Cecilia's pov. The weather was calm and cold and as I walked through the bushes, the cool breeze of the evening hit me from different angles. I had sent a message to Damon, telling him to meet me up at our usual location, as we had a lot to discuss. The cool evening breeze blew through the trees, making the leaves move from side to side. The sunlight was already fading at this point and I pulled my cloak tighter around my shoulders. I walked deeper into the forest, my boots pressing softly onto the damp earth, crushing the leaves beneathThe scent of dried leaves , mixed with fresh rain filled my nose. I glanced at my side scanning the forest.This was because I could hear the distant sound of rustling animals, howling and making all kinds of sounds. I was hoping Damon would carry out the taste effectively, now that Ezekiel and Kailey were out of the pack house.This was the perfect time to attack the palace. However,before that, there was something else I had asked Damon to carry
James’ POV. The Aftermath of the battle with the rogue still evident on me and the rest of my men, though the battle was just a walk in the pack, it was unexpected and there was no way we would come out of it without casualties. One of my men had a large wound on his thighs, one which seemed like it wasn't healing, or rather was healing too slowly. As we rode into the open area of the pack house, I froze on the spot as I sighted her. What is she doing out here?How did she get out?, who let her out?. I frowned as my eyes locked on Cecilia. She had a wicked smirk on her face, one that always made her look like she was about to do something evil. I dropped down from my horse, glancing towards one of the men. “Take him to the healers, there must be something for his wounds”The man nodded as two of the men began to carry the injured man down from the horse. “one more thing” I muttered, drawing the attention of the men. “make sure to keep the battle with the rogues a secret, no one
Cecilia's pov. The pack house has been so quiet of late, of course it was expected.Ezekiel was not around and that witch, kailey too. Speaking of kailey, Auren. I chuckled, as I strolled through the quiet courtyard of the pack house. His days were numbered, and soon he would be no more, that was the only way I could take full responsibility as the luna of this pack. Without that I won't be respected as Auren would always be seen as Ezekiel's heir. The only sound in the courtyard was that of the heel of my footwear. Right now I was on my way to the conference room. I needed to see someone. The attack would be happening in a few days and I needed to get everything ready, all preparations should be in place before then. I stepped into the conference room pulling my attire which swept the floor behind me. As usual I got a lot of bows from the guards and maids as they paid their greetings. I nodded at the guard standing at the entrance of the conference room and he understood. He
JAMES POV. I was already expecting this, an explosive response from Cecilia. This was what I wanted to trigger her, to provoke her and make her see that I didn't just keep quiet after seeing her out of her cell. “Are you out of your mind James?” her voice was thick with anger. I smiled inwardly, unshaken by her sudden outburst. “I'm not, my lady, all I'm saying is that—”“to hell with what you are saying, James” she cut me off. “how dare you tell me to return to the cell” I sighed, making sure to stand my ground, and not waver by her mere outburst. “Your arrest was Ezekiel's order, and I serve Ezekiel, he is the alpha of this pack, my alpha and also yours, you being out of your cell simply means going against the alpha's order, and you know what that means” Cecilia frowned, her brows furrowed with anger “and what does that mean, James?” I muttered with a serious face. “That means you have committed a crime. Which means you would have to be punished, regardless of guru title or p
JAMES POV“James—w-what the hell?” Roy stammered, struggling against my grip. His fingers clawed at my wrist, but I didn’t let go.I pulled him into a secluded corner, away from the prying eyes of the other patrons, and when I was clear, I slammed him against the wall. The impact rattled the bottles on a nearby shelf, making a few clink together.Roy gasped, his hands pressing against my forearm as he tried to push me away. “James, what—”I cut him off, my voice stern. “Start talking.”His breathing was uneven at this point, his pulse hammering so hard I could see it through the skin of his neck. “W-what are you talking about?” he stammered, his voice laced with fear. .I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t play dumb with me, Roy. I saw you in the conference room today. With her.”His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. He knew exactly who I was talking about.“C-Cecilia?” he finally muttered.I slammed him against the wall again, harder this time. “Damn right, Cecilia.” My voice was lo
JAMES’ POV Auren and Lydia were yet to be back, what was holding them?. It was just fishing and nothing else, they should have been back by now. I ran my hands through my hair, grinding my teeth together,I shouldn't have allowed them to go alone, I should have gone with them, that was the only way I could guarantee their safety. I raised my head up to look at the sky, the sun was already low in the sky, painting the sky with a warm orange and red hue which traveled far across the horizon. Right now, I was standing outside the pack house, arms crossed over my chest, watching as the treetops sway in the evening breeze.My mind traveled to earlier that morning, when Lydia and Auren were making plans to go fishing, I could remember how Auren laughed excitedly about catching the biggest fish in the river.This was his first time fishing and now the sun was setting and they still weren't back. What is actually happening? Lauren's first time shouldn't be like this. Auren was just a chi
