MELINDA’S POV “Melinda,” Keith’s excited voice sounded through my phone. “How are you?”Me, I am shattered, heartbroken. It is like my soul has been shredded into a hundred parts and trampled; like there is nothing left within me.Drawing in a shaky breath, I forced myself to speak, “I am fine…”“What about our baby?”Our baby? Tears streaked down my cheeks and I had to thrust my fist into my mouth to muffle the sob.“Place the phone on your abdomen.” He continued in an excited tone. “I want to give our baby some good news….”I swallowed hard and grunted, “Okay…”My fingers trembled as I held the phone close to my bosom. Every word that Keith spoke was like a fresh stab to my wounded heart.I wanted to stop him; tell him not to have any false hopes, but I lacked courage. I didn’t have it in me to break this earth shattering news to him; at least not over the call.“You know what? Today is the best day in your Daddy’s life.” Keith said in a voice mixed with equal parts of pride and mi
Melinda’s POV “Kain?” I called out as I walked into the hall. “You were going to stay back with Ariana and make sure she is safe, right? Why are you here?”“Umm… I don’t know….” He mumbled, setting the cutlery on the table. “Yesterday, I started feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. I was filled with this strange urge to see you.” He poured a glass of juice and handed it to me, his lips curving into a small smile. “I am glad that I came. The state of mind you were in….” He shuddered, and his eyes flashed with concern. “What exactly happened, Melinda?”“Umm…” I lowered my gaze, “Nothing really… I was just feeling depressed….”It is not that I wanted to hide anything from Kain. I just felt that Keith must be the first one to know about everything.“Must be the mood swings.” Kain said, his expression turning serious. “I had read it in a book that hormonal changes during pregnancy can make you depressed and irritable.” His eyes lit up suddenly, and he rubbed his palms together. “I also
Melinda’s POV Groaning, I stretched my arms again, trying to reach into my pocket. The mere act of pulling out a silver needle seemed arduous, given that my hands were bound behind me with silver handcuffs. Each time I tried to move my hand; the metal burned into my skin painfully.‘Corel,” I called out to my wolf. ‘This seems like an impossible task. Do you have any suggestions?’‘No,’ she snapped. ‘You are getting what you deserve. I told you to focus on the right things. If you had told Keith about the call instead of coming here stupidly, you wouldn’t have landed in trouble!’“Are you helping or not?’‘Nope,’ she snapped obstinately. ‘You are the one who created the mess, you fix it.”‘Arrghh!’ I grunted with frustration. If I didn’t get out of here, that rascal would try to use me as a bargaining chip to manipulate my mates. Tugging hard at the cuffs, I stomped angrily.The chair tilted to one side, making me lose balance. It swerved in the air for a dangerous moment before topp
KEITH’S POV “What did you say? Melinda is missing?” My heart sank hearing Kain’s words. “How in the fucking world did such a thing happen? What in the damned world were you and Kramen doing?”“She locked me inside the house and left in a cab before I could break out.”“She did what?” Every word he spoke intensified the rage building within me. “What is the point of your existence if you can’t even protect our mate?”“Don’t worry… I will deploy…”“No need…” I cut him off as I grabbed the car keys and rushed out of the house. “I will handle this matter myself.”Hopping into the car, I put the phone on speaker and connected Alpha Alexander, Kramen, Justin on conference call.“Kain, now tell us what happened in detail.”“I was in the kitchen cooking pasta for Melinda when she insisted on going alone, saying that she was feeling suffocated. When I didn’t agree, she rushed out of the house and locked the door from the outside. By the time, I broke out, she had already left in a cab. She h
MELINDA’S POV I sat on the floor, blinking my eyes in utter confusion. One moment we were in that gloomy, stingy cell and the next, I was here in this weird-looking cave with pillars that looked like they were made of glass. What just happened?I groaned, stretching my limbs. Why did my arms and legs feel so weak, as if every part of my body had been broken and restructured again?Looking around, my gaze landed on the girl, who was sprawled across the floor. She had passed out again, but a bit of color had returned to her face, making her look better. Crawling closer, I patted her face, “Hey… Are you okay?”Her chest heaved as she sucked in a deep breath through her mouth. Her eyelids fluttered and a single word left her chapped lips. “Water…”I licked my dry lips and swallowed; her mention of water flaring my own thirst. Getting to my feet, I looked around. Where was I going to find wat
Melinda’s POV “I think someone is here….” Oleander said, her body becoming fully rigid. She grabbed my hand, prepared to teleport us again. This was when I was hit with the familiar scent of lemon and mint.“It is my mate, Keith.” I said, extracting my hand from hers. “We are safe now.”There was a soft whoosh behind me. When I turned around, I found that Oleander had already disappeared. I had heard that witches don’t meet others unless absolutely necessary. Probably that was true.“Melinda,” Keith’s surprised voice echoed in the cavern, making my stomach twist into a knot. It had been so long since I saw him face to face. My heart thrummed erratically as I turned around and raised my head slowly to look at him; afraid that my heart would explode due to the impact.His face washed over with relief and his eyes sparked with joy, “Melinda, I have finally found you.” Rushing over to me, he grabbed me by my shoulders; his eyes raking over me from top to bottom. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
Melinda’s POVCrash! At some point, the door to my bedroom was slammed open. My gaze lifted to the doorway in hope. However, the next instant that hope was crushed when I saw Kain instead of Keith.Don’t get me wrong. I know Kain did this because he was worried about me. But, at this point, this wasn’t what I needed. What I craved was for a little understanding on Keith’s part.If he had just given me a chance to explain rather the outright judging me, I would have been content. I would have still chosen to keep Kramen’s action a secret and accept his hatred. But, I wouldn’t have felt so shattered.“Melinda…” Kain’s agonised voice fell in my ears. “Please, let me take wash and clean your wounds.”“Go away, Kain….” I rolled on the bed and turned my head to the other side. “I want to stay alone.”“I am sorry, Melinda.” He said in an obstinate voice as he scooted over and gathered me in his arms. “I can’t leave you like this.He carried me to the bathroom and set me under the shower, tur
Kramen’s POV Faster, faster… even faster…. I drove myself to increase my speed with every leap I took; probably in an attempt to outrun the grief that was threatening to consume me.My lungs burned due to lack of air and the muscles in my legs ached, yet I forced myself to accelerate further. I wanted to run fast enough to blur all my memories and erase all my thoughts.I had barely run a couple of miles when Thud! I slammed into the trunk of some wild tree. Pressing my palm against the rough bark of the tree, I bent over in an attempt to catch my breath.“She miscarried. I am sorry to say that the baby is gone.” The healer’s words flashed in my mind, squeezing my heart painfully.A deep, agonised growl erupted from my chest and I punched the trunk of the tree as hard as I could. The trunk creaked with the impact.The bones in my fist cracked, sending a sharp pain shooting through my shoulders. Clenching my jaws, I punched the trunk again and again. The pain searing through my arms a
“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