NARAH’S POV I had gone to meet Alpha Van to tell him about Gina, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. Truth was, I didn’t even know how to begin— where exactly do I start? Bryan had disappeared, and no-one knew where he was. Kacy, Rachael and I had slipped out of the mansion into the cool night air, which felt both refreshing and suffocating; our mission was to look for Bryan. Kacy said she knew where he would be and asked Rachael and me to accompany her. This wasn’t something to make a fuss about, she had told Alpha Van, assuring him that she’d bring Bryan home. This wasn’t how I imagined spending my weekend—searching through the woods for Bryan and worrying about Liora. I was worried about Bryan too, but let’s face it: If Jeremiah truly found out where Liora stayed, she’d be in deep trouble. I didn’t even want to think about the horrible things they might do to her. She didn’t have a cellphone to be reached; how the hell do I contact a young witch in this modern age?
NARAH’S POVAlpha Van and I walked slowly back to the mansion, the crisp night air tinged with the scent of pine and damp earth. Each time his hand brushed against mine, my heart thumped loudly, sending soft smiles dancing on my lips, even as an awkward silence enveloped us.It felt heavy, laden with everything left unsaid, as if he hadn’t ventured into the woods to find me because he had feelings for me.As we entered the living room, the warmth of the fire from the fireplace crackled, contrasting with the chill outside. We spotted Bryan and Kacy; Bryan's eyes lit up at our arrival, but then quickly darkened with sadness and remorse.A storm of thoughts seemed to linger beneath his surface, leaving me wondering what was happening in his mind.I excused myself and climbed the stairs, the creak of the wooden door to my room echoing my restlessness. Back in my room, sleep eluded me.I turned and tossed in my bed, thinking of everything that had happened and that which hadn't happened ye
GINA’S POVLiam’s words echoed in my mind, taunting me—“If you dare hurt Sharon, it’s over between us.” What in seven hells did he mean by that? F**K, NO! That wasn't even possible. I knew he only said that to piss me off.His words felt like a slap. I stared at him, hurt and rage colliding within me. “So you’re choosing her over me?” “You know that's not what this is about,” he replied.I looked at him, his beautiful honey eyes piercing into mine as the ultimatum hung in the air like a storm cloud, dark and oppressive and ready to unleash a heavy rain on me. The basement felt suffocating. I couldn't shake the bitterness twisting inside of me. Sharon was everything I wasn’t—innocent, beautiful with a perfect body, and f**king naive. She didn’t deserve Liam; she was tearing us apart. How couldn't he see that?“I hope you understand what I said. If you hurt Sharon, I swear it, I will shatter our bond,” Liam repeated, not breaking eye contact.Did he really mean that? He couldn't, righ
ALPHA VAN’S POV I was glad my brother had finally settled down with someone he loved. Though Sharon might not be his fated mate, I had never seen him care for anyone as much. He truly loved her. Speaking of love, Narah’s gaze sparkled in the afternoon light, drawing my attention like a magnet. Each time I stole a glance at her, I found her gaze was not on me and my heart sank a little more; the entire time, her eyes were fixed on Sharon and Liam, laughter dancing between them. A fleeting thought crossed my mind—what if she longed for a mate of her own? If that was the case, I’d lay my heart bare for her, ready to be whatever she needed and let her do whatever she pleased with me; I was all hers. I imagined her touch, her smile brightening my world. Once I dealt with Anakiyus and the witch’s problem today, I’d take the divorce papers to Gina and finally reveal my feelings for Narah. My eyes swept through the garden, taking in the beautiful, vibrant colours of flowers and the
LIORA'S POV “What do you mean he's not here?” “He's out of the house, he's not inside. That's what I mean,” I explained sarcastically to Grandma Bessie, the owner of the building where we lived. Anakiyus, Keenan and Nas had left for their usual meetings and Grandma Bessie had come today to collect her balance for the rent. Sometimes, I thought that Anakiyus was avoiding her on purpose. “Two weeks, he has two weeks to pay up,” she said, raising the index and middle finger of her right hand like a warning. “Two weeks. That's all.” Before Grandma Bessie brought up the rent, she had talked about how she started from the bottom to the top in the days of her youth. Now I was already tired of standing on the porch, listening to her prattle on about her two grandsons and how she hoped I’d date one of them. The minute she left, I skidded happily back into the house, and as I walked down the corridor, I halted. I was all alone. Whenever Anakiyus and the others left for the evening, I usu
ALPHA VAN’S POV I turned to look at Bryan, the gun trembling in his hand as it pointed at the witch's forehead. Jeremiah stood tall beside him, arms crossed, a smirk on his face. Rachael’s eyes were wide, her dagger still pressed tightly against the witch's throat. Liora. That was her name. Fear radiated from her, and I could see her breath quicken. Bryan hesitated. What was going on in his head? I thought he didn't want her dead. The room smelled of fear and sweat. “A gun?” Jeremiah asked, raising an eyebrow, not completely surprised. “I didn't know you had that.” “Well, there are a lot of things I have that you don’t know about, big brother.” Bryan’s voice was low, a new edge to it. That was the first time he’d ever addressed Jeremiah that way. I could sense the tension rolling off him; he was on the brink, but I was sure he wouldn’t pull that trigger. “He's going to pull the trigger,” Jeremiah said, turning to Anakiyus. Anakiyus’s expression shifted from concern to panic
