I groggily opened my eyes, only to be met with a piercing warn light that seeped through the curtains like a relentless intruder. I winced, covering my eyes with my palms."Ugh!" My head was throbbing uncontrollably, a relentless drumbeat that echoed through my skull and it was killing me. I tried to recall the events of the previous night, but my mind was a complete blank slate. What was I even doing yesterday? I couldn't recall a thing.As I shifted slightly, I noticed a figure on the bed beside me. My heart skipped a beat as I turned to face the stranger, only to be met with a familiar yet unexpected face. Eleanor's.We were both naked, our bodies entwined in a way that spoke of an intimacy I couldn't remember.Panic set in as my mind raced to fill in the gaps. How did we end up like this? What happened last night? I scrambled to piece together the fragmented memories, but they remained elusive. I just couldn't recall. Nothing would ever make me want to end up in this position with
"I cannot believe that you of all people could be so irresponsible." He sneered angrily at me.I blinked confused. Why the hell was he yelling at me?"What are you on about? I don't follow." I said confused."Seriously Leigh?" He glared at me. "Where the hell were you yesterday? I ringed you multiple times but you didn't pick up," he was obviously frustrated. "We needed your help but you weren't there. So please explain to me where the fuck you were?" He thundered and my memories came flooding back."Did you catch the culprit?" I asked immediately and he shot daggers at me with his eyes."No Leigh, we didn't. Because you bailed on us and now everything is a total mess." He half yelled when his eyes suddenly darted into the room. Eleanor had made a noise that caught his attention. He looked at her in utmost shock and he looked back at me. His eyes grew colder and I could see obvious disappointment in his eyes."Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your serious discussion." She chuckled."
I walked out with an unclear plan in my mind. Luckily, Nicolas came with me but he still wasn't speaking to me. I needed to see the crime scene to get a feel of what had transpired. I still cannot believe that something like that happened right in our household. A lot of powerful Pack masters were present, including Luka Lane. So what kind of strength did this criminals have? Who were they anyway and what the hell did they want?"Did you get to see their faces?" I asked Nicolas and he snubbed me. I stopped in my steps but he kept walking ahead as if I was invincible right now."Nicolas, are you really going to ignore me?" I said pained. He stopped and turned back to look at me."You did a really shitty thing Leigh. And with Eleanor too. What about Iris? Did you forget about her?" He seemed more pissed now than he was before."This thing with Eleanor was a big mistake. You know I would never.....""But you did anyway. I'm so disappointed. He scorned. He sighed as he ran his fingers acr
I placed a call to Dr Eli immediately. He was the only one I could talk to at the moment."Hello!" He said as he picked up."Dr Eli, I'm sure you must have heard the news already." I said immediately I heard his voice. "Can you tell me your opinion about this."He went quiet for a while. He seemed like he too was at a loss of words."Honestly," he began. "I have never imagined that they could be other S ranked Alphas who managed to skip the secondary gender evaluation. I'm not saying it's impossible to do that, but how could a whole army of them have skipped the evaluation and for what reason? I'm actually quite confused." He said with stress obvious in his voice.I had watched the CCTV footage from last night, and just like Nicolas had confirmed, they did have the fighting prowess of an S ranked Alpha, and to make it all worse, they had drugged the guests, meaning that there was an insider too. Gosh, all these was so frustrating to think about."So what you are saying now is that the
Chapter 81~ Iris POV ~After my encounter with the deranged Travis Rider in the corridor, I decided to head back to my room to rest up. Miss Eleanor had already excused me because she claimed that she had something important to do which I didn't ask about anyway. I was tired and exhausted. I needed time to think and clear my head. I felt bad too. Like really bad. Thinking about the kiss I shared with Leigh, honestly I liked it. No. I loved it, but I shouldn't. I shouldn't desire things that I know I cannot obtain because it would only lead to heart break and disappointment later on.As I walked down the dimly lit hallway leading to the servants quarters, suddenly, a firm grip grasped my arms, pulling me sideways into the shadows. I gasped, caught off guard, as my back was pressed against the cold wall. My heart skipped a beat as I found myself face to face with the man who had pulled me into the secluded corner."Archie?" I said surprised as I looked up at him properly. "What the hel
No. I couldn't just stay here like a coward. I needed to go and see for myself. So I stubbornly ran after him.As I ran after him, my curiosity and fear driving me forward, I saw the servants fleeing in panic, their faces etched with terror. And then, I saw them, the terrorists, clad in black, their movements swift and deadly as they took down our security personnel with ease as if they were cutting down grass.I saw Gina among the group of servants running towards my direction. She grabbed my arm, her grip tight as she pulled me along. "Run, Iris!" she yelled, and my feet started moving behind her, but we were quickly blocked by three more terrorists, their eyes gleaming with a hunger for violence.Gina positioned herself in front of me, her legs trembling despite her brave stance. "Stay behind me," she whispered, as the terrorists closed in."Grab these ones." One of the men ordered. My heart was beating fast and I could see Gina's legs shaking even as she stood in front of me.They
