Keith’s POV “Keith?” Victoria exclaimed in a hushed voice. “What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to stay put? What if you get caught by Alpha Logan’s men or worse run into Houston?”“There is something else I need to do,” I stated calmly as I adjusted the mask on my face. “Don’t worry, I am carrying Desreta. They won’t be able to catch my scent.”Desreta was a rare herb that could mask the scent of werewolves. It grew only in the frosty mountains of La Paz and had taken me fifteen days to acquire a few grams despite my friendly relations with Alpha Teestan.“I still don’t think this is a good idea, Keith?” Victoria asked, shifting from one foot to another anxiously. “Why don’t you tell me about it? My men will accomplish whatever you want.”“No need.” I stated with a dismissive wave. “You stay here and make sure our plan goes smoothly. This is something I want to do personally.”“But, Keith…” I got into the car and started driving before she could protest any further. Melinda h
Keith’s POV “Keith!” Veronika’s voice sounded from the entrance. “Why are you standing there like a statue?”“Stop right there!” I shouted before she made her way to me, craning my neck to look at her. “I am standing on the top of a lever; if I take even one step, it will trigger the mechanisms in this cottage.” Spinning on my heels cautiously to face her, I urged, “You should leave before Houston’s men arrive.”Her eyes lit up all of a sudden and her lips curved in a sultry smile, “I didn’t know you look this hot without your shirt.” She bit her lower lip seductively. “If I had known I would have burned all your shirts long back.”“Veronika!” I glared at her angrily. “This isn’t the time to joke around.”“I think the timing is perfect,” she said as she walked towards me, her gaze locking into mine. “If we are both going to die, I might as well break all the barriers.”Wrapping one of her arm around my shoulder; she pressed her palm against my chest, “So sturdy, so powerful… I wonder
Melinda’s POV One month later…“What are you reading?” Kain asked as he walked over and sat beside me on the couch. “Let me guess, another novel where the woman sacrifices everything to save her lover and suffers endlessly?” He whisked the book out of my hand and put it out of my reach. “There were so many good books at the library. Why did you have to choose a book with a trope like that, Melinda?”He spread out a few books in front of me as he continued; pointing to each one of them as he spoke, “You could have chosen a book loaded with humor to make you laugh; or science fiction story that explores the vastness of the universe; or, you could have chosen a book where the main leads live a long, happy life surrounded by loved one.” He threw up his hands in frustration. “But, NO. You had to choose a heart-breaking story that will shatter your soul and make you cry.”
Melinda’s POV “Kramen,” his name left my lips in a shocked gasp. When he didn’t respond or make a move towards me, I directed my thoughts towards my wolf, “Corel, do you think I am hallucinating?’‘I don’t think so…’ her voice held equal parts of delight and anxiousness. ‘I can feel his presence too. He is really here.”‘Impossible.’ We had been searching for him crazily for the past two months and now he just appeared in front of me; dressed in a suit, flowers in hand. It seemed too good to be true.Walking over to him, I placed my palm against his cheek; gasping as my fingers came in contact with his smooth skin. I had almost expected him to vanish like a wisp of smoke. My lips parted and I sucked in my breath, “You are real.”“I am sorry, Melinda.” He bit his lip and lowered his gaze, “I am here to apologise to you, Melinda….” His eyes flashed with regret and guilt. “I know that I crossed the line that day. I don’t know what came over me…”His voice choked with emotions, and he lo
KEITH’S POV “Do you blame me for not telling Melinda anything, Mrs Spencer?” I asked with a slightly guilty expression; disconnecting the call. “Of course not!” Her lips curled into a smile. “I am so glad that you didn’t tell her anything. She already has too much on her plate without having to worry about this old hag.” Though she was trying to sound cheerful, it was hard to miss the tint of sadness in her voice.Melinda was the only family she had. So, it was natural for her to be upset. Drawing in a deep breath, I tried to explain, “If Melinda had found out that you were in a coma, it would have added to her worries. She might even have insisted on coming here. That would have put her in danger. That is why….”“You don’t have to explain so much, Keith…” She cut me off before I could finish speaking. “I know you did everything for Melinda and your unborn child.”She reached over and took my hand, clasping it firmly. “Melinda is lucky to have found a mate like you, Keith. If onl
Melinda’s POV “Is it hurting again?” Kramen said in a concerned voice as I groaned, holding my abdomen. My eyebrows drew together, and I gasped in a breathless voice. “It is way worse than before, Kramen.” My fingers dug into my stomach as the piercing sensation intensified. “Please do something.” “Give me a moment, I will get the hot-water bag, quickly.” He said in a panicked voice as he rushed out of the room. Pulling myself into a fetal position, I wrapped my arms around my knees, but it did nothing to ease the stabbing sensation that was searing through my abdomen. By the time Kramen returned, I was whimpering like a wounded animal. He got onto the bed behind me and gathered me in his arms; pulling me into his lap. Resting my head and back against his broad chest, he placed the hot-water bag against my abdomen and held it there. “The heat should give you some relief.” “A bit lower….” I gritted out, trying my best to hold in my scream. The ache was worsening with every passing
