VespaI woke up in the morning with a terrible headache. It was so bad that it felt like my head was about to burst open like melons. Groaning, I tried to shake off the discomfort, but the pain remained.My head banged, and I slowly sat up, taking deep breaths to find some relief. I felt the dryness and scratchiness in my throat, which must have been the result of all the shouting and crying from the previous night.I could not explain what happened to me last night. It was like I was possessed, where a whole army of people invaded my mind, telling me what to do. It was terrifying, and I never want to go through that again.Surely there must be a way to protect myself, and I have to figure it out. I couldn't let all that darkness control me. I needed to regain control over my mind and protect myself from whatever forces were trying to take over.Golgotha was fast asleep on a chair, her head tipped back in an uncomfortable position. Ria was peacefully asleep. I remember losing track of
GolgothaVespa dragged herself to the bathroom, and I felt an overwhelming grief. No mother in their right senses would want to see their daughter in such excruciating pain. I felt a deep and painful sorrow and a tightness in my chest that would not loosen.I blamed myself for everything, feeling guilty for bringing an innocent person into the world to suffer. I knew the consequences of having kids, yet I went ahead and got one. She was getting weaker and deteriorating.Her Lycan boyfriend sat at the edge of the bed, his face marked with loathing and disgust. I never knew someone could frown this hard, and if I didn't have powers on my own, I'd be scared by the intensity of his glare. He hated me so much.Not that I needed him to like me or anything, but I knew how much Vespa loved him, and he would be of immense help in saving her. Also, I didn't blame him; witches and Lycans were mortal enemies. No matter how I tried to prove to him that I never wanted to be associated with my coven
ZiahMy days were so damp, gloomy, and filled with restlessness. I feared that something terrible had happened to Vespa and Kai. We hadn't gotten a hold of Kai, and it was strange that he wasn't connecting to the mind link.Whenever Kai wanted to be arrogant, he would always shut us out of the link, but now I couldn't feel the connection at all. It was almost as if it didn't exist and I feared that something had happened to him.Pacing around my room, I was trapped and useless and kept checking my phone for any phone call or message from Kai. There was nothing, only silence.I had an afterthought that something terrible had happened to Kai or, even more, to Vespa. My heart banged against my ribcage. Vespa was my mate. I suspected she would pick Kai over Zeke and me, still, I wanted her to be fine.I was about to call Kai again when my phone rang. I looked at the screen, hoping it was him, but it was my Grandma Zora.Cursing loudly, I knew that my grandma had a strong spirit and must ha
VespaI lay on the mattress, feeling empty and numb. I had no idea whether the spell casting worked on me or not. All I wanted was to be free from the witch's curse. It was so crazy how my life shifted from being a human without any knowledge of the supernatural to suddenly becoming the daughter of a powerful witch and three Lycans mate. Unfortunately, I didn't cherish the former, nor did I want to be part of this accursed coven. It all seemed demonic. Everything was going downhill. My life had turned into an unending string of failures and disappointments. All my life, I'd tried to find meaning in my existence. Even as a child, I knew something was off. I hate it here; I hate the ‘witch’ tag and didn't want it on me. I wanted my normal life back so badly that I would do anything to get it."I'll be fine," I chanted like a mantra, repeating over and over, trying to convince myself, but it didn't work. All I felt was sinking sadness and darkness. The door flung open, and I turned m
KaiVespa burst into loud sobs, and her cries echoed through the empty room, piercing my heart and causing a painful ache to form in the pit of my stomach.My chest tightened in discomfort, and I wished desperately that I could make love to her. It broke my heart to see her suffering, knowing there was nothing I could do to cause her relief.I took a deep breath and held onto her shaking shoulders firmly and pulled her close to me, no matter how difficult that seemed."I'm right here," I whispered in her ear as tears streamed down her face. “Please, Vespa, stop crying. You're going to get a fever."She shrugged me off, not wanting my attention anymore. I sighed sadly, wondering why she didn't understand that what happened wasn’t anyone's fault."Don't touch me," she cried. "I'm tired of you rejecting me over and over.” Her comment tore through me, and I struggled to hold back. How could I prove to her that I never planned on leaving her? She was acting unreasonably. I didn't know wha
ZiahMy days were so damp, gloomy, and filled with restlessness. We still hadn't gotten a hold of Kai, and it was strange because he was not connecting to the mind link.When Kai wanted to be arrogant, he would always shut us out of the link, but now there was no connection at all, almost as if he'd disappeared from the surface of the earth. I feared that something had happened to him. And when I thought about the possibility of his being harmed by anyone – which was practically a certainty – my blood numbed with fear. The idea that the witches had killed Kai made me sick to my stomach. Kai was our alpha and this was our last chance to save him before...well, let's face facts: the witch's coven was strong. Pacing around the room, I felt trapped and useless, checking my phone for any phone call or message. There was nothing, only silence.I could sense that something terrible had happened to Kai and Vespa. That girl was my mate, although I suspected she would pick Kai over us, but