NARAH'S POV “I'm sorry that I couldn't get here earlier,” I said to Liora, glancing at the blood smeared across the living room floor and feeling remorseful that I was unable to contact her before the hunt. She stared at the blood, allowing herself a moment to think. I wondered what went through her mind. If only I had managed to contact her before the hunt… Could I have prevented this? Alpha Van and the others had already left, and it took us several agonising minutes to return here. We had been hiding in the woods, away from Bryan and Axton, my heart pounding in my chest with every rustle of leaves. Back in the mansion, I had squeezed into the boot of the SUV when Alpha Van and Jeremiah entered the Pack house, praying I wouldn’t be discovered. I made sure I was not seen by anyone. Earlier, I’d asked Cindy to cover for me, claiming I had gone to the store. The darkness enveloped me as I held my breath, listening to the muffled sounds above. What would I say if I was caugh
NARAH'S POV I stood before the door, my heart racing. Liora had her head covered with her hood, and her dark hair covering her face. She glanced back at the corridor. “Are you sure we should be here?” This right here was a risk, but I had no other option, or so I thought. “I don't know any other person in this town,” I said, “or do you?” Liora shook her head. And I kept my knuckles rapped against the iron surface, the sound echoing in the stillness. “We could leave,” Liora suggested. Suddenly, a solid thud echoed as the metallic door swung open. Chris froze. His eyes widened in surprise, moving from Liora to me. “Narah? What are you doing here?” His gaze shifted to Liora, who stood nervously beside me in her black hoodie. “Can we come in?” I asked urgently. Without waiting for an answer, I stepped inside, dragging Liora with me. The sweet scent of vanilla filled the air-conditioned room. Chris stretched his head outside the door, glancing around to see if we had come alone
NARAH’S POV“What?” Zander asked, surprised.“Are you Mr. Mysterious?” I repeated, assuming he didn't hear me the first time.“No, I'm not,” he blurted out, disbelief thick in his voice. “How could you think that?”“Why wouldn't I? It seems to me that you pretended you'd never heard of the Moon Jade before you met me. You cast a fake mate bond on me, and for what?”Zander fell silent. His eyes darted away, his jaw tightening. Then, he moved closer to me, his demeanour shifting. There was an air of regret in his gaze, something I hadn’t noticed before, but it didn’t soften the storm brewing inside me.“I’m sorry I did that, Narah,” he said softly, his voice calmer now. “I didn’t mean to deceive you like that.”I stared at him, every word a new weight on my shoulders. My chest tightened as the truth hit me with full force. He wasn't denying it. I had been so foolish to believe his excuses before. So many signs, so many warning bells ringing, but I had ignored them all. He had played me
NARAH’S POVThe water ran hot, steam curling around me as I stood under the shower, letting the heat flow into my skin, washing away the remnants of the night before.Just as I tried to relax, I heard Liora’s voice scream, “Are you still going to wear that beautiful wedding dress?”I couldn't hear her properly, so I turned off the shower. “WHAT?”“The wedding dress!” she shouted. “Are you still going to put it on? Ellie is calling.”How did I forget about that? “Sure, I will. For dramatic effect,” I screamed back.“That's my girl,” Liora said, and a smile tugged at the edges of my lips.I turned on the shower again and let it all flow—my anger, my confusion, the stench or alcohol, the memories of Hendrix, Ophelia and Jenna, and the mounting pressure of everything I had just uncovered. It was all too much, yet not enough. The truth was a cruel thing, especially when you couldn’t unlearn it.But as the water ran cold, something else was there. A hollow emptiness in the space where my w
ALPHA VAN’S POV “I... I came because I—" She hesitated, clearly trying to find the right words again. Then Liam cut her short. “I invited her for my wedding tomorrow. I want her to be a part of it.” Mother nodded several times. “He's right...and I want to make it right to you, Liam, and Kacy. Especially you, Van.” The bitterness surged in me again. Make it right? Was this some pathetic excuse to ease her guilt after all these years? It was too late for that. I blamed Liam for inviting her without letting me know first. He definitely wouldn't have informed me because he knew how much I hated her, to the extent that I had prohibited anyone from talking about her. “As you can see, we're all doing just fine without you,” I said through clenched teeth. “You think a couple of tears and a half-assed apology is gonna make up for abandoning me? For abandoning us?” Liam, still oblivious to the tension in the room, stepped forward with his usual excitement. “Van, it’s Mom! You—” “No!” I
