Damien lifted the wine glass to his lips, swirling, sniffing, and taking a long sip before setting it down on the center table. He looked towards Mark, whom he noticed was observing him, and he shrugged."Spill. What do you have in mind?""You're strange," Mark replied. He stood from the red plush chair he sat on and walked towards the window. Well, the only window in the large office.He had always found it ridiculous that an office would be as large as this with only a window to boast of. But then again, he didn't think Damien needed too much light.The room was already spacious, and the cooling from the air conditioner was also enough. Again, a chandelier hung above, serving as the secondary source of light.Mark took a book from the floating bookshelf just beside the window and caressed it."Too neat," Mark said, "Yet so old." He flipped open the book, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."Mark mused, skimming the summary of the book. Of course, he had quite some collecti
Emberlynn sat in front of the mirror, staring at herself; although she didn't know what exactly she was trying to point out from her face, she had been sitting since she had awoken.She sighed, groaning, and ran a hand through her hair as Betsy stepped in, announcing her presence."I presume you slept well," she grinned, her eyes moving around the room before letting them lock on Emberlynn, "I thought you'd stay with the alpha for the night, but here you are.""Why would you think that?" Emberlynn asked her, rolling my eyes."The alpha needs you. You know when a man finds a woman attractive, they tend to stay a longer period with... ""Betsy," Emberlynn murmured, attempting to halt her.But Betsy kept on going. She had a mind of her own. Betsy had definitely read meaning into the dinner. However, it was nothing.In fact, as soon as the dinner was done, she had left. Damien hadn't stopped her. He didn't say anything to her. She had wanted him to say more rather than force-feed her, but
Emberlynn grimaced as she heard the sound of the breaking of flesh; she moved away from the window and towards the bed, where she could see who was at the door clearly.Her eyes widened as she saw Roy; his arms were up and guarding his face while Betsy kept slamming the bat into him."What the hell?!" Roy gasped, pushing himself into the room, causing Betsy to stagger.He snatched the bat from Betsy, glaring."Oh, my goodness, Roy!" she exclaimed, realizing he wasn't the enemy she had thought.She rushed towards him, her wide eyes on his smashed arms. "Are you okay?" she asked, "I swear, I didn't know it was you. I assumed it was an enemy!" she tried to touch his arm, but Roy raised it up before halting her."Talking about having a nose and being unable to smell, and you could have fucking calm and sense me before attacking. Now, no one will want to mate with a guy with broken arms." Roy winced, dangling his broken arms in the air.The sight was funny as he placed it in front of Bets
A few hours later, the battle ended, and the pack activity returned to normal. It didn't even look as though anything of such had happened. Maybe they could easily recover fast from a tragedy. From where she stayed, looking out from the window, she saw the members picking the piece of what was left of the brief battle.She didn't see Damien or even Roy. If it were in her former pack, Vincent would definitely be walking around declaring and boasting how he had singlehandedly fought and drove the enemies away.He was that prideful. Even when it was obvious that he barely raised a hand in fighting, he'd lie, and no one dare say a word against him.This pack was different. She needn't be told. Ever since she stepped in yesterday, she had seen the difference. From the atmosphere and the way the members interacted."What now?" Emberlynn asked. Betsy was still moving around the room, putting things in place.It wasn't as if the room needed to be cleaned in the first place. It was already cle
"Miss," Roy said, waving at Emberlynn."It's Emberlynn." Emberlynn rolled her eyes."It's rude to call you that," Roy said."Why not?" Emberlynn muttered, her eyes moving around the area they currently were.Roy had said it was the pack's training center, but this place looked more than a training center. It was more like a Development institute, with a variety of rooms allocated for the task being performed.When Betsy had spoken about the pack being traditional, Emberlynn had thought everything about it would be, even the mode of transportation and communication.However, she had sighted a few members with phones, although Roy had told her it was only the people who could afford them that had them.She had seen cars as well, lined up in a huge building that looked like an abandoned warehouse. Vehicles of different sizes and brands, yet none of the people she had come across struck her as someone who would be overly interested in cars.Now, there was the training center. The vast exp
It was evening, and Roy had left, but after promising to finish the stroll tomorrow. Also, Emberlynn was right; he had used the rest of the day to avoid answering her questions.Even though she had seen a lot of places in the pack house, he had told her, it was merely just a fraction he had taken her to. That made Emberlynn wonder how huge the pack house actually was.Emberlynn looked around the pack's courtyard; she was sitting on a bench strategically placed under a tall, ancient oak tree in the center.It was her first time being here as well, and she wondered if it was off-limit, and maybe she could get in trouble for coming to a place as secluded as this. She had sighted the courtyard while Roy was busy talking about the intrigue of the training center, and she didn't have the time to ask him.Again, she was glad she hadn't asked him because he would definitely have been against it. Just like the door he had stopped her from touching in the training center, much less a place that
