CJEver since Lenora walked out my front door, all I felt was despair and defeat. My wolf hated me for letting our mate go, and I felt an acute sense of loss. I couldn't accept the fact that she'd left all because of Kia's master plan. Her absence felt like a piece of my soul was missing, and I couldn't focus on anything else no matter how hard I tried.Sighing, I headed to the wine pantry. My fingers brushed over the bottles, eventually settling on an alcoholic red wine. The light-bodied drink was too fruity and had no effect on me, yet with trembling hands, I took glass after glass, trying to escape Lenora's memories, the warmth of her smile, and the sparkle in her eyes.I loved that girl too much to let her go. A choked, desperate laugh escaped my lips. Kia had been trying to act normal, like she was an innocent bystander in the chaos, pretending she didn't plot this out carefully, but it was all too obvious.Seeing her face pissed me off so badly that I growled low in my throat a
LenoraOn my way downstairs, everything around me went fuzzy, and I kept coughing and sneezing, growing weaker by the second.I didn't understand what was happening to me. Each step was a tremendous effort to descend, and my vision blurred as if a thick fog had covered my eyes.Clutching the handrail, I tried to support myself, but my leg gave way suddenly, and with a gasp, I fell. It felt like being dragged down an endless abyss. My arms and legs flailed out in panic, trying to grab something or anyone, anything that would stop my fall. All they could find, however, was air.The impact sent sharp pain through my chest that made me cry out in pain. I was dizzy again as I struggled to get back up so I could continue my journey down to find my dad."Somebody help," I cried, feeling tremors all over my body and seeing spots in my vision.Everything around me closed in, and I could hardly breathe anymore; it seemed like all the air had been sucked from my lungs. My heart started racing, a
MariselleI sat at my desk in the bustling lecture hall, hating the chaos all around me. My classmates were so noisy, and it was quite different from Brookville Uni because of the different energy levels.Here, people shifted into their wolf form freely and were wild as hell. I tapped my pencil on my notebook, wishing they could just shut up for a minute.But then, my sour mood wasn't their fault. It was all thanks to my mother, whom I thought was perfect and would never hurt a fly.But now, I realize that the ten years of staying alone with my dad were way better than this unpredictable stranger we were living with. My gaze wandered to the window, with my mind consumed by several fearful thoughts."Lenora," I muttered into my hands. This secret was bigger than me, and if I didn't say anything fast, my head was going to explode.I tried to squeeze out more information from India, but she pretended not to know what I was talking about. The sly woman was a big ass licker, who would do e
CJThe second Kia admitted to poisoning Lenora, my world crumbled around me. If I hadn't noticed the bad energy between mother and child, I would have thought she was being sarcastic.My backbone stiffened, and a quick, sharp breath escaped my nostrils. Staring wordlessly at Kia, she kept on ranting about how Lenora deserved what she got.The shock caused me to stumble and almost lose balance. I perched on one of the cream-colored sofas, feeling like all the oxygen was sucked out of my lungs as I took in the shocking words.The anger that welled up inside me for days simmered, and I turned sharply to face Harrison."Did you know about this?" I asked with a voice colder than the grave.Harrison shook his head, looking so panicked. "I swear to you on our father's name that I have no hand or idea of this. I don't like the girl, but I would never be privy to such evil. Believe me, CJ."He looked up into my eyes, pleading. My hands clenched into fists, and I jumped to my feet, choking back
LenoraI didn't need anyone to tell me that I was dying. This unhealthy condition weakened my body, and my illness had gone full-blown. I'd even become drug-resistant because of it, and the doctors still hadn't come up with something.Every part of my body ached with painful sores all over my body. It was a horrible, nightmarish mystery that nobody could understand. No amount of medicine I had taken could bring relief from the terrible pain.All the doctors and nurses did was poke and prod at me in the hopes that they would get some kind of clue and discover a cure for me. My mind, too, had been going through hell, and I wasn't sure whether I should believe my delusions or not.Never in my life had I felt such intensity of pain in my abdomen. My body was failing me, and I was bleeding from my gastrointestinal tract.Feeling foggy and attempting to distract myself from the painful discomfort, I lay still. It was almost impossible for me to speak, and I was lying in the dreadful hospita
CJAnxious to find Lenora, I combed every hospital in Brookville—private, general, military, modern, ill-equipped, you name it. But there was no sign of her. It was as if she had just evaporated from the face of the Earth. She hadn’t been on any lists, and it didn't help that some hospitals refused to disclose the identity of their patients.All odds were against me, but I couldn't give up. The search was overwhelming and overpowering. My chest caved in, and I felt so lightheaded I couldn't even think straight. The pain in my gut worsened until I could no longer breathe through it. It was like someone had stabbed an icicle through my heart."Where are you, Lenora?" I groaned into my hands.Maddox had every right to be mad at me, but not at the expense of his daughter's life. I tried countless times to stop by the house, but there was no sign of him or any other person. My throat closed up, and I began self-talking to calm down and think straight. I didn't know what to do, and my hope
