NARAH'S POV My gaze lingered on Alpha Van as I spoke with Chris across Alpha Van's room.“I have to go to the Moonlight Pack, there's something wrong; I can feel it,” I said, worried.“I know, it's weird for Liora not to have her cellphone all day or contact us. She uses that thing like she breathes,” Chris remarked.I shot him a glance, a smile tugging at the edges of my lips despite the tension brewing inside me. He was right. Liora was addicted to that device.“I can't let anything hurt her, Chris. I don't want anything to harm her.”I meant every word I said. I hoped Liora was safe with Anakiyus and Nas.Chris nodded, his expression resolute. “I'll take care of Van, I promise,” he assured me. “He'll be awake soon. The poison had been in him for so long, I'm surprised he's even still alive. A normal person or any other werewolf wouldn't have been able to break free from that enchantment and would have died instantly from the strong poison.”My eyes drifted back to Alpha Van, my he
LIORA'S POV Memories of my capture in Luna Tauriel's room were hazy. The dog's frantic barking had ceased. It was then wagging and chasing its tail, running in circles. I was battered so quickly, and the next thing I saw was gross darkness. A few minutes after that, I felt my body floating, then I realized I was being carried away by a man. While descending the stairs, my eyes struggled to open. As they slightly parted, trying to observe the environment, I noticed Luna Tauriel and the man from her room standing at the top of the stairs. I didn't know his name or remember it even if I'd heard of it, but I recognized his face. That unmistakable resting bitch face. He had that same expression when he attacked me in the room as soon as he saw me. A guard was now carrying me on his shoulders, taking me to a place I didn't know, and I couldn't resist. I was too weak to do anything or even speak. Gina's wicked mother watched in awe as I struggled in vain. Suddenly, a familiar sce
ALPHA VAN'S POVThe night of my lunar bonding ceremony with Reina was supposed to be one of the most joyous days of my life. I had anticipated the night with her, standing side by side, chanting our vows, and binding our hearts into one. We were fated mates, and I was glad she would come to know it when she saw me, but things took a turn for the worse. A witch enchanted me; I rejected Reina, and she died.I still found it hard to believe she's back. Narah was Reina. From the day I met her in the cafe, I knew she reminded me of Reina, but wouldn't it be sickening if I told someone that Reina, who had died a long time ago, was standing in front of me, alive and well?No wonder my wolf, Curtis, called her “mate.” He could even sense the mate bond between Narah and me more than I did. However, the enchantment we were under suppressed and clouded his mind, just like it did to mine.My father once read a book about reincarnation to me as a kid. He told me about his great grand-father, Mica
NARAH'S POV Without saying a word, the guards led Bryan and me into the Alpha's house. As soon as we stepped inside, memories flooded my mind—how Gina and I used to run around, playing and screaming at the top of our lungs. “Wait here,” one of the guards commanded. “Let me call Luna Tauriel.’ As he went upstairs, I couldn’t help but move around the house, my heart swelling. Everything was almost exactly the same. From the thick, yellow curtains to the wall where Gina and I had measured our heights over the years. The guard returned and left with the one who had stayed behind. Then Bryan suddenly asked, “How did you know impersonating the Alpha's long-dead daughter would get us in?” “I wasn’t impersonating,” I replied, scanning the living room. Bryan's face contorted. Just as he was about to speak, Luna Luna Tauriel's sharp voice pierced through the atmosphere as she descended the stairway in a precise fashion, her gaze fixated intently on me. “Look who we have here. The
(Note: This chapter is a prequel to the last. The events occured before Narah left for the Moonlight Pack to look for Liora and before the Packhouse exploded) LIORA'S POV When the guard, Corolla, and her father left to see Anakiyus, I tried to free myself, but still couldn't get it done. It was as if each time I tried, I could feel my strength leaving me, with the cuffs and chains absorbing my power. This wasn't part of the plan. Getting caught was surely never part of our plan. How would we survive this? After waiting for a few minutes, Beta Bernard and two guards returned, along with Anakiyus. Where's Nas? I wondered. Anakiyus walked majestically in between the guards. It almost seemed as if he weren't a prisoner. A stoic expression clouded his face until he saw me. As his gleaming eyes caught mine, he offered a reassuring smile, and then it dawned on me that Anakiyus had not been caught; he had freely given himself up for me. I wriggled constantly, the metal links scr
GINA'S POV I stepped out of the bathroom, completely naked, water dripping onto the worn carpet. I tied up my hair in a white towel and my bare body with a plush, pink towel that lay on the bed. On top of the drawer across the room, I grabbed my pack of cigarettes and slipped one out. Lighting it, I sat down, took a long draw and watched the plumes dance in the air until they disappeared. Then I took a deep breath and exhaled. “Oh, f**k this! Feels good,” I mumbled, relief washing over me. It felt good to have a long, hot shower. I already had that prison stench imbued in my pores. Now it was all washed away down the drain. Ria thought it was best to stay in the tub, but I just needed to stand, and drench myself from head to toe, that's why I opted for the shower. “I've never felt so alive,” she said happily. “I know right?” “Why did your father pick this old motel for you to stay in?” I propped myself up in my seat and looked around. The neon lights above the ceiling
