Chapter 119
Selena's POVBlake jumped off before the vehicle came to a halt. Lily and I stumbled out, I was too disoriented to focus on anything else except the forest."She said north of the Red moon, right?"Blake asked no one in particular.I nodded, my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth by the sheer gravity of the situation. My kids must be so scared."We'll sweep out this area and hope that we find them", he announced. "Cecelia is the only one who has any idea on his whereabouts, so we pray to the moon goddess to find him quickly or that she regains consciousness."His words hung in the air, true but it didn't make it feel any better. We had miles of land to cover and with our number, I knew we'd never finish tonight but I was willing to try."Let's go", he clapped his hand, like we were in some camp and the thought flared my anger even more.Blake didn't deserve the hostility but my emotionChapter 120Selena's POV With Cecelia out like light, we opted for searching the area where she had muttered before falling unconscious. The same report over and over again that I was slowly losing hope and with that, my anger was burning hot. I searched with them sometimes, and other times, I simply placed the length of my room, worried sick. Axel had barely come home since the kids went missing and secretly, I cursed him. I wasn't sure why. The air between us grew tense, our relationship strained but we still kept it together for the kids sake. He was upset at me for ignoring him for the last week while I was searching for someone to blame and he was the only person close enough to pour my frustrations and vent my anger on. The first time we had a fight was when the patrol guards had reported no findings or sightings of the said cottage. Axel dismissed them, slumping unto the nearest chair. I
Chapter 121Axel's POV I blame myself. For everything. For my negligence towards my kids. It was all my fault. And when I heard Selena confirm my exact thoughts, it felt like I was drowning in a sea of helplessness. The glaring realization that a single decision could've prevented all this. "You need to pull yourself together", Blake looked down at me worriedly. "You have to find them first before blaming yourself for something that's beyond your control.""It wasn't beyond my control. I invited Asher here. The guilt is on me."He groaned in frustration, his shoulders sagging in defeat as he realized with certainty that I'd beat myself up over this, over and over again.The probability of the guilt clearing after that was slim to none. "Just stop it already", he groaned, sitting right next to me, our shoulders touching. "I know the Luna said that to you but...""She was right", I
Chapter 123Selena's POV Turns out, we didn't have to wait a week for Cecelia to recover. She woke up the next morning like a woman on a mission and with a lot of convincing, which included almost tears, we finally agreed to let her lead us to the cottage. Everyone got ready, not Cecelia though. We ensured she was clad in a light blue hospital gown and large grandma sweaters to ensure she was comfortable.Cecelia scowled at her reflection in the mirror when we finished dressing her and for the first time, I found myself suppressing a laugh from the humor of her situation. "I can't wear this", she mumbled, her entire weight on Lily and I. "Why not? It looks cozy", Lily piqued in from her left. "You'll not feel a bite of the encroaching winter cold.""This looks like something I would never wear even if I was at the edge of death.""What?", I smirked. "Are you ashamed of not being dressed well enough
Chapter 122Selena's POV I couldn't believe my ears. Although Axel and I immediately rushed after Blake, my heart was pounding and my mind tried and failed to grasp the magnitude of the situation. "Calm down", Axel placed a comforting hand on my back, rubbing soothing circles on it. I wanted to run after Blake, but I maintained my quick strides, throwing Axel a smile. "Thank you", I whispered. When we stepped in, I was instantly overwhelmed by the sight of Cecelia. She was weak and her eyes struggled to stay open but she was awake regardless and that was all that mattered at this point. "Hey", Axel gripped her hand which she had weakly gestured to us with.She mustered a small smile. "The tension in this room is so stifling", she muttered but I heard her quite well, given my distance. Her eyes fell on me. "You must've been so worried about your kids", she rasped out. I could only reply
Chapter 124Selena's POV Asher blinked once, twice before the situation dawned on him. He must not have been expecting us, obviously. Before he could run off as usual, Blake had pinned him down. He struggled in our hold but Axel and I simply sidestepped him, rushing to the house. It was modest, with a leather couch, waxed floors and a small kitchen space. The television played a movie but I couldn't focus on anything except finding my children. "Orion? Zephyr?", Axel called out, his voice echoing through every corner of the house. We listened closely but there was no sound of a response. Axel and I checked every single room but they were nowhere to be found. I was growing agitated as we rushed back to the door where Asher was still restrained by Blake. He struggled in Blake's hold but there was nothing he could do to break out of it. "Where are they?", Axel questioned as soon as Blake held him u
