Cecily was frustrated. She screeched, stomping her foot repeatedly like a child going through a tantrum. Her plan to spy on her stepsister to prove that she was the source of all their family's problems had gone to shit. Actually, she hadn't been spying on Belinda at all. She'd struck gold the first day she'd followed that omega paparazzi. However, neither she nor Belinda had done anything suspicious throughout their meet-up. When they'd separated, Cecily had naturally switched to following Belinda, but she'd lost her. Cecily neither knew where Belinda was staying, nor where she frequented. So, she'd been forced to revert to her original plan, waiting outside the skyscraper for Lexie. She'd tailed the latter for ever since, but was yet to spot her best friend. As a last resort today, she'd returned to the bank, and had crossed her fingers, praying that her target would show. No such luck. Why was the entire universe against her? Cecily screamed again. Why did everything have to go w
"I've got a solution for all our problems." The proud declaration did not have the effect thought it would. Paul simply stared dead on at her, his flat expression displaying anything but curiosity. Georgina was no better. She did not appear irritated like her son, but her look was anything but impressed. "And what is that, dear?" Her tone was patient and indulging, like she was talking to a child she did not expect to say anything meaningful, but let him speak nonetheless. It annoyed Cecily senseless, but she forced herself to get past her anger. Pushing her chin even hire, she said, with just enough confident arrogance. "We trace the problem back to the source, and that's Belinda." "Moon goddess help me." The groan came from Paul. He rolled his eyes upward, praying to the deity above to grant him patience, because he was on the verge of committing murder. "Can you—for once in your life—not make everything about yourself and your crazed beliefs?" He snapped once he jud
After closing the door behind her, Belinda gazed ahead at the room she would now be staying in till further notice. It wasn't the most luxurious quarters, but that was the thing about second-rate hotels—they were just below perfect and affordable.Dragging her luggage along, she advanced deeper into the room. She randomly deposited her bags on the floor and moved onto the bed. The soft mattress jerked as she plopped her bottom onto it, her mind too far gone to notice the bounce. Absentmindedly, she picked up the remote and switched on a channel. Although she gazed at the screen, she was not watching the TV program playing. She was thinking about too many things at once. Slipping out of Derek's apartment had been easy. As the other went to work early in the morning and came back late in the evening, she'd been able to pack her bags and leave without him realizing. She wasn't exactly running away. She'd left a piece of paper on the counter with her new address, which also specified the
Derek returned home well into the night, way past the customary 5 pm. He was newly discovering that a CEO working hard to revive his company was no easy job, and it often left him drained after a long day. Tonight, he heaved a sigh as he removed his suit blazer and pulled off his tie. As he stepped deeper into his apartment, however, he realized that his housemate's scent was way too faint, meaning she wasn't home. That made Derek frown, especially as to how late the hour was. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, absentmindedly strolling into his kitchen as he prepared to call her. That was when his eyes caught a piece of paper pinned onto his counter by a pan. He instinctively picked it up and went through it. “... wish for my own privacy...would appreciate if you respect my wishes.”Anger coursed through Derek at the words in the note. Like hell Belinda had moved out because she wanted “privacy”! She was simply locking him out again. Damn it, she hadn't even had the guts to
Draven never locked his doors, because every living being in the building knew to never disturb him without being summoned first. The only exclusion was his Beta, who he'd grown quite fond of over the decades. That privilege did not yet extend to his Beta's son and successor. The boy knew that, yet he walked through the front doors of the penthouse uninvited. And what was worse, he'd brought company. Dropping all he was doing, Draven leaned back into his chair, waiting for the trio to arrive. They found him soon enough, halting in front of his office's door. A soft knock sounded a second later, but the show of courtesy did little to lighten his mood. "May we come in, my lord?" Marcus' clear voice rang from behind the door. "You seem to have already come to a conclusion on that." The annoyance wasn't lost in Draven's reply. It should have been to scare them off, to give them the hint that he was not in the mood to entertain any guests. Yet, the wood swung open, ushering thr
Belinda's blacked-out mind gave way to consciousness, and the first thing she became aware of was the merciless throbbing In her forehead. Her entire body ached, as though her nerves were fighting a battle against her—and winning. Instinctively, she tried to find a position that was not so uncomfortable, but she felt like a log—too heavy and stiff to move. She realized then that despite her eyes being open, all she could see was pitch black. Her guess was that she was blindfolded, judging by the slight pressure around the diameter of her head, but she couldn't be sure. When she attempted to lower her hands to check, however, she met resistance. Without sight or mobility, Belinda had only intuition to use to assess her situation. She deduced that she was being pinned to a wall, both her hands held high above her head with handcuffs. Her bottom sat on a cold concrete floor, the dew on the surface seeping into her shorts and soaking it. She was alone, as far as she could tell, and in a
Draven sat in the back of his SUV, the aura around him likable to a stormy night in the middle of an ocean. He was waiting, and he hated it. The longer his subordinates took to report back to him, the more restless he grew. His body vibrated with barely contained power, his gaze darker than the moonless sky. A moment later, his phone vibrated in his pocket and his expression never changing, he pulled it out. He swiped the screen, picking the call, and put the phone to his ear. "We've located Miss Knight, my lord." A deep voice droned into his ear an instant later. Draven listened to the address that came next, one he wasn't familiar with, then tilting his head towards his driver, repeated it. "How long is it from here?" The man behind the wheel hastily imputed the location into the car's GPS, and was provided with an answer soon after. "30 minutes, my lord. It's just on the outskirts of the city." Armed with information, Draven resumed the conversation with the one on the ph
Belinda strained to see in the darkness, the only source of light being the small crack where the two walls met. Feeling the cold concrete, she searched for a way out, maybe a secret lever hidden on the inside. She found none, and not surprisingly. She suspected that the space had been designed to keep people in, not let them out. Giving up for the time being, she directed her gaze to the room. She already knew it was empty, from the time Paul had opened it. It was windowless, empty, and very small. Not for the first time, she wondered what it was for. The large smudges on both walls caught her eye. Squinting, she peered at one. The stain spanned most of the wall, several shades darker than the unpainted concrete. Belinda placed her hands on it and immediately recoiled. It had felt disgusting under her palms, its raised surface rough and dry. What had been smeared on these walls? The question was added to her long list about this place. As if to reply, a harsh and loud grating sound
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