Belinda gaped as several attendants rolled racks and racks of dresses into the room, each one more glamorous than the last. The manager apparently took his job seriously, for his devotion was evident as he barked orders at the much younger and jumpier employees. When Belinda had said she wanted to go shopping, she hadn't meant like this. While she enjoyed buying fashion items, she was still sane about it. These people were not. In a space of minutes, the large room exclusive to the most VIP of clients, was filled. Every form of clothes, shoes, and accessories littered every possible surface, so much that she wondered if the entire store had been emptied for her. Her mad stylist had other concerns, however. Haughtily snapping his fingers, the manager summoned two of his attendants. "Sisi! Lulu! Bring the Versace numbers 28 and 43 over here." Nearly, Belinda laughed at all the sass the man was displaying, her hand covering her smiling lips. She failed to hold in a chuckle at the emp
Inserting the key into the keyhole, the police officer unlocked the heavy metal door to the cell. The door swung open with a loud creak, but he chose to stay outside to guard the entrance, while the visitor walked right in. On entering the small room, Derek looked around. The cell was said to be the best in the prison, yet it was quite the dump. Paul sat on the hard narrow bed, facing the small barred window for the bit of light it let through. He was trimming his beards with the shaving stick he apparently wasn't allowed to keep, but was given anyway because he was a favored inmate, a small mirror in hand. "Good afternoon, sir." Derek bowed at his waist. "I brought the suit you asked for." "I see you've finally come to see him." Paul didn't turn around, therefore looking ominous as he spoke. The result was Derek swallowing heavily. He'd known his boss was bitter when he'd received a call from the lawyer, Voss, delivering the errand to fetch his best suit for this day. The
They heard him as he came down the hallway, his shoes an angry sound on the tiled floor. Instinctively, the members of the Knights & Co. managerial board sat up straighter in their seats, tidying up their outfits and arranging the documents on the large rectangular table. The double doors to the board room burst open, and Paul Knight walked in, trailed by his beta. They could feel the malevolence radiating from him, almost as clearly as the chill air of the air conditioner itself. He had come for blood, and they knew it. All smartly standing, they simultaneously bowed at their waist. "Welcome, Alpha Paul!" Paul sat at the head of the meeting table, with Derek taking the seat at his right. His features hard, he took a look around at his directors. They squirmed under his gaze, all avoiding eye contact. Once he'd had his fill of studying the guilty face before him, he relaxed into his chair, his fist supporting his head. "James." He called, and the man bearing the name jerked.
Lexie sat on the bed, gazing down as her friend lay beside her, unconscious and helpless, with the duvet pulled up to her shoulders. Belinda's pale and flawless skin had always been one of her striking features, but her current pallor was all wrong. Her skin appeared pasty and damp, her lips had lost their vibrant reddish color, and bags had formed under her eyes. She looked sick. Worry curled Lexie's heart and moved up to sting her eyes. Belinda looked like she was in a lot of pain. The sound of the door creaking distracted Lexie. Wiping the tears off her cheeks, she sniffed in whatever one still threatened to fall, before turning to check who was coming in. Luisa stepped into the bedroom, her gaze first running over the woman lying on the bed, before raising to the woman sitting at her side. Both were a pitiable sight, so she gave the conscious a small smile, hoping the gesture did anything to reassure her. "How is she?" Luisa's voice was low and gentle as closed the door softl
At first, when Belinda woke up, she was confused. Clutching the duvet to her chest, she sat up on the bed, taking a look around at her surroundings. It took a while for her to recognize the luxurious furniture, the painting on the wall, and the curtains. However, the familiarity of her bedroom didn't give her any comfort. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Belinda relived the nightmare she'd endured while unconscious. Over and over again, she'd dreamt of the cottage in the woods, and the orchard where she and her brother had played in as children. They'd both been in their werewolves forms, and that was what perplexed Belinda. It was common for werewolves at that age to have awakened their wolves, but she and Baron were omegas doomed to have dormant wolves. They'd never so much as communicated with the beast inside them. Belinda wondered then if her vision had only been a figment of her imagination. Had her mind been playing tricks on her again, like the time she'd hallucinated ab
Draven's phone rang, and he raised his hand to silence the men sitting before him. They were all dons of the underworld, but they knew to keep quiet when the man in the tailored black suit told them to keep quiet. Usually, no one bothered the Lycan on these kinds of trips, but he'd specifically ordered Marcus to contact him the instant news developed on Belinda's condition. Therefore, when he saw it was his Beta-in-line calling, he raised the phone to his ear. "Is she awake?" It was the first thing he asked, because that was the only thing he wanted to know. "Yes," Marcus' voice came through the phone. "but I can't be sure. She's missing, my lord." Sharp shock coursed through Draven, but he effortlessly maintained his composure. The only indication that his mind was spinning was the darkening of his gaze. "What do you mean missing?" The ears across the table were piqued at the word ‘missing’, the dons' instinctive nosiness making them wonder what the topic over the phone w
