Keith’s POV
“Darling,” Veronika said, walking into my room. Lacing her arms around my neck, she added, “Miss me?”
“Not really.” I said in a nonchalant voice. “I was too busy to think about you.”
Her eyebrows furrowed together, and her face flushed with anger. “What is that supposed to mean? Is work more important to you now?
“There is nothing like that.” I said in a soothing voice, trying to placate her. “I was busy buying a gift for you.”
Looking at her expectantly, I pulled out a box from my pocket and opened it. The single diamond caught the glint of moonlight, shining brightly.
Her eyes lit up, and her lips curved in a greasy smile. She picked out the ring and slid it onto her finger. “This is beautiful.”
“I knew you would like it.” I smiled at her and carefully extracted myself from her arms. “
Melinda’s POV “How in the world did this happen?” I exclaimed, running my fingers through my hair. “How could Veronika shift into a white wolf?” Turning to Oleander, I continued, “Do you think she used a magical spell or something?”“I don’t think so.” Oleander shook her head. “If she had used magic, I would have been able to see through her.” Her expression turned thoughtful, and she rubbed her chin. “There is only one possibility, but it is a bit farfetched.”“At this point, I guess I am ready to believe anything.” I mumbled, gazing in the direction Veronika had sprinted in her wolf form. “Just spit it out Oleander.”“I think… she is a hybrid.”“Hybrid?” My eyes widened in astonishment. “How is that possible? Isn’t it against the laws for a werewolf to mate with a witch?”“It is… but that seems to be the only logical explanation.” Oleander rubbed the back of her neck as she added, “I need to go and check the lineage book of witches. Will you be alright?”“Do what you have to,” I fl
Keith’s POV “Shall I give you a suggestion? Take that bowl from the maid and feed the poison to Melinda with your own hands. You never know. I might reward you by letting your mother attend our wedding.” Veronika’s words rang in my head, making my mind go blank. A ringing noise filled my ears with a strange buzz. My gaze drifted from the bowl to Melinda. On one hand was my soul mate whom I loved more than my life on the other was my mom who had given me this life. Killing either of them could never be an option. My eyes snapped towards Veronika, who was sitting on the throne seat, sipping her wine leisurely. The moment our gazes met, the choice I had to make became stark clear. If I were to drink the poison instead of Melinda, all her plans would turn into dust. My eyes lit up with determination, and I made my way towards the maid. But before I could take the bowl from her, Melinda whisked it out of the maid’s hand. “Let me do this, Keith.” Her lips curved into a wry smile, and h
Melinda’s POV “That is where you are mistaken, Miss Fake Veronika.” Kramen’s words rang in the room as he walked inside with long strides. “We have replaced the leaders of all factions. Now, they will solely follow the River Brothers.”My chest clenched painfully, squeezing the air out of my lungs. I staggered, my back bumping against the wall. The color drained from my face and my heart went numb. Why was he here?My hand flew to my abdomen, and tears stung my eyes as the profound sense of loss hit me again with full intensity. My gaze drifted from Veronika to Keith. I had promised to support him in this fight against her. But, I just couldn’t bear to stand in the same room and breathe the same air as Keith. I just couldn’t.With a sharp intake of breath, I hurried out of the room. Kramen’s presence triggered my memories and everything that had happened in the past started replaying on a loop.Ignoring the sharp pain in my chest, I forced myself to take one step after another. If I
Keith’s POV “Your five minutes are up, Miss Fake.” Kramen said, tapping his watch. “Why can’t I see your cult members barging into our packhouse?” He clicked his tongue and mocked, “Seems like they have given up on you after all.”Veronika remained unperturbed by his comment. Shrugging, she replied in a nonchalant voice, “So what if the leaders of Four Petalled Plum Blossom have betrayed me? Jasper must have seen the sign too. He will be here any moment.”“Sorry to burst your bubble, Fakey. But today nobody will come to your rescue.” Kain said as he walked into the room, his lips curving into a bright smile. “Jasper ran into me a while ago and now he is locked up in the dungeons.”“Kain Rivers, the youngest of the three brothers.” Veronika stated, looking at him with a weird expression. “I hadn’t expected to see you.” Supporting her head against her palm, she continued, “But, it is a good thing that you came. All brothers must gather for marriages and funerals.”“What marriage? What