JAMES’ POV. “No!” I growled, shoving another attacker aside before twisting to grab the rogue holding Lydia. I yanked him backward, slamming him into a tree. He crumpled to the ground, groaning.I moved backwards, with my back to Auren and Lydia, my eyes locked on the five rogues in front of me. The cold night stung at my skin as I stood there, at this point I knew I needed to remain calm, my breathing was shallow and steady now. The dense forest surrounding us was thick with its large canopy of leaves blocking out most of the moonlight. Ofcourse it was already night time.The moonlight, shown brightly on the faces of the men. “Lydia,” I whispered, turning my head slightly. She stood behind me, her arm tightly holding onto that of Auren. “Stay low. No matter what happens, don’t run until I say so.”She nodded, her expression tight with fear. “Be careful,” she murmured.I turned my attention back to the approaching figures. The five men who have already begun to attack again. It w
Kailey’s POV. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wooden floorboards, my mind miles away. We have finally gotten to our destination and everything was going well, everything was in place. However, I had an odd feeling, I just wanted everything to be over quickly. The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of the fireplace casted some flickering shadows across the hard walls of the room. From my windows, I could hear the sounds of the wind howling gently outside, rustling the curtains slightly, however I barely noticed all of this at the moment. This was because, my thoughts, my mind was elsewhere. My thoughts were on my son, Auren. It had been days since we left him at the pack house with James and Lydia, and no matter how much I tried to convince myself that he was safe, my heart refused to settle. I knew James was loyal to Ezekiel, he was his most trusted Beta afterall, and Lydia on the other hand was like a sister to me. If anyone could protect my son, it was them.But w
.Kailey’s POV The sun was setting low in the sky, painting the whole courtyard in orange and red hues, I stood beside Ezekiel, holding Auren tightly in my arms. My heart was heavy, this was a day I had both waited for and dreaded.Ezekiel stepped forward. His face was hard, his shoulders straight. He was not my mate at this point, He was the Alpha, and today, he had to act like it.Cecilia stood before us, her hands chained, her beautiful hair messy and dirty now.Beside her, the captured rogues and Roy knelt on the ground, their heads lowered. The whole pack was gathered around, watching in silence.Ezekiel’s voice rang out strong and clear over the courtyard.“For treason against the pack, for working with our enemies, for trying to kill my son and destroy our home” he said, “I, Alpha Ezekiel, sentence Cecilia, Roy, and their allies to death.”There was no noise. No one cheered. This wasn’t a happy moment. It was a sad, painful necessity.Cecilia looked at him, her eyes burning wi
Kailey’s POV The sun was setting low in the sky, painting the whole courtyard in orange and red hues, I stood beside Ezekiel, holding Auren tightly in my arms. My heart was heavy, this was a day I had both waited for and dreaded.Ezekiel stepped forward. His face was hard, his shoulders straight. He was not my mate at this point, He was the Alpha, and today, he had to act like it.Cecilia stood before us, her hands chained, her beautiful hair messy and dirty now.Beside her, the captured rogues and Roy knelt on the ground, their heads lowered. The whole pack was gathered around, watching in silence.Ezekiel’s voice rang out strong and clear over the courtyard.“For treason against the pack, for working with our enemies, for trying to kill my son and destroy our home” he said, “I, Alpha Ezekiel, sentence Cecilia, Roy, and their allies to death.”There was no noise. No one cheered. This wasn’t a happy moment. It was a sad, painful necessity.Cecilia looked at him, her eyes burning wit
Ezekiel's pov. The room was quiet as I sat beside Kailey at the head of the long conference table, a heavy silence hanging over us.The evening light was slipping through the tall windows, painting long shadows across the floor.Kailey’s hand rested over mine. I could feel her shaking, though she tried to hide it.We were both tired, still confused by the whole thing. I knew she must have gone through alot find the relic in the forest. Right now, We were waiting for news. News about our son, about James, about Lydia.My heart twisted every time I thought of Auren’s little face.Where was he? Was he safe?Suddenly, the heavy doors of the conference room burst open with a loud BANG.I jumped to my feet, ready to fight. But it was Cecilia.She stormed inside, her hair wild, her breathing heavy like she had been running. Her eyes widened when she saw us sitting there.“You!” she gasped, stumbling to a stop.Her face twisted for a second, like she wasn’t sure whether to be scared or angr
