CherieMy heart is sitting in my throat, my nerves are coiled tight and I am a sweaty mess. The sun has just set, so the sky is giving off a beautiful mix of orange and purple colors peeking through the forest.Creed decided to change tradition and have our Claiming Ceremony here at Caterina’s Forest, something that both surprised me and warmed my heart. Last night with the other Volkova women was something I’ll never forget. They made both me and Rebecca feel like we were a part of the family. Nova and Rebecca hit it off well, seeing as she’s a Seelie, and Nova never encountered that specific supernatural species before. They promised to stay in touch even when Rebecca gets married.Creed opens the SUV door for me and takes my hand, lacing them together. I can hear his erratic heartbeat as it beats in time with mine and I know he’s just as nervous as I am. Which is odd… because I don’t know Creed to be nervous.“How are your feet?” he asks as we walk towards our family waiting for u
CherieHow can happiness be so fleeting? From being happy and content one second, to terrified the next.The beast in front of me snarls, its golden eyes pinning me with a look that sends bile rising up to my throat. I don’t know how one would describe the scent of death perfectly, but this monster is the embodiment of the word.It’s incredibly taller, even taller than Creed or Alpha Kai, covered in black fur, and standing on two legs. With claws the size of a grown man’s full hand, sickly yellow eyes, and scars littered all over its body, I know this is Creed’s Lycan.With Creed’s warning to run, I call on Zhen and shift before running away. The beast isn’t following me, which is a win but why is it here?!/“We need to warn the others, Zhen!”/ I cry out. /“He’s coming for us!”//“Cherie?”/ Alpha Kai’s voice sounds in my head. /“What is going… FUCK! Did Creed shift into his Lycan form?”//“Yes! He looked terrified when it happened!”/ I exclaim. /“He screamed out for me to run before t
CreedA sob rips through my body and I fall to my knees, feeling the pain of the stones on my skin. The earth is soaked with blood, the blood of my father, and I know I am the cause of it. They knew I would lose control of Haze and took advantage of it.I look down at the still-warm liquid coating my hands and forearms and I turn my head to the side. My eyes fall on my father’s body and I clamber over to it, taking it in my hands and feeling absolutely empty as I hold him.“Nooooo! PAPPA!” I roar, unable to believe what I have done. His body is still warm and his scent is still the same… but there’s no life in his eyes. “No! This can’t be true! What needed to happen?! Why didn’t you fight back?!”My father could have easily overpowered Haze at that moment, even with Luka holding him back. So what was that all about? Why would he allow Marle and her plans to win?! Nothing makes sense to me!/“What is going on?”/ Haze growls in my subconscious. /“Why can’t I gain control of your body, i
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. The five stages of grief are usually an ongoing journey, but I feel like I have gone through it all in one day. That unbelievable pain I felt yesterday has lessened, and I think it had to do with the dream I have just woken up from. I saw my mother meeting my father after his death. He was so happy to see her that he broke down in her arms and sobbed. As it turned out, the reason he didn’t Ascend with her was that the Volkov Transfer of Power needed to happen. It is an age-old Volkov tradition where the next Alpha in line needs to devour the heart of the previous Alpha. He didn’t want to put his children through that but knew it needed to be done. Somehow he knew if I did it, that our combined strength would force Haze’s submission. So he let the enemy think they won, and in turn, it weeded out Luka’s betrayal. I didn’t expect to wake up with a clear head this morning, but a sense of peace invaded my heart even as a tear slipped
The cries of my family stills my heart even as it’s ripped from my chest, but I’ve known for the longest time this is what’s needed. Without the Volkov Transfer of Power, Creed would remain at the mercy of this beast and its anger… and with everything that comes with my family, a sacrifice is needed.Pain blooms as I look up into the eyes of the beast who has controlled so much of my son’s life. He’s the reason Creed has hated himself for the longest time, and now his greed will be his downfall.Then sweet darkness pulls me under and the last thing I see is the tear-filled blue eyes of my only son. But the blissful smile on my face remains as serenity courses through me, knowing that my pack is in good hands.I hear the gentle trickling of a stream and open my eyes to a beautiful, cloudless day. The sounds of the forest echo around me, and I smell the Spring scent on the breeze. A smile curves on my lips as I realize where I am.How long have I been laying down here for, I wonder? Mon
RebeccaWhen I arrived in New York dead set on taking down Sage Volkov, I didn’t expect this plot twist to reveal itself to me. Apart from Sage taking everything I have ever held dear, now I am forced to take him back to my home.I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to rely on him for a darn thing, but since he let me speak to my mother and I know my Court is safe… Let's just say things have changed.Now I’m stuck on this fancy private jet on my way to New Orleans and hoping he isn’t hiding something from me.“Once we get there, we can take an SUV to your lands,” he says with his head down staring at his cell phone. “Unless you need to make a stop first.”“Heading there first sounds good. The less time I’m stuck with you, the better,” I say and catch the smirk on his face at my words.“Please, you love spending time with me, I can tell,” he says in a voice dripping with sarcasm.“I love spending time with you as much as I love swallowing glass, don’t get ahead of yourself, Heartless,” I
