The mildly spicy soup tasted bland. My fever had subsided and my heat was over. It’s been a few days since I saw the outside world and today, I planned to step my foot outside this room. Astrid has been anxious the whole time. The pills helped and sometimes, I tried to self-heal, but my mental health was going down the drain. My thoughts kept wandering back to what Clarissa said that day. Even though she had apologized that evening for saying something out of line, but I knew she wasn’t lying.
“Is the soup not to your liking, Luna?” Clarissa pulled me out of my reverie. I looked up, the spoon fell into the bowl, splashing a few drops of soup on my face. Her eyes widened and she hurriedly went to wipe them away. I blinked but didn’t say anything immediately.“No it’s good,” I murmured after taking another spoonful and gulping it. This was my favorite soup, made just the way I liked. I was astounded to find Clarissa had managedI was feeling proud of my wolf and sad at the same time. Whatever I have studied in my high school days about our culture and origin, I’ve always somehow felt bad for the animals. They are attached to us, literally, becoming a part of us from who they can’t separate even if they might want to at some point. We humans are so fucked up that while we do not have our shits together, they care about finding their mates. As we trotted down the forest trail, I could feel Astrid’s pain because we are one, aren’t we? This she-wolf has longed to be accepted by her mate. But what happens? She gets me as her human counterpart. ‘I have never regretted our bond, Kat,’ she murmurs. She has matured within a span of a few years. From father’s retort and mother’s stinging comments to our sister’s showing off her perfect life, Astrid ha
[Isaac] It is because I find it so hard to control my desires. It is because I find it so difficult to keep Clement from infusing and taking over partially. It is because I find her attractive. It is because I don't know how else to react. I told myself, my elf….maybe convinced ourselves to believe these things. Otherwise, I know I will allow in self-pity and feed that wench’s ego and happiness. I am a rotten creature inside out. I don’t know how to be civil, don’t know how to react any other way, so I react rashly. I spew out venomous words that are bound to hurt the other like I did to Kathryn just now. Had Clement not stopped me, I would have said far worse things. I could feel her tears as our lips meshed together, I pressed her into the bed and she didn’t protest. I could feel that somewhere between living here and trying to survive, she had lost the figh
My eyes cracked open and an instant regret washed over my sore and tired body. I stared at the ceiling for some time, mulling over my shamelessness and desperation that a certain Alpha….no Enigma managed to bring out of me. The emotions that swirled like a storm and rattled the bones in my body were familiar, too familiar for my liking. I hated myself for giving in to my primal needs and tried to make peace with it because that is what I would be for the rest of my life. I sighed, feeling a clench in my chest. A wayward glance out of the window made me realize that dusk had already rolled in. I felt like crying but I couldn’t cry. I sat up, the sheets rustled, falling from my naked chest and pooling around my waist. As expected, Isaac was gone like I was a mistress and after every passionate meeting, he leaves and returns to his wife. A bitter chuckle bubbled up my throat. I shook my
When I came to a safe distance, near but not so near that anyone could recognize my wolf, I changed back. The patrol guards strolled from one corner of the border to another. I took in a shuddering breath. Being an alpha came handy sometimes because we didn’t have to discard our clothes or belongings inside them. They just….stayed. How or why? That was a question even people researching werewolves couldn’t answer. I fished out my phone to find several missed calls from Marcus. I turned it off completely and pushed it back into my back pocket. I walked towards the border, unbothered and unafraid. My footsteps alerted the guards. One immediately took a menacing stance before he sniffed the air and as if a switch had been flipped he bared his throat. It was really funny how they showed respect when I know all they would like is to kill me or hurt me. I could sense their anger and warring emotions - a disadvantage when it came to being a white wolf Healer. “I would like t
My back straightened at the mention of the curse. So far, only Georgi had addressed it directly and Helen had almost alluded to it but had never elaborated about it. “Curse?” Sierra’s lips stretched into a wider curve, her eyes, however, glinted with sickening satisfaction. She leaned back on the sofa, folded her hands and regarded me for some time. This stance of hers irritated me to no end. Any and every sympathy for this woman and her son evaporated at that moment. This woman…still trying to hold on to the beauty she might have once possessed with the terrible makeup skills and trying to pretend to be a proud Luna at the same time made my skin crawl. I restrained myself from commenting on these things and waited patiently. My hands rested on the lap, fingers digging into my palms as she let the silence stretch like rubber. “If… you don’t have to say anything about the curse-” “Every Alpha of the Renaud pack is bestowed with this curse,” she said, completely ignoring my earlier
