ANDERSI could see that Zara was happy, probably because she had never had a friend before but I wasn't happy, I was worried.If those two were strong, perhaps I would feel a little at ease but they were weak and a liability and the girl talked too much. I was wary of people who always had too much to say.I knew there was a battle ahead of us and I was worried about Zara. How would she stay safe if she was distracted while trying to save Ari? Both Ari and Logan knew the implication of their decision to run away and were ready to die but I wasn't. I wanted to keep Zara alive, I wanted to grow old with her and I couldn't stop myself from being so afraid of losing her.This was why I decided to go for a walk but I also knew I couldn't go far because I had to stay close to Zara. After walking a little distance, I stopped and my mind went back to the neutral pack Ari had spoken about.I didn't want to go there because I had never heard about it and I couldn't just trust anyone. Zara was e
ZARAI kept on chasing the man I knew I had just shot, mostly because his eyes had been focused on Ari and Logan. I heard Anders calling my name, I knew he was afraid that I would get hurt but I was determined to catch this intruder. I needed to know if he was a spy sent by our enemies and if they were others coming.I didn't know if the couple in the river were even aware of what had happened, considering the fact that they were so engrossed in what they were doing. Now, I was glad that Anders and I weren't the ones in the river.I continued chasing until I finally caught up with the man. The arrow I shot at him had only pricked the back of his hand which explained why he could still run but it made him slow and he was bleeding.I kicked his back when I got closer to him and he fell on his face before quickly turning to face me. He begged, "please don't hurt me, I'm in pain already.He was short and in his forties, I suspected that he was a werewolf because of his small stature but I
ZARAAri was under the impression that Anders was stiff, perhaps she was right but I'd never seen him that way so I had to convince her otherwise by telling her about all the sacrifices Anders made for me, even when he was injured. I assured her that Anders was just being cautious but he had a very good heart."Then I guess there's no reason for me to be afraid of him," she replied with a smile.We kept talking into the night until Ariana slept off and shortly after, I followed suit.I instantly opened my eyes when I heard footsteps approaching during the early hours of the morning. I picked up my bow, ready to shoot but relaxed when I saw that it was Anders and behind him was Logan.I smiled at him, "good morning, handsome. You guys took all night."Anders sat beside me and draped his arm around my shoulder, "good morning my love. I'm sorry if you waited up for us. I so badly wanted to be by your side but if we are going to travel together, I need to ensure that Logan can defend hims
ANDERSWe were all happy that we had arrived at the neutral pack but I was apprehensive because I did not know what to expect. I stared at Zara and asked, "are you sure about this?"She nodded and held my hand just as Logan also held Ariana's hand and we began walking toward the gate.When we finally arrived at the gate, we saw an old man covered in a red cloak. He seemed quite fragile and could not stand erect. He was tall though and that made me conclude that he was a lycan.When he saw us about to enter, he slowly got up from where he sat, stretched out his arms to block us from entering, and said, "you cannot go in until I know what you all want." I decided to test him and asked, "is this not a werewolf pack?"He shook his head, "if you are looking for a werewolf pack then I'm afraid you have come to the wrong place. You have to leave. Here in this pack, we are all neutral. We don't take sides so we welcome all peace-loving werewolves and lycans."Logan smiled at him, "Wow!!! The
ANDERSI stared at the gate and back at the monsters who were approaching us and screamed, "run." This was the only solution I could think of, especially because we were outnumbered and it could be worse for Logan and Ariana. We let go of each other's hands to enable us to run faster.I had never run so fast in my entire life and my only relief was the fact that Zara was ahead of me. While she and Ariana were in front, Logan and I were behind, trying to catch up. The lycans also did not make it easier for us, as they chased us as though their lives depended on it. Once we were out of the gate, I thought we had almost gained our freedom, but then I felt a lycan reaching out his hand to stab my back, and turning around, I stabbed him and pushed him back before I continued running. I did not bother to stop or look back until I took a curve and finally arrived at the road. I caught up with Zara and Ariana, who had reached the road first, and I turned to look at the lycans but noticed th
ANDERSI ran to Zara's side and held her in my arms, feeling as though my heart had been ripped off my chest. I took out the arrow from her abdomen and quickly tore out a part of my shirt to tie around her belly.As I wrapped it around her body to stop the bleeding, she said, "I'm... sorry...Anders, I don't think I will make it.""No, you will make it," I said to her while fighting the tears that threatened to pour out of my eyes. "Don't be negative, Zara, you will make it.""Take...me to the waterfalls," she said as her body heaved in pain. "The... antidote is at the waterfalls,....it....is.... guarded by the werewolves."Without thinking twice about my actions, I took off the arrows strapped on Zara's back and left them on the floor as I lifted her off the ground, bridal style, and began to run to the waterfalls. I knew that once anyone was shot with the poisoned arrows if he or she did not get the antidote in time, nothing was going to keep them alive. I could not lose my Zara, I
