The journey back is uneventful. Isaac is oddly quiet. I mull over the words that Felice said before we left. “He is not bad…his curse…as I said earlier, it can be broken with the birth of your child, but for your sake and for your child’s, stay alert.” Why was she warning us so many times? My hand rests on my stomach subconsciously. Astrid hasn’t commented on anything. She has oddly remained quiet for the whole time. ‘What are you thinking?’ I ask her. ‘We should stay away from Isaac for a while.’ The answer is so surprising that I gasp. Isaac immediately turns to look at me, his eyebrows furrowed. “What happened? Are you okay?” I stare at him, taken aback because this is the first time or maybe after a long time, he has shown genuine concern. I nod jerkily and avert my gaze. ‘Why?’ I can’t help but ask. ‘We need to protect our pup. He is safe but people around him aren't. If we are carrying a solution to this curse then we will definitely be attacked.’ I let out a sigh b
I don’t know how long I stand there in the middle of the cabin, staring at Isaac’s retreating figure. He doesn’t even turn to look back. He simply… leaves. I place a trembling hand on my flat stomach while I ignore Astrid’s whines — pitiful and painful. I look around and spot a couch towards which I sway and manage to sit down. ‘Did we just…get abandoned, Astrid?’ I ask my wolf. My voice, even in my head sounds numb and shaky. ‘No… no, he said he will come back,’ Astrid replies although she doesn’t sound reassuring. I chuckle bitterly at our fate. First by the pack where I was born and now by my supposed mate. Suddenly, I feel too tired to even stand up from the couch. ~~~ My eyes open to a dark house. At first, I feel confused before I realise that it’s not the usual room where I used to be but a cabin which apparently is Isaac’s ‘haven’. I sit up never having realised when I fell asleep out of exhaustion. I stand up when my stomach growls. Right, no one is here to prepare food. I
I welcome the rough kisses that he cascades down my neck, the nips and nibbles that he bestows upon the heated and sweaty skin between these open-mouthed kisses. His hands are clamped on my hips, pinning me to place while my legs are loosely wrapped around his waist. The deep anguish I had felt earlier has begun to ebb away slowly. One of his hands skims up my thigh and rests lightly on the hip. The claws rake my skin, not hard enough to mark but make his beast’s presence known. My heart has been rabbiting ever since we tumbled in bed, whether out of this pleasant surprise or the fact that my mind and heart were working in sync, I don’t know. “I like this look, you in my clothes. Were you waiting for me, baby?” he murmurs against the skin just above my collarbone. I let out a breathy sigh. “Not…. really.” Isaac lazily hums as if he is not convinced. He seems rough yet gentle tonight and this change somehow throws me off-kilter. I will not say that I enjoyed or loved to hear him refe
I wake up feeling queasy in the stomach and a thudding heartbeat. When I stir under the blankets, I almost think with a sinking heart that last night’s rendezvous was perhaps just a dream, a delusion of my bereft mind. But then, I feel the telltale twinge between my legs, the sore ache in my lower back and the tingling of my mating mark. It wasn’t. The thudding in my chest calms slowly, and a relieved smile etches on my lips but it doesn’t remain for long as the nauseous feeling overtakes. I am forced to sit up, my world tilting for a moment from a sudden dizzy spell before I manage to get off the bed on somewhat shaky legs. Astrid and I both want our mate to be by our side, but for some reason, he is neither in the bedroom nor outside. I can’t feel his presence. Pushing back the sinking feeling, I stumble my way to the ensuite bathroom. As I am heaving on the toilet bowl, feeling bile and water force their way up my throat, a soothing arm wraps around my shoulder while another twist
Astrid begins to feel anxious when Isaac doesn’t turn up after two hours. He had said that he would be back soon, but his definition of soon seemed to differ a lot from mine. I glare at the soup I was stirring. But the telltale signs of tears make me even angrier at myself. I caress my belly absent-mindedly. Did he go back and lied to me? The very thought makes my throat feel tight. I turn off the heat when the soup starts bubbling and cover the lid before returning to my room. The house feels eerie again. My gaze wanders out of the window but I see no figure in the distance. The weather is humid and annoying. I trudge back to the room but before I can enter, I hear the rustling of leaves. Astrid becomes alert and so do I. I get a familiar floral scent which relaxes me at once. I whirl around and walk back to the living area. A smile curls on my lips. “Clarissa?” I am surprised and happy to see her. She smiles back. “How are you?” I notice the small backpack she is carrying.
I should have been wary of the good things coming my way because, with my rotten luck, I have never been able to hold happiness back. Ever since I have met Astrid, my good luck has been eclipsed, not that I blame her. I just blame society. One moment I had been asleep in my mate’s arms and the next I found myself alone. Still disoriented, I struggle to sit up. I feel frantic when I find the bedroom door closed. ‘Astrid…what’s wrong?’ ‘Mate is protecting us,’ she whispers, but she sounds scared. With a rabbeting heartbeat as I call out for Isaac, but he doesn’t answer. The screams echo again, piercing the silence of the night. I manage to stand up, but before I am halfway across the room the door opens. Isaac appears in front of me. He is heaving, and bloody and has taken his half-bestial form. His golden and silver eyes tell me that both his wolves are equally in control. He is in his Enigma form. “Isaac…” I whisper, my heart lodged in my throat, too scared to raise my voice.
~Five years later…“Isleen, what has mama told you?” My five-year-old peers at me sheepishly before hurriedly lowering her gaze. “Not to show my powers to anyone,” she mumbles. I can see her bottom lip wobble and it makes my chest constrict. I sign and pick her up in my arms. She immediately wounds her arms around my neck and her tiny feet latch around my hips. I tuck away the wisps of blonde hair from her forehead. “It’s not bad to help a friend, but you know we can’t just heal anyone all of a sudden.” “But mama… Taylor was hurt and he is my best friend,” she whines. I sigh. I am glad to be gifted with such a compassionate soul, but sometimes I can’t help but think if she would pay heed to my instruction. “Is our grizzly bear giving a hard time to her mama?” I turn and smile when Caius walks in. He has changed over the years. His earlier reputation of being a ruthless and cunning alpha has now changed, the edges have softened. Many think it is because he has yet to find his mate,
Astrid growls at the back of my mind. My heart stutters at the sight of him. He is in his human form, looking as healthy and strong as an alpha of his fame would. My gaze drags from his coiffed hair to his neatly trimmed stubble, to his expensive-looking casual clothes. My eyes finally settled on his face, impassive as ever. He has been doing well it seems and that makes the hurt and anger churn even more inside my chest. “What brings you here, Alpha Isaac?” I ask, thankful that my voice had not wavered. My gaze wanders past his shoulder and into the house. I don’t hear or see Isleen. I guess Caius or Harmony has handled that matter. “How have you been?” he asks instead of answering. His voice sounds slightly raspy like it did when he used to stay in his human form despite his beasts trying to take the reins. The grip on the strap of my tote bag tightens. “How do I look?” I can’t bother to keep the venom from my tone because why should I? His gaze softens. His expression chang
[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