GINA'S POV Confusion gnawed at their faces. Liam and Miss Kiara still hadn't gotten over the shock of my revelation, and now I was sauntering toward the door, asking them to follow me. They stood frozen, unable to process what was happening. I turned to them. “Corolla is about to burn down the estate,” I hollered. “She's my sister, and our father is Beta Bernard.” “Oh, nice way to dumb the info on them,” Ria said sarcastically. I shook my head, acknowledging her point. Perhaps I could have said it in a better way. “What?” Chris gasped. “Gina, what are you talking about?” Liam asked. An anxious laugh escaped Miss Kiara's lips, echoing in the stillness of the room. “She's insane, as they said.” “I'm not insane,” I retorted. “My father and Corolla are the ones who actually enchanted Alpha Van after they made me poison Reina so I could take her place.” “But why?” Chris asked. “Ever heard of a gemstone called the Moon Jade?” Miss Kiara's face was blank, but Liam's and Ch
NARAH'S POV I batted my eyes until they opened to take in the view around me. The pain that had subdued my body earlier had completely disappeared, replaced by a sharper affliction around my neck and wrists. Silver cuffs clutched my neck, their metal links bound to a cage behind me, while the cuffs on my wrists were tied to the stone walls on each side. The metal was cold against my skin, biting and digging into my supple flesh. I had a limit to how far I could move. As discomforting as it was, I sensed dark magic flowing through the metals and dissipating into the cuffs. What's going on? I thought inwardly, panic creeping in on me like a haunted ghost. “It's cursed silver,” Minsi's voice cooed. Why wasn't she freaking out? We were literally shackled in a dingy room, and yet she spoke like someone enjoying a day on the beach, sipping margaritas or something. I recalled Ophelia being fettered by cursed silver. The pain I was currently experiencing was similar to the on
NARAH'S POV Arthur and Dahlia. Oh dear! Arthur and Dahlia visited and asked for forgiveness, but I had already forgiven them. Besides, I became friends with their son, Luca. He was a really nice kid. Hanadin and Rachael started dating with her father's permission. Beta Henry had a change of heart toward Hanadin. Although, he said Hanadin was weird. Bryan asked Liora out, and she responded with a big fat “No.” Good heavens, she had been avoiding him recently. He wouldn't stop accompanying her wherever she went, and he promised he would wait for her until she changed her mind. “Or until he meets his fated mate,” Liora told me when recounting the story of how he tailed her to the store when she went to get groceries with Cindy. Bryan and Jeremiah got closer and became inseparable. Beta Solomon's wife still didn't like Bryan, but Jeremiah didn’t care and told her it wasn't Bryan's fault that her husband slept with another woman and brought forth a son—Bryan. How sweet. Br
NARAH’S POV It was finally over. The Moon Jade was gone. The weight that had burdened so many for centuries had finally been lifted. I could feel the peace settling into my bones, like the calm after a storm. The power that had once ruled over so many was now nothing but dust and memory. The curse was broken, and it was over. When I focused all of my powers into extracting it from Beta Bernard, my mind was disturbed by memories of how the Jade had been passed down through generations. Many years after Jenna and Ophelia's death, the farmers working on the land to build a bridge dug up Jenna's remains from her grave, and that was how they discovered the Moon Jade. It was later passed on from one Alpha to another, a King to another, a governor, a Duke, a duchess, and they all had one name for it: “the cursed gemstone” due to the number of people who had died because of it. Many had tried to destroy the Moon Jade, but it wouldn't budge. So, it was sold to a princess who gav
NARAH'S POV I couldn’t afford to break down in front of Alpha Van, not now. I forced my lips into a smile, but even I could see how hollow it was. I wasn’t okay—nothing about this was okay—but I couldn’t let him carry that burden alone. “I'm good. Are you okay?” “My love... I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice full of raw emotion. “I can't let you fight all by yourself.” “You don't have to worry, ” I assured him, the vacant emptiness in my eyes returning, revealing the presence of my hybrid wolf. “We’ll fix this. Together.” Minisi had done her part—to protect the foetus, but now, if she didn't lend me her full strength, there would be no home for my unborn child, or the people of Vaelothor to live in. My bones groaned in protest as they stretched, snapping and dislocating with a sickening crunch. A searing pain tore through my muscles, each shift a fresh agony, my skin stretching and tearing as though it couldn’t contain the transformation. The heat from within radiated o
NARAH'S POV Van’s muscles bulged with effort as he absorbed the impact, his body seizing under the power with a coldness such as I had never seen. I could feel his pain through the bond we shared.With a guttural scream, his body surged forward, breaking through the dark energy like a battering ram. He wasn’t fully healed, but he was strong—strong enough to fight for us.Beta Bernard's eyes widened in surprise. He had expected the lethal force to end Alpha Van's life in the frightful encounter.“Thank goodness,” I muttered under my breath, taking a stand by Curtis's (Alpha Van) side.He had taken a blow meant for me. I was more than grateful that he had, but I just prayed that he was truly okay and that nothing awful would happen to him.He didn’t let Beta Bernard’s attack stop him. He was back, fighting for what was right, and I fought by his side.“Change of plan,” Beta Bernard said, blocking my kicks. “I'm going to kill both of you right here.”“I'd like to see you try,” I raved.