ANDERSI heard a voice, calling out to me. It was Zara's. She was drowning in an ocean. Her hand reached out to me as she kept calling my name and asking me to save her.I opened my eyes and realized I was in a cave. My memories came back to me in a rush and almost immediately, I began to feel dizzy again. I looked in front and saw the plant that had brought me to the cave. It had the antidote I so badly wanted.My Zara, I could not let her down. I began to move slowly, crawling with my arms while ignoring the pain in my body. I kept moving as my head kept spinning until I finally got to the plant. I reached out my hand and plucked a handful of the leaves, squeezed it, and rubbed it on the part of my body where I had been stabbed. After that, I turned and lay on my back, waiting for my wound to heal. I wasn't a werewolf and that was a disadvantage at this point. It was going to take a long time for me to heal but time was what I did not have because I needed to get to Zara. Also, o
ANDERSI heard someone cough and my eyes instantly shot open. It wasn't me, so I knew it had to be Zara because there was no one else around. I instantly got up and stared at her, she was trying to open her eyes but the rain made it impossible.I quickly checked her pulse and realized she was alive. I opened her wound and saw that she had healed and was no longer bleeding. She turned to look at me and opened her eyes. As she stared at me, I asked, "Can you move?" She nodded and I helped her up from the ground, slowly and carefully. I held her hand as we began walking towards one of the caves. I couldn't let her walk for long because I knew that she was very weak, weaker than I was.It was almost getting dark and we needed cover, so when we saw a cave, we went inside and both laid on the ground.I kept holding onto her hand as we lay with our backs on the floor. She turned and stared at me and I stared at her as well. Tears fell from the corner of her eyes and we kept staring at each
ZAANWe stood—all four of us—at the edge of the cliff; Me, Walker, Zander, and Rey. The past month had been rough initially, but it turned out to be eventful. At first, breathing the same air as Rey seemed impossible, given her ill intentions toward us from the start. However, witnessing her genuine efforts to please everyone and seeing the happiness she brought to my brother, I decided to let go of my resentment and be free.However, that did not mean I would turn my back on her. I remained wary, just as I would be with any untrustworthy person. My mom had also become more accommodating. She occasionally smiled at Rey and engaged in conversations, but I knew her watchful eyes never left her. Rey was aware of it too. The pack had come to accept that she was likely to be the next Luna. She was my brother's love, and thanks to her, he had become more lively, socializing more and spending less time sleeping.Carter had also changed since his fight with Walker. Realizing he was no matc
ZANDERSeeing Rey so injured and bleeding, broke my heart completely. I didn't know who was attacking us or why, but something occurred to me. Perhaps these were enemies who had been lying in wait for me.Over the years, a few had actually attempted to come against us, but they always waited along the roads. So either these were sent by someone who knew that I was leaving, or they had been keeping watch over us.It was an attack, and the fact that they were using arrows meant they were werewolves. As I stared at Rey, I was upset that they did not mind that she was one of their own. Perhaps they saw her as a worthy sacrifice for a great cause, but I wasn't one to let go so easily.I came out of hiding as more arrows were shot at me. I jumped, and all the arrows passed below me. Afterward, I began to crawl on the ground.Seeing I had gotten close, the men who were earlier shooting; who were now close to me but could not see me because I was concealed by the bushes, turned around and wan
WALKERI knew that Carter was going to confront Zaan, and I wasn't wrong. It was better he found out the truth. That way, he would back off and know his place.It was funny hearing him talk about how Zaan was his mate when I had just marked her the night before.If not for the promise I made to Zaan, I would have shown off in front of him. He stomped away angrily, and I walked after him. But I kept a little distance between us. I stood somewhere, watching as he confronted Zaan, and I heard the words he said to her. I shook my head, knowing that his words were the rambling of a man who was angry because he had lost. It wasn't my fault. I was just fortunate that he was too stupid to let go of something as precious as Zaan.After he left, I came out of hiding and walked up to Zaan, but I saw that she was unhappy."What is the problem?" I asked.She ignored me and turned to walk away, but I held her hand and pulled her back."Are you upset with me, Zaan?""Why wouldn't I be? I clearly to