ALPHA VAN’S POV“I don’t believe Gina should be allowed to roam around freely the way she is.”I raised an eyebrow, the corner of my mouth twitching into a half-smile. “I’m pretty sure she isn’t helping much by being detained either. She insisted she didn’t help Anakiyus escape.”Not that I entirely believed Gina, but she seemed sincere. “Liars be sincere until they're caught,” Curtis chimed in, his voice a low growl at the back of my mind. “All evidence proves guilty. Guards wouldn't lie.”I dismissed his voice in my head. Briefly, I glanced at Jeremiah, feeling the familiar tension between us, but he only gave me a deadpan expression. "Besides, she's not allowed to leave the estate. So, her roaming is limited," I added, trying to push the conversation to lighter ground.Jeremiah chuckled, but it was a hollow sound. A short, fanciful laugh that made my skin crawl. “The Luna is under house arrest,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “How will the Alpha live!”I shot him a dry look. “W
NARAH’S POVOphelia’s final memories unravelled in my mind, jagged and raw, like shards of glass cutting through my consciousness. I felt everything she had. The coldness of her rage. The weight of her grief.The relentless power that surged through her as she slaughtered the entire Pack in the woods. The rogue Kings fell before her, their blood staining the earth as they crumpled in the dirt. Hendrix was last. She had saved him for last.I could feel the moment she tore his throat open with her claws—her eyes deathly cold and unwavering as his life’s blood gushed out, and the earth drank to its own satisfaction. It was a massacre, brutal and swift.She was unstoppable. The power of the silver wolf coursing through her veins made her a force no one could withstand.But what haunted me the most was how she didn’t hesitate. She didn’t flinch as she watched Hendrix’s body slump to the ground, his blood mixing with the dirt.Ophelia’s heart was a fractured thing, but she didn’t show it. A
NARAH’S POV (Still trapped in Ophelia's body, Ophelia's consciousness overpowered Narah's in this chapter, meaning everything that happened occurred exactly as it did in the past) A sort of hysterical laughter surged up in my throat, and I choked it back. I couldn't believe Hendrix's betrayal. I could taste the bile that had formed at the back of my throat as anger, frustration, and severe despair coursed through my veins. Still, I said nothing, my eyes fixated on Hendrix. He stood tall and proud at the front of the Pack, the rogue Kings behind him. I didn't know what to make of the situation. I just couldn't believe it. “Hendrix, how could you?” Jenna snapped, her brows furrowing. “Shut up, witch!” ordered one of the rogue Kings. “Hendrix has told the truth to all of us. Your atrocity is a disgrace. You are an abomination.” I listened to every word, and they rang like a tolling bell, ripping my heart out. But nothing hurt more than seeing the expression on Hendrix's face.
NARAH'S POV How would I tell Ophelia? Was there even a way for me to inform her about Hendrix’s plan? History had already taken place, and there was no way that I could change it. There was no turning back the hands of time. Just as I ran out of the cottage, the weird teleportation thing happened again, and this time, I found myself plunged into darkness. No—my eyes were closed. I just had to open them. When my eyes finally opened, I noticed I was lying on a hard, rough surface—hay, scattered around the floor like a crude mattress. My body ached all over, every muscle screaming in protest. The pain was so intense that I wondered if it was the side effect of being teleported multiple times. The confusion muddied my thoughts, and I tried to push through the agony to sit up. As I struggled to rise, a jolt of pain shot through me, more intense than before, and I collapsed back into the hay. A groan slipped from my lips. What in the world had happened to me? My mind raced as I
NARAH'S POV “What do you mean by that?” Hendrix asked, his voice calm but edged with something darker.“Only silver wolves can use the Moon Jade. I thought everyone knew that?”“Everyone? That's in the old times,” Hendrix sneered, his gaze hardening as he leaned closer to Ophelia. His fingers dug into her arms, a subtle but firm grip that made my stomach turn. “Isn’t your mate supposed to have access to the Jade? Isn’t the Jade supposed to make me powerful enough to wipe out an entire city?”His eyes turned completely dark as he spoke. His voice became awfully sinister, sending nothing but dread through me. Looking at Ophelia, the terror in her eyes and the quivering of her lips and the way her body flinched beneath his touch, I could tell he had that same effect on her.It was terrifying to watch this man who she was to marry inflict physical pain on her, and he wasn't aware that he was hurting her. Did the Moon Jade really have that kind of power, though? To annihilate entire citi
NARAH'S POV As I stood by the edge of the woods, the wind blowing through my hair, I sighed deeply. How was I supposed to know where the girls went? I was literally in the middle of nowhere. Now, the name “nowhere zone” was beginning to make sense.Suddenly, my ears picked up the rustling of leaves behind me, and I quickly turned. A man was standing right behind me, barely three feet away. Darkness shrouded his face, making me shift back in fear.Was he staring at me? I wondered. But then I noticed that he wasn't. He couldn't even see me.He was young, handsome in a way that made him seem both dangerous and alluring. His short black hair framed a sharp face, but it was the way he looked at the empty space in front of him, where the portal had been—those deep brown eyes—that told me everything I needed to know.He was a werewolf. I could feel the wolf beneath him, restless and watching, waiting for something.Wait! Had he been hiding in the trees, watching Jenna and Ophelia before the