my eyes groaning again "do you really have to bring Dad into this?"
I can literally feel her rolling her eyes.
I feel the sheets being yanked away from me.
"Get up, we've got packing to do"
"Pack for what?" I yawn
"We're moving, get your ass up now"
"We're moving today? I thought you said next week" I ask in shock
"Yes we're moving today. Now!" she says going downstairs
Ever since mom and dad separated things have been a whole lot shitty for me.
I still can't believe this is happening and all so fast and I'm supposed to just leave everything and everyone that I love behind.
It feels like we're running away.
We used to be so happy. All three of us.
Mom has become less endearing and dad seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. No calls, no texts. It's like he never existed.
"Ivy, don't make me come up there!"
"I'm coming!"
It didn't take long till we were able to put everything in boxes, well at least the things mom thought were important enough to take with us.
The truck driver had already started putting things in the truck and before I knew it , it was time to go.
Mom didn't hesitate to jump into her car but I on the other hand had to take some time to look around a bit.
I guess she noticed it was hard for me because she let me take all the time I needed.
I pull myself together and finally get in.
"Alright let's get out of this dump before the neighbors notice we're gone"
"It's only 4:30 in the morning mom, I'm sure they're still asleep" I chuckle, putting on my seat belt.
Mom wanted us gone before anyone would notice, she had a thing against the neighbors. Said they were always trying to cast an evil eye on her.
She fixes the rear view mirror and reapplies her lipstick before finally driving off with the truck driver trailing behind us.
Well there goes my life.
And just like that we were gone.
As we zoom past all the houses mom tries to start a conversation with me about being glad she got custody of me then babbles about us doing mother and daughter stuff but my mind wanders off as I think about the dream I had.
The truth is this isn't the first time I've dreamed of this exact thing. The sequence was slightly different but it always ended with my savior being faceless.
The thought of his perfectly sculpted body makes my heart skip a beat.
Everything about him was so perfect. I guess that's why he's a dream. If he was real he'd definitely be a Greek god especially with those eyes.
I just wish he wasn't just a figment of my imagination.
"Ivy are you drooling?!"
"No!"
At one point we were both abandoned in the woods. Our meeting started with distrust. His wounds were more than the gnashing scratches of the wilderness, it extended to trash his memories and kept him from truth more than once. Her wounds were more than the bruises of the poisonous wilderness, it extended to crush her security and increased her self doubt. It was an exile that led a prideful yet underestimated prince and an tortured daughter of a successful merchant. Our tale only began when we acknowledged our desires, yet the world around us conspired to thwart our every step. The both of us didn't want to doubt, yet, would our resilience and trust be enough to navigate through the jungle of doubts?
She was wolfless. All her life, Holly Ambrose had been longing for her family to reciprocate the love she had been working hard to get from her father and her sister, Irina. Unfortunately, they only saw her as an embarrassment to the pack and used her instead so that Irina could refuse to marry Alpha Evander Edgerton: the ruthless and cold-blooded Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. Thinking that it was the only way to escape them, Holly accepted the proposal. Alpha Alec, her former mate and her sister’s fiance begged her not to. He confessed he still had feelings for her and wanted her back as his mate. Too late because there was no stopping her from having her freedom. But would Holly be truly free if Irina had no intention to stop destroying her life after Alec left Irina to claim Holly back? Would she stay with Alpha Evander even after she found out that his former mate came back and was pregnant with his child?
Audrina, a powerless omega, becomes entangled in a web of deception created by her own flesh and blood. Her crafty stepsister sends her into the arms of MistyMoon Pack's Alpha, James, where she meets a guy whose icy demeanor conceals his powerful and fair character. With chiseled features and a stare that could melt steel, James is both hot and gorgeous. Their one-night affair suddenly blossoms into a lifetime commitment with the news of a kid on the way, leaving them divided between desire and danger. But behind the surface of their undeniable mate bond, there lies a hidden identity and buried truths that could ruin the spark that was just beginning to ignite.
Aurora Everley has always been the overlooked daughter, the one that gets shadowed by her sister Margot. She thought that once she turns eighteen and meets her mate, she would have someone whose attention would just be on her. But she is wrong. Because her mate happens to be the one her sister brings home, introduced as her boyfriend and Alpha Heir, Mason Chase. Now, she has to sacrifice herself again. She has to sever their mate bond, even when her heart screams not to do it. But what happens if someone else is waiting at the sidelines for her? Someone who's been watching her every move, desiring her in ways no one ever did before?
Leaving everything Lily had behind, she moved to a far countryside Pack and made sure no one would be able to find her anymore. Her perfect life back then turned upside down raising twin children with her under a small Pack a kind-hearted stranger brings them into. She was determined to live her life being tied and stuck to her poor situation when out of nowhere her ex-boyfriend, Wade, whom she left hanging years ago when she ran away came to visit the Pack she's currently residing in. The worst part is that he will spend his stay under the same roof with her. Would their interrupted love rejoin this time around? Or the bitterness of the past will prevail.
Betrayed by the one she called her mate, and sister, Bella was humiliated and thrown from the pack. She vowed to take revenge on those who hurt her. When Alpha Arthur found her bleeding and left for dead by the side of the road, he healed her and took her to his pack. After rejecting Bella, he regretted it very much. When he met Bella again, there was Arthur by her side.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
After a one-night stand with Gavin Russell, the Powerful and cold alpha CEO, Iris Green was smitten and she thought there could be something between them after realizing they were fated mates. Her hopes were crushed by his harsh words, "I don't eat the same food twice." Broken, she returned to her city to manage her family business but soon realized that a seed had been planted. Giving birth to a set of twins, she could not endure raising them alone, when they looked exactly like him. She sent one of them to Gavin with a note, "Dessert after supper." Gavin frowned when he received the parcel, from his son. He sent people to fetch that blondie but it was as if she disappeared from the face of the earth. Of course, the Green family was mysterious and she was the new head of the family. She only gets seen whenever she wants to be.
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."