The next morning, Clarissa didn’t mention our conversation and neither did I. We made a silent agreement to not talk about it. Somehow I felt that this whole pack has a murky history that no one really likes to talk about. I have not met the Elders of this pack, which is kind of odd because Elders usually don’t leave away, but I haven’t come across a single one. I finished my breakfast quickly and headed downstairs. Marcus was as usual in the office. I’ve never seen him outside this room, ever. Maybe because he has to do most of the work. Today, however, I saw James as well. We exchanged formal greetings before he left. Marcus shot me a pointed look. He was quickly becoming annoyed at my presence, no longer trying to be formally polite. It didn’t bother me though. I took a seat in the one that James had occupied. “I m
He didn’t wait around. He left, his bestial side taking rein as he leapt out of the window. I stared at the window, preoccupied with other thoughts. Was… Isaac ready to share his secrets? Was he ready to tell me about…his condition? I was confused and shaken. What Janet said…I looked at my belly. My heart pounded as I put a trembling hand over my flat stomach. A child? My child… mine and… Isaac’s. I let out a shaky breath and gazed at the stack of books kept on the coffee table. I slowly went to sit on the sofa, on the spot where he was sitting some time ago. I stared at the first book. A yellowed cover, almost a few decades old, lay inconspicuously on top of the other books. I should divert my mind. What if Janet’s vision is wrong? I have never met an oracle until today, but I have heard that not everything they say is written in stone. Having nothing better to do or think about, I picked up the first book titled ‘Renaud pack’s Rise and Fall’ which was written by Al Mauvin. ~~
“Whether I treat you like a plaything or as my mate, is something I get to decide, pet,” he murmured. I shivered at the use of a new nickname. It took some time for my mind to register his words. However, he did not stop. His lips skimmed down the length of my throat, grazing over the mark. The cool surface of the wooden table created goosebumps on my rapidly cooling but still scorched and sweat-drenched skin. My breath hitched as his lips made a downward trek, nipping my left collarbone where I already knew a bruise was forming. I bit back a whimper when his tongue flicked my over sensitive nipple. But my restraint must have not been up to his liking because I screamed when he harshly bit the nub and took it in his mouth. It was hours ago when I had sneered at him for treating me like that, which made him angry. He took me against the shelves and then on the desk. His furs had sprouted, but he was still somewhat human. “Isaac,” I moaned. I tried to push him away because the sens
[Kathryn]“Do not exert yourself. Keep letting Isleen heal you a little every day,” Ayeshna says sternly as the three of us sit in her small chamber. She briefly smiles at Isleen before flickering her gaze at Isaac. “And Alpha Isaac, since you have more than one wolf and one of them is severely weak, try to get into fewer fights and don’t even try to transform into either wolf for at least a month. As the Shadow Pack’s doctor and Kathryn’s former colleague, I wouldn’t want you to bring my name down.” Although the last words were said in jest, Isaac nods somberly. He has been like that, a lot milder than he used to be. “He will, doc,” Isleen chirps from where she perches on her father’s lap. Although she was big enough now, to Isaac, she was his pup whom he wanted to spoil and indulge, giving her whatever he couldn’t for the past five years. Isaac lightly tickles her before pecking at the top of her head. Isleen giggles delightfully, but doesn’t squirm out of his hold. My lips tip u
[Kathryn]I watch, bewildered, as Isleen begins the healing process. Isaac tries to move his hand, but her grip only tightens. “Honey-” I try to protest because she is still so weak. She can barely keep her eyes open. Isaac glances at me, panicked. What if we lose her in the process? Astrid whines woefully, “Can’t…” Isleen mumbles as she places her free hand on top of Isaac’s.“I am sure Clement will hold out till you get well, sweetheart,” Isaac says softly, but I can hear the desperation in his tone. I need to think fast because Isleen is hellbent on saving Clement. “Honey… I.. I am like you. Mom can heal as well. Let me heal papa for the while and when you get better, you can do the rest,” I babble, hoping she will give in. I can heal him, but Isleen is already stronger as a healer. She can sense wolves, and locate injuries better than I did at her age. Hell, I didn’t even know I was a white wolf. Isleen is far more mature for her age, smarter and wiser, and I am not even being
[Isaac]When I woke up, the first thing I felt was a deep, yawning, and painful emptiness, and Dyson’s mourning silence. For a moment, I had thought that I was back in the past where one of my wolves was subdued, so much so that I had initially thought that he was gone for good, but then I remembered the events, of me killing that witch, of her revealing the deadly curse breaker that she had formulated, and then Clement….Kathryn….Her and Isleen’s thoughts made me stumble out of bed, rip the IV off my arm and stagger out of the unfamiliar room into an even more unfamiliar corridor. When I managed to find my mate’s room-“What the fuck are you doing out here? Go back and take a rest,” I heard the voice of the man I did not want to at the moment.Caius Tenebris.It was when I saw Caius, my restraint almost snapped. I almost pounced on him, and would have probably fought at the sight of him in my mate’s room, had Harmony and the doctor not intervened. “Calm down, Isaac. You are injured
