XAVIER'S POV;Tonight, the amphitheater was more filled than it was this evening.I wasn't at my seat and that was because I was contesting tonight. I stood behind a large cage with a few men behind me. They were fighting other opponents and it was all going to happen tonight.I had no idea what had been planned today. Every year, the Lycan Confederate came up with a new way to make the game more interesting and dangerous.Last year, I hadn't participated but I had watched and seen that there were mazes that had been built into the ground. I shook my head.I didn't want to think about it and what it had done to those men. It was gruesome. Really gruesome.Just as I was about to turn to the other men, Iris came to me. A smile coated my face as soon as I saw her.She wasn't smiling.My smile faltered."What's wrong?"Her fingers wrapped around the cage's rods and she closed her eyes and sighed. "It's not going to be easy out there,"I chuckled. "I know it isn't going to be. Do you think
XAVIER'S POV;Four of our men were down to the ground. It was futile trying to help them. We had stopped for a while to rescue them but one of the arrows had pierced through the arms of another and he fell to the front before picking himself up and running for his life and into the next puzzle.I stood there for a while, looking around fractionally, wondering how I could help these wounded men.The other team was way past us but they waited at the end of this puzzle. Bastards. If they were waiting for us to get to them, they were going to be there for a long time.The amphitheater was lit up by large flood lights. We were way past the tent where I could see Iris from. I wanted to look at her and feel a flicker of hope. There was a sense of peace and certainty her presence brought but she wasn't here.I turned back and continued moving with the others. We were six left. Ten men on this team and ten men on the other.Four of our men were already dead but there was still a chance for the
HAZEL'S POV;Felix was asked by Xavier to sleep in my room. I wasn't aware when he told Felix that. I had been walking down the corridor, towards his room to inform him that I had somehow seen Barrymore and told him about it but when I got to his room, the door was open and he was standing there, shirtless. He turned to look at me like he was waiting for me and when he saw me, he tipped a glass of wine at me. I raised my brow in slight confusion and entered the room. "Where did you get the wine and flute from?" He shrugged and took a sip. "I asked one of the maids to bring it to me and she did,""Perks of being a royal, huh?"He shrugged and walked to the window, gently placing the cup on the sill and filling the other. "Do you know our pack is the smallest? And yet, we get constantly attacked,""Why is that?" I asked and drew close to him. He handed the glass to me and I took it from his hand, nodding at him in appreciation. "I also don't know," He replied. "Let's for
HAZEL'S POV;I woke up in Xavier's arms. He was fast asleep with his arms wrapped around my waist. I lay in his arms, smiling and watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful asleep. It was almost dawn. The dark night was slowly starting to fade away into dawn. I knew he wasn't going to be awake for a long time. My body has a way of waking me up really early and that was why I was up. I knew I was going back to sleep after sometime and just as I was about to, he stirred and opened his eyes slowly. He saw me awake and sat up a bit with a smile on his face and in his groggy voice, he said. "You're awake. For how long now?"I shrugged. "About ten minutes?""Up watching me?"I chuckled and placed my head on his chest. "I actually want to go back to sleep now,""Then let's," He said and pulled me back into his arms. He kissed my forehead and my shoulders before pulling me into him and we went back to sleep. By the time we were awake again, the sun had risen and was pouring into the room fr
XAVIER'S POV;For the whole drive, there was no sort of attack from the Argents and at one point, Hazel had asked me if we were in a simulation on our way to the Confederate and it had made me laugh so hard that I had nearly driven into a ditch. The Confederate warriors had seen us to our pack before going back that same night and as we unpacked, Iris asked me. "Aren't they at the risk of being attacked by the Argents?" I chuckled. "The Argents are the ones at risk. No one dares to attack the great Lycan Confederate. They're not a small name. Their name brings fear to the Argents and government at large. So it isn't something you should fret about, okay?" Iris nodded. "Let's go see what's been going on since our absence yesterday," And so we both walked, along with Felix who had started to chatter with Iris like he hadn't decided to go in another car just because he didn't want to be with us. It was quite amusing to see him talking with her but it was a good thing. I was speak
HAZE'S POV;We had slept in separate rooms but had somehow awoken at the same time. We stepped out of our rooms at the same time and when we set eyes on each other, there was a small smile on our faces. I didn't know why I was exceptionally shy this morning. I walked towards him while twiddling with my fingers and as soon as we stood before each other, he slowly took my hands and pulled me in for a kiss.I forced myself to pull away even if I didn't want to. "We have to go out this morning, remember?" He wasn't even listening to me. His hands and his eyes were busy. His fingers caressed my bare skin and his pupils dilated as he placed a kiss on my neck. I sighed and fell back against the wall for support. "Xavier- we really need to. Ah...""We really need to do what, huh?" He muttered under his breath before placing another kiss on my collar bone. My arm slipped around his neck and pulled him in. I couldn't resist him no matter how hard I tried. His scent hit my nose— a mixture of w
HAZEL'S POV; By now, the settlement is alive with slight activities. The air is still filled with sorrow and uncertainty but as soon as I enter into the settlement, the healer rushes out of her hut and falls to the ground in tears. "Help us!" She cried out and held onto my feet. I stopped because I was unable to move and crouched to her level, my hand on her body. I knelt on one knee, before her and sighed. "I understand what you're feeling. But don't worry, they will all return in one piece, okay?" "My girl. She's gone, too. They're going to kill her! She has a sharp mouth and she'll be the first to be killed," The woman sobbed and kept pulling at my breeches. "You have to save her. You have to save the children. Save them all!" Xavier stepped forward and I sighed in relief. I didn't know what exactly to say to a grieving woman and I felt like he was the best person for this situation and he really was. "We already discovered the tracks," He said in his most gentle tone. "In no
XAVIER'S POV;When we kiss, I feel a surge building up from my insides like a volcanic eruption, bursting into my favorite colors.I adored her body the same way I adored her. She was such a beautiful soul and a beautiful woman, exuding strength and grace.It's in the way I run my fingers on her skin, feeling her silky smoothness, tracing every scar, bump, birthmarks, dips, and crevices of skin against skin tongues swirling as we scour our depths.One thing that struck me was her skin. Her hair was the darkest shade of black but somehow, she had gotten a tan skin which was quite unusual. Most women with jet black hair were mostly pale but her skin, like burnished gold under the candle lights as we tangled legs under the sheets.My fingers were sinking into her soft flesh, souls entwining and moans softening like the colorful rays of the setting sun, as it went down the horizon, welcoming the ultramarine night skies, stars dancing like stringed fairy lights, like glitters scattered acr