Ariadne won’t let anyone near Kelly, snarling if they get within two feet of her. She holds the girl close to her chest, though she struggles, trying to crawl into Victor’s lap on the opposite side of the couch.“We can’t stay long,” Harry explains, hands up defensively, taking a step back. “Gordon will notice if she’s not home in a few hours.”Ariadne jerks away, a flurry of paternal instincts overruling her senses. “You’re not taking my baby anywhere. She’s staying with me.”Victor sighs. “Think logically. If Gordon realizes she’s gone, he’ll start tracking her down, and that will bring him to us.”Ariadne starts tearing up. “No, we’ll get away. We can run.”Kelly sighs, adjusting herself. She takes Ariadne’s face into her tiny hands, pressing her forehead to her chin. “You know we can’t do that. What about Asheei? We can’t just leave him.”She’s right. Ariadne’s mind races with nothing to hold on to. “Why didn’t he come too?”“That mean old man won’t let Asheei out of his sight,” K
Ariadne sits all folded up in her seat, a tiny, plastic keychain clutched in her hands. There were no goodbyes. Harry had carried Kelly away without any tears, her head laying on his shoulder, fast asleep. The Alpha had given her this, saying that she wanted her to have it, a little glittery heart to remember her by. "We'll see her again in two days," Victor hums, steadying the boat on the unforgiving sea. "It feels like two lifetimes," Ariadne sighs. "You wouldn't understand." "You're right," Victor hums. "When my father would disappear on long trips, I was actually relieved. Mom and I were happier with him gone, and it was just two of us." "What about when she'd leave for long trips?" Ariadne asks curiously. "She never left me," Victor answers. "Except that last time." A chill runs through Ariadne's spine, and she realizes she's walking in the minefield. It's always dangerous talking about Victor's family. "I'm sorry," Ariadne manages. "I shouldn't have asked." "You probabl
Ariadne should have been ready for it, being doused in cold water. It’d been a beautiful, fevered dream, but it’s time to wake up now.The Omega slams the cover over the piano keys, a loud discordant noise rattling the floorboards, loose nails quaking in their sockets.“Talk.” Ariadne’s voice comes out like a blade of ice. “Now.”Victor sounds so distant, whole worlds away. “That crown is mine. I was always meant to rule this city. I’m sorry if I lead you otherwise.”He’s never planning on leaving.It was all a lie.“If?” Ariadne says acidly. “There’s no ‘if.’ It was intentional. You lied to get what you wanted from me.”“Baby, please—”“I was stupid enough to give myself to you,” Ariadne continues. “I’m not your baby. Don’t call me that.”“You can rule with me,” Victor says. “I need you.”“This life is what destroyed you,” Ariadne whispers. “Destroyed me, killed both our families.”Victor shakes his head. “It was me. I destroyed your life; my family ate yours up. I know.”Ariadne’s h
Ariadne eats her meager returns in the form of a burnt bagel while Victor sits on the counter, iced peas on his black eye. Harry stands there, cleaning his nails with the edge of a knife. Kelly Winford's finally getting the hang of the toaster oven, but not without casualties. "Sorry, I've never used a device like this before?" the pale Omega woman explains. "I can make you something else." Kelly reminds Ariadne so much of herself when she'd first been let out of the cage, still adjusting to her own autonomy. "It's nothing that a little cream cheese can't solve," Ariadne says encouragingly. "Just set the heat to low next time and watch it carefully." Victor sighs dramatically, placing his peas down in the sink to defrost further for tonight's last meal. The Alpha walks out of the kitchen without another word, leaving Ariadne with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Victor had lost the first three matches against Harry, and then he'd won the next seven, a prodigious fighter, an unfor
Ariadne had built it up in her mind, this night, the Wolf Moon. But legend hardly lives up to reality. In truth, it's just a moon, not impressive, nor larger than any other night. There's no storm in the sky, no wind battering against the side of the car. Instead, there is silence draped over them like a blanket as they drive to the church of dark desires. Harry's gloved hands maneuver the night's traffic with ease. "Say something, for f*ck's sake. We're going into battle without so much as a drum beat." the old Alpha says. Victor doesn't respond. He's hunched over, elbows resting on his knees, fingers pressed together, chin in the juncture of his thumb and index. His eyes are glowing scarlet, something that's pure and focused. He's an animal in the night, waiting very patiently for his kill, lest he starve to death. Ariadne shakes her head, exhaling a breath she's been holding for too long. "What do you want to hear? Try not to die, and we'll rendezvous back at HQ?" Harry sco
"W-Wait," Ariadne says, "Don't shoot."Miraculously, the guard doesn't."Who are you?" he spits, gun trained to Ariadne's chest."I was just going for a run," Ariadne explains, "Then you two Alpha's showed up. I'm sorry, I got scared and a bit overzealous with my defense training class. You probably want this back."The Omega tosses the other guard the extra gun. As he reaches for it, scrambling to catch it, Ariadne roundhouse kicks him in the face. Then they're down, disarmed, humiliated, covered in shoe prints. But Ariadne has no time to savor her victory; she runs down the block.Edward's already there, tense, crouched behind a fence. "What took you so long?"Ariadne couldn't have lost a minute on those guys, minute and a half tops. F*ck, she forgot how good the Silver Omega is."I went to check on a few more locations, but they're out," Edward continues. "I think Victor and Dustin are through. We should head straight for it, except there are three more guys blocking us.""So, what
Victor flickers on stage like a dying candle. Gordon smiles wide, face split in two with glee. With an enormous turn of his body, he spin-kicks Victor in the ribs, sending him flying off the stage and into the pews.Ariadne scrambles to pull him upright, checking his eyes for consciousness. He’s out of it, head dropping left and right. Waylon and Calvin run up and carry Victor to the losing corner.Gordon stands there victoriously, chest puffed up in pride. “Is there anyone else? Who wants to go next? I can keep fighting all night.”Ashley flashes Ariadne a quick glance, and it reads as, ‘Do something, quickly.’“Anyone?” Gordon hisses, “I didn’t think so. I—”“Wait,” Ariadne shouts, stepping forward, blood pounding in her ears. “Fight me, you f*cker.”It’s followed by dead silence, tense as piano wire.Gordon scoffs, body vibrating with delight. He tosses his head back and laughs, tears coming out of his good eye. “What? You want to fight me, little, pretty, Omega.”To Ariadne’s adva
“What are you?” Tracey sputters, taking a step back, gun falling to her side. “Two transformations in less than an hour with a f*cking bullet lodged in your ribs.”Ariadne’s about to faint, but she doesn’t let on, the legend fueling her. She’s the White Wolf; death wouldn’t dare to claim her. “You’re gonna help patch me up. So help me, if I have to take this bullet out with my bare hands, the next thing I’ll do is kill you.”“No, I won’t help you,” Tracey hisses. “I’m done with the Pack. I’m done with Gordon, and I’m definitely done with you guys. If I never see you again—”“Everything you hate,” Ariadne continues. “I hate it too. I didn’t kill Lisa; it was the Packs, all of this killed her. You want to blame Victor, but you know she never had a chance.”“You didn’t even take her body,” Tracey cries. “You just left her there. There was nothing left for me to bury by the time I found her.”“I’m the only one who can help you,” Ariadne spits, blood running down the corner of her lip. She