Kailey’s POVI couldn’t believe what Auren had done. My heart pounded as I stood in the small, dimly lit room, glaring at him.“What were you thinking, Auren?” I shouted, my voice echoing against the wooden walls. “You brought a stranger to our home! To our sanctuary! Do you understand how dangerous that is?”He stood before me, head bowed, his small hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “I’m sorry, Mum,” he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.“Sorry?” I snapped, pacing back and forth. “Sorry doesn’t cut it, Auren! You saw people in the woods—strangers! And instead of staying away like you’ve been told a thousand times, you went right up to them. What were you thinking?”“I… I didn’t mean to,” he stammered. “He… he seemed nice, Mum. He didn’t seem like he wanted to hurt us.”“And how exactly would you know that?” I demanded, throwing my hands up in frustration. “Do you have some magical ability to see into people’s hearts now? Do you?”Elyra stepped into the room, her prese
Kailey’s POV“I haven’t even prepared the evening dish,” I said to Elyra, feeling the weight of the day pressing on me. The sun was beginning to dip behind the trees, and the thought of the tasks left undone made my chest tighten.Elyra chuckled lightly, her usual calm demeanor untouched by my rush. “You stress too much, Kailey. It’ll all get done.”I ignored her teasing as I turned toward the hut and shouted, “Auren! Auren, come here right now!”Moments later, Auren appeared from behind the hut, his small face lit up with curiosity. “Yes, Mum?”I placed my hands on my hips and gave him a stern look. “I need you to go into the woods and fetch some spices for tonight’s meal. The usual ones. And make sure—and I mean this—make sure you don’t branch off anywhere. Understood?”Auren nodded quickly, but his mischievous smile made me narrow my eyes. “I mean it, Auren. Straight there and back. No wandering.”“Okay, Mum, I promise,” he said, already heading toward the edge of the forest.“Chill, Kail
Kailey’s POV Elyra winced as she shifted in the chair, her hand pressing against the bloodied gash on her arm. Her usual playful smirk was still there, but it was tinged with pain.“It’s nothing, Kailey. I’ve had worse,” Elyra said, waving her uninjured hand dismissively.Kailey’s eyes narrowed. “Nothing? Elyra, that’s a deep cut. You’re bleeding everywhere!”“Oh, come on. You’re going to start mothering me now?” Elyra teased, her grin faltering slightly as Kailey rushed around the hut.“Yes, I am,” Kailey said firmly. She turned to Auren, who was standing near the door, his wide eyes darting between the two women. “Auren, get me some towels. Quickly.”Auren hesitated for a moment, then nodded and sprinted to the small cabinet where Kailey kept the linens. “Here, Mum!” he said, handing her a handful of towels.“Good boy,” Kailey murmured, already setting the towels down on the table beside Elyra. She grabbed a basin and poured clean water into it, her movements quick but steady.Elyra chuck
Ezekiel’s POV I was so tired—drained, even. My mind felt like it was fraying at the edges, and every breath I took felt heavier than the last. I couldn’t shake the thought: If the Moon Goddess doesn’t give us a response, we are doomed. We’d come so far, sacrificed so much, and yet, here we were, teetering on the edge of despair. My eyes locked onto the sacred statue before me, its stone surface glowing faintly under the pale moonlight.I stepped closer, the weight of my pack’s survival pressing down on me. “Answer me or kill me!” I roared, my voice echoing through the chamber like a desperate plea.“No, Alpha!” Luther shouted, panic clear in his tone. “Don’t go closer! You’ll die!”“Leave me!” I snapped, my eyes blazing as I turned to glare at him. “Stand back! I’ve had enough of this!”The warriors murmured uneasily among themselves, shifting nervously as I turned back to the statue. My voice dropped, hoarse with emotion. “If there’s any punishment, let it fall on me. Let my pack live.”
