Axel unsheathed his sword before striding towards Nick.Nick let out his wing, flying right over us, but Axel leaped into the air, bringing him down by his wing. Axel pinned Nick down, holding both wings. I watched in amazement as Axel sliced them off, and Nick roared in pain, the bones where his wings had been attached prodded out of his back.Axel passed the blood stained sword to me. I limped to where Nick lay groaning in agony."Didn't I tell you, I will kill you?" Now kneel." I said, and he rose, falling on his knees. "Riley I..."I didn't let him say more; in a clean swipe, I incapacitated his head from the rest of his body.Axel took off his leather jacket and helped me put it on."I know a way out." Axel says, leading me out of the room, we walked down the hallways to an open space."Going somewhere?" A voice called from behind us. Bailey.She held a crossbow in her hands. "Nyaos is dead. Thane killed him. I guess this means our deal is… off."She shot the crossbow at me, bu
THANE'S POVThe door opened, and Caleb walked in, his hands up as if in surrender. My beta, Axel followed, a gun pointed to his head."Free him," Axel said.Caleb walked to me, taking out the pipes. "The chains too." Axel said, and I could tell Caleb was not going to do that.Axel shot at his leg, but Caleb was strong—maybe even the strongest of all the elders. In the next second, Axel's gun was in his hands, and the table turned."Let him go, Caleb; it's me you want." I warned."You are right." Caleb says, "But I want him dead too."He shot at Axel. I growled, pulling at the chains; they burned my skin. He aimed for me next, pulling the trigger, but the gun was empty of bullets, and he tossed it to the ground."In every single room, I had planted a bomb; all I need to do is press the button, and everything would go 'boom'; everyone in this building would die, and I alone would be left. After a while, you will be forgotten, but for me, I'll take over from you; I will be known and fea
EARLIERBailey was still in here somewhere. I walked cautiously down the passage ways and I spotted yet another room. I pushed open the door and walked in. The room was similar to the one I had been kept in earlier, but she wasn't in here either.I needed a weapon; the sword alone wouldn't do to kill an elder as powerful as she was so I searched through the room. I pulled open a cabinet, and there I found more syringes filled with black serum, the very same ones used on Thane. I was almost certain of it. I would have to take a gamble with this. From what Bailey told me, this was created by the elders as a bane for Lycans, I could only hope it had some effect on her too, if it didn't work on her, then I was doomed.I strode out of the room, and there she was, standing at the very end of the passageway."So you've come to kill me." Bailey said with a smile on her face. "You know, Nyaos has been killed by your mate" She said to me.I couldn't exactly say I felt bad for that.I chose to r
A rock fell inches away from me, and I only managed to dodge it. Axel was losing a lot of blood. I knew what was about to happen, but I didn't want to think about it. It just couldn't."Riley, please listen to me." he said, and I turned to him; sweat coated his face and his breathing was laboured. "I can't make it, Riley. You know that, but if you go, you can save yourself and save Thane.""Please, Axel, we can make it alive, the both of us.""Look at me, Riley," he pleaded, and I did. "Kiss me."Tears rolled down my eyes as I leaned to him and kissed him. I wouldn't let him go; I just can't. "I love you, from the very first time I met..." he took a long breath. "But you were never mine, and yet that didn't stop me from wanting you. Don't blame yourself for this; you, Riley, were the best thing that had ever happened to me.""But Thane... he hates me.""No, he doesn't; reason with him; make him... make him understand." Axel coughed out blood. "Go now, get him, and leave this place.""