CARTEREver since that night, I threatened Walker, I noticed that Zaan had been avoiding me. The following morning, I walked toward the cliff hoping to talk to her, but then I saw Walker. His eyes were gleaming, and his face held so much joy. I felt sick to my stomach. What was he doing here?If anyone was allowed to be there, it was me because I had been in this pack for years. The fact that he kept lingering around Zaan made me so upset. I knew what he wanted, but I was convinced that Zaan would never give him the time of day, not when she had such strong feelings for me. So, I wanted to ignore him. However, something surprised me. Zaan's scent was all over his body. It was so strong, as though she was the one standing in front of me.This could only mean one thing. As I realized what had happened, I rushed toward him, grabbed him by his collar, and pushed him to the ground."Hey, what do you think you're doing?" he asked, getting up. "You know you're lucky fights are not allowed h
ZANDERAfter my mom left, I kept hiding but continued staring at Rey as she conversed with the man whom I believed was her father. The way he treated her, though, and the fact that she did not react to his actions, showed she had a lot of respect for him. I kept clenching my fists in anger.When he finally turned and walked through the gates of the pack, I realized Rey was crying. I came out of hiding and walked toward her, and right at that moment, she turned. When she saw me, I could see the surprise and fear in her eyes. She stood for a while, staring at me in shock.I thought about what my mom had said. The best punishment at this point was to take her life. That was what she deserved, and that was what was expected of me.She remained rooted where she stood and couldn't take another step while tears kept falling from her eyes. But I walked toward her slowly until I was standing a few inches away from her. I stared at her for a while before grabbing her neck with my hand as though
REINAEver since that first night, I spent in Zander's room, something in me changed. I became a different person. Not that I had become a saint overnight, but I had become someone who genuinely loved Zander. Each moment I stared at him, I convinced myself that I would not be able to part from him, much less be the cause of his demise. He was patient, kind, loving, and everything wonderful I never thought I would find in a man. What were the chances that if I successfully destroyed this pack, I would be able to live with myself? No, if I destroyed the pack, how would I be with Zander? And if I destroyed Zander, how would I live?I had fallen head over heels in love with him. I was a hopeless case. There was a way he stared at me sometimes as though he had something to say. Other times, he looked at me with so much love and so much faith. I could not imagine ruining the faith he had in me.I soon became scared. Each time I was outside, I would look around the pack. I would see the ch
ZANDEREver since my mom exposed Rey to me, my life had not been the same. I was constantly thinking about it, wishing and hoping that somewhere there was a mistake. Each time I looked at Rey, her eyes held so much love for me. She spent most of her time by my side, and at night she was always in my room.Sometimes, I was tempted to get upset at her for playing me for a fool and treat her the way I thought she deserved. But I couldn't bring myself to do so. I didn't know why I loved her so much despite knowing her for such a short time. I was restless, and it kept eating at me.There were times when I would make eye contact with my sister when addressing the warriors, with Rey by my side. From the look on Zaan's face, I would know what she was thinking. There were other times too when I made eye contact with my mom, who always had her eyes on Rey. I knew what she was thinking as well.Though my mom had told me not to expose anything to Rey, I kept my eyes on her. Not because I wanted
WALKERFor the first time in my life, I felt as though the universe was within my reach and I could grab it and give myself the life of my dreams. This was all possible because of Zaan. Her confession made me feel on top of the world, although there was turmoil in my heart. It made me believe that this moment was surreal; somehow, it felt like a dream.Zaan had just met me, so her confession that she also loved me was a miracle. Yes, I had come after her with hopes that she would accept my proposal, but hearing her admit everything without holding back, I didn't know how to react. I wanted to be sure that this moment was real. I held her cheeks and said, "Look into my eyes, Zaan, and tell me that you aren't joking. This isn't a plan or a trick, right? Do you truly love me just as you've said?"She smiled, "Will I joke about something as important as this? This is how I feel.""So, for how long have you felt this way?" I asked, still not believing it."Well, ever since I realized th
CARTERI knew what Walker was up to and it scared me. I loved Zaan, more than I could imagine and I hated myself for pushing her away from me. At the time, I had not realized how deep my feelings for her ran. Also, I had been under the impression that Zaan was madly in love with me but did not know how to back down when she needed to.Now I had to compete for her attention. Walker wanted her and as a man, I could tell. I was threatened by the fact that Zaan seemed to have a soft spot for him. This was evident in the way she gave him preferential treatment.I had been searching for her for a while, only to see her coming out from the direction of the unclean river and Walker did the same almost immediately.It was at this point I decided to have a conversation with Walker but he was too arrogant for his own good. I was merely marking my territory but a rookie like him dared to disrespect me. He was about to learn how things really worked around here.I watched him walk away and had a