CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN.ROSALIE'S POV.The cold floor of the hallway pressed against my footwear as I stumbled forward with Carl and was led forward by the guards who were surrounding us. Lennox was present too, and I had been seeing the demonic smirk he plastered on his face since we left the room.I stared at my hands, which had been bound in front of me to keep me from thinking of running or escaping successfully, which I was so thinking. Beside me, Carl walked with his head held high, his expression defiant despite the bruises forming on his cheek and jaw. He had been hit severally, as per Lennox's order to keep him shut and submissive.Though they didn't succeed in keeping him submissive, they were able to keep his mouth shut.I knew that he would be in a biting pain right now and he was healing ever slowly. He was beaten with silver, for he was just too stubborn, just like Jacqueline.The guards on either side of us shoved us forward disrespectfully when our pace faltered, and th
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT.ROSALIE'S POV.Carl and I followed Scott out of the pack, and when we got outside, we halted before three sleek black cars, which were parked right there with his guards sweeping all around them like ants do to sugar.A door was opened for us, "Enter in." We were commanded.I had lost the zeal to go with Scott. I never knew that he was planning to take us out of the pack. If he does, how then do we take care of Jacqueline?Carl peaked unto my face, "Why are we stopping? Aren't we following him anymore?""I thought going with him was a better idea. I'm sorry."Scott cut into our words and said, "Too late to apologise!"We were pushed into the car, and it zoomed off immediately, with the others coming behind us.'Why am I not thoughtful enough?' I beat myself up, 'I'm stupid! Stupid.'"Hey, hey, stop it. I'll just tell Susan about Jacqueline's location and she will take care of him for the time we will be away." Carl said to me."What if she snitch on us again?""Do
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE.ROSALIE'S POV.My heart stopped.My breath caught in my throat again. Before I could react, Scott threw his head back and let out a laugh, a chilling, devilish sound that echoed through the corridor like the wail of a tortured soul. His entire demeanour shifted, the mask of sincerity falling away to reveal something far darker than I had been thinking.“What’s so funny?” Carl demanded, stepping forward, his body tense and ready to fight.But I could see he was not stable, his legs were wobbling under him. 'Is he okay?'"I said, what's funny?!" Carl yelled at Scott.Scott’s laughter subsided, but the wicked grin remained. “Oh, you poor fools. Did you think I’d risk everything just to save you? You’re nothing more than pawns in a much larger game.”I felt the blood drain from my face. Rose howled in rage, the truth of her warnings now undeniable. *I knew it!* She exclaimed.I ignored her to focus on Scott.“What do you mean?” I asked him in a shaking voice despite
CHAPTER SIXTY.ROSALE'S POV.The cold in the icy cold room was unbearable, seeping into my bones as I clung to Carl, who barely managed to stay conscious. My mind raced with desperate thoughts, each one more dangerous than the last. I had to find a way out, but the frost-covered walls loomed like a tomb around us, mocking my efforts.Carl’s shallow breathing filled the silence. "Carl," I called while shaking him back over. His words echoed in my ears when he responded, “I’m fine.” But he wasn’t fine. His body was weakening, and if I didn’t act soon, I might lose him.I know.*What can I do, Rose? We can't die here, can we?* I confined in my wolf.Rose snarled in my mind, with her voice ever sharp. *We can’t stay here. We have to find a way out, Rosalie! We’re stronger than this.*I drew a shaky breath, forcing myself to focus. My eyes scanned the room, searching for anything that might serve as a means of escape with my arms still around Carl. I watched the frost on the walls as
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE.ROSALIE’S POVMy heart raced when a voice from nowhere spoke out. I had to put on a fake bravery and force myself to speak. “We mean no harm. We were thrown in here against our will.”I spoke with my eyes everywhere, trying to locate the source of the voice.The voice seemed to consider those little words of mine, the light dimming slightly, but stable. “Your intentions are irrelevant. Only your hearts will decide your fate.” It said to us.The light flared, enveloping us in a blinding glow.I felt a surge of energy, a sensation both foreign and familiar as if the very essence of my soul was being laid bare.Carl groaned beside me, and I reached out, gripping his hand tightly.“Hold on,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure who I was trying to
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO.ROSALIE'S POV.I woke up in the morning to see myself in Carl's fluffy body. He had shifted to his wolf and he was wrapping himself around me, keeping me away from the cold."Carl," I called him and he replied to me with a low growl. Then he flipped us over, turning to the other side of the room."Hey, Carl." I called him again, tapping him, "Let go, you're suffocating me."He growled again but let me go.I stood up to my feet to stare around the new place we were taken to and saw it was just like the first one. It was equally a cold room.When I was away from Carl's embrace, I felt coldness hitting me, and I rubbed my palms together to generate some heat for myself.I turned to Carl and said, "I hate it here."He grunted in response and kept his posture on the floor, still in h