Melinda’s POV Aster fussed about me cleaning up the blood, changing my clothes, taking my pulse while I stayed unmoving like a corpse. My baby, our baby was gone. I didn’t even get to hold him in my hands… I couldn’t even see him once. He was gone as if he had never existed.A strange numbness had come over me; as if someone had sucked the life out of me; leaving behind an empty hollow shell.“How are you feeling now, Melinda?” Aster asked in a concerned voice, pressing her hand to my forehead. “Why didn’t you call me earlier?” Her voice held equal parts of grief and regret. “If I had reached you a bit earlier, I could at least try….” Her voice got choked and her movements froze.“Why didn’t I come for an extra visit yesterday?” She tore her hair in frustration. “When you didn’t call me for an entire week, I thought that the symptoms had subsided. If only I knew…”Wait! What rubbish was she spewing? Kramen had been reporting her every day with my worsening symptoms. The shock of her
Keith’s POV“You are quite something, aren’t you? Keith.” Houston taunted as I walked into the hall. “You even dared to barge into my council meeting; that too alone.” His eyes lit up on seeing Veronika. “No, wait, you are not alone. Who is this beauty?”Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he continued, “If you are here to beg me for mercy, I might consider giving you a small position in my pack.” Tossing his head in a proud gesture, he smirked, his lustful gaze raking over Veronika. “After all, you have brought a generous gift for me.”“Houston!” I roared, lunging towards him in rage. I would have literally ripped his throat out if Veronika hadn’t blocked my way. Cupping my face, she forced me to look at her, urging me wordlessly, “Keith, don’t act rashly.”Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths, forcing myself to ease my jaws and clam my
“Alpha Keith,” the manager greeted, hurrying over to bow in front of him. “If you had told me that you were coming, I would have made better arrangements.” This stupid woman, she was pitching for her downfall and honestly, after what she did to Aldwin; I didn’t feel like saving her, either. So, I stood there, arms crossed over my chest, waiting to watch how the drama unfolds. The way she was looking at me flared Keith’s temper further. He gnashed his teeth. “That is not the answer to my question.” “My apologies, Alpha.” Mrs. Stellar’s face flushed. “We didn’t mean to cause you inconvenience.” I clicked my tongue. This woman, she still didn’t understand what Keith wanted to know. The way Keith was glaring at her, I was afraid he would shift and rip her to bits. The woman must have felt it too. I could almost hear her teeth chattering with fear. I was about to talk to Keith when Luna Aspen spoke up. “Please don’t blame her, Alpha Keith. It is all that guard’s fault. Mrs. Stellar was
Melinda’s POV “Where are Keith and Kain?” I asked, walking into the hall. “Why are they taking so much time to get ready? We are just going for shopping.”Karmen rolled his eyes, his face lighting up. “This is nothing, Melinda. Back in the days when we went to college, Keith and Kain would wake up at least an hour before to get ready.” He chuckled, “They would try out so many outfits before finalising that by the time they were done we would all be fed up.”“Kain is the kind of person who would do such a thing but Keith…” My eyebrows shot to my forehead. “I can’t imagine…”“He was the worst of us. Then again, all the girls flocked around us mainly because of his looks.” His lips pressed into a thin line. “No wonder Jessica fell so hard….” He slapped his hand to his mouth and his eyes widened. “I am sorry… I didn’t mean to stir up unpleasant memories.”“It’s okay, Kramen.” I drew closer and took his hand in mine. “Actually, I have been meaning to talk to you. But, every time I tried,
Melinda’s POV “Whether it is a few steps or an entire lifetime, you can always rely on me to carry you.” His words dripped in my ears like honey, melting my insides. I really liked this new version of Keith, who was bold, proactive and impatient.Resting my head against my palms, I looked at him, studying his features. His eyes were sunken and his cheeks had shrunken a bit, but that made his jaw bone more prominent, adding a devilish charm to his appearance.“What is this?” His words pulled me out of my thoughts. My eyebrows furrowed as I took the piece of paper from his hand. Why did it look so familiar?As I gazed at the paper, words started appearing one by one. ‘For the past five thousand years, I have lived my entire life with a deeply set prejudice against werewolves. I always thought that werewolves were selfish, ambitious, and cold-hearted, but you managed to change my worldview.While seeing your memories, I realised that werewolves are capable of being honourable and selfle
