Chapter 62Unknown POV Cecelia slid against the door, her butt landing painfully on the hard floor but she could barely register the pain, too absorbed in her thoughts. Her heart ached, so terribly that she'd gladly trade physical pain for the one she was currently experiencing.She clutched at her chest, squeezing tightly for a bit of an assurance that she was still in her reality. It was difficult to swallow, almost impossible, as a huge ball was lodged in her throat, painfully pressing against her skin. The waterworks hadn't even begun, and she felt it might never stop once it began. She took a swig of the bitter alcohol, and another until the taste had her gagging. This was the only way she'd be able to escape from the hurt and betrayal she was feeling, this was the only way she'd heal. A sob finally escaped her lips but that one trail of a single teardrop soon turned to two, until she was full on bawling, the sobs racking her body violently. Amidst her sobs, she felt ashame
Chapter 63Selena's POV I squinted at the sunlight hitting my eyes directly from the open window. Groaning, I clutched my head, already stressed by the very minimal amount of sleep I got. Lily was at my side before I could say 'Jack'. "Come on, you need to get up", she squealed in excitement, pulling me up even amidst my protests. "What in the goddess name has got you in such a cheery mood?"I yawned, taking me time to stretch properly. "A very good news which I'm certain you'd be excited to hear", she grinned. "Go and take your bath and come down", she urged, ushering me to the bathroom. With another groan and a few more protests I finally caved, trudging to the bathroom while muttering to myself. I had stayed awake last night, thinking of ways to protect myself from Asher. It was even more difficult than I originally thought as not a single idea crossed my mind. "Aren't you done?", Lily called out. "We're waiting""I'm coming. Gosh", I answered, shutting off the shower head b
Chapter 64Selena's POV The journey was longer than I expected, or maybe it was just the impatience I felt at the thought of finally seeing Axel after such a long time. It was two weeks but it felt like an eternity. A long line of servants waited at the entrance of the pack house, rushing to help unload the vehicle trailing behind us. Axel was there too. The moment my eyes met his, I felt instantly relieved. We had an audience but my fingers twitched in desperation to hug him, touch him, kiss him, mold our bodies until it became one.Just a few feet away yet so far. "You came at such a short notice", Blake, Axel's Beta chuckled, dissipating the tense air swirling between the brothers. Asher takes a step forward, pushing me behind him before assuming a protective stance.Axel and I broke our stare, turning simultaneously to Asher. "What's wrong?", I tapped his back now shielding me.
Chapter 65Selena's POV I broke the hug. "I missed you so much", I huffed out. Axel fondly stroked my hair, making me lean into his touch. He grabbed my face, drinking in every feature before bringing his lips to mine. Once our lips met, I felt a smile bloom on my face. The kiss was slow at first, like we were both testing the waters after the long break. It didn't take much time to get used to, the effect still the same as the first. This time, there wasn't an innocent thought crossing my mind. All I wanted was him to be closer, even the clothes seem like it gave miles of distance between us. A pool of warmth settled in my stomach while my heart pounded mercilessly, dragging me to a breathless state. Using his lips and a thumb right below my mouth, Axel pried open my lips, deepening the kiss. I was so turned on. Axel snaked his hand behind my neck, turning my head back for a
Chapter 66Selena's POV I stirred from my slumber, the warmth from Axel still radiated into my pores, as his chest rose and fell. His hair was mussed, causing a smile to sneak into my lips at the thought of our blissful night. I untangled myself from him, trudging to the bathroom on my bare feet. I passed the wall clock, not bothering to throw a look at its direction until I came to a screeching halt. Axel had said he would leave just before dawn. Throwing a silent prayer at the moon goddess, I sneaked a look at the clock, almost melting at the relief I felt. It was still four am, which meant Axel should be leaving right about now to prevent anyone from seeing him sneaking off. I rushed to the bed, tapping him frantically. "What?", he murmured, groaning before burying his face back into the pillow. With a growl, I tapped him again, "Wake up, it's four am already.""So?"
Chapter 67Selena's POV "I think the Alpha sent you some money. It's right on the table next to the bed", Lily immediately said the moment I walked in. She wasn't in the bedroom so I beelined towards the walk-in closet, unsurprised to see her dutifully hanging up some clothes. "What are you doing?", I asked, joining her on the floor. "You'll get a cold. Wait in the bedroom for me, I'll soon finish up here."I couldn't pay attention to what she was saying. My heart thumped loudly and my hands still trembled at the thought of the celebration tonight. It was nothing but a stupid setup and I just happened to be the highlight of it, literally. I could ask Axel for help but there wasn't much he could do without revealing he was well aware of everything happening. Then, it'd raise suspicions. Why was the Alpha and his brother's fiancée close enough to share such a groundbreaking secret? In the end, ther
Chapter 68Selena's POV Turns out, it was more difficult to sneak out of a crowded pack house where everyone basically ignored your existence on a normal day but suddenly had so many questions about a duffel bag. We had a few close calls. No, a lot of close calls. Lily was basically hyperventilating by the time we were in the car and out of the house. We couldn't comment on how crazy it was back in the pack house because the driver is a servant too. He pulled up to the dress shop, while Lily and I leapt out, sighing in relief the moment we were inside the shop.We pleaded with the driver to return in two hours and with much convincing, he rode off. "Okay. So, where to?", Lily asked, her eyes peeled for anyone who might recognize us. I thought deeply, realizing the only place I could get something about my birth parents was back in my step family's house. "I think I'll drop by my step parents", I
Chapter 69Selena's POV The orphanage home was an almost run down building with chipped paints and leaking ceilings. The children were huddled in a corner, each clad in warm clothes against the incoming storm. It wasn't fancy in any way but the aura was that of warmth and goodwill. "How can I help you?", an elderly woman appeared, a small smile on her face as she addressed us. "Umm, I'm looking for the boss around here", I provided, staring at her expectantly. "Why? Is there any problem?""No. I just need to ask a few questions concerning an adoption years ago", I blurted out, wondering if I had revealed too much. "Then you've come to the right place", she smiled. "Come on."Lily and I trailed after her limping form until she stopped at a door to presumably an office. "Come in"We walked in after her, settling ourselves on the brown leather couch after she permitted. She sat heavily on th
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