Chapter 125Axel's POV The moment I rushed in and took in the state of my kids, every rational thought flew from my head. The emotion on Selena's face couldn't be described properly in words. It looked like a swirl of every emotion possible, from fear to anger and relief. I called for help and they took my kids away, Selena in tow. "I'll go with them", she stated, her voice showing she was about to burst into tears. "Yes", I threw her a weak smile. Selena's eyes closed as I dropped a chaste kiss on her forehead. We remained in that position for a while, her hand holding unto my shirt as though drawing some source of strength. "I'll see you at home", I rubbed my hand down her back before breaking away from the hug. Selena rushed off immediately after. I could only watch her back as she left. When I walked back outside, Asher was struggling against Blake's hold. He looked a lit
Chapter 126Axel's POV Everything around me stopped. I stared in shock at the knife I was holding, the knife currently buried in my brother's chest. Then, I looked up at Asher. His eyes had lost that wicked glint in them, this time, he just looked completely frightened, like the little boy I had grown up with.His hand shakily grasped mine, the same one now slicked red with his blood. He made a move to speak but no words were formed, instead, blood burst out of his lips, splattering against my face. His eyes didn't leave mine, even as I witnessed the life slowly drain from them. A sob grew in my heart, and I let it out. It came out strangled, like a wounded animal. "No...", I muttered out. The blade slipped out of his chest, the sound of bones and squelching flesh loud like thunder in the quiet forest. Asher slid to the forest floor, his back against the tree. Blood was slowly spreading across th
Chapter 127Selena's POV I threw a worried glance at a sleeping Axel. He had not said a single word since he returned from the pack house. I stood, carefully removing his hand from mine before leaving the room. I was startled when I saw Blake leaning against the wall, a worried look in his eyes. He straightened up the moment his eyes met mine."Luna", he bowed."Hi Blake", I greeted, moving further away from the door. He followed me until we stopped at a considerable distance down the hallway. "How is he doing?", he asked, worry seeping into his tone. I shrugged, not quite knowing what to say. "He's fine. He'll be fine."Blake sighed, his hand flying to his hair. "He's in shock", he announced like that wasn't so obvious. "After he killed ..."I nodded, not wanting to hear the end of the sentence. "I know. It's so sad. I don't think Axel will ever be able to forgive himself even if he was r
Chapter 140 Axel's POV I walked out of the pack house and into the expanse of land now littered with my pack members. They were in little groups, talking amongst themselves in hushed whispers. When they noticed my presence, they immediately fell silent, looking up at me with expectant faces. The last time I stood before them, we were on the verge of making the most important decision of the pack. I've never felt so much appreciation for that day than at this point. More and more werewolves gathered and I leapt onto the elevated stage, facing them. "Night Reapers, it has come to my notice that the pack, Blood Red, has fallen." The whispers rose once more and with a lift of my hand, they were silenced. "You've seen the commotion outside the gates. Those are from the survivors of the pack. They've come to us for help", I paused, surprised that no one said a word. "Now, I bring the decision to your table. What do we do?" The question spurred them into action, some yelled that
Chapter 139 Selena's POV It took two months and five days before we heard any news about the packs. Technically, we heard news of progression and the added advantages the alliance offered to those packs, virtually every Alpha was involved except ours. As far as I was concerned, we were officially cut off. The strategy put in place by Axel worked. We had food, water and basically everything we needed within the pack. It made things considerably easier. No one complained and as days passed, more werewolves came forward as volunteers. Soon, we extended our little plan in agriculture to other aspects, like furniture making, fabric design and then, no distant time I was setting we were making waves. Orion and Zephyr were growing up quickly. Werewolves always had a weird aging style. We grow up quickly, then remain almost dormant before we begin aging slowly. Lily's presence was difficult to come by. She was mostly invested in Blake and I'd be honest when I say that their relati
Chapter 138Selena's POV I took three large gulps of air, like it would be my last moment of peace. Today was the day we were expecting the Alphas and to say the atmosphere was more than tense was an understatement. Axel had come clean to the pack, revealing the details of the visit to every member. He also told them about his decision and gave everyone the chance to either counter his decision or agree with him.Most of them agreed, the few that thought it was reckless were soon convinced that Axel was making the right choice. He gave them his reasons. Then, the topic of how we were going to generate incomes for ourselves even after we cut ourselves off from the other packs arose and Axel gave them the stellar idea on agriculture. The farmers came forward, pledging to give their all while some volunteered to help. By the time dawn broke, we were prepared. As prepared as we could be. "You ready?"