Kailey’s POV. As I stood there, looking at Ezekiel, standing in front of me, I couldn't believe my eyes.“Is this really you?”I asked, tears gathering in my eyes already.“It's me,” he answered, walking towards me. “You saved me. Suddenly I heard a voice, it was the voice I recognized, the couch of the forest spirit. “you have saved him. He would have lived as the Withered Stag for the rest of his life.” I glanced around and could see the warriors all on their horses around.I frowned, looking toward the mist “What about the relic.?” “There is no relic, the solution was your blood, the only way to save him was the blood of his mate.” the spirit muttered. After a while, there was a snap from the spirit and then it looked like we were all teleported from that area of the forest as the next thing I saw was Ezekiel and I, together with the rest of the warriors standing at a familiar road that leads out of the forest.The road that was once confusing now looks really familiar, of cour
James pov. The next morning, we decided to head north just as the message Lydia had dropped indicated. We moved fast through the trees. My boots hit the ground hard as I ran, sword in hand. Jon was right beside me, and the rest of our warriors followed close behind.We had tracked them here finally. Lydia and Auren were close. I could feel it, I don't think they were far off anymore. We had increased our pace the very moment we stepped out of the cave, ready and motivated to find Lydia. She had dropped the message and it was to show us that we are on the right track. Suddenly, we burst into a clearing, and there they were.Cecilia stood proudly in the middle, her long red cloak flapping in the wind. Beside her was Damon, the rogue leader, tall and strong, his arms crossed like he didn’t have a care in the world.Roy was there too, along with a handful of rough-looking rogues. They had Lydia and Auren held at the back, tied up and guarded by two rogues with knives.My heart slam
Lydia's pov. After passing the night in the cave, I knew it would be safe if I move on, the cave was too open, But before that, I had come up with a plan by carving some clues on the wall. Right now I was already on the move with Auren. The Morning light slipped through the tall trees as I hurried through the forest, I held Auren's hands. Every step I took felt heavier, every breath harder. We had been moving since before dawn, and my legs were tired, but I couldn’t stop. Not yet.“We're almost there, baby,” I whispered to him, even though I didn’t know where there was. I only knew we had to keep going north. Away from the pack house. Away from Cecilia.The forest was cold and damp. My boots squished in the soft ground, and twigs snapped under my feet. I tried to move quietly, but it was hard, I glanced over my shoulder. No one. Only the endless trees.I hugged Auren closer and kept moving.Then, up ahead, I heard something, it was a rustle in the bushes. I froze.My heart hamme
James pov. We have been in the forest for a long time but still there was no sign of Lydia and Auren.However the sun was starting to sink behind the hills when we finally saw it, a large, dark hole in the side of a rocky hill. I slowed my horse and raised my hand, signaling for everyone behind me to stop.“That’s it,” I said, staring at the cave. I didn’t know how I knew. I just... did. My heart was pounding in my chest. My instincts were screaming at me, Lydia was here.Jon rode up beside me. His face was serious, his dark eyes scanning the entrance. “You sure?” he asked quietly.I nodded. “I can feel it. She’s been here. I know it.”Jon didn’t argue, he trusted me, the same way I trusted him.The rest of the warriors waited behind us. Some of them looked nervous. Others just looked tired. We had been searching all day, riding hard through the forest and hills. However now, standing here, I felt a new rush of energy.“She’s close,” I said, tightening my grip on the reins.Jon l
James pov As we rode, I kept thinking about Lydia. I remembered the way she had smiled, the way she had looked at Auren like he was her whole world.I wasn’t going to let anything happen to them. Not on my watch.We had both promised Kailey and Ezekiel that we would protect and keep Auren safe. Though Auren wasn't safe, there was still a chance he was with Lydia and all I needed to do right now was find them and bring them back home to the pack house safe and sound.The tracks led us over hills and through narrow valleys. More than once, we had to stop and search when the trail grew faint.Each time, Jon was right there beside me, helping me pick up the scent again.“They’re moving fast,” Jon said after a while, wiping sweat from his forehead. “But not too fast. They’re slowing down.”I nodded. “They’re tired. Hungry, probably.”“And scared,” Jon added quietly.I didn’t like hearing that. Fear could make people careless. Lydia was smart, but if she was tired enough, scared enough, s
James pov. The whole place have already been cleaned up l, the warriors, guards and maids have done a very good job, the pack wolves too have put heads to getter in helping to make sure the pack house was back to the way it was before Although there was no way it could go back to the way it was in just a day of cleaning, it had improved.The blood on the walls of the pack house has been cleaned, the casualties l, dead bodies had been taken away, the whole place now looked like there was neve a battle at the pack house. However, the only thing that gave away the fact that there had been a battle, was the broken walls of some of the buildings around including the pack house. That was something that had already been looked into and should be in order in three to five days. Right now, I stepped out of the pack house, the cool air hitting my face. The sun was already high, but it didn’t do much to warm the uneasiness sitting heavy in my chest. Oh yes,I had a lot in my chest m, a whol