We arrive back in the underground and enter the castle. ‘Tonight, we will celebrate our victory and our official lady of the coven, Lylah.’ Talon shouts. The coven cheers and dissipates to prepare for the celebration. I face Talon, Soren and Nadia. ‘There is something I need to do first before we celebrate. Can you take me down to the crypts?’ I ask them. They give each other a confused and unsure glance. ‘Cedric should celebrate with us.’ I tell them. ‘Lylah,’ Talon says, ‘You know he doesn’t want anyone to see him in this state. You know he has gone mad?’ ‘I know, but I need you to trust me on this.’ I say, my eyes pleading with his. ‘You know you always have my trust. Come on then, let's go down to the crypts.’ Nadia carries a fire torch as we descend through an abundance of stairs and narrow passageways. As I enter the crypt, I gesture for them to wait at the entrance as I slowly approach the shadow in the corner. ‘Cedric.’ I say and watch the shadow flinch. ‘We’ve met befor
In the cold of winter, my breath fogs up the attic. My body shivers and my hands feel numb. I slowly sit up, trying not to make my wounds worse. I stand up and stare at the broken mirror in front of me. I look pitiful. My white dress, not so white anymore, is now covered with grime, dust and dirt. The edges are tattered with the odd rip, and the material has become thinner over time, fraying. My eyes are an unusual bright silver and blue. My hair used to be a white, platinum blonde, but it has been years since I had the luxury of using soap in my hair, so it now looks more like an ash blonde. Freezing, I grab the other piece of clothing I own and wear it over the top. It’s a worn old cardigan with no buttons, holding the front closed with my hands shaking from the cold. The sound of birds outside my window captures my attention. I turn my head to look out the window at the birds hopping around in the fresh snow. It’s beautiful and calming to watch. How I wish I could be like these
Waking up to a pleasant smell of sandalwood and cinnamon, I quickly stand up, comb my hair with my fingers, and straighten out my cardigan to look more presentable. It's mate! You must go to mate now! Storm mind-links excitedly. I know, Storm, I am ready. Let's go! I say to her. Running down the stairs and the hallway, the scent is becoming stronger. It’s leading me towards the high-ranking bedrooms. I’m starting to become nervous and less excited. We have never been in this hallway before. I mind-link Storm. There! That's the room. Mate is in there! Hurry, go in! Storm says. Standing at the large brown wooden door, I was about to knock, then lost my courage, taking a step back. He is in there, go on, knock. Storm encourages me. I'm sorry, Storm, I can't do it! I tell her. I turn to walk away, and the door flings open. My eyes make immediate contact with Alpha Tate’s. 'Mate!' I say out loud in my trance. Hearing a chuckle, a door down, someone was there. 'Are you kidding me?
Alpha Tate rejected us, hurt us! He must be playing with us now! I don't like Alpha Tate, and his wolf Grey always tries to argue with me. Storm mind-links. I know Storm, he can't expect us to run into his arms after how he has treated us all these years, and he rejected us! It's getting dark and colder out here. We should head back to the attic. I say. Trudging my way back to the pack house, I see pack members searching for someone. They must be searching for us. Storm says. I sneak around to the back of the pack house, climb up the lattice onto the roof, and stay low so no one can see me. Above the dining room, I hear Alpha Tate speaking to other people. I crawl closer to the roof's edge to hear through the open window below me. 'I am telling you now. Slave isn't an ordinary wolf. I saw it with my own eyes. Slave has the power to heal,' he says. 'Even if she does have this ability, what are your intentions with her?' Sam asks. 'If she can heal, then we can use her to take ove
Alpha Maximus My Beta and Gamma help chain me up in the dungeon. I sit in a metal chair covered with huge chains. Nathan injects Wolfsbane into my arm, which helps to weaken my Lycan when he takes over. Wolfsbane is a poison used against werewolves and Lycans. It’s one of the few that can weaken us. It’s a purple flower like lavender. It’s banned in most places, but we grow this plant here in Woodford. Our Alchemist, Kayla, creates the potions and medicines for us. I’m the last Lycan alive. Lycans dwindled in number because most never found their mates to keep breeding. It gives my Lycan, Chaos and I the fear that we will never find our mate. Every Full Moon, I lose all control over my Lycan, putting my pack in danger of being killed. The only way to stop me from hurting anyone or killing them is to have myself chained up in the dungeon until the sun rises. Lycans were extremely rare amongst werewolves. We are so strong that one Lycan could take on a few alphas at once, being greatly
The next morning, the sun rises, and I feel nervous and worried about leaving the pack for so long and about not finding her, and having to ret The sun is rising. I feel nervous and worry about the thought of leaving the pack for so long and the thought of not finding my mate. I don’t want to return without her knowing it would be bad for the pack and myself. I struggle to control Chaos as it is. I can't imagine how much worse he would be if we couldn't find her. I need to put my faith in the Moon Goddess. Surely, she doesn't want the Lycan breed to die out? Does she not want me happy? And not just me but my mate? Maybe she has been looking for me and wants me? Or maybe she doesn't want a mate? And that is why we can't find her because she doesn't want to be found or wants a werewolf, not a Lycan? What if she rejects us? Stressing out, I pace back and forth, trying not to panic. 'Alpha, are you okay?' Nathan asks. I look up and snarl. Shit! Chaos! Stop! I yell at him. My eyes ar