Zeke The werewolves and lycans gathered in a secluded spot on campus, away from prying eyes. Most of them had no idea why we gathered them. "What's going on?" they whispered among themselves, and I nudged Ziah to begin the meeting. Ziah stepped forward, lacking confidence and shuffling his feet. I knew the uproar this would cause and how mad they would be that we let our brother Kai get exposed to such danger. It was already collateral damage, and there was nothing we could do about it. All I hoped was that Kai and Vespa were alive and safe. "We've got some urgent news," Ziah said, and their bodies perked up in curiosity. "It's about Kai. He's, uh... he's in trouble." They began murmuring like bees, anxious to hear what happened to Kai. My brows pinched together, and I felt a sudden heaviness. Telling them about this meant that my grandmother would soon find out, and the poor woman would become hysterical. "Kai's girlfriend found out something big about her family," Ziah continue
Vespa I was taken to a building that looked like a besieged castle, with no sign of life. An icy chill went down my spine as they dragged me into it, and they cast a spell on me that made me weak and dizzy using their dark magic. I had no idea what came over me and how I began acting like a maniac. When I got back to my senses, I realized that I was surrounded by strange faces. I tried to run, but it was useless because they were everywhere, and now they brought me here. A weird woman with a single boob dressed in a long white skirt and naked from her waist up walked in and out of the wall. I yelled at the top of my voice, sobbing uncontrollably, until I began seeing spots and having shortness of breath. My mind jumped from one thought immediately to another. "Mommy, mommy, why is she crying?" several weird-looking kids laughed and formed a circle around me. I screamed again when one passed right through me. "Kids, stop it. Don't scare her," their mother said with a sickly swee
Chapter FiftyAthenaFour months had passed, and the academy graduation day had finally arrived. It was a bright and beautiful morning, and students, parents, and teachers gathered to celebrate this milestone. My dad and mom were there with my sister. Uncle Zika and their wives were also present. I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my dress. I had settled for a simple blue gown that had a long slit. Mia helped me with my hair and makeup, ensuring perfect detail. Oh, and did I mention that Cameron was still alive, and Mia was engaged to her boyfriend Sean? She wore an off-the-shoulder dress to flaunt her mark with pride. I tried not to look at it because I always became jealous whenever I did. Mom and Dad beamed with pride, taking photos of me and Caleb. Cameron's dad, King Marcos, had also arrived, and when I curtsied respectfully, he smiled warmly at me and hugged me. His mom still had not been found, and some people speculated that she might have killed herself. Cameron ofte
AthenaSex with Cameron was beautiful. I never knew it could get so addicting, and I always thought the act was overhyped until I experienced it. The more the weeks passed, the more I couldn’t get enough of him. He had complained about condoms, saying that it wasn’t like the real thing, but I would always scream at him to stop being stupid and that I wouldn’t be responsible for his death. We kept the news from our parents. Cameron’s mom had disappeared and was nowhere to be found. Cameron pretended to be calm the time we bumped into King Thor, but when he was closing off, he landed a punch on the king's jaw that I heard crack. He got a few bruises from the king’s bodyguards, but I was proud of him. The bastard deserved to be manhandled.Despite everything, I needed validation that I was doing the right thing. I couldn’t tell my mom because she would tell my dad, so the only person I could confide in was my grandmother. One of the weekends, I took a train to her house, which was close
Cameron's POVI'd never been on the verge of tears in years. It was taboo for boys to show emotion. Lately, life has been unfair to me, and realizing that nothing could ever be okay again has made me feel like a failure. I had always thought my life was great and better than most. Now, it was clear that that was just a delusion. The fact that my parents were on the brink of divorce because my mom fucked that bastard, Thor, made my blood boil.This roller coaster left my body drained. I didn't care how stupid I looked in tears; the feelings overwhelmed me. When the first wave of grief subsided, I finally looked at Athena, who was also in tears. She cupped my chin and kissed my forehead. “Why? Athena. Why does it have to be me? First, it's our bond and the pain of knowing you and I can never be together. Now, this?”“I'm sorry,” her mouth trembled as tears streamed down her face. “It isn't right. I wish I could fix it.”She wrapped her arms around me tightly, and I held her back whil