Keith’s POV “Please tell me that I am not dreaming,” my voice cracked as I looked into her deep, beautiful eyes. “Please tell me that you are really here.”Her lips curved into a wry smile, and her mesmerising eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I am really here, Keith. I am fine.”I raised my hand to stroke her hair but then dropped it; too afraid that she might turn out to be just an illusion. “Can you tell me that you are here once more?” I swallowed hard. “This seems so surreal. I am afraid that you will vanish like a cloud of smoke at any moment.”“I love you, Keith.” She said in a voice thick with emotions and drew closer. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she cupped my face, raised herself on her toes and pressed her lips to mine. “Does this seem real enough?”I shook my head as I grabbed her arm and tugged, causing her to slam against my chest. Wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug, I buried my face in the crook of her neck, whispering, “I missed you so much, Melinda. I m
Melinda’s POV I was drowning in the sea of darkness with nothing to anchor me. There was nothing to keep me afloat, just a sense of emptiness; an eternal void.“Mellie…” A voice pierced through the haze. There was something about that voice that was deeply comforting. All of a sudden, the emptiness stopped bothering me and I relaxed.“Melinda.” The voice sounded again. “How long are you going to sleep? I really want to see the outside world.”My breath caught in my throat. Why did the voice voice so familiar? Fuck! NO! This was impossible. It couldn’t be….“Corel…” My voice came out as a throaty whisper.‘Yes, sleepyhead.’ Her voice was extraordinarily enthusiastic. ‘Miss me?’‘Am I dead?’ I thought, groaning as my stiff neck made a cracking sound. ‘Is that why I can hear you?’‘You will find out if you open your eyes.’“But, I don’t want to,” I mumbled. “This darkness is so comforting. I don’t have to worry about anything.”‘That is true… But if you don’t open your eyes, you can’t s
Keith’s POV In the elegantly decorated banquet hall, a large crowd had gathered; alphas of important packs, their families, the council members, and several other important members of the pack. We even had pacts and deals with some of them.There was once a time I was quite close to many of them. But, today, I felt alone despite the large gathering. All these ties and relationships seemed futile. They were all cheering and applauding me for my achievements, but my heart; it felt empty. There was no warmth in there, just a sense of void.Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink! My mother struck the spoon against her glass to draw our attention. “Alpha Rivers would like to raise a toast to everyone.”My father stood up and held up his glass. “Over the past few months, we have been through a lot. But, thanks to the diligent efforts of my sons and your constant support, everything is back to where it should be.” His eyes sparked with pride as he continued, “Conspiracies have been thwarted, enemies ar
Keith’s POV I sat beside the window, watching the sun rise; slowly scattering the darkness and casting a faint orange glow over everything. The flowers in the garden swayed in the light breeze, creating a peaceful rhythm.Something about the serenity of the garden irked me. The flowers, the breeze, the rising sun all seemed to be mocking me. With an annoyed grunt, I drew the curtains and started pacing in the room again, my gaze drifting to the door every few moments. When was Oleander going to return with Melinda?With each passing moment, my anxiety rose higher and higher on the scale. If this continued for some more time, I would probably explode. I increased my pace further, as if walking faster would help me reach Melinda quicker.“Justin!” Kramen gasped, and he sat up with a start. This distracted me from the spiral of anxiety and I hurried to check on Kramen.“Justin,” He muttered again, looking around anxiously, “Keith… Where is Justin… He is a traitor… He tried to kill Mom a
Keith’s POV “Dr. Stelsar,” I called out, hurrying over to him. “How is my brother?”He froze as his gaze met mine. The color drained from his face, and his lips pressed into a thin line. My heart sank when he placed his hand on my shoulder and shook his head. Everything seemed to slow down and my mind blanked out.“I am sorry, Alpha. We managed to save Master Kramen’s life, but I am not sure whether he will come out of the coma. Silver has combined with the blood cells of his body, inhibiting his healing. Unless the process is triggered again, he might never wake up.”“It’s fine. It’s okay,” The sense of dread that had formed in my heart eased, escaping my lips as a forced gust of wind, “As far as he is not dead and there is still a chance.” My eyes reddened with unshed tears and my voice got choked up. “Just tell me what I can do, Dr. Stelsar. Do you need any special herbs or medicines or maybe I can fly in some specialist? Give me the word and it will be done.”“I don’t want to gi
Melinda’s POV “We have done whatever we can, Miss Spencer. I am sorry to say this, but he might never wake up.” The healer’s words rang in my ears as I watched Kramen’s still form. “Due to the excessive amount of silver in his system, he has stopped healing. If only the treatment wasn’t delayed for so long….”My chest clenched painfully, and I slumped to the chair. “This was all my fault. If I wasn’t so quick in accusing him, Keith wouldn’t have banished him from the pack. He would have been treated on time and he wouldn’t be lying lifeless like this.”Lifting Kramen’s hand, I pressed it to my cheek, “I am sorry Kramen for being such a shitty mate…. For not trusting you more… for not giving you a chance to explain everything properly…” A choked sob left my lips followed by a whimper. This was all I could do now; apologise…“Melinda…” A familiar voice sounded as Oleander placed her hand on my shoulder. “Are you alright? I came rushing the moment you found out.”“Oleander….” My voice b