Slave Alpha Tate rips the cupboard door off and flings it across the room. He crouches down, staring at me with a stern, angry face. 'And what are you doing hiding in here?' he asks with a devilish smirk. He reaches in to pull me out. I hit him repetitively with my fists. It’s of no effect. Alpha Tate laughs. 'You’re starting to become feisty, little Slave, I see?' he says as he yanks me onto the floor. My body resonates with the sounds of broken bones. I feel the pain in my body. Standing up, I try to run past him, but he grabs the back of my dress, pulling me back. My dress rips, and my back is exposed. 'You’re quite fun to play with,’ he chuckles with evilness. 'Now, I have things I want to discuss with you,’ he says, scooping me up. He carries me to his office, kicking the door shut behind us, and sits in his chair, holding me firmly onto his lap. The hair on my body rises with goosebumps from this unpleasing situation. Alpha Tate grabs my face forcing me to stare at him. We
Alpha Maximus Having spent the last few weeks travelling through every packhouse on the map. I sigh heavily from exhaustion, 'What's the name of the next pack' I ask Nathan. 'Blackwood, we will be there soon, but tomorrow night is a full moon. So I suggest we stay the extra night there to keep Chaos contained.' 'I suppose it's the safest thing to do,’ I say, agreeing with him. As we park the car and step out, we suddenly feel a sense of doom. There’s a dark and eerie feel to the Blackwood territory. Dead trees surround the place, and a storm is brewing beyond it, adding to the eerie darkness. The only sound we can hear is the wind gushing through the trees. The dead branches and trees dance like they are all in a ritual. The dry leaves crumple under our feet as we approach the front door. The packhouse is a black Gothic house with huge windows all around. I can see a white curtain moving. Pack members peek through the window at me. Dried vines cover the house. Nathan and I glance a
We arrive back in the underground and enter the castle. ‘Tonight, we will celebrate our victory and our official lady of the coven, Lylah.’ Talon shouts. The coven cheers and dissipates to prepare for the celebration. I face Talon, Soren and Nadia. ‘There is something I need to do first before we celebrate. Can you take me down to the crypts?’ I ask them. They give each other a confused and unsure glance. ‘Cedric should celebrate with us.’ I tell them. ‘Lylah,’ Talon says, ‘You know he doesn’t want anyone to see him in this state. You know he has gone mad?’ ‘I know, but I need you to trust me on this.’ I say, my eyes pleading with his. ‘You know you always have my trust. Come on then, let's go down to the crypts.’ Nadia carries a fire torch as we descend through an abundance of stairs and narrow passageways. As I enter the crypt, I gesture for them to wait at the entrance as I slowly approach the shadow in the corner. ‘Cedric.’ I say and watch the shadow flinch. ‘We’ve met befor
Talon watches, intrigued, as the werewolves shift into their wolf forms while my father and brothers shift into their Lycans. Talon gestures for me to climb onto his back. I wrap my arms around his neck as he holds my legs. Together with the pack, we run forward for many hours until we meet the coven of vampires awaiting us.‘Lord Talon, Lady Lylah.’ All the vampires say, bowing as they greet us.Nadia and Soren approach and stand by our sides as if to guard us. I look over at my father and nod to indicate we’re ready. We head in the direction of the mountain we last saw Lord Atticus. It becomes dark very suddenly before we even approach the mountain. Hundreds of black whisps whip by us and then circle us. They are extremely fast, and I know exactly what they are. ‘Blood Dwellers.’ I mutter under my breath.‘He’s here!’ Talon shouts, warning everyone.‘I see you brought the entire coven and even the wolves to watch you pledge your allegiance to me, along with my dinner.’ Lord Atticus
‘Alpha Maximus, Luna.’ Talon says to my parents as we face them in the dining hall. ‘We have to put Lord Atticus to an end. Over one hundred years ago, he went on a murderous killing spree. He even killed our father as well as beloved members of our coven.’ ‘Your brother is who’s responsible for all of these deaths? For Micah’s death?’ Theo asks. ‘Unfortunately, yes. He is my brother. We had managed to send him through a portal into an abyss of darkness. Since he freed himself over a year ago, he began where he had left off, continuing to kill and murder whilst growing in strength by feeding off his victims. He knows Lylah is my Blood Flame and, unfortunately, has managed to taste her blood. He would have figured out not long after we escaped from him that the small taste of Lylah’s blood he had, has greatly strengthened him much more than anything else he has ever fed off. Lylah’s blood is unlike anyone else's. Just one cut, one drop, can send any vampire within a distance into a Bl
