With each child at her side, Belinda stared up at what was supposed to be the Peach Valley Orphanage but wasn't. In place of the warm pink building she was familiar with was a gloomy brick house. Rather than a lush lawn and pretty flowers leading up to the house, the front yard was a boring graveled floor. The sign at the gate had it changed too. Mrs. Sutar's Home For Orphans, a name that definitely couldn't be mistaken for Ellie Compton. Masking her unease, Belinda smiled down at her left, then her right. The children in turn gazed up wide-eyed at her. "Let's head in, shall we?" She said cheerily. Despite having nothing in common with the orphanage she remembered, this Mrs. Sutar's home was still an orphanage. She would check it out, at least. If she wasn't satisfied with what she saw, or found it the least bit suspicious, she would take the twins away. Belinda offered both of the children, and they each took one. Together, they walked through the front gates of the building, down
That night, Belinda tossed and turned in her bed. Despite the open window and cool breeze blowing in, she was sweating, the nightdress she'd borrowed from Shoba clinging to her form. An unconscious frown twisted her features, her lips trembling as her teeth chattered. In her sleep, her mind was even more turbulent. The vision from that afternoon replayed in her dream, even more vivid now. She finally understood that the death she'd seen had been a devastating war, and that the blood was that of the various lives that it had taken. Chaos signified the destruction that was left behind. The dirty streets were littered with corpses left to rut. Those still alive fled on foot, leaving behind their lives and loved ones. The crumbling buildings were abandoned, humans betraying each other for any bit of advantage they could gain. There was no law, no order, no damage control unit working to contain the crisis. Just chaos. In the midst of the disaster, two siblings fought to stay together.
"Miss Belinda!" Belinda wondered what the kid was doing here at this time of the night, while his mates were indoors sound asleep. Dressed in plain pajamas, he looked like a raccoon who'd been caught going through the dumpster by a hound dog... Scared and utterly guilty. Once she'd gotten over her surprise at seeing him, her features squeezed into a stern scowl. "Why aren't you indoors?" Baron winced at her harsh tone. "Uh... Um..." He hesitated to reply, searching for words to put together an excuse. All the while, his eyes sneakily darted from place to place, as though he was looking for something but didn't want anyone to know. However, Belinda understood immediately. A groan escaping her, she twirled around and yelled to no one and nowhere in particular. "Come out, Belinda. I know you're there." The juvenile delinquent heard the call, and shyly slipped out from behind a bush, looking even more guilty than her brother. She appeared to be lacking her usual confidence to
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
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. "
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
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
"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
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