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE.AUTHOR'S POV.Susan was so uneasy as she moved to the room Carl described to her that she would see Jacqueline.She kept her steps light, her breaths shallow, as she moved purposefully toward Jacqueline’s hidden room.The memory of Carl’s urgent instructions through the mind-link guided her.She had written down the description so that she wouldn't forget about it whenever she was ready to go.Susan rounded a corner and froze when she saw Briana.Briana was standing in her path, her arms crossed and her expression unreadable. It was like Briana was waiting for her.The torchlight Susan was holding onto flickered and fell from her hand, casting ominous shadows across Briana's sharp features.Susan’s heart banged in her ribcage, but she
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR.JACQUELINE'S POV.This was why I was awake from my slumber, it was all for her, Rosalie. I reasoned that she wouldn't be doing so fine in my absence, and I heard each of the words she spoke to me when I was asleep.She told me, "Wake up, Jacqueline, I'm waiting for you."It got me so much ease that I couldn't but want to wake up, and when I woke up, I was alone in a lonely safe room.'What am I doing here?' I thought.I sat down on the bed and thought about it all to see if I could fish out a memory relating to my presence in a room far away from my chamber.It clicked in like rushing water..."Jacqueline, hold on now, I'll heal you....""Jacqueline, why are you not waking up? People will begin to notice your absence....""I think we have to keep him for a
EPILOGUE.A month later.....Everything in the pack house had been normal, and for the past weeks, the other enemies of Jacqueline's pack had gone into extinction since the phoenix king and Scott were conquered. They feared Jacqueline and stayed clear away from his property.Michael had been visited and rewarded by Jacqueline, and he did well by apologising to him for stealing back his wife from Michael. They were friends til they met again.The pups had been sat down and made to understand who they were and they had been coping with the help of the parents and new uncle, Carl. Carl had become their first choice after their parentsAlso, Rosalie had been marked and coronated. She was already the pack's Luna, and that was all that...__________It was a cool evening in the pack house, and everywhere was filled with life. Jacqueline was sitting on his throne, exuding his Alphaship aura. Beside him, sat Rosalie gracefully on her Luna’s throne, her presence radiating strength and love.Sh
CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO.AUTHOR'S POV.In the wolf's world...The battle with the Phoenix king was over. The Phoenix King and his army lay slain, their flames extinguished, their threat vanquished, and they lay rotten on the floor and were vanishing into thin air. Jacqueline returned to the pack house in victory, leaving Carl and the guards in the territory to clear everywhere.His body was aching, and his mind was acting up. That was why he left the territory to the castle to see Rosalie. He didn't know what he was feeling until he saw the guards he had appointed to watch over Rosalie. Their nervous expressions immediately set him on edge.He narrowed his eyes at them. "What happened? Where is Rosalie?" His voice was sharp, demanding immediate answers.One of the guards swallowed hard before speaking. "She ran off to the human world, Alpha. She… she found out her pups were in danger. She left without waiting for further words."Jacqueline’s heart stopped for a moment before it picked ba
CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE.AUTHOR'S POV.In the human world...It was the weekend, and Michael, Rosalie's boyfriend, had woken up in the morning and had decided to take the children, Ricardo, Raymond, and Rowland, to the park for some fun. "Who will love to crush the weekend in the park?" He questioned the children cheerfully, and he had everything planned out.He had booked their tickets to enter, write down some fun places to visit, some new games to try, and another ticket for karaoke that would take place in the park at night.He had the day fully packaged with fun."Me!""Me!""Me!" The three children answered him joyfully, jumping gracefully returning his enthusiasm."Then, let's get our butts down there. There's one which just opened by the downtown, we should get there quickly if I step on the acceleration." He joked."Yay! I can't wait!" They chorused and hopped happily.The boys were at their happiest peak, and when Michael was leading them to where his car was parked, they were h
CHAPTER EIGHTY.ROSALIE'S POV.Briana's words made me halt. I frowned, searching her face for any hidden meaning but found nothing but her mock, "What are you talking about?" I demanded.Briana’s smile widened. "Oh, come now, Rosalie. Don’t tell me you don’t feel it. Something… out of place. Something… wrong. Simple."My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my expression neutral. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she had rattled me. I let her words sink in, trying to decipher their meaning. I glanced around the hallway, searching for anything out of the ordinary. But everything seemed normal. The guards were in position, the prisoners were secured, and the pack house was as it should be. Everywhere was as it was.I sighed, 'She must be bluffing.'"You’re wasting your breath," I said, my tone cold. "Whatever game you’re playing, it won’t work."Briana’s eyes gleamed with a wicked twisting brightness. "Aren’t your children in the human world? Or… don’t tell me you don’
