THANERiley had never once forgotten to replace the flower on Axel’s tombstone. I had seen her more than once, heading for the grave with a fresh flower to replace the old ones; sometimes she'd sit down beside the tombstone and talk to him.Axel had been a close friend to her, and sometimes I worry she would be all alone while I am away, ‘occupied’ as always.I had to run a check on Riley’s father, Sebastian Bruce; he had nothing under his name, and the thought of tracing him down was far too enticing. All I was going to do was talk to him, maybe leave him with an injury or two, nothing too much, just a reminder that he shouldn’t mess with my mate.I smirked at that.Just then I notice the woman approaching. It was Pricilla, Axel’s mother.I did remember informing the patrollers to never let her in, but on the day of Axe’s burial, she had practically begged to be let in to witness her son's burial, and as much as I disliked her, I let her in. But currently she was exceeding her welcom
Isabella seemed taken aback by my refusal, tears welled up in her eyes — albeit they were tears of embarrassment; I could easily tell that she wasn't used to being rejected. I debated leaving the office, but finally she spoke up."You don't love me anymore, Thane.""I think I've had about enough of this; it's time you leave.""So you are going to push me away? After everything?""Well now you are making me believe you are crazy.""Don't pretend like you don't know what I speak about. You had the suspicions, but I turned them down. When I told you I forgot my memories, I hadn't been exactly truthful. I don't know what happened these past years, but all I could remember was being with you.""What are you trying to say?""I am trying to say I am the very same woman you loved; I am Bella.""Don't you dare..."She cut me off. "I can prove it to you. We met in the woods. At first, I ran away from you because I knew I was going to die. I didn't want to hurt you, but you were persistent, and
RILEY"There's something I need to tell you." Thane said to me, his tone calm but I could sense the gravity of his words, and I gave him my full attention."Earlier, I told you that I had been seeing my father.""Yes, you did." I prompted him to go on."He wasn't the only dead person ‘visiting.""Thane, I think about Axel too; sometimes I dream about him. I understand that." I said to him, already knowing where this was heading to."No, it’s not Axel— that wouldn't have been a problem. It's Bella, my… dead mate. Though she only visits my dreams, it still worries me; I hadn't dreamed about her in years, and all of a sudden she is all I dream about, and in this dream... it's always like we were still together, just how it had been before she died.""Thane, I trust you. I know you don't love her, and it's just the deities trying to mess with your head, but I know you love me, and I love you too. The fact that you see your dead mate in your dreams doesn't mean a damn thing." I assured him
Now it all made sense. Thane's reaction to Isabella finally made sense.I was mad, angry, and jealous, and I had every right to be. After Bella's death, Thane had been in so much pain, he couldn't bear it all alone, and that had been the very same reason he shut everyone out; it had taken so many years for him to move on, but the effect of her death remained, even till today. So I didn't exactly believe that he could just... Stop loving her.I paused in the hallways; hesitating for a moment before taking a turn, I headed to the room Isabella occupied. I knocked once, and she opened the door. I didn't wait for an invitation; I pushed past her and walked into her room. She shut the door before turning to me. There was a small frown on her tiny doll-like face. Her red hair had been made into a messy bun; she was beautiful, and I couldn't deny it, and despite myself, I felt an ache in my chest. Thane never spoke of how beautiful 'Bella' had actually been."I know why you are here," she s
"How did you get in here?" I questioned him."Let's skip that part. I was hoping you would ask why I was here.""Well then, why are you here?" I asked him."I needed to apologize.""It doesn't work that way, and I don't appreciate you showing up in my home, Bruce.""I know, and if I will try not to do that next time —if there ever has to be a next time. I didn't handle things well when you came to visit; I had been too brash and... cold. For this reason, I ask for your forgiveness.""Got it. You can leave now.""I know you wanted an explanation, but I didn't give you one...""Bruce, I don't really care, not anymore; all I need is some time alone.""I would leave, but I went through a lot to be here, and so I need you to hear me out.""You have one minute, and your time starts now.""I do have an explanation; there is a reason I had to stay away from you, but the problem is I cannot tell it to you.""If I may ask, why?""I just can't. But I want you to know that I did care for your mo
“I didn’t tell my mother about... you.” I said to him, “I didn’t do it for you though, but for her. She has moved on, Bruce; she’s in love now, and she is happy, it will remain that way.” “You did the right thing. It has been so many years; she deserves to be happy.”“She does.”“I don’t expect your forgiveness...”“I don’t plan on giving you that. What I am interested in knowing is what exactly you are. I know you aren’t a werewolf.”“You are right; I am not. I am a warlock.“A warlock?” I repeated.“Yes, similar to a sorcerer but also... different in some way. A sorcerer is born with magic flowing through their veins, but a warlock isn’t born with magic; we earn it, and for this reason, we operate on a different level.”“That’s how you were able to make Mom forget about you.”“Yes. It was a simple spell.”“When you made her forget about you, why did you compel her to believe Slade was my father?”“Because I knew it would make her hate him even more, and hate is one strong emotion;