Kailey’s POV I was so pissed at this point that if I had a knife, I would’ve stabbed Ezekiel right then and there. The sheer audacity of him standing there, pleading for forgiveness after everything he’d done, was infuriating. But I tried to keep my cool, no matter how much my body trembled with rage. Without saying another word, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the cave.“Kailey! Wait!” Ezekiel’s voice echoed behind me, desperate and raw, but I didn’t care. He had no right to call my name like that.As I marched toward the mouth of the cave, my vision blurred with half-tears, half-fury. Before I could take another step, two guards stepped in front of me, blocking my way. Their stances were firm, unyielding.I stopped abruptly, narrowing my eyes at them. “If you value your lives, you’ll move. Now.” My voice was low but filled with so much venom that even I felt its sting.They hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances, but neither moved. My fists clenched. I was done with being corne
Kailey’s POV Auren!” I shouted into the darkness, my voice raw and desperate. My eyes darted around the dense forest, searching for any sign of movement. The chill of the night seeped through my skin, but I didn’t care. “Auren! Please, just come back!”Beside me, Ezekiel was shouting too. His voice was stronger, louder, but I could hear the same desperation in it. “Auren! Where are you?”I spun around to face him, my frustration boiling over. “This is all your fault!” I snapped, my voice shaking with anger. “If you hadn’t come back, if you hadn’t barged into our lives, he wouldn’t have run off like this!”Ezekiel stopped mid-shout, his face shadowed but clearly tense. “Kailey, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t know he overheard everything.”“Exactly,” I spat. “You didn’t know. You never know. You just act and leave chaos behind for everyone else to deal with.”He opened his mouth to reply, but I raised my hand to silence him. “Just get away from me. Stay out of my life. Stay out
Kailey’s POV Ezekiel took a deep breath, his shoulders stiffening as he prepared to speak. “It started after Kailey was banished. My father… he…” He trailed off, his jaw tightening. “What?” I asked sharply, my arms crossed. “What did he do?” “He fell ill,” Ezekiel said finally. His voice was low, almost a whisper. “Not long after you were gone. It was as though the strength that kept him going just vanished. He grew weaker with each passing day, and nothing we did could save him. Eventually, he… he died.” Auren’s expression didn’t soften. Instead, his lips pressed into a thin line as he stared at Ezekiel. “So what? He got what he deserved,” Auren said coldly. “He sent my mom away. Why should I care about what happened to him?” “Auren,” I said softly, trying to calm him, but his glare cut me off. “No, Mom! Why does it matter? He didn’t care about us. He didn’t care about you!” Ezekiel’s voice broke through the rising tension. “You’re right,” he said, his gaze fixed on Auren. “He
Kailey’s POV As we stepped through the towering gates of the Blackwood Pack’s palace, a flood of memories washed over me. Some bitter, some sweet, but all deeply etched in my heart. Auren clung tightly to my hand, his gaze darting around suspiciously. His shoulders were tense, his distrust almost palpable. Elyra walked beside us, her sharp eyes scanning everything as though she were cataloging every detail. Ezekiel walked ahead, his steps confident but hesitant, as though he feared one wrong move might shatter whatever fragile truce we had."This is it," Ezekiel said, turning to us with a hesitant smile. "Welcome back to Blackwood." His voice carried a mix of pride and apprehension.Auren snorted. "Back? We never really belonged here."Ezekiel’s smile faltered, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he gestured toward the guards stationed at the entrance. "Make them as comfortable as possible," he instructed, his tone firm. "And gather everyone in the pack square this evening. I have an important
James pov As I stood on my feet, eyes locked on the rogue in front of me, I had confirmed his strength already and I knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight at all. If I wanted to win this, I would have to be serious with this. “Come on” the rogue muttered, cracking his knuckles. And cracking his neck. At this point I could hear my own breathing, rough, ragged, loud in my ears. The hallway was quiet, but only for a second. Dust floated in the air. Blood stained the walls, Of Course it was clear it was from the little fight we had. Some of those blood were mine and the rest of his. He stood at the far end, chest rising and falling steadily. Right now, His claws were out, long and black, tipped with blood. He was grinning, enjoying this. I on the other hand was tired, sore, and bleeding, but I still had my sword. However, my wounds were already healing. “You don’t look so good, Beta,” he said, taking a slow step forward.“You talk too much,” I answered, lifting my blade.We
James pov. My mind was still occupied with the thought of how the rogues managed to get past the guards and into the pack house. A large frown appeared on my face as I inched deeper into the hallway. The pack soldiers had held their ground well, fending off the never ending wave of rogues, so how then were those two able to get into the pack house?.Seeing those two earlier only confirmed my fear, there were more of them inside the pack house, and these few must have not been in the sea of rogues who attacked the pack house. They must have snuck in through a secret passageway, there was no way they had done this themselves, it was clear that they had help from someone, someone inside the pack house. I gritted my teeth, my eyes sharp as I took in my surroundings. I wonder who it was, the one who had aided the rogues.Suddenly my mind went to Cecilia, I haven't heard or seen her since the beginning of the battle, where the hell has she been. Oh I just hope She has no hand in thisI