The aroma of cooking chicken woke Belinda. Her eyes fluttered open, and she took a look around what appeared to be the insides of a small house. She registered the small roundscreen television on the short wooden cupboard, the plain shelves with the scanty books, the old table and chair dining set positioned near the window. The place might not have been very posh, but it was clean and looked extremely comfortable. It looked like a home. A fire crackled in the stone fireplace, warming the room. Above it, several framed photos of what appeared to be a happy family were set on the mantle. Belinda squinted to try and make out the faces of those in them, but she was distracted by the sound of footsteps nearby. A woman entered the living room, a steaming bowl in hand. She was undoubtedly the same one Belinda had met in the woods. She looked to be in her 40s, her blond hair tied in a messy bun over her head. "I thought you'd be out for longer." The woman remarked on seeing the girl sh
Belinda was still conscious, but her whole world seemed to collapse before her eyes. The organs in her chest felt like they were constricting, as it was getting hard to breathe, causing her breath to come out in short gasps. "No. No. No. No." Belinda found herself chanting. Her mind refused to wrap around the revelation she'd just received, her head shaking vehemently in denial. No, it can't be—the words screamed in her head. She hadn't searched relentlessly for answers, she hadn't followed the clues she'd so painfully uncovered here, to be told she was a bastard of the despicable Sorcerer Clan. Tilly observed the young woman who was obviously unhappy to learn of her true ancestry. She felt pity for the poor girl. Only God knew what she'd had to endure the many years that she'd been away. She(Tilly) could only imagine that the news of her past wasn't particularly easy to swallow. "As time passed," Tilly continued over Belinda's chants, hoping her soothing tone would help to ca
The moment was nothing like Belinda expected. She knew how death worked. She'd fully understood what it meant to kill her own blood. Yet, the experience itself was more... empty than she'd expected. Sitting on one of the chairs at the dining table, she stared across at the lifeless body of her parents. Even in death, her father still managed to appear handsome and proud. Somehow, he still managed to look down on her, with just the right amount of spite to show he never cared about her. As for her mother, she'd died more hideously. It was obvious she'd struggled against what was happening to her. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, her expression was twisted, and in her open eyes was the shock and anger she'd felt while dying. The sight of those two was supposed to stir something deep in Belinda, but all she felt was a large void. No pain, no sadness, no anger. Not even a hint of guilt for the atrocity she'd just committed. Had her parents meant that little to her?Rather than br
Georgina turned at the sound of footsteps approaching, in time to watch Maddox enter the dining room. She searched his face for information, but his mood was unreadable. Her attention shifted one other person followed behind him. "Did it work?" Georgina asked the sorcerer. Before replying, Maddox pulled back the chair at the head of the rectangular table, relaxing into it as he sat down. "Was there any doubt it would?" There was a clear arrogance in his tone.Georgina ignored him, moving to the woman who stood stiffly at a place with a dazed expression. "How are you feeling, Belinda?" She placed a hand on each of her daughter's arms. In the past, Belinda would have flinched at her mother's touch, but now, she did nothing. As though her body was present, but her mind was not. "Just a slight headache." She replied. "And my skin still aches from the silver chain." Tenderly, Georgina rubbed her daughter's upper arm, although that was not nearly the part of her body that ached
The pain woke Belinda up, the intense sensation tormenting every nerve in her body. Her skin felt like it was getting scorched, yet she couldn't feel any heat from the supposed fire. It all made sense when the sharp odor of silver hit her nose a second later. Opening her eyes, Belinda saw that she lay on her side an old and rather disgusting bed. A long and large silver chain wrapped around her body, ensuring she had minimal movement. As her ankles were pressed together and her arms were at her sides, her only option was to roll, and with much difficulty. The action allowed her to view the rest of her surroundings. Short stone stairs led up to a rather small door, making her believe she was in some sort of basement. The brick floor was dewy, and the walls were covered with moss.Where was she? And how had she gotten here? The last thing Belinda remembered was confronting her parents and being knocked out. What had her father done to her? Suppressing the pain she was under, she focuse