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE.ROSALIE'S POV.I was in Jacqueline's room, waiting. The walls of his chamber which had always been so comforting to me, now felt like they were closing in on me. My thoughts were a rollercoaster, rolling all around and running to him. 'Is he safe? Is the pack holding its ground? Should I be panicking? Should I check it out?'A lot just kept running in, and every scenario my mind conjured up only made the intestines in my stomach tighten.I tried to sit, to calm myself down at least, and I did, but the moment I sat down and stopped moving, my chest felt like it was being trampled under the weight of my worry.I jolted back up.''He’s out there, facing… who knows what," I muttered to myself, running my fingers through my hair. Rose began to growl at me. *Stay calm. Sit down, I'm trying to rest.*But how could I? How could I sit here, useless, when Jacqueline is out there and might need me?*Just calm down, he will be here in a bit.*Most times, Rose behaved like
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT.AUTHOR'S POV.Jacqueline and Carl resumed their walk.Carl's mind ran back to the mysterious messenger, and his mind began to race at his words. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Jacqueline? Why would someone capable of causing such chaos on the pack just deliver a message and leave?" Carl mused aloud.Jacqueline’s expression was unreadable, his thoughts carefully guarded. He was just thinking about it too. "It’s not just the message. It’s the power they wield. That sound… it wasn’t meant to warn. It was meant to cripple us. Whoever they are, they wanted us vulnerable or better still, destroyed."Before Carl could respond, Jacqueline stiffened, his senses sharpening as a new presence came into his awareness. "Sh!" He cautioned Carl and listened til he got what he was looking for. "They’re here."A low growl rumbled in his chest as he turned to Carl. "Who?" Carl asked him, his voice dropping to a whisper.Jacqueline didn’t answer immediately. His heightene
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN.AUTHOR'S POV.The night air carried the faint scent of blood and despair, which flew all around the pack as Jacqueline and Carl walked the path leading to the pack’s territory where all the problems were generated. Where they were ready to catch the intruder red-handed.The tension between them was heightened, it was like a heavy weight that seemed to cling to their skin. Instead of shifting to get to their destination in a go, they had decided to walk some distance just to see what the damage had done to the pack.Jacqueline’s eyes were not fixed on a particular spot, it kept on moving from one person to the other in a bid to take in everything without missing out. Every step he took was calculated, he was cautious not to step on any growling individual, for the pack members had spread out on the floor, growling in pain that even when they scented their alpha passing by, they couldn't acknowledge him. Carl followed Jacqueline closely with jaw tight and fists
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX.AUTHOR'S POV.The sharp, painful sound had torn through the pack's territory, and everyone, the aged and pups, all felt it. It was unlike anything the wolves had ever experienced. It was shrill and piercing, a noise that seemed to bang directly into their skulls and pierced into their ears. It was an unspoken and unexpected pain for them all.For the lower-ranked wolves, especially the Omegas, it was another story entirely for them. All of them clutched their ears in agony, and when their eardrums couldn't hold it all in, it bled. "Ah!""Arg!""Argh!""Alpha!"Different cries of pain echoed across the pack as the weaker members collapsed on the ground, bleeding through their ears. Even some of the mid-ranked wolves struggled to stay upright, their faces pale as they fought to withstand the pain.They all forgot about the moon goddess at that moment, and cried to Jacqueline, "Alpha, help us!"Jacqueline, who was on his way to the throne room when the incident hap
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE.ROSALIE'S POV.The taste of his lips lingered on mine. It was deeply salty from his tears, and bitter from his pain. I pulled closer to him to kiss him even harder, pouring every ounce of my regret, my love, my apology into that kiss. But he didn't return the kiss, and just when I thought he would respond, Jacqueline pulled back.His lips parted from mine with a finality that left my heart beating loudly in its ribcage. He stepped away, his eyes filled with emotions which I could read into and also feel. Anger, betrayal, sorrow and a pain which I knew was deeper than the ocean.Above all those, I could see his love for me somewhere at the deep of his heart, just by a small corner there. I felt it so little but I was glad it was something."Jacqueline…" I whispered, my voice trembling as I tried to reach closer to him.He held up a hand, stopping me in my tracks, he said no word. Just his eyes on me.His silence was louder than any yell, echoing than any accusati