NadineBiel was a jerk.There was no other way to explain why I had decided to do extreme training just for the sake of tiring myself out. While my beast gave me a lot of strength, I was still trying to configure my new power to my pre-existing abilities, and that in itself was exhausting.Biel knew this but didn't care.“I want to see how bad you are,” the cretin said before explaining my task.The worst part of the situation was that the guards were with him to help him see how bad I was in physical condition and to serve a purpose in the test.They had created a makeshift training circuit that I had to run in a set time following the entire perimeter of the shelter. What I didn't imagine was that Biel would set magical traps and use his men to make it difficult for me to complete the course.He was an idiot, cunning, but an idiot.“You must go through all the tests with ingenuity to see what your weaknesses are and work with them to make your reaction response much faster,” Biel sa
NadineTwo hours after Aris and Biel had set me up, the jerks were still taunting me because I had been trusting. And although their teasing annoyed me, I agreed with them about the point they wanted to let me see.“You're good, but you have to be better. You never know at what point someone casts a spell on us to hurt you, and since we're not bonded with you, you can't make sure it's not us,” Aris said carefully, and Biel pursed his lips.“You must be more careful; in and of itself, you are already suspicious; however, you cannot let your guard down even with us in a moment of tension. The Anarkhia Order uses a compendium of different powers and a lot of dark magic. At some point, we don't know how much they have distorted the magic or what level of damage they can really do,” Biel said, and I understood that.I knew full well what kind of damage the Anarkhia Order was capable of, yet I felt like a fool for letting my she-wolf think it was foreplay.They're right, my she-wolf said.T
Country VillageAthens Region “Remember when I told you that one day we would play hide-and-seek any time?” my mom asked, and I nodded excitedly. “That time is now. Do you remember the rules?”“I have to find the best hiding place; I have to be quiet, and, no matter what I hear, I don't come out until you tell me the code word,” I replied efficiently.My mom smiled proudly, but there was something sad in her look. “You're a very sweet and smart girl, Nadine,” Mom said before giving me a kiss and drawing a picture on my forehead. “What's the key word?”“Chocolate,” I said before biting into the little chocolate bar she had given me minutes before, and that made her laugh, making her gray eyes sparkle with joy.“What's the other rule?” mom asked calmly.“I must never reveal our secret,” I said very seriously.Hide it our secret my biggest mission, so my tongue would never reveal it.“Okay, go hide, and no matter what, don't come out,” Mom ordered, and I nodded. ”I love you, Nadine. Al
Part I. Meeting of SoulsNadine13 years later...I woke up in the middle of the night with erratic breathing and a racing heart.I had dreamed again of my mother's death, but this time I saw her killed in a much more grotesque way. The hunters had sat her down in front of me and ripped out her heart so that I would suffer.I shook the horrific image out of my head.I brought my hand to my chest and felt the rune of protection.I sighed in relief, knowing that at least I had an advantage over the hunters. After years of running away, I had found a way to disappear from the map more effectively, and that was by sealing my energy trail so that searching for me would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. It was a trick I learned from my mother when I was old enough to know what she always drew on my forehead after kissing me.I moved all the time, didn't last long in one job, and used different aliases.It was all I could do to keep everyone alive, especially them.Don't think abou
NadineIf someone had told me what was going to happen, I would never have believed them.It was impossible to think that the most beautiful vision I had ever had in my life, one different from the images of terror that always flooded my brain, could turn into some kind of nightmare.Biel looked at me angrily, and I did not respond.The priest took the drawing and looked at it with interest, then frowned.“Who are the other men?” The old man asked, and I said nothing.I had sworn the sight of my gourds to secrecy, so I kept my mouth shut tight and stood up straight. That brought Biel and the priest into each other's eyes, then Biel nodded and walked toward the exit, but not before looking at me as if I were a serious problem. And yes, I was a problem he shouldn't be dealing with. When Biel left, I let go of my hands and tried to regulate my breathing.“Aren't you going to say anything about this drawing?” The priest asked curiously, and I shook my head. “Then I'm going to tell you who
BielHunting the woman of the prophecy had almost turned out to be an impossible mission.We didn't know who she was or what magical powers she had, so I couldn't find her trail. So when the temple gave us clues on how to catch a stripper who was related to her, I didn't hesitate to come up with a plan.I set up an intelligence operation with elite guards in the small city of Valkir. The capital of Valter, one of the 3 common areas of Kagolen, the continent where we lived. Once we found the club where the stripper worked, it was a matter of investigating her movements until she finally met the woman of the prophecy.It was a good move on my part, and when the woman was apprehended, I declared the operation a success. The woman was already hours into her processing, and all was going well until one of the operation's guards approached me with a serious expression.“What's going on, Jackson?” I immediately asked the vampire.“When the unknown female attempted to flee, I entered her apar
