Katie's Pov
My heart sank as I read the message. Without a second thought, I dashed out of the Cafe, grabbed my colleague's scooter keys, and rode straight to the hospital, not paying heed to my colleague who was screaming at the top of her lungs that I should return her scooter."Where's my mom?" I asked the receptionist at the hospital as soon as I got in.She glanced at me with disdain and got back to pressing her computer."Where's my mom?!" I growled and banged the front desk.She looked up at me lazily and pointed to the room. "Room 103."I raced through the hospital corridor with my heart pounding in my chest as different thoughts ran through my mind. My mum has the best healing abilities in the entire region, I'm not just exaggerating. I've seen her heal people who were left for dead, so getting a text that she was in a critical condition scares me out of my wits.As I reached the room, I took in a deep breath before pushing the door open. Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw my mum lying on the bed, surrounded by beeping machines. Her once gentle face was bruised and battered, and it seemed like she had broken a couple of bones in her body."Mom," I choked out in tears, my voice barely above a whisper. "What happened to her? Why isn't she waking up?" I asked the doctor I met in her room, as my brain couldn't process the sight before me."Your mum had an accident just outside the grocery store," Doctor Esther explained. "She suffered severe injuries. We did our best, but–" she sighed and didn’t go on."No, no, no, this can't be," I mumbled, shaking my head in disbelief, refusing to accept the doctor's words. "This can't be!"I screamed, I felt like my whole world was crumbling right in front of my eyes."Wake up mum," I rushed over to my mum on the bed, who lay still. My hands trembled as it came in contact with her cold body. "Please mum, wake up," I pleaded, in between tears as I clung to her lifeless body. "Remember you promised to go see the waterfalls in the capital district with me, wake up mum! You can't break your promises!" I yelled in a trembling voice. "I also promised to get us out of this hellhole, I just need a little more time, please mum, wake up!""I'm sorry Katie. We did all we could," Doctor Esther told me, as she tapped my shoulders lightly."My mum can't be gone," I said as I shrugged Doctor Esther's hands off me. "She has the best healing abilities in the region. It's not possible!""I know this is a hard pill for you to swallow, but your mom is really gone. We need to take her to the morgue." Doctor Esther kept on sprouting rubbish. "She's at peace now.""Peace? I don't want peace, I want my Mom," I retorted. "I promised to give her a better life, and I don't intend on breaking it. Mom, wake up!" I shook her body vigorously, making the hospital cloth used to cover her body fall off, and then something caught my eye.Just above her left breast region, there was a crescent moon mark on it, my breath caught in my throat. Not believing my eyes, I cleaned my tears with the back of my hands to get a better view, and indeed I wasn't seeing things, a red crescent moon mark was above her left breast. This only means one thing, her wolf has been taken away, and she didn't die a natural death."Wh– Where is her wolf?" I asked Doctor Esther in a quivering voice"Katie, I understand you're grieving," Doctor Esther said, avoiding eye contact with me. "But one's wolf doesn't just disappear.""No, you don't understand!" I yelled in between tears that blurred my vision. Many people may not know about someone losing their wolf, but my mum has told me various tales about it, and what to look out for to know if someone's wolf is missing. "My mother's wolf is missing! She's not just dead; her wolf is gone!""Katie, you need to leave the room," Doctor Esther tried pulling me away from my mom. "Grieving can make you see things.""I'm not imagining things!" I retorted. "My Mom's wolf is missing. I want an autopsy!" I demanded."Why do you need an autopsy?" Doctor Esther re. "Now's not a good time. The elections–""Elections?" I scoffed in disbelief. "I don't fucking care about the elections. If an autopsy is not being conducted, I'll go to the media."Doctor Esther and my mum used to be friends, according to my mum though. But things went south between them when my mum displayed extraordinary healing abilities, and to crown it all she had a Lusina wolf. Doctor Esther framed my mom for cheating in an exam, and her scholarship was revoked, making her quit healing school.Doctor Esther sighed. "Fine," she agreed. "But I'll need to speak with the alpha first," she told me. "Don't do anything stupid until I'm done speaking with the Alpha, do you understand?"I ignored her and held my mum's cold body tighter.As soon as Doctor Esther left the room, I burst into a fresh round of tears. My heart broke over and over again at the thought of me not being able to see my mum laugh with me again or scold me like she usually does most times, and the worst of it all I won't be able to fulfill the promise I made to her. I feel like I've failed her completely, If I could turn back the hands of time neither of us would step out of the house today.Sobbing quietly, I drifted off to sleep with my hands wrapped on