Daniel's POV"Serafine, nooo!” Damien exclaimed.We knew she was taken back to Silas.The moment the tension breaks, I slip away. I felt like there was something poking me, maybe a doubt. I just can't seem to get it out of my mind. The pregnancy. The more I actually think about it, the more it just doesn't feel quite right. Serafine hasn't been with Silas long enough for her to carry his child. I need to know the truth.I ran back to the packhouse as my mind started racing. Searching for answers, digging through the records, medical files, anything that would actually help. I spend hours but find nothing. It frustrates me, really. The only thing I know is, this timeline just doesn't add up. The baby. It has to be ours.Finally, I round my brothers up. "There's something wrong," I tell them, pacing the room. "The pregnancy. It doesn't add up. She hasn't been with Silas long enough."David looks up, his face white. "You're certain?" he asks."I checked everything. This baby's ours," I
Serafine's POV“But she looks very devilish” the nurses said, and they weren't wrong."She's stable, For now. But she needs to deliver the babies," David says, his face tight with worry.I could barely hear him. It's all a blur. Pain, darkness, then the harsh brightness of the hospital lights. I fight to stay conscious, but my body feels so heavy as if it's sinking into the ground.I hear the voices around me, hurried and desperate. Machines beep. Hands on my stomach push down, soft but firmly. The pressure makes me gasp. Everything hurts."Hang in there, Serafine," David says, his voice calm, yet firm. I know he's doing everything in his power to keep me alive.The more pain, the more the babies kick inside me. My heart is racing and slow at the same time. I'm losing so much blood. I want to focus on voices, faces, but everything is dull.Then, a sharp pain, and I heard David's voice. "We have to deliver now."I scream as my body tightens and the nurses work on me. I know the babies
Damien's POV "We have a problem," I said."What's happening?" Serafine asked, an edge of concern etched on her face. I went to the window, peering outside. Chaos erupted as pack members rushed through the yard, panic in their eyes. "It's Silas!" I shouted, realization hitting me like a wave. "He's attacking!" "Protect the kids!" Serafine yelled, her voice fierce. I turned, but she grabbed my arm. "Damien, please!"I nodded, my heart racing. "We have to get them to safety."The sounds of battle grew louder as we ran down the hall. It sounded as if the walls were closing in as I guided Serafine and the children toward the hidden cellar."In!" I yelled, motioning them inside."Where are you going?" Serafine asked, fear in her voice."My dear, I will be right back," I promised, though I felt uncertain about that. I ran toward the main room. My heart was really beating fast. Outside, the chaos grew worse. Voices yelled down the hallways, and I felt the walls shudder with a loud cras
Susan's POV"Serafine!" I screamed, my desperation clawing its way out of my throat.The cries of battle rise to a crescendo, but my heart races for one reason: my daughter. Every step weighs heavier, yet I forge on. I have to reach her before it's too late.Memories crash, a tsunami of hurt and sacrifice. I remember now, leaving Serafine as a baby, leaving her in the pack's care as I fought for our home. I was strong then, I had been the strongest witch in the Fiery Fang Pack. And I sacrificed it all for my family. At what cost?I round the bend, and anarchy erupts before me: Freedom Pack and Silas's warriors are interlocked in a dance oozing both rage and desperation. My breath hung in my throat as my eyes scanned the battlefield for the face of my daughter.And suddenly, I see him—Damien, Serafine's mate, in the thick of it. He's fighting hard, but his shirt is stained with blood. "No!" I gasped, as he was staggering backwards.I can feel the power bubbling in my core, the years
Serafine's POV"Get ready!" my mother yelled, her tone filled with anxiety. I feel the storm cease for an instant, but I know that is far from over. It is now time for the real fight to begin.I grip her arm tightly at the weighted feeling of what's to come. We've pushed Silas's men back, but something doesn't feel right. It's too quiet. Too still. My heart pounds in my chest as I scan the field, searching out why this bad feeling has landed in the middle of my gut.And then, I saw him. Silas, standing on the edge of the clearing, his face twisted into a wicked smile. There's something different about him now. His confidence. It unnerves me."You thought this was the end?" he taunts, his voice going across the field. "You're wrong.In that instant, the atmosphere around us changes. Thick, heavy darkness swirls in the sky, and my stomach sinks as I realize Silas is much more powerful than we thought. His eyes gleam with something I can't place, and I know this isn't just him anymore.