NadineBiel didn't miss the opportunity to hit me back.And when I saw the others, they were all serious, as if what I had told them was a sentence. And maybe it was, but it was just a way to protect them, and if I had to be a bitch to do it, I wouldn't hesitate to hurt them if it would keep them alive.“We don't need to be aggressive here,” said the blonde woman who had introduced us. “I think they need a moment to—”“We need privacy, Lu,” Biel answered her in a sweet voice. “Go find the high priest, Lion, please.”The blonde looked at him earnestly, and I could tell there was something longing in her eyes. That bothered me a lot, especially when she complied with Biel's order as if it was nothing.“Speak up, Nadine; we don't have our whole lives to put up with your tantrums,” Biel said, and I pursed my lips.“I don't owe you anything,” I replied immediately. “The soulmate test means nothing, so I'm not obligated to get involved with either of you.”“I'm sorry to be discerning with y
Nadine“We are going to give you today to reflect,” Drago said, and I looked at him with surprise. “You need to clear your mind so we can have a proper conversation. It's obvious you weren't planning to meet us, at least not now. So have a break, and tomorrow we'll talk about the importance of the prophecy. You are the chosen one, but the prophecy goes beyond you; it involves all of us.”Aris nodded seriously and released me carefully, then Connor looked at me doubtfully.“You told us what you want, but now I really doubt that's what you want,” Connor said with the drawing in his hand. “A person doesn't draw someone this way if they don't have feelings, and I have a feeling it was years before you were able to perfect these drawings.”I swallowed saliva, and Aris watched me with a frown.“Whatever you do with empathy, don't do it with me,” I asked, and the vampire smiled sadly.“I'm sorry to tell you that I can't please you,” Aris said, and I frowned. “My empathy is something that is
NadineTwo hours after Aris and Biel had set me up, the jerks were still taunting me because I had been trusting. And although their teasing annoyed me, I agreed with them about the point they wanted to let me see.“You're good, but you have to be better. You never know at what point someone casts a spell on us to hurt you, and since we're not bonded with you, you can't make sure it's not us,” Aris said carefully, and Biel pursed his lips.“You must be more careful; in and of itself, you are already suspicious; however, you cannot let your guard down even with us in a moment of tension. The Anarkhia Order uses a compendium of different powers and a lot of dark magic. At some point, we don't know how much they have distorted the magic or what level of damage they can really do,” Biel said, and I understood that.I knew full well what kind of damage the Anarkhia Order was capable of, yet I felt like a fool for letting my she-wolf think it was foreplay.They're right, my she-wolf said.T
NadineBiel was a jerk.There was no other way to explain why I had decided to do extreme training just for the sake of tiring myself out. While my beast gave me a lot of strength, I was still trying to configure my new power to my pre-existing abilities, and that in itself was exhausting.Biel knew this but didn't care.“I want to see how bad you are,” the cretin said before explaining my task.The worst part of the situation was that the guards were with him to help him see how bad I was in physical condition and to serve a purpose in the test.They had created a makeshift training circuit that I had to run in a set time following the entire perimeter of the shelter. What I didn't imagine was that Biel would set magical traps and use his men to make it difficult for me to complete the course.He was an idiot, cunning, but an idiot.“You must go through all the tests with ingenuity to see what your weaknesses are and work with them to make your reaction response much faster,” Biel sa
NadineThe tension between Biel and me was thick.He and I hadn't spoken a word to each other since I returned from the pack. And that had been two days ago, so I could consider it a new record in our interactions. The guard captain had taken a silly stance on my bonding with Connor and I didn't really understand why.He's jealous, my she-wolf Becca said firmly.Why would he be?Joel analyzes the connections you have with others and feels at a disadvantage. Besides, the connection you have with Connor, in his eyes, is much stronger than the one you might have with him because you and Connor are werewolves, Becca said, and I frowned. That's just plain stupid; I'm also half Warlock, and I don't get along with him, in case he's noticed. Biel knows that, but to him there's more meaning in the connection I have with Connor's wolf than I might have with them. Biel doesn't really understand the fact that we need all four of them to be happy and content, Becca said in a giggly voice.The ve