My breath catches, and I realise at this moment how much I truly care for Lord Talon, that I’ve fallen for him so hard, like ocean waves crashing into rocks. Like lightning that has struck the ground. Like the sound of thunder that ripples through your body. I’m in love with Lord Talon. I place my forehead against his and use my free hand to cup his cheek. We breathe heavily in unison as a sense of overwhelming love and desire takes over us.My walls come crashing down, and my lips slam into his with a fiery passion. My lips coax his open, and our tongues entwine and dance as if they were meant to be.We gasp for air as we part, and I pull Lord Talon’s shirt from over his head and toss it. Our hands explore every inch of each other as we kiss again. I straddle his lap and begin to undo his belt as he pulls the laces undone on the back of my dress and yanks it down, exposing my breasts.Now, completely naked, we both pause with our foreheads touching, taking in as much of each other as
I arrive at a set of stone steps that lead to nothing but a dark dead end. I feel the ceiling and realise it’s a large paver. Using all my strength, I push it open and climb out. I look around and see I’m in a very old graveyard. I know where I am. I saw it on the map. I run east toward the mountain where Lord Atticus awaits Lord Talon.After hours of running and jogging, I have to rest. The sun will be rising soon. I lay next to a large tree and sleep for a while before I continue east. It’s almost nightfall, and I’m exhausted. Lord Talon would have come to check on me through the night to find I’m gone and see I’ve escaped through the window. I continue to look over my shoulder every so often, knowing Lord Talon could catch up to me any time now. That’s if he knows I’m heading toward Lord Atticus. He might think I’ve possibly escaped to return home to my pack.I’m feeling very hot and flustered. At first, I thought it was from all the running, but no matter how much I rest, it only
I run from one hall to another and then one corridor to another through many rooms and down staircases I haven’t seen before. I have no idea where I’m running to, but I don’t care. I just want to get away. I’ve passed many vampires along the way, but I completely ignore them as they stare curiously at me. Once out of sight, I lean against the grey stone wall in the shadows before sliding down to the ground and hugging my knees. Lord Talon is my mate. That’s why he hasn’t killed me. That’s why he wants to keep me alive and protect me. This is why I’ve been developing feelings toward him. Lord Talon knew this whole time since we met that we were Blood Flames. No wonder he looked devastated and heartbroken every time I tried to kill him. I feel terrible, among many other feelings. I’m angry that Micah and Lord Talon kept things from me. I feel I’m betraying Micah by being attracted to Lord Talon. I’m upset and heartbroken that Micah isn’t alive. I’m frustrated at myself for not figuring
A plate of vegetables with a steak is placed in front of me, whilst a serving of blood is poured into Lord Talon’s goblet. I refuse to make any eye contact with him. Instead, I watch the flames of the candles on the table flicker.Halfway through silently eating my meal, five vampires I’ve never met before enter the dining room, marching. One leads the others as they approach Lord Talon and bow. Nadia and Soren enter behind them and sit at the dining table.‘My Lord,’ The lead vampire says.‘Mervin, tell me you have returned with good news? Where are the others?’ he asks.‘My Lord, they are all dead. Along with many more human casualties.’‘What!? You were supposed to observe the whereabouts of Lord Atticus and return to me as soon as he was found.’‘Forgive us, Lord Talon. When we found him, he was in a rural town. We were well hidden and observed him. He killed every single human as if it were a sport and drank the blood from some of them before he had them ripped apart. We tried to
Lylah‘I’m Becky. I’ve heard so much about you.’ she beams and squeezes herself closer to Lord Talon.A burst of jealousy from Becky touching Lord Talon’s arm ignites within me.‘I’m sure….’ I say while telling myself not to care that Becky is practically rubbing herself all over, Lord Talon. He keeps glaring at her and giving her back-off looks. But she persists in fluttering her eyes at him anyway.Not wanting to stare at her face or acknowledge her. I ignore her and look at Lord Talon.‘You should find that blood flame of yours and feed off it. It's quite silly, starving yourself of blood when a human is living here against her will. The last thing I need is you trying to bite me.’ I say sarcastically.Becky bursts into laughter and begins elbowing Lord Talon in the ribs, ‘Master, you should take this human's advice and feed off your blood flame. In fact, you should do it right now?’‘Becky, that’s enough!’ Lord Talon growls. ‘I can live off the blood of animals for as long as I ne
Lord Talon‘Becky, it’s healed,’ I say as I enter the room.She is brewing something in a small cauldron, and it smells horrendous. ‘What’s healed?’ she asks, walking around the table and toward me.I unbutton my shirt and watch her jaw drop. ‘What did you do?’ she asks. ‘I didn’t do anything.’ I tell her.‘Something must have happened? Tell me everything you did from last night up till now.’‘I was sitting on the window ledge watching the lake until I heard Lylah yelling and crying in her sleep. I raced in there and held her in my arms, and I spent over an hour comforting her until she fell asleep on me. I did notice the pain from the wounds had gone by then but didn’t think much of it as I was too worried about Lylah. I woke up with Lylah sleeping against me. We spoke, and she told me Micah is her mate who she thinks I killed, and I bolted out of there freaking out she had a mate, then ran into Soren and told him. My chest itched from the stitches, so I ran my hand over it, and th