my mum's body."Katie," I heard my name, accompanied by a gentle tap, stirring me awake.The aura in the room had changed and that was due to the presence of Alpha Mattew, Ryan's father, who stood beside my Dad, and Doctor Esther.I looked into my Dad's blue eyes which was the only feature of him I have, and I hate it every single time I remember I have his eyes. If only I could just gouge out my eyes, and replace them with my mum's emerald green eyes."I asked for an autopsy to be conducted on my mum, not a pity party," I said, glaring at my Father… no he is just a sperm donor.He has never cared about my welfare for once. There was a time when I needed money for some school projects and also to go on a field trip to the capital. My mum was low on cash and decided to beg my dad since the school trip meant a lot to me then. But instead of helping her, he made a mockery of her. I'll never forget the tears and sadness in my mum's eyes when she got home. That was the day I vowed to get us out of here and get us a better life."Katie, we understand that you are grieving, but we need to discuss the situation at hand. Can we talk for a moment?" Alpha Mattew said.I furrowed my brows as I glanced from Alpha Mattew to my dad, whose blue eyes were emotionless as usual"What's going on?" I asked. "Is it a state crime for me to ask for answers about my mother's wolf?""No one is saying that we just–"I glared at my dad, shutting him up immediately. If my eyes could spit fire, hell be dead on the spot."What your dad is trying–""Dad?" I scoffed. "I've never existed to him, so what's with all this pity show?""Katie!" My father growled. "Show the Alpha some respect!"I rolled my eyes. "Is the autopsy going to be conducted or not?" I asked no one in particular. "Or should I just go to the media, or maybe the regions council.""There'll be no need for that," Alpha Mattew said more calmly. "An autopsy would be conducted, you just need to go home and rest.""I don't remember telling any of you that I'm tired, or did I?""Kati!" My dad growled.Alpha Mattew held my dad by his arm stopping him from talking."No one said you're tired," Alpha Mattew explained. "This thing has protocols, and it would take a lot of time. We just want you to stay calm, the autopsy will be conducted."I looked into Alpha Matthew's eyes not sure if I should trust him. He was good friends with my Dad, and the chances of him being one to break promises just like my dad was is really high."It's an Alpha promise," Alpha Mattew said, as he probably noticed I was finding it hard to believe a word he was saying.I sighed and chose to believe him. An Alpha's promise is his word, and their words are their bond."Alright. But just so you know, I won't let them silence the truth about my mother's death.""Nothing like that would happen," Alpha Mattew assured. "Just go home, once the results are out it will be sent to you."Katie's PovI woke up to the sound of a nonstop knock on my door. Last night after I came back from the hospital, I could hardly sleep as all I could do was cry over the death of the only person who ever truly loved me, my mom. Groggily, I stumbled out of bed. I couldn't help but wonder who could be at the door, as no one in the Pack visits us. Groggily making my way to the front door, I hurt my pinky toe."Ouch!" I winced in pain, as I limped the rest of the way to the door.Opening the door, I realized it was mid-afternoon, I must have slept all morning because I couldn't sleep last night. My father stood at the other end of the door dressed in his usual suit and tie, and beside him was a lady I had never seen before in my life."What's going on?" I asked as I glanced at both of them. "Have you guys found what happened to my mom's wolf?""Let's go inside please," the lady spoke. "So we can talk properly."I furrowed my brow at her."I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm Stella Bowman,"
Katie's PovI was beyond stunned and highly disappointed, mostly at myself for believing that a monster could change overnight. He has never cared about him, so my mom's death was definitely not going to make him start caring."Oh you poor thing," Joanna's tiny voice snapped me out of my train of thought, and then she pulled me closer to her and enveloped me in a tight hug."Poor Katie, I'm so sorry for your loss," she muttered and wiped a fake tear from her eyes. The reporters saw this as a one-in-a-million act and didn't waste time in taking pictures."Don't worry you'll always have a place to call home," Joanna said, as she broke the hug. Their level of hypocrisy made me cringe. "Jessica, come over here," Joanna waved at her daughter, my step-sister.Jessica walked over to where we stood surrounded by reporters, with a forced smile on her lips."I'm really sorry about your mum," Jessica said and wrapped her arms around me."Awww," her mother cooed. "She loves her step-sister alrea