"D-Damien," Emberlynn let out an involuntarily throaty moan as Damien's arms wrapped around her lower waist, pulling her closer to him.The feel of his body, the heat and warmth, Oh beautiful goddess Selene! Desire flooded into Emberlynn, even more intense than ever. Her senses heightened, and she was overly aware of her surroundings. But she didn't make a move to shove him as she would have done.Instead, she pressed her body into him, responding to his warmth."My mate, Emberlynn," Damien responded as if he was trying to clear the doubt that had once clouded his senses.This was the confirmation he needed; he believed so. Cadence wasn't just acting by himself as he had thought.Emberlynn was truly his mate and curse breaker. And he didn't need the ancient spirit to whisper that to him.Moving his hands up her face, he cupped it and leaned into her. He didn't know exactly what he was doing, but he couldn't control himself.He couldn't control his errant thoughts that seemed to be am
Emberlynn groaned, falling back to the bed, her eyes wandering to the white ceiling above before trailing to the open windows.The soft breeze gently brushed against the curtains, causing them to sway ever so slightly. Emberlynn closed her eyes, letting the tranquility of the moment wash over her.Little Wolf.Her eyes snapped open as she heard Damien's deep, husky voice in her head. She groaned again, turning about on the bed.She had managed to escape Damien, or she'd say he had let her escape. After the threat he had issued that if she betrayed him, he would kill her. However, he had said that indirectly, she understood the meaning.Emberlynn wondered what reasons she would ever have to betray him in the first place.Although she hadn't accepted to be his mate, she doubted her opinion mattered at this point. He had brought her to his pack to mate with her. Aside from the attraction between them, Emberlynn was well aware of the mate bond.She didn't have a wolf to confirm it, but sh
Seeing the despair on Damien's face as he always wanted to see, a smile adorned Lucian's face. He gazed around the prison room, tutting"Now that I already share my plan with you, I wish you could partake in it, but I am sorry, you are a prisoner and will remain so until I am bored of you. In the meantime, enjoy yourself while I go do my thing," Lucian blew Damien a kiss and walked back towards the entrance."Shit," Damien grunted, gripping his hair in frustration.Emberlynn was in trouble. He stood to his feet and attempted to yank the chain from his hands, but the harder he pulled, the tighter the chain wound about his hands."Magic," he hissed as he felt the burning sensation.He tried to pull once again, but it was futile.How the hell was he going to save Emberlynn when he was in prison? He gazed around, looking for a means of escape, but the only thing he saw was a crack on the wall. The building itself seemed to be mocking him.He had placed Emberlynn in the same position with
Damien grimaced as he stared at Lucian. He was ridden with scars. It was from the attack of the previous day, and they had barely made him heal before he was tossed into the prison.And now he was faced with his worst energy, Lucian. He loathed Lucian with every fiber of his being, and he stared at him with a deep-seated hatred."What do you aim to achieve, and you locked me up? Does Emberlynn even know what you are up to? Does she know the kind of monster that you are?" Damien grunted. He was pissed.He had pushed Emberlynn into the mess, and he couldn't bring her out of it. He had made her run away with a devil, and now he was in the devil's lair."She's going to kill you if she finds out you're holding me captive," Damien said.Lucian chuckled. He tossed his head back and burst out laughing. "If Emberlynn knows she's going to kill you." he mimicked, laughing.Lucian sighed, "The thing is, she's very much dumber than she looks. I thought she was really smart and would have, you know
The Alpha moved towards Jessica, who was currently held down, and growled into her face before he tried to bite down on her neck.Emberlynn howled, and as soon as she did, Lucian appeared in his wolf form in front of her.Stunned, Emberlynn looked at Lucian as he charged at the alpha. She didn't know he was anywhere around the forest area.He must have known she was missing and had tried searching for her like the first time.At least he was right on time before any damage could be done, unlike before. Even though he would be mad at her, it was better than he dead.Lucian and the alpha fought each other, and for a while, it seemed that none was winning until the gammas of the black night pack house arrived, charging at the first Alpha wolves.The Alpha shifted into his human form immediately, yelling, "Retreat, I repeat, retreat!"He was on the downside, and it would be silly if he continued to attack Lucian, knowing there was no way he could win the battle.The Alpha jumped into the