THANEI remained in the garden. Maybe this hadn't been the right time to tell her about Bella.She was right.While I didn't love Bella anymore, I still cared, and it felt wrong.At that moment, I felt like something was wrong. It had been pure instincts but I felt the need to check up on Riley so I hurried back to the room we shared.She might need her space, but she was pregnant, and she needed company, just in case anything happened...She wasn't in the room.I moved to the bathroom, and there I saw the blood on the tile.Damn.I had been heading to the healers when I met Daisy halfway there. "What's wrong?""The Luna is in labor."That's all it took, and I was sprinting to the healing room.Riley had been placed on the bed; sweat coated her face — maybe it was tears. I walked to her holding her hands in mine."You are going to be fine." I assured her."It's not yet time; I don't know why this is happening to me.""We will get through this together, okay." I said to her, and she n
RILEYThane never left; not once in the next three days. He used the bathroom in the healing room instead.I felt so weak and tired; Daisy said I should be getting better, but I most definitely wasn't. At least the child survived, even if it would take a few more months for me to see him again. I tried lifting my hand, and it did take some effort for such a petty task."Thane, you know you could go to work...""No, nothing is more important than you and right now you need me here.""But I am fine Thane, the pack needs you too." I said to him, I did notice Regnux visits; there was work to be done, but Thane didn't want to leave me alone, I could handle myself for a few hours — maybe I'll try not to trip on my own foot while I lay on the bed."I'll only be gone for a few hours, and I'll be right back," he promised."It's alright."..Exactly an hour after Thane was gone, the door was pulled open. I had thought it was Daisy, and so I didn't bother, but then the figure got close enough.
KAIDA’S POVThe flesh-eaters were all gone. Packs that had been destroyed were slowly rebuilding; the chaos had finally settled. But there were still many things to attend to—like the few humans who now knew that dangerous supernatural beings lived among them.The human president had reached out to us; He was ready to pay whatever sum was needed to keep creatures like the ‘flesh-eaters’ away, as they could cause civil unrest among the people. He was willing to pay even more so things could return to the way they were when humans and supernatural beings lived separately.Alexander sent a letter back, assuring him that the ‘creatures’ were gone and that things would continue as usual. What they didn’t realize was that many werewolves and supernatural beings already lived among humans. They owned major companies and enterprises worldwide. From popular clothing brands to tech products, much of it was secretly controlled by the werewolf community.One constant worry lingered on my mind —
JADE POVEarlierI had chosen to spend my final hours in the little underground lair just beneath the small house I owned.At the other side of the room, trapped behind a magical wall, was a flesh-eater. I had captured it and brought it back here. If Aliyah does go through with her words, then the creature wouldn’t last until the next day.Hours passed, and the beast remained caged—still alive, still stupidly trying to push through the magical barrier I had created to contain it, no matter how many times it got scarred from trying.I wouldn’t blame the girl if she backed out; she had every right to make that decision. She was young and in love—it wasn’t easy to let go of everything for people who were mostly strangers.Beside me was a picture of Ralph. The only one I had, and the only thing that had accompanied me through the years. Many would say I lived a lonely life, but that was the only way I knew how to live—though it hadn’t always been that way.I thought back to when Ralph wa
DAEMONAliya was in the same silk white nightgown she’d slept in. A soft breeze blew through her silver hair. She looked surreal, like an angel. “I have to do this.” She said, and I could see the determination in her eyes.“No, you don’t have to do this. I told you I would find a way…”“There is no other way.” she said, cutting me off. “This is the only way. I can end the war, and this is what I have to do to end it.”I’d remember those words in the dream I had. She’d told me how she could “end the war.”Those eyes stared at me like she could read exactly what I was thinking.“Do you love me enough to let me go?” she whispered—and that’s when it hit me: it was never a dream. “The undead would be gone if Solene died. The war would end if I took my life—with this dagger.”“Tell me one thing, Aliyah. If you were in my place, would you let me go?” I asked. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She didn’t answer, maybe because we both knew what that answer was. “Why in the hell do you think