"No," I muttered.Jessica squinted her brows as she stared at me for a few seconds. "Okay," she said dismissively.That night, my dreams were plagued with nightmares of my mum pleading with me to get justice for her. Three times that same night, I woke up trembling from the haunting images, and my entire body was drenched in sweat. The nightmares felt so real, and every time I drifted off to sleep it continued. It felt like my mum's spirit was urging me to uncover the truth of her death.Morning soon arrived, with the morning light seeping into my room. I slid out of bed, took a shower, and got dressed for school, before making my way downstairs.Getting downstairs, I noticed that the house was quiet, it looked like not a single soul was in it. I don't know if it's me just overthinking, but back when my mum was alive, breakfast with her was something I looked forward to all the time. It was my favorite part of my day."Good–""Your breakfast is on the dining table," the first person I
Killian's POVFor a 22-year-old, and given the current time, one would think I'd be allowed to choose a life partner for myself since I haven't found my mate, but no, my parents who feel they always know best decided to choose an arranged mate for me. I guess that's one of the perks of being the sole heir to Hux enterprise, a multi-billion dollar company founded by my grandparents.I sat at the six-seater dining table with my parents seated at both ends, as they went on and on talking about my fiance and arranged mate Ana. Their conversation was mainly about how nice it would be to take her out on a date to the newly opened five-star restaurants at Greenville's Avenue, but I had my mind on something else and was not interested in what they were saying.I tapped my feet impatiently under the table, as I played around with my food which was growing cold. My parents didn't seem to notice that I just sat down there but I wasn't really with them, especially since they decided to make the b
Katie's PovI woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm. This time around it sounded louder than normal and it irked me. Still half asleep, I slapped my hand to the right to turn it off but my hand landed on the bed, and not on my alarm."Where am I?" I mumbled, as I slowly rubbed my eyes open. Everything looked entirely different, the bed, the room– then my memories began to pour back in, and I recalled that I had moved in with my so-called father and his family, so I was in the room allocated to me. Well, at least for one, the bed was soft, and more spacious than my previous bed.I stretched my arm further and reached out for the alarm, and silenced it by tapping the knob on the top, as I tried to figure out what must have happened.Lifting the upper half of my body, I could feel a dull ache by the side of my cranium but it was so faint I needed to pay extra attention to it to have felt it. Figuring I was in my room didn't end the confusion that still clouded my judgment. "Who brou
Katie's POVAnyone could have missed the iciness in Joanna's eyes due to the smile plastered on her lips, but definitely not me. I have always been weary of her right from the very moment I stepped foot into this house, so there was no way she could fool me with that smile of hers, pretending to be a sheep, while her true fur was that of a bloody wolf.There was no driver out front to take me to school, and I've never been happier. I was able to find the bus stop after walking for a while. Less than a minute later the bus came into sight. I drew my beanie as low as I could so it covered some part of my forehead, then threw my hoodie over it. I just want a day filled with less drama. Waking up, getting yelled at, and almost getting slapped across the face for something I had no idea of already threw me off course for the day. I just needed to keep a low profile after that.Arriving at school, I tried my best to avoid Jessica and her friends, Ryan included by all means, but that wa
Katie's POV"Mate!" Lucy screamed in my head, and the most intoxicating scent wafted into my nostrils. It smelt like the warmest cream and milk mixed to perfection and a tear of spice. It was perfect and I swear if I wasn't feeling extra self aware today, I wouldn't have been able to stop Mystery from wrapping my arms around him and inhaling more of his scent.I took a small whiff of him again as time slowed down giving me the privilege of taking another breath of him. I could keep going on and on about how I really wanted to not make this as weird as possible but I was crippled and my curiosity had the front seat.He wasn't making it easy for me either. The strength in his gaze and his full glance are the things I now realize were crippling me. It felt like the first time I was having an encounter with another person. His face ticked—that’s how much attention I was paying because I needed to see where this ended.And it was over.The rest of my body spilled into the hallway and I wen
Killian's POVI didn't stop walking. I kept my feet going till I had exited the school's premises and was seated in my car. A thousand thoughts ran through my head.A coincidence? Fate?’Why did she have to be my mate??’ I asked myself with no one else to reply but myself.'But she's so pretty and she smells like a field of roses..’ Cade, my wolf said to me, causing me to roll my eyes even while nodding in agreement.I wasn't going to deny, she smelt divine both times, but even better back in Evan's crampy office. I could see everything about her, from her beautiful deep sea blue eyes to the beads of sweat on her forehead. The girl I was to protect ended up becoming my mate, at the most uncomfortable time in my life.No, fuck it. This was no fate, this was a curse, a very inconvenient curse. My mind took me back to a year back when the woman told me this would happen. ‘Was she a witch?’ I asked myself again.“Killian, she's your mate! Deal with it…” Cade snapped. He sounded pissed.