AthenaA crease appeared on Cameron's forehead, and he looked pinched and unhappy from my rejection. I moved my hand frequently, trying to distract myself, and thought he would understand as usual, but he seemed too defensive."It's just a dance, Athena. Even strangers dance. Things aren't that bad; please don't push it," I said, remaining calm. Cameron grinned at me, and I didn't understand why he was so stubborn."Fine then, I'm not going to ruin the fun. I hope you wouldn't mind if I danced with another girl.""Break a leg."He looked like I had just slapped him in the face, surprised by my response, but I needed to protect him from myself, even if it hurt. He turned around and left, and soon, he was dancing with a popular girl from school. Watching them felt too painful. I skipped to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of juice to distract myself.I noticed someone at the door and thought it was Cameron, but it was my cousin Alex. He smiled a little too broadly, and there was an
AthenaI bit the inside of my cheek, feeling trapped and unsure of my options to return to school. It was easy to second-guess myself because teenagers and young adults my age were mean, and no matter how I pretended that words didn’t get to me, I knew that wasn’t true. Stepping off the plane, I hoped I had made the right decision. I flagged a taxi from the airport parking lot, wondered why they were so expensive and hiked their prices compared to regular taxis, but I had no choice because Mom had gotten me a truckload of edibles and even more for Caleb. The driver dropped me off at the school gates, and I didn’t know if it was the hopeful expectation that there was going to be a strange twist between Cameron and me or the fear that things could get worse and that I was shooting myself in the foot. My heart pounded as I dragged my suitcase behind me. I stopped when I spotted Cameron standing and smiling at me at the gate; my heart melted.Our love brought us back to each other in wa
Cameron My gaze never left Athena. She was too startled by my bold declaration, and even though I was more uncertain than ever about what I was doing, and my dad was caught off guard by my words, I couldn’t help it. A part of me knew I was digging my grave, and I liked life too much to lose it. But at the same time, seeing Athena roused my deep affection and attachment for her. It wasn’t just about lust; there was more to my feelings. I wanted to move closer, to touch her. My pulse raced, and I felt a hyper-awareness of being close to her. Only she could cause me this mental fuzziness and the feeling of possessing her and keeping her safe.Her father looked confused. I heard his quick intake of breath. Athena stood tongue-tied, and shock flew through her mother’s eyes. I could tell my father was irritated.“What is wrong with you?” he whispered harshly, but I was too far gone. Athena looked different, skinnier than when I last saw her. She looked like someone who had been through a
Athena The next day dragged on without much happening. Everyone soon returned to their lives, with Dad busy with alpha duties and Mom busy with work and the home front. I knew this was how it would be—that everyone would forget my predicament or soon see me as a sore loser who couldn’t overcome the fact that Cameron and I could never be together. But I was wrong. My mom had invited my grandma to come over, which was a real surprise, as my grandma was a pure witch, and it was risky for her to be in our pack. Having her over made me feel a certain type of way. I had inherited her bloodline, and with it came a legacy of pain and heartache. I didn’t know if I wanted to see her.I drifted to sleep but could hear my grandma’s voice in my dreams. When I woke up, I realized she was indeed downstairs. My parents and sister were welcoming her warmly. I remained in bed; a part of me wanted to rush downstairs and fling myself into her arms. Instead, I made my way to the window and peered down
AthenaThe next few days were a blur of sorrow and nothingness. I struggled to remain alive and succumbed to the sadness that consumed me. I hated myself. I wished my life was over. There was nothing positive to look out for in this bleakness. My parents were concerned, but I chose isolation, finding people's words and concerns irritating. My eyes were swollen from crying, and my bed was bearing the brunt of this depression. I didn't leave it; if the poor bed could speak, it would be screaming n. I knew I would be expelled from school; that was a no-brainer. My dad and mom tried to reach out to me. Even my uncles, Zeke and Ziah, came over with their wives, but I didn't want to see anyone.Caleb had sacrificed to travel back with me, but he shouldn't have bothered because his presence didn't lift my spirits. The whole family was angry with Alex for exposing my secret, but I knew it was for the best. Cameron would be free now, and it was useless holding him back. I heard my mom knoc
CameronIf anyone had ever told me that this revelation would break the bond I shared with Athena, I would have never believed them because Athena seemed like everything good in my world, all in one package. I devoted myself to her and desired to share everything with her—my body, mind, and soul. I gave my heart to her to treasure with trust. We matched perfectly and had never fallen in love so quickly or completely.A wedding seemed the next logical step. I thought I would feel happy with her and that even if we encountered issues, they would be minor things with solutions.But now, my heart was shattered beyond repair. I was furious, I was afraid, and the thought of bonding with Athena leading to my death frightened me beyond measure. The hurt was raw, and the terror came gasping up my throat in a cold, panting fear. Ever since that night at the ballroom, surrounded by the elite who gathered to watch the commotion occur, my life went downhill. That night, a hush fell over the cr