Hurrying out of the pack house, Emberlynn glanced around to ensure she wasn't being followed. She had made sure Connor and Lucian weren't around the pack house.It was one of the reasons she was able to leave freely.Also, she didn't know what both had been up to, but they seemed to be mute and were watching her even more closely, as if he blinked their eyes several times, she would disappear from their sight.Emberlynn and Jessica walked for a while before arriving at the hunting ground. It wasn't far away from the pack house, but it was out of the pack house territory.Jessica turned to Emberlynn, "If you want to be able to hunt well, you should shift. In your wolf form, you can swiftly catch whatever you desire." Jessica explained and nodded towards Emberlynn."I can't shift," Emberlynn shook her head, breathing out."Why not?" Jessica said. She looked somewhat stunned to hear that Emberlynn couldn't shift, but she didn't know why."Why can't you shift? I thought you were here to h
A grunt escaped Damien as he sped through the forest. It was the third day of his journey, running in his wolf form to get to Emberlynn. He had barely taken a break.He had set out three days ago to start the journey.Each time he had thought of relaxing to get his energy back, he thought of her. That fueled his desperation even more.Again, the fact that he knew he was getting closer to his journey made him even push forward harder.Damien wasn't journeying alone. However, he had set out before the others to get to Emberlynn as fast as possible.Yet, he wasn't comfortable traveling with anyone, knowing how dangerous it could be for them. He didn't mind getting beaten or even wounded. Seeing his pack members in that same position would break him.Cadence came to an abrupt halt, his nose tilted in the air, and he sniffled. Cadence's teeth bared, and he growled lowly while swirling around to ascertain the source of the smell.They had tried to mask the scent, but Damien wasn't easily fo
THE NEXT DAYConnor strode to where Lucian was currently on the rooftop of the building. As soon as he approached him, Lucian stared at Connor before turning away from him."Do you have everyone in their position yet?" Lucian asked, using the binoculars with him to gaze into the distance.He didn't see Damien or any of his troops yet, but he knew they could be around the forest area hiding. Damien was smart; he would surely know something was up and wouldn't just come into his territory without getting prepared."Yes, and we are awaiting your order," Connor said."Good, bring Damien to me alive. He's mine. I don't care what state he is in; just bring him to me alive," Lucian said. "Noted, Alpha," Connor bowed and walked away from Lucian.Typing some numbers on his phone, Connor dialled it, and after two rings, the person at the other end picked up."The target is Alpha Damien. He should be brought to us alive, and as soon as I get the route he'd be passing, I shall communicate it wit
Securing the lock on the door, Ria walked back to the bed. She tossed the contents of her bag on the floor, picking them one after the other and dumping them into the pack once again.She stopped when it got to a black metal box with a golden lock. She placed the box on her lap,Opening it, she took out the necklace, lifting it to her eye level.The necklace sparkled in Ria's hand, its delicate chain supporting a pendant that glimmered with an unnatural light. The stone was a fragment of the revered Luna stone, and it pulsed with a soft, ethereal glow.Legend had it that the Luna stone held the essence of the moon's power, and depending on who was wielding it, it could grant them unimaginable abilities or even render them powerless if it had been hexed to do so.She was going to give it to Emberlynn to seep out her powers to the last drop. She had waited many years to do this, and now she was closer to her goal. Despite being twins, she was the first-born twin. She should have been t
A smile formed on Lucian's face as he stood in front of the pictures in his room. There were about twenty in total, decorating the wall in different frames. Anyone who stepped into his room would have thought it was a gallery due to the various artwork on the wall.But he was sure anyone would easily misunderstand him. They might think him a creep, which he didn't mind. At least he was not creeping after someone else. He was only obsessing over his love.It was not precisely his room he had taken Emberlynn to, and he knew that if he had, she'd have asked him several questions about the pictures on the wall. He didn't want to answer such a question, at least not yet. It could jeopardize things and he believed he was close to getting what he needed.Grabbing one of the pictures, he caressed the frame, his gaze looking lovingly at the woman staring back at him with a bright smile.His Emily. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Bright blue eyes, shoulder length black ha
Emberlynn continued to gape at her. They seemed to be about the same age, although the one standing in front of her looked like she might be slightly older.She was too stunned to speak or ask her who she was."I am Ria," Ria said, extending her hand towards Emberlynn, who stared at it before staring back at her.She didn't shake the hand right away."Ria Evergreen, your long lost sister. We are twin technically," Ria added.Twin?"No way," Emberlynn muttered. She had never been told she was a twin. Even before her mother's death, she didn't mention having another child aside from her."I know it looks shocking to you, but it's the truth. I know our history, and I can tell you. How the werewolf slaughtered every one of us to the last, but seeing as I wasn't born without the same powers as yours, I had escaped the brutality.""I do not understand," Emberlynn stated, shaking her head.Selena had helped her clear all the things she had forgotten. She could have noticed Ria in one of her