They closed in on me, their menacing eyes gleaming with malice.I tried to run but one of them grabbed me roughly. I bore my claws and scratched his face but he barely flinched as he pulled my hair aggressively."Stupid forsaken!" He spat as he forcefully pulled me on the ground. I tried to struggle but it was of no use. They were too strong and I was just too weak to even defend myself, talk more of saving others.Gina was still kicking and fighting back, but then something terrible happened. One of the attackers hit her on the head with a metal pipe. The blow was so hard that Gina's body went limp and she stopped moving. Her head was bleeding badly, and she lay there, unconscious and hurt."Gina!" I screamed loudly that my voice broke but the one pulling me kept dragging me by the hair forcefully."Shut up and move. If you followed nicely then none of this would have happened." He scorned but I struggled, trying to get close to her unmoving body which was still getting dragged but I
It was a long and rough night, but finally we were all attended to. Anne was too scared to go back to the room to sleep because she was afraid that they might return while we slept. I don't blame her because it was an horrific experience last night. Who knew that the long awaited ball would turn into something so scary.It was the fault of those hoodlums. But I feared. I feared because the girls who were taken may end up dead like the others and actions may not be taken to rescue them since they are not priorities.Was I glad that a couple of Alphas were taken too? Yes I was. Why? Because if they were taken them something would definitely be done to rescue them. And if they are rescued then the kidnapped Forsakens also have a chance of being rescued.Anne and I slept on the floor of the library as we cuddled ourselves for warmth. At least, if anyone came in again, they wouldn't easily enter the library to attack us.As I slowly opened my eyes, the bright morning light pierced through
~ Iris POV ~Three years had passed since the blood and chaos of that night in Luka’s mansion, three years since I had looked into the cold, dead eyes of Luka Lane. In those three years, Leigh and I had built a life together, a sanctuary away from the shadows of the past. Our own mansion was where we lived now, far away from the main Troy mansion. Two years ago, under the glow of the full moon, we had finally become one, our souls bound together in a love forged in fire and tempered by time. He had made me his mate and we were blessed by the moon goddess. Leigh had sworn not to return to the old Troy mansion until the old Alpha breathed his last and he had kept to his words, it was a heart breaking but necessary severing of ties. We had found our own happiness, clinging to each other as we navigated our own future together.Today also, was a day for celebration. Nicolas and Clarisse were finally tying the knot. The air in our bedroom was thick with the pleasant chaos of getting rea
~ Leigh’s POV ~My lungs burned, each ragged breath shot pain through my entire body. But I knew I had to forget this pain I was feeling, I knew the ceremony was fast approaching, and Travis was unreachable this whole time too so we did not know whether he had arrived Lane’s pack or not. There was no time. No time to rest, no time to fully heal. Iris was in danger and I must save her.Every fibre of my being screamed at me to move faster, to bridge the impossible distance that separated us. Every mile felt like a lifetime, every rustle of leaves a potential delay. Clarisse was so worried. “I can’t reach Travis… we don’t know if he made it.” She said on the way. Nicolas’s updated us not too long after. “Travis just called… they encountered heavy resistance. It is clear that Luka anticipated them.” I clenched my jaw. That bastard. He is indeed an old weasel. “No matter what,” I snarled, “we break through and defeat him. We have to.”And we did. The fight was brutal. When we arrive
What I felt inside wasn’t just a power. It was an understanding. An understanding that made me feel ancient, yet utterly present, as if the moon goddess and I were two halves of a perfect whole. My vision were sharpened, and I could see everything. Every sin, every judgement. Every weakness and strength. I could see it all. With a roar that echoed through the hall, I launched myself at Luka, and flinged him far, sending him crashing against the wall. He hadn’t even fully regained his footing before I slammed into him again, sending his hulking form sprawling again once more. My eyes, I could feel, burned with an otherworldly light, fixed on Luka with an intensity that made him flinch.“Your opponent is me, Luka Lane!” I stated, my voice resonating with a newfound authority, a power that was both mine and something far more greater.Luka snarled, pushing himself up, his grey fur bristling. “So, the little moonflower has finally found her thorns, huh! Too bad for little one, you shoul