SageHow can a drop in her demeanor affect me so much? Throughout this entire trip, she had a sunny attitude even as she tried to hate me but mention her fucking Prince and she visibly deflates?I clench my fists at my sides. This woman is testing me and as much as I like her fight when I win our banters, I hate seeing her like this. Again, she’s making me feel shit I am not equipped to deal with - years later and she still has a hold over me.“Just through here,” she announces as we come to a large oak tree. She removes the key from her little backpack and holds it out before murmuring something that sounds like Gaelic. I step back and my eyes widen when I see the tree literally splitting in half to reveal an intricately decorated door. The words on the door seem to be in a language that I can’t understand and as I read the letters, my heartbeat picks up.So much so that I drop to one knee while clenching my chest and groaning. Rebecca turns around when she hears the sound and a loo
SageLast night I had the same dream I had after I walked out of Volkov forest stripped of my emotions. It had the same beautiful dark-haired woman luring me back to the forest, only to fuck me senseless. She told me I belonged to her, that everything I was doing was for her and I believed her. It was the first time in years I woke up hard as a fucking rock with no relief to be found. I still don’t know who this woman is or why she says I’m hers. “So, what exactly made you so heartless?” Rebecca asks on our third day of nothing, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glance up at her as I page through a spell book. “When you say heartless, what exactly do you mean?” I know exactly what she means, but I want to hear her say it.She closes the drawer she’d been rifling through and breathes out a sigh before leaning back in the chair. “You; everything that you are. Everyone who has met you says the exact same thing. You’re cold, nonchalant, you don’t care about anyone else but yourself-”“
Rebecca As I stood before the full-length mirror in my ornate, flowing golden bridal gown, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. Today was the day I was supposed to marry the man I had been arranged to marry to strengthen the bonds between our kind. But my heart was heavy with the knowledge that I was in love with someone else – Sage. Sage was everything the Fae Prince was not was not, and I still loved him. The Prince, Alexandr, was kind, gentle, and had a heart that overflowed with love; Sage was rough, selfish, and had a heart of ice. But ask me which one I’d gladly be with and I’ll still tell you it’s Sage Volkov. I had grown up knowing Alexandr, and over the years, we had grown close because of mutual acquaintances. We had shared our hopes and dreams, and actually made a pact to marry one day. It was a joke back then. Now, neither of us wanted this because even as we’re betrothed, we’re both in love with other people. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I could feel
SageI sat alone in my dimly lit penthouse office, staring blankly at the empty space in front of me while nursing a tumbler of bourbon. The only sound that could be heard was the faint ticking of the clock on the wall, marking each passing second as if to remind me of the time that had slipped away from me.I thought admitting my feelings to her would do it. I thought being honest and open would get me the one I wanted, but it turns out all it did was push her further away.It had only been a few days since I had confessed my true feelings to Rebecca, and yet it felt like an eternity. The words had spilled out of me before I could even fully comprehend them, fueled by the overwhelming emotion that had been building up inside of me since I met her.After Uncle Kai’s death, I realized that if something were to happen to me, then I would be gone without admitting how I felt about her. That I’d be gone, and she’d still hate me. She would go on thinking I never had true feelings for her w
RebeccaI’m standing in the ‘what the actual fuck’ aftermath of what I’ve just witnessed. Cherie and Creed had the most beautiful ceremony I have ever witnessed, then it was time for them to claim each other and all hell broke loose.Now I’m walking shell-shocked, back to my car, my body trembling and my heart beating painfully against my ribcage. Creed killed his father while in his Lycan form, but it looked like he wasn’t himself when he did it. I felt like I was intruding, so I didn’t get any closer to the family’s shared grief. The last week or so has been hell for me. From resettling my Court closer to New York, to my mother attempting to marry me off to the coward prince. I know that I cannot have a say in who I marry because I come from Seelie royalty, but I’ve managed to talk to another Fae I am familiar with, and settled to marry him instead.My mother isn’t talking to me at the moment because she thinks it’s a mistake, but our Court has shrunk because she only wants pureblo