LenoraNow, on a crossroads between life and death, I was getting prepared for a high-risk surgery. Fear, stark and vivid, knotted inside of me.There were over six specialists who were on my case, and each time they poked my body, I felt so much pain, and my heart raced in my chest like a horse ready to gallop across the desert.My stomach roiled with bile; acid churned my intestines. I wanted to scream, but all that came out was an occasional whimper as my throat constricted. My eyes watered from it all."Her case is delicate," I heard one of the doctors say. A middle-aged, buxom woman with thinning hair. "It's almost impossible for all organs to shut down at once without any cause. I've never seen anything like this before."Another doctor, a tall man who seemed more interested in reading a chart than in talking to her, nodded numbly. Hearing that made me shiver uncontrollably under the thin hospital gown.I was weary with fatigue and watched the third doctor pick a glove and adju
LenoraCJ didn't stop driving until the first rays of dawn broke on the horizon. He drove past the huge gates marking the boundary of the werewolf territory. Although I was sick, I could smell the otherworldly scent even though I wasn't actively seeking it out.Laying in silence, my lips were tightly sealed, unable to form words. The leaf he gave to me earlier was quite helpful, but my senses were scattered by the poison, and I was still alert. It dulled the pain a bit and made the journey quite bearable. CJ remained silent and would occasionally cast a glance at me through the rearview mirror to be sure that I was breathing."You're going to be okay, my love, I promise you. We're here now. You're gonna live."The thought echoed around the space inside my head like the roar of a great wave, making my brain hurt.I tasted the bitter bile rising in my throat when CJ picked up my fragile body and cradled me in his arms like a baby. He had begun running to Magda's Little House.Barely ha
LenoraI was busy making sure that the party was going in full swing and tried as much as possible to avoid Titan. Unfortunately, his charming smile and seductive voice had gotten some females in the house, including the married ones. He flirted with anyone, not caring whether they were married or not, and I was annoyed. I couldn't wait for him to get the hell out of my house.I hated him so much because he was a very good pretender and hated myself for falling for his cheap ploy. The party was over. CJ asked me to show the entourage their rooms. I was about to walk past a room but gasped in shock when he drew me inside and shut the door."What are you doing, Titan?" I yelled, giving him a dirty look. I never knew I was capable of being this angry. I felt like using a knife to stab him.My nasty look didn't stop him. Instead, he was adamant and had an amused smile. "You know you turn me on when I see you mad. I missed your lips, darling. And this is between you and me, but I came here
RubyI couldn't believe that that wicked boy and his father were here. It hurt more that he was sitting at the dining table chatting with my dad, looking so smug and confident as if he had done nothing wrong and was fooling my dad, who didn't know how terrible the boy was.He didn't even glance at me and was acting like I was invisible. I felt a surge of pain. How could people be so cruel and heartless? I wanted to scream at him, to tell my dad and everyone how much he hurt me. But I couldn't do that because the Lycans were very important and powerful, and they were my dad's guests. My dad beamed with pride, and I could tell that he was so happy.I was glad that my sister spiked Enzo's food, and I wished she had done more. I couldn't stand being in the same room with him anymore, so I excused myself to get some fresh air. My mom gave me a worried look but didn't say anything. She was also battling with her demons.It didn't help that Jade and Luca were also around. I didn't want to se
Ruby My niece, Jade, hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. Squealing in delight, she wrapped her arms around my neck, almost lifting me off the ground."Can you believe it, Rubs? We're in senior year! This is going to be the best year ever, especially now that I have a boyfriend," she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with happiness.Pretending to share her enthusiasm, I returned the smile. There were familiar faces here and there, all chatting, laughing, and reminiscing about their summer. I wished I could escape from it all and go back to my quiet room where I could lay in bed all day. I didn't care about senior year or any of the things that Jade was babbling about. I just wanted to be left alone.I was in the bathroom doing my thing when I heard Tammy and the other queen bees of the school walking to the bathroom. They were putting the finishing touches on their makeup and also talking about who was dating whom. My stomach tightened when they mentioned Luca and Jade."Oh my God,