[Kathryn]‘Kathy, wake up,’ Astrid’s voice fills my mind but it sounds distant still. ‘You need to wake up,’ she says again. Why does she sound so…hurt?I want to open my eyes but it feels as if I can’t. ‘We are mostly healed. Try and wake up. Please,’ her voice sounds so urgent. I try as she suggested and after some time, my eyes blink open. I am familiar with the white walls, and the sterile smell, but what gnaws at me is the pain and a certain emptiness. My heart stutters as a horrible thought engulfs my mind. “Isaac…” I croak out. “Thank the fucking Goddess,” I hear a familiar voice. I turn towards the source and spot Caius walking up to my bedside, looking tired. “Where’s..?”“Oh stop taking that moron’s name,” he interjects, annoyed, but I don’t miss the worry lines that form at the edges of his lips. I stare at my stomach and notice that it has been bandaged. “What?...” I feel confused because why am I…Oh….The memories gush back as if a floodgate has been opened. Isl
[warning: violence and gore]IsaacWatching Kathryn slowly collapse and her pain lancing through my body is the last straw. Why did I not take a stance before Zephyr harmed my mate? Why did I stand still, like an imbecile, when I should have protected them? I should have taken charge beforehand. But I let the guilt take a backseat as searing pain and anger courses through my body. I lunge towards her, a pained growl ripping through my lips. She collapses in my arms, a dead weight. I don’t dare to remove the dagger, but seeing her so pale and her lips turning blue, I carefully lay her on the floor and then shift my angry gaze towards Zephyr. ‘She deserves to die.’ Clement and Dyson snarl together. They take rein together, combining their powers. Zephyr smirks and steps away from Isleen. “Ah, so you can even transform into both of your wolves now.”It’s a struggle to keep them both in charge. I pounce at her but she teleports to another place. “I am here,” she calls from behind. D
KathrynMy blood is pounding in my ears as Felice continues to unravel her true self. When I met the woman, I had never thought that the woman who made Isaac believe that she was a well-wisher scares me. I glance at my mate’s ashened face. Then my gaze flickers to Felice… no Zephyr's lips curve up further. My attention shifts to my daughter, blissfully oblivious to the chaos. Only if Isleen had her wolf. Astrid could communicate. Astrid would find a way, but she is only a child. A gullible child. I blink back the tears that threaten to fall. I can’t show my weakness in front of this witch. I glower at her as she pleasantly looks back, no doubt taking a sadistic pleasure from watching us suffer. Isaac has put up his mental block again so that I can neither feel nor hear his thoughts. I don’t have the capability to keep up mine, not at this time. But I am sure that he is tearing himself apart inwardly and that makes me want to kill this woman this instant.When my gaze flickers back t
IsaacMarcus’ urgent call through mind-link floods in just as I am about to start patrolling. There have been some disconcerting things around the south of the pack and I don’t want my half-brother and step-mother or the former luna to jeopardize anything. ‘Alpha…’Marcus’ distressed tone is enough to alert me. ‘What? Are Kathryn and Isleen alright?’ I ask and I get my answer when I let my mental block down. Kathryn’s turmoil and distress wash over me like an unpleasant sensation. I am already turning and sprinting towards the pack house. “Keep patrolling,” I holler and get a chorus of ‘Yes, alpha’ from behind. ‘Julianne reported that Isleen is missing,’ Marcus informs and I screech to a halt. ‘What?’ I jog towards the residence. I can’t transform into either wolf now because both of them want to take the lead. Kathryn’s distress is transforming into anger slowly and I am sure that if I don’t reach in time then she will wreck havoc. Heck, I want to do the same. But one of us has
KathrynWhen I finally managed to put Isleen to sleep, after promising her a tour of the place the next morning, I slowly closed the door behind me and returned to our room.I halt at the sight of Isaac, changing clothes in the middle of the room. My gaze traces every scar and muscle of his broad back. My heartbeat notches up. This… feels so unfamiliar. “Will you be standing there all night or come to me?” he murmurs. My cheeks feel warm as I lower my gaze and cross the room until I am behind him. I wrap my arms around his midriff as soon as he is done wearing the t-shirt. “What did you want to say?” I murmur against his back. His hands come to join mine. He then turns around without breaking the hold and looks at me. His hands encircle my waist. “I didn’t want to say anything. You were the one who stood a few feet away from me and admired me while I changed for the night.” There’s a smugness in his tone and I am unable to decide whether to be mad or just be happy with the develop
Kathryn I stiffen on hearing the words, spewed out like venom. I stare at Helen, dumbfounded. She looks furious, eyes burning with hatred and disgust. White wolf. The word sounds so dirty that it makes me flinch. “What did you say?” Isaac says, his voice barely audible, but he looks livid. His fingers flex around my waist. The warm and welcoming atmosphere has changed into something frigid and tense. “You will question your mother for her?” Helen points an accusing finger at me. “She is a white wolf and that is a cause of disgust to you? Why? Her wolf’s color is white, mine is black, Marcus' is brown. What does color have to do with how that person or their wolf is?” Isaac bellows. I, on my part, stare at him. My heart seems to be pounding in my ears and my legs feel wobbly. When have I ever hoped or imagined that he, of all people, would defend me/ That he would accept me the way I am. Never. I never expected this from him, I still remember him threatening me for being a