Serafine's POV"Who am I? What am I?" My voice barely escaped my lips while making my way out of the room. With my mother's revelation, it felt like it weighed down on me.It's cool night air that hits my skin, but it does little for the storm inside of me. Damn, all the things I thought I knew about myself, my past was all one big fat lie. My mother, the one person I trusted most in this world, had kept the truth from me all these years.I started walking through the woods and honestly had no idea where I was going. It all becomes a blur before me, the trees, nothing at all. The power in me is surging, the wolf and witch pulling me in different directions. I was no longer Serafine. I was the daughter of Lucian, Alpha of the Fiery Fang Pack. A product of a forbidden love.I feel so lost, confused-my body shaking with the weight of it all.Before I realize where I am going, I am at Damien's cabin. My heart speeds up as I want comfort, not fear. Him. I just can't face this one on my
Damien’s POV“It’s Lucian. He’s here.”The words left my mouth like a curse, the weight of them heavy in the air. Serafine stood beside me and her breath was quite catching . The night is thick with tension that can make you fear.She barely has time to react before the ground shakes beneath us. Lucian’s warriors, shadows in the moonlight, begin to close in on the Freedom Pack."Damien," Serafine whispers, her voice trembling. “What does he want?”"He wants you,” I said, barely able to suppress the growl in my throat. “And he’ll stop at nothing.”Serafine’s face hardens, her fear slipping behind a wall of resolve. “Oh God, I can’t let him take me.”I instantly felt proud of her for her courage, though I was a little bit scared. I pulled her close, making sure my forehead touched hers for some moments. “We’ll stop him together.”Before either of us can say more, a deafening crack splits the air. The ground beneath our feet trembles as dark, twisted roots shoot up from the earth, coili
Serafine's POV"This is far from over, Serafine," Lucian's voice echoes in my brain as he vanishes into the night.It was long after he was gone that the weight of his words stood in the balance.I felt my heartbeat racing and caught my breath in short spurts, while doing nothing other than standing and staring at the place where he had vanished.A cold shiver ran down my spine. Deep inside, I knew he meant each word, and that terrified me.I looked at Damien, who was furiously hot. The bleeding around his arm doesn't let up yet, but he acts like it's not even there.
"Let's get this over with."The words are still on my lips when the dungeon door swings open, and the man steps out, pulling me along with him. But before we can take more than a few steps, the sound of heavy boots echoes down the corridor. I froze, my heart pounding as Lucian's familiar silhouette emerged from the shadows, his cold eyes narrowing at us.What are you doing here?" Lucian demands, his eyes flicking with suspicion from the man to me and back again.The man's hand tightens on my arm for a moment before he releases me, his face smoothing into casual indifference. "Just checking the prisoners," he returned smoothly, his tone didn't betray him."I wanted to make sure everything was in order.A mocking smile curls around Lucian's lips. "You're not normally this watchful" he says, stepping closer to him. "What's the real reason you're here?Nothing in the man's face alters, but I catch a flicker in his eyes that says he works something out. "The ritual draws near," he says
"We are left alone again, imprisoned by this impossible choice and its weight presses upon me now more than ever."Days run together in a haze of dark depression. The chill, wet air rises up from the dungeon, filling our bones, and constantly reminds us that we are imprisoned. Every moment seems like a fight to cling on to that little hope. But despite all, I find myself awaiting Abigail's visits with a mind set to expect little or no warmth, yet still hoping something may penetrate that wall she has thrown up around herself.The next time she comes, she lingers by the door longer than she usually does, hesitates a second before stepping into the dim light. I see it in her eyes now, something flickering inside that wasn't there before. Is it a doubt? Or regret? I cannot tell, but enough to make my heart beat just a little bit faster.She sets the tray down in front of me, her eyes not even flicking in my direction before she turns to leave, but I just can't let her go. "Abigail,
"As much as I try to keep hope alive, I couldn't help this nagging feeling that Lucian's grip on Abigail was increasing. and the time for all of us was running out."The air was thick in this dungeon like the walls were closing in on us. Days will pass in tense silence, our minds focused on nothing else but the ritual that closes in with each passing heartbeat. We know we can't wait any longer. The more time we spend here, the more powerful Lucian will become over Abigail, over our combined destinies. And the more his power grows, the smaller our window becomes.We sit in the darkness, tired, and on our shoulders weighs the heavy mantle of our tiredness. No one needs to say it, but it's there, hanging in the air amongst us, like a ghost not invited.Susan breaks the silence. Her voice is soft but firm as she turns to each one of us. "We have to accept that man's offer," she states. "There's nothing else we can do.And then the words came like a kick to the stomach, and a moment pa