Travis’s strength was visibly slipping away but I could only watch. Each blow, each snarl, seemed to cost him more. Then, the unthinkable happened. Luka, with a brutal swiftness, plunged his massive claws deep into Travis’s chest. An agonizing shout ripped through the air, a sound that tore at my soul.Luka ripped his claws out, and Travis’s powerful wolf form faltered. He crashed to the ground, as a dark stain of blood spread rapidly under him. His gaze was filled with pain and exhaustion, flickered towards me. In his eyes, I saw a heart breaking message. “I’m tired. I tried.” That’s all I could see in his eyes. He was tired and I was powerless. Tears streamed down my face, blurring the horrific scene before me.Luka with his eyes gleaming with a cruel triumph, loomed over Travis. “Insect!” he sneered as he opened his massive jaws, ready to deliver the killing blow, aiming for Travis’s throat.“NO!” The shriek tore from my own throat, it was a desperate shout, hoping it could somehow
“What was that sound?” Archie demanded of the guards turned towards the door.They all looked confused as their eyes darted nervously around “We… do not know Alpha,” one stammered, “but it sounds… it sounds like someone is blowing the place up.”My heart leaped into my throat. Could it be? Could it possibly be him? A flicker of desperate hope ignited in me, chasing away the fear in my heart. Leigh was here. It had to be Leigh. He wouldn’t let them keep me here.Archie’s jaw tightened, his gaze locking onto mine, then a cruel smirk twisted on his lips. “Keep her contained,” he snarled at the servants who stood. “Do not let her escape. I will go and see what this… disturbance… is.” He shot me one last venomous look before turning and striding out of the room, the guards hurrying after him.My mind was a whirlwind of possibilities. Explosions? Fighting? It had to be Leigh. My eyes felt hot with unshed tears of relief and anticipation. He was here. He was really here to save me.“Come my
Sleep. That word felt foreign. After what I had heard from Ethel, how could I possibly fall asleep. The locked door was a solid testament to my captivity, and the high, narrow window offered no solace at all or a route of escape. I was trapped, and those guards were outside watching. I paced back and forth in the confines of the room. My mind was running like a hamster on a wheel with no way to stop. As I turned sharply, my foot caught on the edge of the bed, sending me sprawling on the ground hard. The back of my head slammed against the marble floor, as a sharp blinding pain shot through me. A loud groan escaped my lips, and for a dizzying moment, darkness threatened to take me again. But then, as the pain subsided, a torrent of memories, sharp and vivid, began to flood my consciousness wildly. The fragmented dreams, the unsettling whispers, the faces I couldn’t quite grasp, they all snapped into place with startling clarity. I could remember everything all of a sudden. I wasn’t
This was supposed to be my escape, but it wasn’t anymore as there were about two dozens of imposing figures, their faces grim and unyielding, lined in the corridor, their presence suffocating the last grasp of hope Ethel had built in me. And Luka Lane just stood there watching us, his very stillness radiating an icy authority. His grey eyes were as sharp as shards of glass.Ethel, who had moments ago been very courageous was now visibly trembling beside me. Her breath hitched in her throat and her hand clutched my own tightly, her fingers digging into my skin. Luka’s lips peeled back into a slow, cruel sneer. “Well, well, well,” he drawled, his voice a violent threat that sent shivers and sweat running down my temples. “I guess you are playing hide and seek in the dead of night, my little runaway? And you, Ethel? Playing accomplice are you?” he sneered.Ethel’s voice, when she finally managed to speak, was full of tremor. “Father… we were just… she wasn’t feeling well. I was only ta
~ Iris POV ~From the moment I woke up, I felt uneasy. It was like there was something pressing against my chest. It was because I knew tomorrow was fast approaching. Tomorrow was the day I was supposed to become Luka Lane’s mate. The thought felt like air was being sucked out of my lungs. This morning, my gown had also arrived and I was made to come test it out. It was truly beautiful and a perfect fit. Perfect for my discomfort actually, because there is no way I would be happy wearing that knowing who my groom is.I got confined to my room afterwards, under the guise of pre wedding pampering, felt more like imprisonment, like they have been doing since I got here. On the brief walk back from the gown testing room, I saw how everyone was busy with activity. Servants scurried with floral arrangements, and trying to get things arranged. I sighed heavily as I jumped on my bed with a thud. My gaze drifted to the window, and I yearned to feel the cool night air on my face, to run until
“Nicolas,” I repeated, my voice rough, “What happened to Iris?” The silence that followed stretched longer than I thought necessary. It was so thick and suffocating, and this silence just seemed to amplify the frantic thumping of my heart.Nicolas shifted his weight uncomfortably, his gaze fixed on the hard cold floor. He finally sighed, a sound heavy with reluctance. “Leigh please. You need to focus on getting better. This isn’t something you should be worrying about right now.” He tried to reason. It was not a reasonable thing for him to say though. At least to me.I hissed harshly. The dismissive tone ignited a spark of fury within me, overriding the weakness that still clung to my limbs. I pushed myself up against the pillows, the sudden movement causing a sharp tug on the IV drip in my wrist, sending a jolt of pain through my arm and to my brain. “I cannot relax Nicolas! Iris is out there, in Luka Lane’s clutches. What do you think he wants with her? It’s not a good thing obvious