ConnorI was sleeping when Nadine's screams startled me.My beast immediately went on guard, so I woke up and saw Nadine jerking hard beside me. Aris had gotten up and was trying to wake her up, but I could tell he was having difficulty doing so.“I don't know what's going on; she has a wall-like mental block and I can't see her thoughts; I don't know what's going on,” Aris said worriedly.Maybe I can help, said my wolf Will.How?Now that we are bonded, we share the same soul bond and I can call her out of the dream she is having. Do it now!My command took effect and then Nadine got up straight to vomit.Whatever she had dreamed about, it was disastrous enough to make her empty her bowels on the floor. I immediately helped her by grabbing her hair and Aris left the room, then returned with a bucket and rags to clean up.“What's wrong, beautiful?” asked Aris sweetly. “We're here with you; whatever you dreamed, it's not real.”Nadine finished vomiting and then looked at him sadly.“T
NadineMy she-wolf had the primal urge to mark Connor.I couldn't hold back; it was too strong a feeling and she had somehow manipulated Connor's beast to react the same way.That's why, as soon as we were skin to skin, I just wanted to make him mine. My she-wolf wanted to have the bond, the beast, and the man at the same time.Connor reacts in response and lifts me up to throw me straight onto the bed as our mouths fight for control and our tongues feast on each other's caresses. I was completely out of my mind, and that's how we ended up tearing our clothes off.There was no sweetness in the moment, just the unbridled desire of our beasts.I grabbed a handful of his hair forcefully and made him look at me earnestly.“You're mine!” I exclaimed furiously and then bit Connor right on the shoulder.My she-wolf was brutal, biting down on his collarbone until our teeth touched Connor's bone and I could taste the blood in my mouth. That made Connor gasp in pain and then I licked the wound
NadineSaul was sent to the pack dungeons, while Rose calmed the Eclipse Pack council members. Somehow, it had worked to get Connor to react, because that had served to make the council understand that the demands were over.“You're a seer,” Inna said as Connor gave his warriors instructions and drafted a note to send to the Alpha of the Waning Moon Pack.“Something like that,” I said and she frowned.“Seers aren't common; they usually work for one of the two orders of evil.”I smiled because of her perception of reality.“What do you mean by lar orders of evil?” I asked just to tease her.“That they are both wrong,” Inna said sincerely. “One order wants the world to go to hell, while the other order lets the world go to hell by controlling everyone. They're the same, except one order wants darkness to be the one that's with us always.”“You don't believe in the Equilibrium Order,” I said in surprise.“I don't believe in those who control the order,” Inna admitted honestly. “Connor tr
NadineAs I ate breakfast at Connor's family's home in the pack, I had a vision of how the council meeting would unfold. The situation would not be very favorable for Connor, so I had to help him and for that I needed his grandmother.Rose looked at me with a frown and I nodded.With a simple gesture, I let her know that I would interfere, so I needed her help.I just hoped Connor's grandmother would help me contain the situation.I could tell by how Connor responded to counselor Joel that he had never been forceful with the council. His grandmother smiled and I felt an aura change in the room.“There's no problem,” Joel said. “We never knew you were called by the temple, so to us this information comes as a surprise.”“I'm going to make a couple of things clear,” Connor said with character. “I have followed and respected the opinions of the council because you represent the wishes of the entire pack I lead; however, the council cannot hold me accountable for my private life or contro
ConnorThe moment I saw how Ophelia saw Nadine, I knew I was in trouble.I was proud to introduce my mate to the world; I could shout it from the rooftops if it was that easy to do; however, Nadine had an important mission so we had to be careful.The reality was that with Ophelia knowing about Nadine, the dynamic changed.She had been avoiding her due to the fact that she had sent three amparos to the council and her father was threatening to break alliances. I still didn't understand why Ophelia was so obsessed with marrying me.She had had a mate, but her mate died just before she found him, which put her in a bad position.That doesn't excuse her from being a bad woman, my wolf Will said.And he was right; it didn't excuse her, least of all when she was such a spoiled, impulsive, domineering woman.“It's a wonder you found your mate,” Ophelia said without taking her eyes off Nadine. “She's not from Lunarius; is she from one of the commons?”Nadine frowned. It was easy to detect th
NadineWhatever was keeping Connor busy lasted a couple more days.He didn't return to the shelter and that prompted Drago to help me with the exercises.The interaction of my she-wolf and the dragon was one to study.Becca was licking the dragon's scales while he burned anything she wanted just to make her laugh. The beasts were having much more fun than I had imagined, so much so that Aris mentioned it that night at dinner.“Your beasts seem happy to meet each other,” the vampire said and Biel laughed.“They're mates,” Drago replied. “It's obvious they're happy to be close, so it's only natural.”Aris and Biel locked eyes and I didn't like that interaction at all.“Good thing you're a millennial being who knows how to use his time,” Biel said teasingly. “The data you gave Lion was used to decode some tales. The high priest thinks they're the key to everything.”I frowned uncomprehendingly.“Can you explain to me what's going on?” I asked and Aris nodded.“I went to the herd to get s