-NIA’S POV-Reporters and media people ran with their cameras and microphones, chanting his name. ‘Lykoan! Lykoan!’My lungs stopped working. My eyes bulged, and my mouth opened wider than a zombie’s in awe.The wild fandom created a big commotion as they excitedly occupied the street side, pavement, and steps of the hotel. Half of them had their phones high in the air. They blocked the road like Lykoan was a godsend that they hadn’t seen in decades.Even from here, I could feel his aura permeating as powerful as a hunter. So deadly and dangerous, piqued with irritation. The power he yielded, that he emanated through simply existing, was breathtaking, alluring, and most terrifying.That did not stop the anxious mob. Perhaps they were used to him by now.The growing clamor of the impenetrable flock seized his attention, hurling it in various directions. Several security guards from the hotel hurried to the scene to do crowd control.Now, my interest level in Lykoan has reached Uranus.
-NIA’S POV-My chest tightened painfully, and I looked down sadly at my feet. "Impossible. I'm not from here.""You're that pretty little thing the mighty general totes around with." The postman leaned a little closer, his smile laden with crooked teeth as he poked the tip of the knife into his jaw."Like I said, I'm just spending a few days." I conceded, tapping my foot impatiently. I'll admit anything to have him stop speaking to me. “My friend's across the street.”Something about him made me uneasy. I shifted on my feet and glanced at the beads at the doorway, hoping that Miss. Petrillo would come through it. How long does it take to find the moonflower? Jeez, she was taking so long."Don’t play dumb.” He asked mockingly. “Aren’t you friendly with everyone?""Not friendly," I terse, hating the discrimination.He used the knife to stroke the bristly skin of his jaw, never once lifting his languid leer from me, which unnerved me more."So you're just fucking him then? It's about the
-NIA’S POV-If I hurt this postman, the news would spread like wildfire, and charges would be laid against me. Undoubtedly, the shopkeeper would take his side. On that account, the major repercussion would be death by Alpha Jacques, and all my plans foiled."Fuck you," I growled, although my voice wavered. I raised my hand, turned into him, and struck his face down with my elbow and palm heel.The postman staggered sideways with a lopsided grin. "Apparently, you won't, but I’m going to strip you down and let you have it.""Are you stupid, Balzac? Are you stupid? What nonsense. Are you normal?" Miss. Petrillo argued, very disgruntled behind me as I spun around and ran.I burst out the door with tears burning in my eyes as much as the disgust and disappointment in the pit of my stomach.Stumbling out onto the plaza, I charged off in what could be the wrong direction, but my vision was too blurry to determine anything. I heard my name being distantly called.Moments later, warm strong ha
-NIA’S POV-Chaos unfolded with a ferocity that echoed the sound of battle across the afternoon skies. The air crackled with formidable tension as the clash of wolves reverberated, a symphony of growls, snarls, and the occasional yelp, cutting through the charged atmosphere.Lykoan was in trouble.Adrenaline laced with anxiety coursed through my veins as I chewed on my thumbnail, watching from inside the Porsche.Patrol lunged at him. Survive, Lykoan. Please survive. My breath caught in my throat as vicious snarls pervaded.One by one they charged at him, from behind, sideways, in front, and jumping through the air. Panic tangled up inside of me and a stab of fear assaulted my gut.I can’t lose him.What should I do? I wanted to help, but how? Where was Gawain or Julius when you needed them? I wished Tank had been here too.Sick with worry, my heart ricocheted in my chest. I couldn’t sit by and not do anything. Through the sharp, desperate uneasiness inside of me, an idea stirred.Gul
-NIA’S POV-Knowing what was next to come, I sidled behind Lykoan, peeking around his left side to watch everything. I noticed the Beta was behind us, keeping a cautious distance but observing the confrontation while the patrol wolves slowly limped away with the wounded."Keep your envy out of my business, Alpha Zeek," Lykoan rasped to the man who attacked me with his wolf before darting his gaze on the other. "What brought you here, Alpha Iscariot?"Alphas? I knew it, but two of them? My heart rate spiked anxiously and my temples throbbed as I got a good look at them. I must say that had I been on my own, I would not have been any Alpha's problem.This was exasperating.“The hell we will.” Iscariot retorted, standing to our left with his Appalachian brown eyes searching me. He swiped his thumb across his sweat-beaded forehead and the wind kicked up the fringes of his champagne hair.I gulped nervously and cast my eyes down at my twiddling thumbs."How out of touch you’ve been.” Zeek a
