KILLIAN
I turned off the car engine and got out of the car. My assistant, Colby stood beside the car with his hands clutched in front of him. I was dealing with a hangover and tossed him the car keys.
"Tell them to postpone any meetings I have at the office. I need to rest today," I said to him while walking towards the front door.
I was hungover from all the glasses of drinks I had the previous night from our drinking spree at the opening of my new club. All I needed was a cold shower and a long, long sleep and I was getting it for the whole of the day; work can wait. I removed my jacket and tossed it at him as well.
"Er... Alpha..." Colby called following me.
"Colby if it doesn't involve sexy women, don't tell me about it."
"It's actually..."
"No, no, I am not attending to anything today, my head needs to rest."
"This is about..."
"My signature on that document? I am sure it can wait till tomorrow." I put my hand on the doorknob and twisted it.
"Your mom is here," Colby blurted.
I froze, closed the door, and turned to face Colby. "What?" He nodded. "How did she get here?" I moved away from the door and started walking back to my car. "What did you tell her?"
"He told me that you went out there last night to have meaningless association with things and people that won't benefit us in any way," my mother's voice stopped me right in my tracks.
I looked forward and saw my mother giving me such a disapproving look. Her expression was the definition of disappointment. Slim nose upturned, devil red lips twitching. Her hair was tied in a tight bun on top of her head, giving her that stern look. I sighed, knowing what was coming next. Honestly, my banging head is not up for this discussion.
"You want to sneak away from your house because you heard I was here?"
"That is because you do not give me peace of mind, mom."
"There is no peace for the wicked, Killian."
"You are quoting the bible now?" I shook my head. "I am not ready for this discussion, mom. Can you come back later?" I turned and started going back to the front door.
"You are almost thirty, Killian," she said following me. "Does it not bother you that you do not have a mate yet?"
"I am only twenty-five. There is no way that it is even close to thirty."
"What's the difference between five years and now? Look it's time to stop playing around and sleeping with all these girls and stop making our family and pack look bad."
I stopped and turned to look at her. "I do not make our family and pack look bad."
"How can you say that when you cannot even start your own family? How will you run a pack if you cannot run a family?"
"I have Bella and we are good."
"You and I know that Bella is still here because of the influence of her image." I walked into the living room and my mother followed me, bent on making her point. Colby trailed quietly behind us. "You should find your mate and get a family started."
"Maybe I don't have a soulmate. Have you thought of that?"
"The moon goddess blesses everyone with a soulmate. Or have you rejected yours without letting us know?" She turned sharply to Colby. "Are you guys hiding anything from me? Where the heck is Angelo?"
Colby hiked his shoulders but remained mute. My mother sighed and turned back to me who was going up the stairs now. She walked up following me to my room. We always have this discussion every time my mom visited, and I never give in to finding a mate, but my mother would never give up. This topic of finding my own mate after my father's death has become so constant that I always dread my mother's visit.
She knew I had a human girlfriend, Bella, whom I vibe well with. Her father was one of our biggest investors, but they were humans, and we cannot get too involved with them. I did not have issues raising a family with Bella. I had waited for my mate since the first time I shifted, but despite all my travels, I did not find her. It frustrated me at first, especially when my mates and even my younger cousins found their mates and I the future Alpha could not find one. But with time, I got tired of searching and just took it that the moon goddess did not bless me with a mate.
No one can have it all anyway. I was handsome, charming, and rich. I could get any woman I want by a snap of my finger, so maybe I was not destined to have a mate.
"Killian answer me," my mother's voice brought me out of my thoughts.
"I told you I do not have a mate yet."
Arguing with her was fruitless and my head was killing me. I got to my door and reached for my knob, but she came in front of me and put her hand on the knob, blocking me from going into my room.
"I won't let this continue. The pack members will start losing respect for you. Not only for you, but for Cabello as well. I need you at my place on Thursday. That might change your mind and might make you stop playing around."
"What do you mean change my mind? Mom, am I going to choose my own mate."
"Thursday, 5:30 pm, at my place," she said and left.
I stared at her in confusion as she descended the stairs. What the heck was she talking about? I looked at Colby who was standing calmly in a corner. He offered no explanation. I waved him off and went into my room. Once I got inside, I stepped out of my clothes and went straight into the shower, letting the cool water from the shower calm my nerves.