Keith’s POV “Keith,” Veronika’s sultry voice sounded as she walked over and grabbed the bars of the cell. “I knew you would come.” Her eyes sparked up, and she looked at me with a dreamy expression, “You still love me, don’t you?”“Love?” I snorted and shook my head. “How can a person like you know what it means?”“Why? What is wrong with me?” Her eyes brimmed with hurt and despair. “If you think that I am not beautiful, I will take the appearance of the person whom you like. If you think my attitude is bad, I will change Keith…” Her voice got choked with emotions. “But please don’t say that I don’t know what love is. Everything I have ever done is for the sake of love.”Her shoulders drooped, and her expression deflated. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, and she sniffled. For a moment, she even managed to garner my sympathy again, but then I reminded myself that she was just a slut who was very good at acting.“You said that everything you have ever done is for love, right?” C
Melinda’s POV Heaving a sigh of relief, I slumped on the bed. Keith almost found out the truth today. It was a good thing that I arrived on time.“Why don’t you tell him the truth, Melinda?” Oleander said, sitting beside me. “Isn’t it better if he learns the truth from you rather than from someone else?”A long, deep sigh left my lips, and I rubbed my neck, my lips pressing into a thin line. “I can’t possibly do that to Keith. Imagine how he will feel if he finds out that his own brother, Kramen, killed his unborn child. That kind of shit can break anyone, Oleander.” Reaching over to clasp her hand, I begged, “You have to keep this a secret for me.”A resounding thud drew my attention to the doorway. My heart went numb when I saw Keith standing there with a dumfounded expression. “What did you just say, Melinda? Kramen did what?”“I… I… I was just joking around Keith…” I stuttered in an unsuccessful attempt to cover up what I had said. “I was just making up stories.”“What kind of a
Keith’s POV The frown on my forehead deepened, and I clenched my jaws, swallowing hard. Kramen, my brother, had poisoned my mate? Wait, she was his mate too… So, he poisoned his mate and killed her baby, our baby, causing us so much suffering.‘Jake, does any of this make sense to you?’ I asked, projecting my annoyance. ‘What kind of mate would do that? Is it even possible for a werewolf to do such a thing to his mate?” Hissing in frustration, I punched the wall with all my might. A dent formed in the wall and some of the cement crumbled and splattered on the floor. ‘FUCK MAN! How can my Kramen do something like that?”‘Why are you thinking about this now?’ Jake said in a dry voice. ‘Haven’t you already banished him from the pack?”‘I… I did that because I was angry, Jake….’ Biting down my lower lip, I asked. ‘Do you think I was hasty in my judgement?’‘I do… You didn’t investigate, you didn’t give him a chance to explain, you straight up banished him.’I tore my hair, and a frustrat
Melinda’s POV A sigh of resignation left my lips as I leaned against the glass pane of the cab. It had been two days since I started looking for Aster. I couldn’t find her anywhere. Surprisingly, I couldn’t even find her name in the file of registered healers. Something was definitely fishy. I did, however, find Laura Michelle’s registered address in the file.“Drive me to Garden Extension 15.” I instructed, giving him Laura’s address. The driver hit the gas and we took off. He was about to take the right turn when I caught a glimpse of Keith in the side mirror. What was he doing here?“Stop!” I called out, causing the driver to hit the brakes reflexively. The car came to a screeching halt, jerking me forward.“What happened, madam?” He asked in a concerned voice, raising his head to look at me through the rearview mirror. “Is something wrong?”“Nothing… just take me back to the spot for a moment.”When I returned, I found Keith bent over his knees, gasping for breath. Getting out of
“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