SageI met my mate the day I could finally feel emotions again…and yet Rebecca still has a more significant pull on me. It has led me to question if the Mate Bond is absolute or just something the Goddess has ingrained in you.After I left the estate a few days ago, I made arrangements for Rebecca and her Court to go home and now I’m on my way into town to meet Isabella, my mate. Creed’s Claiming Ceremony is in two days' time and I have something I need to discuss with him later on.Being back home with my emotions intact doesn’t feel any different, to be honest. Yeah, I can feel my parents’ love for me and I adore my little sister. But I think I’ve been dead inside for too long that I can’t be different, no matter how I try.It’s almost as if going through all that shit was for nothing.Sighing, I pull into my designated parking and walk inside the restaurant. Isabella turned out to be an established model and fashion designer, someone old Sage would have loved to have as a mate. Bu
RebeccaHeartless.How could I forget that was my nickname for him? After swallowing my pride and literally begging him to reconsider, he brushes me off like I am nothing. As if I didn’t need more proof that it was a mistake.Fucking me out of his system? Is that what he wants to call it? I doubt he treated other women the way he treated me, but then again, who am I to say that? Yes, it was a mistake. A giant, annoying mistake. “You seem pretty adamant to get your emotions back when heartlessness suits you just fine,” I say with a shrug. “Won’t having a conscience ruin your whole image?”Sage scoffs. “When you concealed the mark on my heart, did I seem different to you?”“No?” I say with a frown, only to see him smirk.“I had my emotions back then and yet I was still a cold, heartless Sage,” he says, chuckling. “I think I’ll be fine, Princess, no need to worry about me.”For the third time today, I have the fight knocked out of me and I am rendered speechless. Why do I keep thinking
RebeccaI’m in my shower, staring at the tiled wall and trying to figure out if I’ve hallucinated the entire day. From sleeping with Sage to him literally worshipping my body and in the next few minutes, I’m speaking to my mother. Yeah, I definitely think I’m dreaming.From everything Sage has told me, the only reason he’s emotionless is because of the Unseelie Queen’s mark on his heart. If my mother has a spell or enchantment that can remove that, then Sage should be back to… uhm, normal, I guess?But then what happens after that? When my mother comes back, she won’t want me anywhere near Sage. When I acted nonchalant with him about our future, I was pretending because I didn’t want to face what was shoved right in front of me.Not only that, but Sage has a mate out there somewhere. I’ll always be looking over my shoulder, waiting for the day he has a Mate Bond Sighting.I’ll never be the one his Goddess chose; the other half of his soul.Argh, I shouldn’t be so negative. Who says S
Sage The one thing I’ve wanted since I woke up with Rebecca missing that morning, has now happened. She has no idea how fucking beautiful she looks when she comes apart for me, how gorgeous her complete submission is. And this time she was the one who begged me to take her. She’s fast asleep in my arms; right in the middle of the morning after our first time together in years. Just being with her right now, even without the cloaking spell, I feel lighter than I ever have before. I don’t know if this is the answer to my problem, but I think I need to have a talk with her about it. She’s not my mate, I know this. But she’s the only one who makes me feel while I’m this heartless fucker, so that has to mean something, right? Even without that cloaking spell, she makes me FEEL. “Hmmm,” she groans, stirring in my arms and snuggling into my chest. “I’m dreaming, right?” “Did your dream include being thoroughly fucked?” I ask with a grin and know she’s rolling her eyes at me right now
Rebecca Six days in the presence of Sir Heartless and I’m about to have a hissy fit. How long can it possibly take to find whatever it is he’s looking for? We’ve scoured the place every single day, and there’s nothing!Not only am I frustrated, but it seems as if being around me has made him cockier than before. Last night was the worst of it, he kept on pushing my buttons and making me flustered.I watch as he walks towards the front door, ready for another day of nothing. But as he picks up the SUV keys, I rush forward, turn to face him, and place my hand on his heart.“I’ve had enough of this,” I say, before reversing the cloaking spell on the Unseelie Queen’s mark. He looks up at me in horror and I scoff because I knew something was up with him after our first day together. It started with the look in his eyes, down to his mannerisms and teasing. Old Sage would never just tease for the sake of it, he'd do it to get a rise out of me.And he’d do it all with an impassive look on h
SageLast night I had the same dream I had after I walked out of Volkov forest stripped of my emotions. It had the same beautiful dark-haired woman luring me back to the forest, only to fuck me senseless. She told me I belonged to her, that everything I was doing was for her and I believed her. It was the first time in years I woke up hard as a fucking rock with no relief to be found. I still don’t know who this woman is or why she says I’m hers. “So, what exactly made you so heartless?” Rebecca asks on our third day of nothing, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glance up at her as I page through a spell book. “When you say heartless, what exactly do you mean?” I know exactly what she means, but I want to hear her say it.She closes the drawer she’d been rifling through and breathes out a sigh before leaning back in the chair. “You; everything that you are. Everyone who has met you says the exact same thing. You’re cold, nonchalant, you don’t care about anyone else but yourself-”“