RYKER“ Alpha Ryker. Call everyone forth. ” The twins command as if I am dying to fulfill their demands.The large number of werewolves called over from the foreign packs watch as I gesture towards some specific men and they leave the crowd, stepping forth without any hesitance.“ I thought we all agreed on doing this after I initiate Natalie into my pack. ” I mention but I don’t have any problem with which event goes down first.“ So they all are the people we talked about? ” Kyrin and Kathie ask, malice shining behind their eyes which they can hide from almost everyone. Almost.“ Yes. ” I nod calmly.“ So, the thing is… ” The Originals don’t wait for Fredrick who disappeared I don’t know where some time ago.‘ Find him. And bring him here. He has to be here at a time like this. ’ I mindlink Zio and receive a curt ‘ Sure, Alpha. ’ from him in reply. This puts my nerves at ease momentarily. Everything is going according to the plan until now.“ Alpha Ryker here made some interesting d
RYKER“ Are you still not going to confess, Alpha Ryker? You know so many precious things are at stake here. Confess your crimes and save us all. ” Fredrick speaks in a suggestive tone.I don’t have to ask questions. I don’t even need to doubt what’s wrong. Just by his words and the smug aura, I can tell he has Natalie with him and he is going to use her to get to me.I thought the bullshit was over with Abraham’s death but…I don’t think it was all about it. Maybe, I missed something.‘ Find your Luna. They couldn’t have taken her far. ’ I can feel her close. I know she is here even if she has her connection blocked which is perhaps a result of a potion given to her by someone.‘ I am already on it. ’ Zio groans, sounding pissed which is good.Pushing past the steel wall of negative emotions and fears, I straighten up, preparing to stall time until Zio has Natalie.“ What’s the proof that she is not lying? Natalie has her place now. ” I glance at Britney momentarily who refuses to was
NATALIEI didn’t fall unconscious like I thought I will when my body lost all energy and I felt so weak that it became impossible to even utter a single word or reach out to Ryker through the bond.I started drifting away, to some far corner of my mind. I was able to see everything, feel everything, and think everything but I was unable to actually act. Fredrick picked me up and took me outside before dumping me into the outhouse, which was close to the packhouse. I saw him doing all this yet, I was unable to fight back.I stayed limp on the outhouse floor. I had no control over anything. But, I was scared. I feared the potion might be too strong for the baby and it was killing me to be so weak when I desperately needed to be strong. I have always known what helplessness felt like but I never hated myself for it. At that moment, as I was pushed back into my own mind and another entity made my chest burn with a heaviness I have never experienced before, I hated myself for being so eas
RYKERNow I know what Fredrick wanted to tell me. I do not doubt that he must be the one who did this to Natalie. But after he pulled out Evangelina, she might have betrayed him.I tried connecting to Natalie. I have a hunch she is somewhere back in her mind. I don’t know if she can hear me talking or not but I desperately want to hear her voice.Fire spreads towards me, as I watch my mate’s body controlled by an evil spirit in shock and confusion. What can I do to bring her out? What did Niyara—the witch who raised me ever tell me about this? I can’t recall, given that I never had any interest in something like this.Screams sound from around me, but I can not turn around or rush to their aid. I know they are burning and that everyone is scared of the fire. Anyone strong can fight against water, rising wood, metal, and harsh air but fighting against such a fire that consumes you, that kills you with a single touch…No one can do that. Not even me.“ What do you want? ” This is the onl
NATALIE“ How long are you going to stay like this? ” The soothing voice asks in the empty bright space.“ Am I dead? ” I question, sighing heavily and sitting up on the grass.The field around me is filled with blue, yellow, and pink flowers. It’s comforting and pleasing for the eyes. For the first time in forever, I think I can breathe without feeling like my lungs are aching.“ You wanted to die? ” The voice chuckles.I smile, glancing at the woman from over my shoulder. She is perched up on the rock behind me. I don’t know who she is or why I am even talking to her so calmly but seeing her is pleasing to the eyes and mind.Her glossy silver hair fall over her shoulders and back in waves and her silver shimmering eyes watch me closely. Her chin is placed in the palm of her hand, and her elbow is supported on her knee. The loose white dress she is wearing flaps due to the comforting blowing breeze.“ Am I really dead? ” I whisper.Does this mean I lost? Our child? The war? Ryker?“
NATALIE“ Uhm…what’s happening? ” I whisper in Ryker’s ear.The situation is not good. I can tell. He pulls away, his hands sliding down to my wrists. “ are you okay? ”Taking my eyes off Zero, I steal a glance at Ryker and nod my head to assure him. “ Who is he? ” I gesture to the man on Ryker’s right side.He sucks in a sharp breath and throws the man a subtle glare from over his shoulder. “ he is…Vampire King…Gualterio Corentine. ” Zero’s father. I lift my head to look at him closely. He looks back at me, his black eyes catching my attention. He doesn’t look much older than thirty…then again…he is a Vampire…and well, I have never encountered a higher-ranked Vampire in my whole life. They are cold and can send chills down your spine with a single glance. What’s unsettling is that…there is no way to find out what his power is. He can be reading my mind right now, for all I know.Dragging my tongue across my lips, I take a deep breath through my nose.“ Why is the King here? ” I pu
RYKERI made Natalie drink my blood and pledge her loyalty to me in front of the whole pack. The bond snapped into place in her mind. She was in pain which was usual and then she urged me to take her home so she could take a bath and fall asleep.She didn’t speak much but I knew she was traumatized by whatever has happened. It’s hard forgetting about some things sometimes.She saw me almost die for her, she could feel our child agonized and she barely survived herself…It will be a little hard to get over all of this but I am sure she will be fine. She is the Luna now, after all.Putting her to bed, I went down to the living room where Zio was waiting for me as expected.“ I asked you to escort your sister and Giana out of the packhouse. What happened? ” I hiss, marching forward and grabbing him by the collar.How he was not affected by Britney’s death irked me out. I can sense something off about the whole situation.“ What happened, Zio? ” Seeing his lowered head made me lower my voi
RYKER “ He came to meet my mother when I was ten. That’s how the Originals suspected her and me, to begin with. ” He discloses. “ My mother begged him to take me along yet he told her that they were at war and he couldn’t afford a hybrid son when everyone hated werewolves. Vampires were hungry for blood. They would have overthrown him if he had accepted me as his son. ” “ Originals came to know about it and caught you? ” I huff. He never told me about this before. “ So you hate him? ” I question before throwing my head back to stare at the ceiling. “ I don’t feel anything towards him. ” He replies. “ Why did you go to meet him then? ” I sigh. “ Fear. I wanted to see the fear in his eyes. ” His voice remains impassive and cold, not betraying any emotion. “ You wanted to scare him after letting him know that his Hybrid son was still alive and his rule was in danger? ” I smirk. At least, there is someone who thinks like me. “ He was not scared though. Time seems to have changed