The next few days I spent them with Thane; he was still in coma. The healers had to extract all of the toxin the elders had passed into his bloodstream; only then would the healing process begin, and from their report, he was doing well, but he still had a few more days to recover.I wiped his face with a wet towel; next, I gently brushed through his hair. I placed a kiss on his forehead and then his lips. I knew that when he awoke, things wouldn't be like they used to. I returned back to my room to take a bath before joining him once again.I couldn't bear the solitude of my room; I always ended up breaking into tears. I hadn't realized I was sleeping until the sharp intake of breathe jolted me awake. Thane was awake.The healers had said he would be down for a few more days, but he woke earlier than they had predicted; my heart pounded for the first time in excitement; I was so scared, I couldn't lose him too. "Thane!" I cried out, running to him to embrace him, but his cold star
I stared at the mirror; I looked like a mess. I sprayed some cold water on my face; a knock drew my attention.It was a maid."Can I help you?" I questioned."The Alpha sent me to pick up a file he left here. It must be that one." She said, pointing to the file on the table. She walked in, picking it up."You know what? I'll hand it to him." I said, taking the file from her hand. She seemed unsure."As you wish Luna," she said."Uhmm, where is he now?""The third room on the fifth floor," she said, and I nodded."Got it.".I knocked on the door to his ‘new’ room, and after a minute the door was pulled opened. Thane stared at me."What are you doing here?" He asked like I was some complete stranger, an intruder, but I couldn't blame him."I brought your files."He collected it, about to slam the door, but I placed a foot in the threshold. I pushed the door open and walked in."You've been avoiding me lately." I said to him, but he gave no response. He took a seat, opening the file and
I sat in front of Thane's door the whole night, pleading and begging, but he never did come, and finally I rose.I had lost him, and it took me this long to see that. I hadn't only lost Axel; I had lost Thane's love too.How did my life turn into this? One moment it all felt like a fairy tale, one I didn't want to wake up from, and now it was a complete nightmare.Some days I questioned the point of my own existence; I had no use remaining here, and yet, I didn't want to leave, maybe because I still had hope that one day Thane would forgive me.I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, ignoring the knock on the door. I didn't want to see anyone right now, and I knew for a fact that it wasn't Thane. Whoever was behind the door persisted and it got annoying. I rose from the bead, heading for the door. I pulled it open, the frown on my face that disappeared the moment I saw my mother.She hugged me, knowing exactly what I needed. I couldn't help but be a child again and cry in her arms. "
Axel lived on in my dreams but waking up to the painful reminder always left me in tears. There was this hole Axel had left behind, one that I feared even time couldn't heal.I didn't know exactly why I was paying the sorceress a visit, but I knew I needed to right my wrongs. This place was exactly how it had been when I and Nick arrived here for the very first time. I knew I shouldn't be here and yet... yet here I was. I pushed aside the tendrils, which came together to form a curtain. The sorceress sat as still as a statue on the moss-covered altar. "Welcome back, Queen." She said, turning to me. I stared into those ancient-looking eyes that seemed to know everything."You know why I am here," I said to her. "Yes, I do, but I am afraid I cannot help you.""Please...""You seek to fight fate, to fight nature itself. You cannot revive one that is already dead.""You can't or… you won't?""I can't give life, Queen.""But there is something you can do, isn't there? I will pay handsom
ALIYA’S POVThe man standing before me was all I could think about. Sometimes he stares at me, as if trying to figure something out, then looks away. I thought about how it felt like being completely naked with Trian, alone, free.“May I ask a question?”“Of course!” I said a little too quickly. “Sorry. Yes, you may.”“Was it your first kiss?” Trian asked.I stared up at him and gave a nod. “You should have already guessed that; it’s no secret that I have never been with a man.”“Being with a man and kissing a man are two different things, Aliya.”“I liked it,” I said, shielding my face with my hair to hide the blush on my cheeks.“I can’t possibly imagine how you feel, with all your daily activities arranged out for you, so many fucking rules.”“I hate it. The more I think about it, the more I hate it, so I stopped thinking about it. I made myself believe this was home, and then it felt better, bearable even. But then I went out there, and I was reminded of all the things I’ve been m
“This is unacceptable!” Austin says. “Even though rogues are not familiar with customs and traditions, it is common sense not to attack on burial grounds.”“One of our commanders was killed.” Aric said. “It’s clear the rogues want a war.”We were all seated with the council of advisors; Alexander hadn’t said a word since the meeting began.The Dawn pack members would be devastated to hear about Gadiel’s death.“I say we give them what they want; I say we go to war.” Stark says, and some nodded in approval.“War? The rogues have the numbers, and we all know that many will die.” Seth, another of the advisors said.“They asked for it,” Austin says.“They hadn’t come into our lands, Alpha. The attack was at the Dawn’s Pack.” Seth said, he gave me a quick glance before looking away.“The Dawn Pack is now part of our pack, and the attack was aimed at my Luna, my Commander, and me. But I don’t think it’s wise to go to war. I doubt the rogue leaders are aware of this attack; perhaps those rog