"I don't know. I really don't know."The words just seem to hang in the air, heavy with weight, almost choking. It is as if the dark dungeon walls are closing in on me as my mind finalizes the weight of our situation. The others are staring at me, their eyes drilling into me for some sort of answer, a decision that would somehow change everything. Only I don't have one. The very thought of agreeing to the terms of that man makes my skin crawl, and yet… the desperation in our situation is simply not to be denied."No," I whisper, shaking my head. "We can't… I can't do this.The triplets exchange a glance, their faces filled with a mixture of pain and uncertainty. Damien steps forward, frustration and sorrow etched on his face. "Serafine, we gotta think this through," he says in a low, urgent tone. "I hate the thought of it as much as you do, but what choice do we have?I glare at him, narrowing my eyes. "There must be some other way," I answer, though my voice carries no convictio
"Am I really on the right side?" The sound of Abigail's question echoes through her head The creaky door to the dungeon drags me back into the reality before me.I look up, expecting to see Abigail or another of Lucian's followers come inside to mock us some more. Instead, it is him, the man who has been to see us before the one that proposed such a crazy deal. He steps inside, into the poor light and as I have come to expect, a dark silhouette greets me with a curled smile that truly chills.Well, well," he says, his voice dripping with mockery. "It would appear that you still have not made a decision. I gotta say, for one so hesitant, it's quite disappointing." He moved closer, his eyes glowing with amusement and annoyance. "I am a busy man, and I don't like waiting around."We got nothing to say to you," Damien growls from the corner, his voice weak but defiant. "Go back to wherever you came from."The man chuckles, shaking his head. "You're in no position to make demands, w
This dungeon is cold,the walls heavy with the weight of despair. Every day is no different: I pace down the narrow corridor, carrying trays of food to my family,if they still are, that is. Chains rattle around me, their metallic clicking no louder than the guilt whispering in my ear. I force myself to remain calm, my expression cold, detached. I have nothing else for them to see. If I do, it all will fall apart.I set a tray down in front of my mother, and she reaches out, catching my wrist. Her touch is soft in every movement. "Abigail," she murmurs, her voice hoarse. "Please, you don't have to do this. You are stronger than what Lucian's influence has done. Come back to us.I pull my hand away, the gesture sharp, deliberate. "It's too late" I say, keeping my tone as flat as possible. "I've made my choice.But even as I say it, an ache burns hollow in my gut. I glance around at Serafine, the triplets, Amara, Susan,all of them shackled, weakened. They have been reduced to mere
"The last thing I see before they shove us into the darkness of the dungeon is Abigail's silhouette, bathed in the pale light of the moon."It was ironic that it would be a heavy iron door slamming shut behind us, right in the heart of cold, damp walls of a dungeon that seemed to swallow every echo of such shutting. Darkness seemed to choke, weighing in from every side, the weight of our failure pressing down on us literally. The air was thick with mold and damp earth, while faint tricklings of water somewhere only made it hang in the air even more heavily.I tug at the chains spellbound onto my wrists; with a tingling of magic, the metal seems to have sucked the strength out of me. I try and try but I cannot raise even a spark, much less the smallest manifestation of power. It would appear that my magic has been snuffed out, and the hollowness that does feel to leave me so-never before-has rendered me vulnerable.We need to get out," Daniel says in a hoarse voice from the fight.
"The battlefield erupts once more, but this time the threat comes from within. Abigail's power surges forth, and everything I thought I knew about this war shifts in an instant."I stand in shock as Abigail steps forward, her magic alight like an inferno. I can feel it-a raw, dangerous energy that I have never felt before. It's the kind of power that makes you feel the weight of air, makes it hard to breathe, one that rattles you down to your bones. And it's coming from my granddaughter.Abigail !" Serafine's voice breaks as she screams her name, trying to reach the little girl lost behind this veil of darkness and fury. "Please, listen to me! This isn't who you are!But Abigail doesn't heed my warnings. Her face is distant, her eyes aglow with that unnatural brilliance and the air between us grows thick with every passing second. Lucian is standing just behind her, the satisfaction twisted within his face, as if he revels in the view of his masterpiece unfolding.Damien then appe
The moment Abigail stepped forward, a dark storm of magic swirling around her, my heart sank. She was different, no more the little girl that I had seen growing up. Now she was strong and terrifying, an aura cloaked in shadows. The density of her energy was everywhere on the battlefield, and it was hard to breathe."Abigail!" I screamed, my desperation clawing at my throat. "You don't have to do this! Remember who you are!"But my words fell on deaf ears. Lucian stood behind her, an irritating smirk stretched across his face; he was enjoying some sort of grand performance. "You see how easy it is to manipulate a child?" he said, his voice slick as oil. "Abigail is the key to my plans, and nothing can stop us with her by our side!The pack was in disarray. Fear and confusion spread like wildfire, and I could see Serafine and David trying to break through to her, pleading that she remember love for her family. But Abigail's face remained cold, really implacable, her power crackli