Killian's POV I drove both my car into the woods opposite the bend that lent to the tent. I drove it up to a point I felt the visibility would be hard to notice in the thick of the night. The bus could stay where it was. It was a victim in the whole operation anyways. The other bodies I had to lift and dumb somewhere behind a large log of wood of a collapsed tree. After that, I would be left with dealing with whoever it was that was behind this operation. By the time I was back to the tent, she was sitting right in the center of the chair just as I left her, but this time, she lifted her head. Relief filled my body as I saw that she looked way better than I had left her. I mean, the swollen face was still sort of there but she didn't look like she was in pain. “Hey…” She said to me with a small smile. “You didn't think I was going to give in to them, did you?” She asked, after wincing at her attempt to smile. “I am just glad you are alive. My father would have had my head if somet
Katie's POV Just like that, I was a little girl again sitting between my mother's legs as she took care of my hair because none of the hairdressers in the pack were willing to make the hair of the child whose mother was said to be proclaimed a witch. I remember having to cry to my mother every time I got treated differently. And everytime, she would have that one same sad look in her eyes that would fall to the earth. Some days, she would spill tears onto them, other days when she was drunk enough—she was not even close to a messy drunk—she would just laugh it off with more strength and ask me to sit between her legs. There she would tell me about stories I have heard over a 100 times. The thing about these stories was that even though they were the same and I have heard them over and over, over the years, they always improved in detail. There was always something new to be made clearer about her story and not once did I ever doubt the stories she told me severally regardless of the
Killian's POV A whole survey began. Mel was alive. Even though my body was reeking of fatigue, I couldn't stop moving my burning muscles. I dragged both bodies I dropped in the woods somewhere farther away from the path that a car could come through in the woods, did the same to the bodies on the road while also checking their body for the mark of the special force. Each and every one of them had the mark, so it wasn't just a coincidence. They were all special force members acting like they were savages, under the control of…Anna Adam’s command, Shedrack’s mother. I always wondered how she was connected to all of this. Now I know how. She didn't have to deny it, It was clear now that she played her part in keeping me out of the pack. It was just sad that I was going to have to make an example out of her even after knowing her kid. I went into the car to check on Katie. I unlocked the door without announcing and they both screamed for their lives. “Hey hey…it's me!” I raised my han
Killian's POV My senses heightened as I tried to feel all of my environment, but I knew that was panic slippin into my blood streams. The urge to control what was beyond you was always a good prove that you were in the enemy's territory. The calm before the storm was over. Heavy feet landed onto the ground next to me and I didn't hesitate. I went straight for the kill, punching a hole into the wall of the shadow being standing in the night. The cry of pain cut out by my other hand while one was stuck in his gut. His ugly male breath poured in my face as I tried to lower him to the ground in silence without letting the others know. I was walking into a blind fight in enemy territory. I had no idea how many they were or what they were up to, but I knew they were close. The watch tower was never too far from the main camp. I took a deep breath, rubbing my wet arm against the tree and making sure that it stayed that way, away from me. I didn't want to keep wasting time over thinking how
Killian's POV One minute I am thinking about them, then next thing I know, they are flashing in my face looking straight out of a horror show. Katie's dark brown curly locks were wild on her head as she clutched onto Jessica, dragging her down just before I concluded the bend. I wasn't even done processing the fact that I had just seen them in the middle of the road, running in the middle of the freaking night. I collided with two bodies that forced me to bring the car to a halt. I couldn't help but wonder what just happened and where they came out from. One second the road was empty and now I was seeing at least four people. Their bodies dropped right in my face. I mean I was staring right at them when it happened and I wanted to pretend like it didn't just happen. It wasn't until Katie screamed at me, “Keep going! They are savages!” She really was the one I saw…I wasn't hallucinating. “Katie?!!” I called out to her, coming down from the car. “Killian?!!” She sounded so excited.