JAMES’ POV. My wounds were completely healed and free from the poison, thanks to the Antidote, I was already back to full strength.My mind was still occupied with the thought of whether Auren was alright or not, it pained me so much that he was taken right in front of me, while I wasn't looking. I felt a tug in my heart as I advanced further, I had tried so hard not to show the pain I felt in front of Lydia, assuring her that I would find Auren, I was certain he was still inside the pack house, that was the hope I was holding on to. I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into the hallway. The air felt off, too still, too quiet.Even with the fighting outside, the whole place was still very much silent which was off. The pack house was never silent, especially not with the fighting happening outside. My boots thudded lightly on the polished wooden floor as I moved deeper inside, every sense alert at this point. Whoever took Auren must have not gone far. Suddenly, I hear
Kailey’s POV.I stood there captivated by the blood red flowers, they seemed unreal, scary and mysterious. Their red color reminded me of something.Blood. I continued walking, taking more steps and as I did, more and more flowers appeared in the groove. The scent in the air was more on this side, a sweet tang which also had a sweet taste to it, I wasn't sure how but somehow I could taste the sweetness in the air.What are these?. I couldn't help but wonder what the flowers were, the forest had shown me a lot of supernatural things which were white right now I was fully on my guard, I wouldn't let my guard down for now reason.Suddenly there was a whistle in the air, I paused, trying to figure out where the whistling was coming from but it felt like it was everywhere.My heart slowly began to pound in my chest, I took a deep breath and tried to focus on where the sound was coming from.My eyes widened as I noticed that the whistling was coming from the flowers,the blood red flowers
Kailey's pov. My closed eyelids were suddenly engulfed by a sudden brightness, I twitched, my fist clenching and then suddenly my eyelids went wide open. At first I was blinded by the early morning sun which hung high in the sky, I blinked multiple times to adjust my sight. What happened?. The hardness behind me made me realize I was lying on something. I tilted my head to the side and with my back crushing the dried leaves, I noticed I was lying on the ground.I slowly pushed myself up to a sitting position, a sharp pain radiated from my head earning a low painful groan from my lips forcing me to grab my head with both hands.I took a deep breath and decided to take in my surroundings, that was when I realized I was still in the forest. I grinded my teeth together, it was morning already, I must have passed out the previous night, from all the running escaping the mind games the first was playing. Speaking of the forest, I have lost the track of tune already, however with the s
JAMES’ POV. The energy in my bones were beginning to give out, I could feel the weakness engulfing me, taking over every ounce of my body. The poison was beginning to have a large effect on me, my bones felt weak, my vision blurry.And as I grabbed the sword of the rogue on top of me with shaky hands, my arms shaking as blood rolled down my wrist due to the blade of the rogue's sword digging deep into my palm. Saliva dripped from the rogue’s mouth onto my face as the rogue pressed on, forcing the sword down to the point that I could already feel the cold metal of the blade pressed against my throat.“This is where you die beta” No matter how hard you try to channel all my strength it just wasn't enough, the poison had weakened me so much and I knew if I don't find a way to push this rogue off me then I would be a dead man in no time. My sword had fallen off my hand a while ago and now that I had my palm wrapped around the blade of the rogue’s sword, more poison slipped into my b
CECILIA'S POV .The commotion happening outside brought a certain kind of satisfaction to me. The sound of metal clangings, where like music to my eyes, I felt satisfied, finally it was happening, the battle had begun.I smiled as the reflection in my full length mirror smiled back at me. Now Ezekiel would be shocked when he heard about this. I just couldn't wait to see the look on his face, the shocked look on his face, the smile on my face widened as I adjusted my cloak. I was distracted by a knock on the door, I smiled as my gaze shifted from the full length mirror to the door. Of Course I was expecting someone. “The door is open,” I muttered.The door slowly pushed open and Roy stepped in. I could see him observing his surroundings before stepping in, like someone who had just stolen from the market and was looking to see if anyone had seen him. I knew this cautiousness had to do with James. Roy had told me how James had confronted him in the bar, pinning him to the wall and
JAMES’ POV. My eyes felt heavy, drowsy and the images in front of me doubled, tripped and the next thing I realized was that I was falling. I dropped to the ground with a thud, supporting myself with my arm strongly planted to the ground. “Shit” I cursed, shaking my head from side to side, trying so hard to stay awake. I could feel my consciousness slipping away gradually but I wasn't going to give it a chance m, I must stay awake. I can't pass out now, not now, not when the battle is still on. I shook my head again and struggled to get to my feet, however my effort was in vain as I collapsed again.My wounds burned on my skin, they were not healing, in fact it felt like they were getting worse.I grabbed my sword tightly, gagerung all the strength I could muster, I stabbed the sword into the ground using it as a third leg while supporting myself back to my feet.“There should be an Antidote” I muttered. “There should've an Antidote somewhere, and I need to find it.” I took a st
JAMES’ POV. He grinned, his sharp eyes scanning me, assessing my movements just as I was doing to him.Then he stroked, His sword came fast, a blur of steel slicing toward my ribs. I barely parried in time, the force of the blow sending vibrations up my arm. I twisted, countering with a quick strike aimed at his side, but he dodged effortlessly, stepping back just out of reach.He was fast. Too fast, I exhaled sharply, adjusting my grip. This wasn’t going to be an easy fight.We circled each other, the ground beneath us torn from previous clashes. My breathing was steady, my heart pounding in my ears. He feinted to the left, then struck from the right. I blocked, barely, his blade scraping against mine as sparks flew.Then he kicked me square in the chest, the strike was hard, I stumbled back, gasping as pain exploded in my ribs. He didn’t waste a second. He was on me again, his sword a whirlwind of motion. I barely managed to dodge, his blade slicing through the fabric of my s