I stared at my father’s lifeless body from the casket he had been placed in. He looked very much the same as he always had—the worry lines on his face were gone, and he seemed to be at peace. Alexander tightened his grip on my hands, comfortingly.All the members of the Dawn Pack were present, and even some from the Nightshade Pack.“We gather to mourn the loss of a great man—a father to us all, an Alpha. Death truly is vile; it renders even the greatest helpless. He was taken from us too soon; only the goddess knows the reason. Though he is dead, his legacy lives on. Dawn will never forget him; I will never forget him.” Gadiel finished. He was once Chief Commander of the Dawn Pack’s soldiers, I didn’t know the position he held in the Nightshade pack. It was my turn to speak before the pack; it was my turn to comfort them; I didn’t think I could do it. There was a moment of complete silence. I looked up at Alexander, and he nodded at me; somehow that was motivation enough.“My father
I managed to force down a few spoonfuls of food; I couldn’t take more than that. After a quick bath, I joined Alexander on the bed.Two hours passed, and I still couldn’t sleep. I lay there, staring at the ceiling.“I could get you a sleeping pill from the healers, it should help you sleep.” Alexander suggested.“I don’t think a pill would work this time,” I said. “Every time I close my eyes, I see this woman—the same one I saw in my nightmare, the one who killed my father.”“Your father died from an illness.”“Do you believe that? Don’t you find it all strange?”“I do. I find it very strange. I sent Aric to search the pack house for anything he could find, but the one person who might have a clue about this is your father.”“And he is dead.” I completed his sentence. “Maybe you are right; maybe it was just an illness, and I am overthinking.”“It’s never a bad thing to be suspicious,” Alexander said. “Now, try to get some sleep.”After a few minutes of trying, I finally fell into a dr
KAIDA POVAlexander had never once talked about his parents. I had always wanted to know, but seeing the pain in his eyes, I could understand why he kept it all to himself.“You don’t have to talk about it if you are not ready.”“You deserve to know.I’ve heard so many good stories about Luna Riley, my mother, and even more about the last Lycan, Alpha Thane. But I never saw it. My father loved my mother so dearly, even when she was turned. She would have died if not for a sorceress who brought her back—as a demon. I could still remember her cold skin; she always wanted me close to her; she always wanted to carry me around like a mother would her child, but she couldn’t.Demons get weakened by the sun, so she had to be locked away in her room, but that wasn’t the only reason she was being locked away. Demons have a strong thirst for blood; sometimes the pack members go missing. Every time she ‘mistakenly’ kills a person, she cries day and night. She knew that having her child with her
ALEXANDER’S POVKaida was never one to admit her feelings—especially not when they made her look weak. But back at the bar, she did. She admitted her jealousy; she admitted what she felt for me. And right then and there, I swore to myself to be loyal to her. I wanted her happy; I loved seeing her smile, but everything changed too soon when the news of her father's death reached us.She wouldn’t speak. She wouldn’t eat. She wouldn’t even sleep. And for the first time, I saw her cry. She mourned for her father, and all I wanted to do was take away her pain.Aric sat with me in my office. “The healer who had been present when he died said he had fallen into a strange coma some days before he passed. The only sign of life had been his beating heart,” Aric said.“Alpha Trent knew he was going to die; that’s why he made all the necessary arrangements. Still, I believe his illness is indeed very strange; all illnesses have their cause, but Alpha Trent’s didn’t.”“Maybe it was more than just
Trian led me away from the old creepy woman. “I did tell you that fortune tellers are liars.”“But she seemed to know a lot about me.”"From your skin tone, anyone could tell you aren’t an Aureonna by birth. The majority of the population here comes from all over the world, bound by the 'Purifying Ritual.' She’s a good guesser, but there’s nothing special about that, and you don’t have to worry about anything she says. She is a hungry woman, looking for her daily bread."“She would be rich with all those gold coins—where did you get them?”“I was an orphan, but not a poor one. I found my way around things and also built myself some good fortune.”“Then why are you here?”“Money is not the answer to everything. I am here because I want to be, not because I need the money.”“Where are we going?” I asked, realizing they were fewer people the further we went."Wait and see," he said with a smile that made my stomach flutter. We stopped before a lake.“I never knew there was a Lake in this
I looked around, taking in the crowd—more people than I had ever seen. A smile spread across my lips, the incident with the soldiers at the exit already long forgotten.Trian took my hands again; his were huge and rough—just as I imagined a warrior's hands to be. He led me into the thick of Aureonna’s city; people stared—especially women, but the stares weren’t directed at me, but at Trian."What is that?" I asked, pointing to a group of people gathered nearby. They seemed to be laughing at something."It's a play, a drama.""I want to see it."“Of course.”We weaved through the crowd of excited people, until we reached the front row.A woman with a silver wig sat on a make-shift throne; her skin seemed to have been painted white. The other woman by her side had a blonde wig on. It took me a moment to realize this was a drama about me—the woman in the silver wig was meant to be me, while the one in the blonde wig was portraying Empress Julia."Soon, you will lead us to victory. The fa
About five minutes passed, and there was still no sign of her.“Empress!” I called out. “Empress…”Just then, she broke through the surface. Her face looked different—youthful. She had entered the pool looking to be in her forties, but when she emerged, she appeared to be in her late twenties.“Empress, you look…”“Beautiful, magnificent… I know.”“How?”“The water, many believe the god of light once bathed in these waters; it’s called the Lake of Youth—It was once bigger than this, but, well, this is all that remains of it.”She put on her clothes..“It was like time had reversed, and she was given her youth again.” I said to Trian when we were back in my room.“It seems to me that you would like to take a dip in the Lake of Youth one day.”“Of course, not… the Empress would never let me.”“You fear the Empress like she is a god.”“She is a powerful woman.”“I agree, not many men alive could build a community as big as this one. But have you ever thought about how exciting it would