NARAH'S POV Standing face to face with Van's direwolf, my heart leaped for joy. As my hands slowly trailed over its soft, stunning black fur, it growled tenderly, leaning its head on my arm.Suddenly, with the speed of light, Beta Bernard grabbed me from the side, lifting me into the air, his laughter cutting through the atmosphere like a blade.“Let me go,” I shouted, the wisps of my breath curling in the air as I wriggled in his arms. I could see Alpha Van's wolf running after us, its gaze drifting toward the sky now and then. I didn't even get a moment more to rejoice at his breaking free.Although I had initially wanted to get to Beta Bernard, now that I was soaring about twenty thousand feet above the ground and knowing he had the power to throw me off at any moment, I had a change of heart.“I'll show you what real power looks like,” he said, focusing above as he rose higher.My heart was pounding rapidly, my stomach churning with every gust of air I breathed in. “Murdering p
NARAH'S POV I wiped my tears, smiling and nodding, but it was only for a split second before the creature pounced on me, pinning me to the ground. It seemed to be fighting with the voices in its head, staggering back, growling, and throwing punches at its own head.My heart hammered in my chest as my shuddering legs managed to find the strength to support me. Frantically, I dashed through the clearing once more. However, Beta Bernard was no longer in sight. The creature—Van— was hot on my heels again, a twisted shadow of the man I loved. Each desperate step felt like it could be my last, but there was no time to stop.No! I couldn't stop. Not now, not when Beta Bernard was still out there, controlling everything and planning to destroy people's lives.I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see Alpha Van stumble again, his paws pounding the earth, his body fighting against the unnatural force that gripped him.It was as if a part of him, deep inside, was beginning to take charge,
NARAH'S POV The monsters surrounding us snarled, their eyes empty of recognition, all of them bound by the same cruel will. “So that which was cursed may never be cursed again,” witch Verusia whispered, staring at Jeremiah. Then I understood what she meant. The reason Jeremiah hadn't changed along with the others was that he had been cursed by the Moon Jade, and now the curse Beta Bernard had placed on the other werewolves could not touch him. The air grew thick, making it difficult to breathe, as we shifted back slowly while the creatures approached. My eyes were locked on them, thinking of how to win this battle without hurting them. “Beta Bernard is controlling their minds,” I said, my voice firm. “I'll see how I can get the Moon Jade from him, while you guys handle our friends.” “Our friends?” Liora snapped. “Look at them. I bet all they want is to sink their teeth into our plump flesh and use our bones as toothpicks.” Jeremiah sneered, his eyes flashing with defiance.
NARAH'S POV I could see the feral grin on his face as he rose from the ground like a phoenix rising from its ashes. I expected nothing less. Beta Bernard's appetite for power seemed to know no bounds. His eyes blazed with an intense white light that radiated like a flashlight pointing in all directions until they finally rested on me. I caught Liora's body in midair just before it slammed onto the ground.“Oh my! Thank you,” she mumbled, catching her breath, disbelief etched on her face.“Are you okay?”She nodded instinctively; then her eyes darted toward Beta Bernard, scanning the clearing. His guards were getting back on their feet, along with Luna Tauriel. The flames they had held were now extinguished and the sticks tossed aside.“That old man just won't quit. Motherf**ker!” Liora cursed bitterly, glaring at him.“He looks pretty mad and happy at the same time,” I retorted.Instantly, Liora's amber eyes grew large with surprise as they focused behind me, gawking at something—or
NARAH'S POV When I created a portal to lead us to where Liora and the others were, I thought I had conjured the right destination. I was dumbfounded when it led us to a part of the woods where I saw Gina. She was holding on to dear life…barely.It broke my heart to see her like that—battered and broken beyond saving. I could sense the silver mixing like a drug in her blood. It pulsed through her veins like the rhythm of a mourning song.When I held her, the things she had done since my return were quickly erased from my mind, replaced by a gaping wound of regret and sorrow which scared my heart deeply.For the first time, I caught a glimpse of the sister I had once known and loved. The Gina that had filled my childhood with her elegance. Her sultry green eyes had lost their sparkle. They were bleary with tears, and her pupils were dilating.For Corolla—I didn't exactly know what to feel. Hurt, betrayed, and beneath it, a genuine love for a friend whom I had thought was true. What a t