Biting her nails and tapping her feet, Cecily waited for Paul to return at the front door, because it was unbearable to do so in her room. She checked the window every five minutes for his car, pacing when she saw there was nothing in sight. When she finally heard the pleasant hum of the Maybach truck's engine, she frantically pulled open the door and ran outside.
The car came to a halt, and the driver hurriedly got down to open the door to the passenger seats. Paul exited the vehicle, a hand in a pocket of his suit's trousers. Cecily studied his face, attempting to read his thoughts from the look on it. She failed. "Well... How did it go?" Following her brother at his side, she struggled to keep up with his quick steps. "What did the Lycan say? Why aren't you saying anything?"Paul ignored her, focusing more on entering his home. His mother was waiting for him inside, her hands clasped in front of her thighs. Unlike Cecily, she noticed immediatelyAs Lexie approached the Knight family villa, she wondered why she had been called there this time, and in freaking 3 in the morning. It was a shame she couldn't just ignore the summons, because she was an omega being called by an alpha daughter. Stopping her car a block from the house, like she'd been instructed by Patricia, Lexie completed the remaining distance on foot. Rather than knock on the front door, she rounded the building, heading for the small iron gate that led into the garden. No bulbs were on, but the full moon high in the sky shone enough lights on the grass and trees. In the middle of the garden stood Cecily, in between a row of daises and poppies. She paced back and forth, her arms folded across her chest. When she picked up the distant sound of footsteps, she swerved to the direction it was coming from. Lexie walked through the iron gates, and immediately spotted Cecily. "Good evening, Miss Knight." On reaching her, Lexie respectfully greeted. "—evening—mornin
“After much consideration and plenty of regret, I, Cecily Knight, have decided to step down from the alpha family of the Chicago Pack. While I remain a member of my beloved pack, I am no longer one of its leaders. I relinquish all of my powers, and will no longer participate in any political events or civic duties regarding my pack. This is coming after much meditation and self-examination. I've made a lot of mistakes I'm not proud of, and I've hurt too many people I never intended to. My actions were thoughtless and reckless, but that does not excuse my behavior. I apologize to Mary Vaughn, and anyone else I've ever wronged. From now onwards, I promise to do better, serving my pack and the werewolf community as a whole.”It was a beautiful day. The sun shone brightly in the sky, but the cool breeze helped reduce the effect of the scorching heat. It was the ideal weather for a sunbath, and Belinda did not let such a rare opportunity pass her by. She could
Belinda could remember the night in the picture. It was the night she'd met the blond bombshell named Chloe, and had gotten incredibly jealous of her. Despite taking place months ago, Belinda could still recall the boiling sensation of envy, which had pushed her to take adventures she never thought she would. However, as she'd walked out the club beside Chloe and Draven, she'd felt at peace, because Draven's arm had not been wrapped around the blonde's waist, but hers. The photo on Belinda's phone screen depicted her in a sexy outfit, her body pressed to the Lycan's side. Their body language, their ease in each other's presence—no one who saw it would mistake what it was. It was a very rare photo of the Lycan and his mistress. The caption above the post made by an anonymous account only poured fuel to the flames. “Guess who it is? That's Belinda Knight of the Chicago Pack. Wanna know who she's with? It's the Lycan of the American Wolves. Yes, you read it righ
Belinda watched Cantor leave, closing the door behind him. The creak of the swinging metal echoed through the hall, reminding her who she was being left alone with. Turning back to the room, she took a look around. The space appeared to be some sort of warehouse, with its large size and simple structure. Nothing was in it, except the huge parcels wrapped in cartons and transparent nylons. There were a lot of them, and Belinda found herself wondering what they were. So, she asked. Producing a pack of cigarettes, Draven lit a stick and placed it between his lips. "Cocaine." He answered blandly, leaving Belinda to deal with her surprise alone. Taking a draw from his cigar, he puffed out the smoke. "What is it you needed to talk about?"Immediately, the fact that countless kilograms of the most illegal narcotics in the world were in the Lycan's basement became insignificant to Belinda. This was it. She could no longer chicken out of this one, and neither did she want to. It was necessary
"I know I've already raved about this dress, but I have to do it again. This is amazing!" Running her fingers over the red evening dress, Lexie admired its beauty. Belinda understood how she felt. She too had fallen in love with the gown at first sight. There wasn't much to the dress, really—it was plain with a simple design—but it somehow mixed sexiness and sophistication to appear completely breathtaking. And it had been damn expensive. Never in her wildest dreams could Belinda have afforded the gown, had Draven not handed her his black card. All she'd had to do to get it was ask, and he'd given it to her without a second thought. After buying her dress, she'd maximized the opportunity to get herself various luxury items. The feeling had been intoxicating, casually strolling through stores, gleefully adding accessories to her purchase list. The icing on the cake had been when she'd tried to return the card to Draven. He'd nonchalantly glanced at her, and to
Every head turned as one of the two doors to the room slowly swung open, and two men walked in. Less than a quarter of the people present had never seen the Lycan before, but they'd gotten a description from their family members who had. Tall and broad, the description went, olive skin with long dark hair, eternal youth with extremely good looks. It was easy to pick who that was between the two men. The picture of him that had been immediately taken down from the community forum didn't even begin to compare to the Lycan in real life. He was simply something out of the imagination. The men immediately fell in awe of him, his aura enough to shake them to their bones. The women gaped at him, because they'd never seen anyone more beautiful. It took a while for attention to shift to the woman by his side. Their first thought was that she matched him perfectly. She was easily the most attractive at the event, with her striking silver eyes and pretty face. She looked good there, standing by
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Belinda highly doubted that. The Chicago Pack was still under fire for the scandal they'd endured, and they were passing through what had to be the most embarrassing moment in the pack's history. If Paul could, he would have preferred to wait it out away from the public's eye, but that would be as good as admitting defeat. His pride was far greater than any fire he could face. Smiling, Belinda turned to the woman holding onto the crook of Paul's arm. She was gorgeous, with beautiful exotic brown skin and striking eyes. Her silky black hair was sleeked back in a tight bun, revealing perfectly defined facial features and a slender neck. Belinda smiled at her, and she smiled back. "And who is this?" Belinda turned back to her brother. Paul's head slightly raised, as he smugly looked down at her. "Meet my chosen mate, Lila Salvador, daughter to the alpha of the São Paulo Pack of Brazil." Unable to hide her surprise, Belinda faced the attrac
With every second that passed, the hand Paul offered became more repulsive to Belinda. She took it because she had no choice, smiling as her stepbrother led her to the dancefloor. The orchestra had begun playing another song, and they joined the other couples in the steps of the dance. Belinda tried to make it through the session by blocking out everything but the music, but Paul made that impossible. "So," The sound of his voice ticked a nerve in her temple. "this is where you went after you left." Despite not being in any mood for a conversation, Belinda kept a straight face as she replied him. "What did you expect?" She asked. "You used violence on me after I refused to throw my life away. I was hardly safe back home." "And you feel safe here?" The question held no emotion, so that the reason behind it couldn't be guessed. Belinda wondered what Paul was driving at, but she quickly decided it couldn't hurt to rub the truth in his face. "I'm under the Lycan's protection,
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
"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
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.
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