Lenora After the craziness the previous night, I woke up at five-thirty with a splitting headache. Luckily, there were painkillers in the drawer. After taking them, I decided to go for a run to clear my head and escape from the nightmare that had happened last night.I put on my running shoes, grabbed my phone, and checked the flight app again, hoping to find a way out of this hell, but the next available flight was at seven PM, which meant that we had to wait for another fourteen hours before we could leave Bali.Muttering to myself, I tiptoed out of the room without wanting to wake Ruby, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed. She looked so innocent, like an angel, and I felt like a failed mother, for exposing her to strangers who had tried to hurt her.I began running along the beach, feeling the sand under my feet and the breeze on my face. The rising sun painted the sky with orange and pink hues but I couldn't enjoy the beautiful scenery and, despite trying not to focus on what
RubyI sobbed uncontrollably, bitter with myself and that pretender, Enzo, who ended up being everything I never thought he'd be. He seemed harmless, but little did I know that he was up to no good.My mom led me out of the nightclub, her eyes wide with fright. Although I suspected she was a bit tipsy from her stumbling movements, she still managed to hail a taxi and shove me inside.I hated her. I hated her for making me come to Bali with her. I hated her for encouraging me to explore and have fun. I hated her for being a hypocrite and a liar.But I couldn't tell her these things, so I kept quiet.We arrived at the hotel, and she locked the door behind us and turned on the lights. She looked at me with concern in her cornflower-blue eyes."Baby, what happened?" She asked softly. "Did that boy hurt you?"I glared at her through my tears. "And how's that any of your business?"A gasp escaped as if I'd struck her, and her face paled with tears gathering in her eyes."Don't raise your vo
Lenora The first thing that hit me when I stepped into the nightclub with Titan by my side was regret. Unable to fill my lungs, my thoughts turned inwards. I didn't know what it was, but it felt like Titan was controlling my mind, taking control of every cell in my body and keeping a tight grip on my consciousness.When I got to the door, I realized just how stupid I was acting. After CJ called me earlier, I decided to stay away from Titan, knowing that I was growing an attraction for him, but here I was in the club with him, ready to dance the night away. He took my hand and gave it an appreciative squeeze before releasing it.The music was too loud, and the lights were flashing everywhere, making it impossible to see past the crowd, but Titan's eyes were glued to me as if he wanted to see what was under my clothes.I didn't belong here. Maybe if Ruby hadn't gone out for the karaoke night with Enzo and I had someone to talk to, I wouldn't have agreed to come out with Titan.But when
Lenora An adorable smile appeared on Ruby's face, and Enzo grabbed her hand as they ran off, laughing. My daughter looked so happy and carefree, and I could tell she was into the boy. I couldn't blame her. The young man was dashingly handsome, with eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. His hair was parted neatly on one side of his head, with a few tendrils that had escaped, falling onto his forehead. He had a well-built body and strong arms.Standing beside his father, I stole a glance at him. His eyes lit up with a warm smile as he watched the children."It seems our kids are really into each other," he smiled, thrusting his hands in his pockets."It seems so," I cleared my throat and smiled back. But when Titan leaned closer to me, my body froze with paranoia, my blood started beating rapidly, and my heart skipped a beat as though it wanted to escape from my chest."You know, there's something very unique about your girl. Something I can't quite place my finger on," he reac
Ruby I was as high as a kite. The vape was so powerful, and it made me feel dizzy and lightheaded. Enzo was high too, and he was smiling, talking, and even touching me."Enzo, please. Let's go," I tried to push him away, but he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. Then he planted a kiss on my neck."Come on, don't be a sourpuss. We're having fun, sweetie."My body shivered, and I pushed myself away from him. "I really have to go to my mom."Adding enough strength, I stumbled away from him and towards the hotel, hoping my mom wouldn't be in the room. But when I opened my door with my key card, she was on the couch watching a movie on the TV.My heart skipped, and I hoped she wouldn't notice. She merely looked in my direction and waved at me. I sighed in relief when I snuck into the bathroom to wash my face with cold water.After failing miserably to sober up, I snuck into the bedroom and hit the bed, pulling the covers over my head and closing my eyes.I woke up hours late
Ruby I ran into my mum at the hotel lobby, just as I was coming back from the beach. She looked surprised to see me and flustered, like someone running away from something."Darling Where have you been?" she asked. "You need your sunscreen so you don't get sunburned," she said in a motherly voice."I was at the beach. What about you? Where are you coming from?" I asked, staring at her flushed cheeks.She smiled sheepishly and glanced around. "Oh, I was just... sightseeing. You know, enjoying the beauty of Bali."I raised my eyebrows and smirked. "Sightseeing, huh? With whom? That man?"She blushed and shook her head. "No one, just by myself."I didn't believe her for a second. I knew she was lying but decided not to confront her about it. I didn't want to ruin our vacation. Besides, it was none of my business. She was a grown woman, and she could do whatever she wanted except cheat on my dad."Come on, let's go to our room," she grabbed my hand..We entered our room and locked the do