Killian's POV I was on my way following the same route to Stephen's bunker. The drive alone was way better and driving my personal car out of that godforsaken pack gave me even more reason to not return. I doubted I killed Ana, the fall was enough to make her pass out but not die. Being she was actively betraying me, they would probably find her before she loses more blood than she can afford. Her body was well rested on the ground next to her very ugly flower vase. I refused to not feel bad or guilty about my intrusive thoughts on killing her. But I wanted a ‘I told you so’ moment with my parents after all this was over. I pulled out my phone to call Stephen since Mel wasn't picking up. She wasn't a fan of calling and driving and that didn't come as a surprise to me. Stephen picked up after the first dial. “Hey…are you guys almost here??” He asked the question I was sort of going to ask him about Mel. “No…” I started, staring into the blaring empty road before me. “I am coming al
Katie's POV My throat was hot. The air I was breathing felt choking to my lungs, almost like I was inhaling hot smoke from a burning fire close to my face. I tried to scream but the clothes in my mouth wouldn't help me stop. I dressed away only to find out I have been bound by my hands to my back by a piece of material. The wheels in my head began to spin outrageously as I realized that I was dealing with something way bigger than me. I tried to scream because the more conscious I was getting, the more I was starting to realize that I was in big trouble. I so badly wanted it to be a dream because I couldn't tell the difference between a dream and reality. But this, this didn't feel like I was dreaming. “Jessica??” I whispered, hoping she was close to me and it wasn't my captor. “Yeah…” Her voice was weak. “Thank God! Are you okay??” I asked her. “Keep your voice down. They are still around the bus. They got Mel. We need to help Mel.” Jessica said in a weak voice. I could locate
Killian's POV I debated between going back to my apartment for a change in outfit but she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve clean clothes or clean air for the betrayal she was playing in our faces. At first, I was going to let her be. It wasn't forgiveness, I just felt I had way too much on my plate to focus on her till the full implications of her action dawned on me. She didn't give a single fuck about consequences too. That was the funny part. Did she forget the backbone of our marriage contract was based on trust and alliance. There was no time to do behind the scenes in depth research where I could find out how she really came about being a backstabbing bitch and if—my favorite part—her family was involved. That way, I could finally have the evidence I needed against the Andersons. It was unfortunate that my father turned an intentional blind eye to their disloyalty for whatever reason. I alighted from my car, bringing the beanie over my hair further down while keeping my
Joanna's POVThe cameras went off and Donald detached from my body like I was made of fire, he stormed to his office and shut the door behind him while leaving me to settle with the producer. I wasn't composing though, I have been taking care of the ropes for a while now and have gotten used to doing it alone. It didn't change the fact I was exhausted and he was mad at me. I knew why but refused to accept it for a fact because it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that he was lumping all the faults on me, when we both had her inside the entire time. I waited in the living room with an open but untouched bottle of wine beside me, begging to be touched. I just couldn't let them see me falling heavily on the wine as a form of dependency. I painted the strong independent woman picture right from the very face day I found out how much power my father held. I wanted to be in his seat. He warned me that it wasn't for me. That no matter how I struggled to have this life I so dearly wanted, it would