ALIYAHI stood watching the lake.The memory of what had happened here resurfaced, and I smiled. There were still so many things I had yet to do, so many adventures waiting out there.I looked down at the dazzling diamond on the engagement ring Daemon had given me. It must have cost a fortune, but that wasn’t why I thought it was beautiful. It would always be my most prized possession because of what it signified.Now I could see the truth—Daemon would have given up his title to be with me.I didn’t deserve his love. I didn’t deserve him. And yet, I wanted him.The best days of my life were the ones I spent with Daemon. Truly, he was the greatest gift life had given me, and I would always be grateful for that.But I had to make a decision.**FLASHBACK**“I need to speak to the girl alone,” Jade said, and I watched the others walk away, leaving me alone with the sorceress.“I remember it all,” I confessed. “I remember how many people died because of me… how many others I killed.”“That
“What did I taste like?” Aliyah asked.“Different… better.” If that was even possible.“That’s because I still have her powers. Even if she’s locked away, she’s still in there.”“You feel her?” I asked.“I hear her. She never stops reminding me that my time is ticking.” Aliyah said.“I will make her pay for what she did to you,” I promised.“She will pay.”…In moments like this, we truly see the vanities of life. Wealth, power, titles—none of them hold any true value. What truly matters are the small, fleeting moments shared with the people you love. Those are the things that endure.Time, too, is a precious thing. It belongs to no one, and no one can stop it. Aliyah walked out of the bathroom.“This is the best bath I’ve had in a really, really long time.”“Would have been better with me in there.”“Maybe, but I’m sore, and we both know you can’t keep your hands to yourself.”“You’re right about that. Now take a seat.”“Why?”"Or stand, if you prefer," I said, watching her raise an
DAEMON’S POVThis wasn’t a dream.It was real; Aliyah was back.All I wanted to do was apologize, over and over again, for every wrong I’d done to her. I wanted to beg for forgiveness, but we only had a single day, and I wasn’t going to waste a second of it. I just wanted to make her happy and give her something to hold onto.“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” I asked, and she smiled.“Yes, you have, but hearing it a few more times wouldn’t hurt.”I’d decided to take her away from this pack—to somewhere far from all the chaos and everything that had been happening these past few days.“How did it feel?” I asked, and I didn’t need to say more, she understood exactly what I meant.“Awful. I was there, and yet… not. I couldn’t see what was happening, couldn’t control anything—but I could hear. I heard everything.” She looked up at me. “I did hear when she tried seducing you. And I felt her embarrassment when you turned her down.”Her smile widened.“She might have your body, y
KADIA’S POVTwo packs had been attacked by the flesh-eaters; only a few survivors escaped.The other packs were strengthening their security to avoid being caught off guard. Humans weren’t exempted; many had reportedly gone ‘missing.’ Though their government was doing its best to cover things up, it wouldn’t be long before they could no longer dismiss it as a ‘serial killer attack,’ the work of ‘kidnappers,’ or even ‘wild animal attacks.’We continued to receive a flood of messages from packs allied with us, requesting aid and weapons. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t help them all. The Nightshade Pack was under curfew—only patrollers and soldiers were allowed outside after nightfall. It was a necessary safety measure, even though the flesh-eaters still lingered to the south.I watched as Alexander opened an envelope and pulled out a letter.“What’s that?” I asked.“A letter requesting aid. What’s the pack’s financial situation?” he asked, and I pulled out the file.“It’s the
DAEMON’S POVDemons didn’t need sleep to function. In fact, we only did it out of mimicry.I usually never had dreams; all that existed until I awoke was black emptiness. But this time, it was different.I was dreaming about her. Aliyah. I knew it was her with just one look.“Daemon!” she called, throwing herself into my arms, her smile so bright. I knew this was a dream, but a part of me wanted to stay in it forever. I hugged her tightly, breathing in the scent of her hair, her skin.“I’m sorry. None of this would’ve happened if I’d made the decision. This is all my fault, and that’s why I’ll fix it,” I said, even knowing it was only a dream.“This isn’t your fault. It’s mine. I should never have let you go, but I was about to correct that… when they took me.”For a moment, I wondered if this was more than just a dream—if it was something else. A vision maybe.“I knew I’d never love anyone the way I love you and so I went after you to let you know that. But I want you to stop blaming
*Anonymous Narrator POV*Marvin had seen a silver-haired girl taken into the warehouse. He knew the place was now considered off-limits—strictly restricted. Heavy chains bound the doors shut, but curiosity tugged at him. Why would they lock a woman away from the pack house? Was she really a threat… or was there something deeper, something they didn’t want anyone to know?Either way, he was going to find out tonight.He scanned the area for anyone approaching—there was no one. It was the middle of the night, and most of the pack members were asleep.He studied the locks. He was good with picking locks, but this one was even more complex.If he got caught in the process, he would be punished. Was his curiosity really worth the risk?He packed up his things and was about to walk away when he heard the sound. A song.The woman inside sang in the voice of an angel; it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. As she kept singing, something inside him shifted. He had to know who sh