KARLA "Karla!" I turned to find Nate glaring at me. Hurrying over to the counter where he stood, I knew what was coming. Despite my shift being officially over, Nate still ordered me around like it was my birthright to work very hard. I had been speaking with a human customer at one of the tables where I went to serve, he was trying to strike up a conversation with me, offering compliments that made me blush. Apparently, this didn't sit well with Nate. "You dumbos," he barked, "Do you think this place is a motel?"I rolled my eyes inwardly but shook my head timidly. It was my second year post-high school, but my life hadn't seen any significant improvements. I had always been an easy target for mockery and bullying because I didn't wolf out when my peers were wolfing out. Now, at twenty, there was still no sign of my wolf emerging. At times, I questioned whether I was truly my parents' child. Beyond the DNA evidence, I bore a striking physical resemblance to my mom, but our persona
KARLA "What's the matter with her, doctor?" I asked with a slight crease of my brow, my gaze fixed on the physician. Ana, sitting beside me, gently squeezed my hand, offering silent reassurance. The doctor held my gaze for a moment before speaking. "Is there a father or elder I can speak with?" she inquired. "I'm twenty, and I'm the only family she has," I replied, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. Despite my age, I appeared thin and smaller, a consequence of the immense stress I had gone through while taking care of myself and my mom. The doctor let out a deep sigh. "I hope you can handle this news. We've discovered a significant presence of alcohol and drugs in your mother's system, and she needs rehabilitation to get clean. Unfortunately, she has also been diagnosed with type two diabetes, though it's in the early stages. We have no choice but to admit her, detoxify her system, and closely monitor her blood sugar levels." "What?" I blinked back tears that threatene
KILLIAN The shrill ring of the phone abruptly jerked me from my sleep, and I grunted, feeling an overwhelming lethargy enveloping every inch of my body. Despite my reluctance, I reached over the woman sprawled on my chest to retrieve the phone from the nightstand, squinting at the screen to discern Colby’s name. “Why the fuck are you calling me by this time?” I seethed, my irritation growing as I was rudely interrupted from much-needed rest following a night of relentless partying and sexual escapades with the two women now lying on either side of my body in my penthouse bedroom. “Alpha, it's noon and your mom is here,” Colby whispered urgently.I sat up, pushing the woman on my chest away. One of them tumbled onto the floor with a groan. “She’s where?” I asked, climbing out of the bed naked, as I made my way to the bathroom. “Is this how you manage the company, Killian?” My mother’s stern voice echoed through the phone. “Look at the time, and you’re not even in your office.”I si
KILLIAN Thursday dawned, bringing with it a sense of reluctance that weighed heavily upon me. The thought of visiting my mother's house filled me with an inexplicable apprehension, yet curiosity gnawed at the edges of my mind, urging me to uncover the reason behind her summons. In an attempt to delay the inevitable, I dawdled, succumbing to the visit only because my curiosity outweighed my hesitation. Colby killed the car engine and courteously came around to open the door for me. Upon entering my mother's living room, a familiar yet unsettling scene greeted me. There she was, poised and composed, in the company of our family attorney, Mr. Wallace. The sight of him, always a sign of serious matters, sent a ripple of unease through me. My gaze then drifted to the large screen dominating the room, where Saxton's image loomed, his presence digitally imposed yet palpably intrusive. Confusion furrowed my brows. "What's he doing here?" I asked, directing my questioning gaze at my mother.
KARLA "Focus, Karla, focus," I whispered to my reflection in the restroom mirror, my voice a soft echo against the cool, tiled walls of the restroom. But how could I possibly focus? I freaking just saw my mate tonight! He was there, gazing at me with... with an expression I dared not dwell upon at this moment. Was this what it felt like to discover your destined mate? My nameless wolf inside me was a whirlwind of excitement, her cries of 'mate, mate' resonating in my mind, scattering my focus like leaves in the wind. And his scent— that intoxicating blend of sweet cedar, so potent it eclipsed all others in the room, enveloping me in a surreal cloud. But the disappointment etched on his face threatened to break me. Could I fault him for that? Truth be told, this was far from the ideal place I had imagined encountering my mate. "Karla, are you alright in there?" Cole's impatient voice broke through my thoughts. I was far from alright; my trembling hands were evid
KARLA I couldn't quite grasp the overwhelming sensation that washed over me at that very moment. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. A strange, tingling feeling coursed through me, igniting an ache between my thighs at the mere thought of straddling him. His scent, laced with the unmistakable aroma of alcohol, drifted toward me, and was strangely alluring. "Spread your legs, little omega," he said again when I hesitated, his voice a low rumble. Indignation flared within me. I was not a slut, and he should have just asked me to give him a lap dance instead of saying I should spread my legs for him. There were rules here and I refuse to give him any personal services. "I'm sorry, but there are rules here, sir. We do not sleep with customers here." "Who made those rules?" he asked, relaxing on the couch and whirling the wine in his glass. "The owner of this place," I replied tersely, irritated by all the unnecessary questions. I knew he only wanted to use and to
KARLA He pressed me firmly against the cool, metallic wall of his luxurious penthouse elevator, seizing my lips with a fervour that stole my breath. His expertise was undeniable, igniting a yearning within me that craved his every touch. As he restrained my hands above my head, his kisses grew more intense, and I surrendered to uninhibited moans, grateful for the privacy the elevator afforded us.The prospect of losing my virginity loomed before me, yet there was no nervousness or second-guessing. My only desire was to feel his touch, to have him explore every inch of me, to be wholly consumed by him. The elevator's doors chimed open, and he effortlessly lifted me, wrapping my legs around his waist. He carried me into his penthouse, a marvel of luxury and style. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see the city sprawled beneath us, with a thousand tiny lights illuminating different households. The view added to the romance of the moment. My mate might have been arrogant and
KARLA "What the fuck?!" someone exclaimed in my dreams, jolting me from sleep. I shifted restlessly, rolling onto my side, struggling to shake off the lingering fog of sleep, as the voice persisted, its vulgarity slicing through the quiet of the room. "How the fuck did this happen? Hey, you, get the fuck out of my bed!"My eyes fluttered open, dispelling the remnants of sleep. The realization dawned that the voice wasn't a figment of my dreams but a stark, waking reality. And it was a voice I recognized all too well. Looming over me, with a tempest brewing in his eyes, was Alpha Killian, his presence as commanding as it was infuriating. "Good morning," I greeted, attempting to defuse the tension. "How did you manage to get in here?" he demanded, brushing aside my greeting.Confusion creased my brow as I sat up, drawing the bed sheet close to veil my nakedness. A flicker of doubt crossed my mind. Was he feigning ignorance, or had the events of the previous night slipped fr