Sneaking out of the Lycan's residence had not been an easy task, especially when there were at least fifty wolves who had their nose locked in on your scent. Basically, Belinda had had to distract her watchdogs—mostly by setting a fire to a storage closet. The tiny room had been nearly empty and barely used. No one would miss it. No one got hurt. The closet did serve its purpose, however. In those next few minutes, the fire alarm blared through the skyscraper, creating a booth of panic. Everyone had been momentarily occupied with the not-so-small fire, allowing Belinda to fade into the background. She made her escape, running through a rarely used service exit while everybody else was fully occupied. Once free, stopping a cab had been easy, and soon, she'd been zooming off to infinity. Actually, infinity was a cemetery behind a small cathedral at the opposite end of town. The place was old and in dire need of tending to, with weeds overgrowing on most headstones and dead leaves and
"No." Draven sighed, not because he was annoyed, but because he knew the task before him was not going to be an easy task. Calming an angry woman, especially one like his spitfire mate, was something he was beginning to dread. And he never dreaded anything. "No. You can't be serious!" Belinda cried, not very nicely. "I go out of my to find out what my brother is scheming, and your plan is to let him... scheme?" "You are intentionally excluding the most crucial part of what I told you. I said I would allow him to make the first strike. First off, you didn't exactly bring me the location of our culprit. Even if you did, going to them first would mean fighting them in their own territory. The Sorcerer Clan can not be underestimated. On the other hand, letting them come to me ensures I retain the advantage of location, and gives me enough time to arrange a defense. The fact that the sorcerers were bold enough to make such a move means that they intend to end this once and for
Paul was feeling nervous, and that was something new. Ever since losing everything nearly two weeks ago, his confidence had been practically nonexistent. And now, a meeting with a bunch of old magicians was making him anxious. Ridiculous! He was standing in an empty hallway in front of wooden double doors, waiting for the people inside to decide it was time to let him in. When he was alpha, no one would have dared keep him waiting, but there was nothing he could do about it now. It pained him to admit it, but he needed their damn help. At last, the door opened and a woman in a plain black suit stepped out. "The High Council will see you now." She nodded curtly at him. The door was widened more, making space for him to enter. Paul was ushered into a very dimly lit room, dominated by a crescent-shaped table and chairs arranged around it. There were 11 in total, and a man or woman sat in those seats, all who turned to him once he walked in. Their gazes were eerie and unsettling, but h
Just as the phone call from one of Draven's men had specified, a woman who wished to see the Lycan's Luna, waited at the base floor. Usually, this kind of visitors were turned away—random people who thought they could reach the higher-ups just by asking. However, this particular woman had been damn persuasive, even going as far as to say that she possessed exclusive info that could determine the fate of the world. So, they'd let the Luna decide whether she wanted to see this wacko herself or not. Belinda spotted Lila the instant she stepped into the restaurant, and so did the latter, who couldn't stop waving. Her features icing over, Belinda walked over to the table, making sure to keep her pace slow. Lila waited patiently, the widest smile on her face as she watched the other woman approach. "Phew!" She blew out a dramatic breath as Belinda took the seat opposite her, wiping off imaginary sweat from her forehead. "I was almost afraid I wouldn't get to see you. Do you know how
Two days later, Belinda stood at the door of Lexie's apartment. As the latter had told her to just enter on arriving, she bunched the entry code on the keypad and went in. She caught Lexie bent over a table in the kitchen, sticking two candles in the shape of “2” and “5” into a cake covered by pink icing and colorful sprinkles. On noticing the presence behind her, Lexie turned. Her lips spreading into a broad smile, she carried the cake and presented it to her friend. "I know you aren't a huge fan of cakes, but I thought you should have one this year. Happy 25th birthday, bestie." Despite its small scale, the gesture warmed Belinda's heart. It was true that she wasn't particularly fond of birthday cakes, or cakes in general. As children, no one had ever bothered to mark her and Baron's birth. After he'd died, it had simply felt wrong to celebrate a day they had once shared. She no longer felt that way. Now, she understood that loss did not mean she couldn't accept happiness. "
The next morning, Belinda waited till the twins were done eating before approaching them. Nearly a day later, they were still the center of attraction at Mrs. Sutar's Home. The other children marveled at the fairy-like pair with the pale eyes, and the dark hair that contrasted drastically with their light skin. Lin Lin basked in the glory, completely comfortable with being in the spotlight. Baron on the other hand—the poor boy—looked like he didn't know what to do with all that attention. Lin Lin was the first to notice Belinda standing at a corner of the dining room, and she skipped over, a bright smile on her face. "Good morning, Miss Belinda!" She greeted as her brother joined at her side. Their joy was contagious, and Belinda couldn't help smiling back. "Good morning to you too. How was breakfast?" "It was delicious." Baron nodded his approval. Lin Lin had more enthusiastic opinions about their meal that morning. "Peanut butter sandwich has never tasted better!" She s