Chapter 137Selena's POV Lily looked like she'd throw up anytime soon while I was simply too stunned to say a word. "Isn't that poisonous?"Lily asked no one in particular, her eyes still fixed on the frog. "I don't think so", Orion answered, inspecting the frog. It was a miracle it hadn't leaped out of his hand and to an unlucky person's face. "Can you let it go, honey?", I coaxed. Orion stared at me with a sad look. "But why?", he whined. "It can be my pet."Except, werewolves don't keep pets. Our wolves were like pets, but on a way deeper level. It was part of us. "No. It can't."We were in a staring contest for at least thirty seconds before he finally gave in. "Whatever", he tossed the frog aside and it landed right on Lily's lap. Before I could react, Lily let out a loud scream. It echoed throughout the clearing and was just about to tear my sensitive eardrums.
Chapter 136Selena's POV For the next few days, we ignored everything. Axel and I focused on nothing else but ourselves and the kids. We had a family day out, of course Blake and Lily decided to tag along and we held a little picnic just for ourselves. Truth was, it was inevitable that Axel would have to give his reply concerning the alliance bug for now, it felt much better to simply live in our own bubble. Orion and Zephyr were bickering on the color of the sky while I lay on the blanket, my eyes shut as I basked in the warm sun. "I can't believe you", Lily was speaking, throwing a punch at Blake. I could tell when he muttered a low 'ouch'."It's serious though", Blake was trying to say. I had tuned out of most of the conversation and the one I had managed to catch snippets of didn't make any sense. I pried my eyelids open, scanning for Axel as he had been awfully quiet. His back was turned to
Chapter 135 Selena's POV "What?", I echoed, the sound loud enough that it bounced off all the walls. "An alliance?" Axel expected my reaction as he barely even reacted to my shrill. I'm certain I had alerted at least half of the staff members. "I thought so too", Axel stated blandly. I rifled through my head, searching for anything that made sense. An alliance between werewolves is nearly impossible, if not completely. That's the reason why it didn't happen, ever. It was way too risky and if not careful could cause war between packs. If Alpha Boris was proposing an alliance and the rest of the Alphas agreed with him, he was either very stupid or desperate. But, what for? "An alliance is...impossible." "I thought so too", he echoed, and I threw him a glare. "Are you even listening?", I asked. "Yes." But I co
Chapter 134Selena's POV The pack gates creaked open, revealing a number of stern faced and cold gazes of the Alphas. Their eyes scanned the crowd for a few seconds before they resumed their walk, soon standing in front of Axel and I.If Axel felt nervous, he didn't show it. His face was set in a stiff position as he watched them in return."What a pleasant surprise", he stated, his voice anything but pleasant or surprised. One of the Alphas chuckled, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Thank you, Alpha Axel", he bowed, a motion which can barely be considered a bow but sufficient enough to pass as one. "What brings you here?", Axel asked, his brows creased as he stared at them all. "I wasn't aware of your visit.""And yet...", the werewolf gestured around him. "There's an entire group waiting.""Information tends to reach us quickly."The werewolf seemed more amused than offended as
Chapter 133Selena's POV "It's not what you think", I pointed out but Lily's amusement poured from her very pores as she stared innocently at Blake. Blake walked slowly into the room, his eyes darting from Lily to me, eyes narrowed. "Uhun", he answered under his breath.I threw a stern glare as Lily let out a muffled laugh and that seemed enough to cause her to straighten up. "Selena's right. I was just being silly. Before Blake could answer, we heard the shuffling of feet outside the door but the thing is, there was more to it than just the occasional movement. They seemed more than panicked. Lily, Blake and I exchanged confused looks before we hopped up, rushing towards the door. My mind drifted to the kids first, knowing Axel would be able to take care of himself. "What's happening?"Blake asked a maid rushing away but she seemed to be too much in her panicked state to realize who was
Chapter 132Selena's POV "Unfortunately, I'm not you", I glared. "Even though I wish with everything in me that I was."Axel's hand was entwined with mine, his thumb tracing lazy circles on it. "I hate you. So much. And I hope you'll suffer for as long as possible for the penance of your wickedness. I hope the world becomes a living hell for you and I hope you never find peace."The cell door creaked open, and my stepmother stepped out, her lips and brows turned down and her neck bent. "Forg...""Letting you go doesn't mean I think of you in a better light than I used to. But, you staying here will just mean you're a part of my life. I don't like that thought."She didn't make a move to say a word which contrasted to the manner which she had used to cut me off whenever I had something to say I'm the past. The cell holding my stepfather opened next. He looked like he had aged a century from