-NIA’S POV-“Move your damn feet, you sick perversion of nature,” Zeek growled at me with his strong arms around my waist after freeing my mouth.Despite my efforts, I couldn't break free from Alpha Zeek’s dragging hold.Desperation and fear clashed with raw determination as I clawed, punched, and kicked with all my might.“What level of idiot are you?” I cursed him, hoping to deter his foul ambitions. “You’re making a Volkes your enemy.”A regurgitating scream bubbled up in my throat as we reached the field. I squeezed my eyes shut to muster everything within my soul to call out to the only man who could save me. “Lykoan!”My mate’s focus snapped towards us. Scarlet wrath veiled Lykoan's orbs like a laser ready to inflict maximum damage, aiming for nothing but smoke as he watched Zeek bounding for the labyrinth of trees where more growling and snarls pervaded.Lykoan’s muscles coiled. He began half-shifting. Silver fur spouted through his pores and the air around him shimmered, making
-NIA’S POV-The day was a feral, crude, unspeakable horror.My flitting eyes flicked back and forth from Lykoan to the syringe.A trickle of cold sweat slithered down my nape. Dread gripped my heart like a frozen fist and I swallowed as my flesh erupted with painful chills.My lips parted to speak, and I suddenly realized that they were quivering with fear, along with my entire body. “What's in that?”“Death,” Zeek terse. “For you, of course.”“Wait. I….um,” I panicked, unable to think straight, smelling my own blood.“I wouldn't move if I were you.” He kept his cold eyes on Lykoan.My body shook uncontrollably, and my thoughts went haywire. My wolf was so distraught that she withdrew with a whine.Back on the field, Lykoan towered over Iscariot's bleeding body that lay on the grass. He dug his razor-sharp claws inside Iscariot's shoulder, using them as hooks to force him to stand on his feet.Blood spurted as Iscariot howled in pain. "Yaaaaaaa-hoo-hoo!"Good. The bastard was going do
-LYKOAN’S POV-Just by a shift of my thumb, I cracked the two Alpha’s windpipes and flung them to the ground. I instantly blocked out their painful grunts. Served them right.The wild smell of the forest retreated. Death reeked and blood stained the ground like a macabre river.Despite the five unclad Alpha Females that paraded in front of me, lining out horizontally and expecting a life-changing moment. My eyes sift through them to zero in on Nia.Any hopes of her getting out of Zeek’s grip dwindled drastically, since now she was poisoned and paralyzed, whimpering in pain. A deep ache radiated from my chest, sending ripples of anxiety and rage through my veins.Ten minutes. I had limited time to get her an antidote before her organs began damaging, or her recovery period would be agonizingly long and possibly detrimental.It had come to this. Victory demanded pain. Change demanded sacrifice. The truth felt like an anvil of lead down my bowels, blasted by my flames of fury. I clenched
NIA’S POV-Before anyone else could react, I quickly maneuvered myself with a left roll, which positioned me on my back. With a hard tug on Vydon’s black tie, I dragged his upper body forward to loom over me just as the bullet pierced into his back.Thump.A murderous growl erupted from Lykoan. I glimpsed dark clouds in his eyes covering the burning lilacs. Clouds with thunder, dilating rapidly for that sonic boom and lightning strike.At the same time, Julius hooked his arm around the henchman and wrenched him away from the Overlord, while Beauchamp’s hands gripped down Vydon’s shoulders, veering him to sit back in his chair, and hindering him from moving.The henchman was quick to swing back, catching Julius with a cheap shot to his jaw before he drop-kicked the guy in the gut, sending him flying back. The henchman jumped on his feet, going hard at Julius.“How dare you!” Lykoan roared. It was a deep feral bellow from his partially ascended wolf.With fast movements, Julius went low
NIA’S POV-"I apologize, Lykoan. Perhaps I was out of line for assuming that you might share her with your new associate.” Vydon cockily referred to himself. “That’s what we do."Lykoan’s wolf bristled. I quickly adjusted myself on his lap and clutched him, stationing my hands on his lower back to calm Sultan down."I don't exist for your enjoyment, Vydon," I seethed through my teeth to set the record straight. “None of us do.”He waved his hand dismissively and smugly declared, "Hybrids that cross our borders are not free property. They know what it means to come to Idaho, and my pack members take full advantage of that."Horrified at the thought, my throat went dry. Why would hybrids intentionally subject themselves to the Trenchlands knowing what the Overlords would do to them?"That is a sick practice," I reproached, shaking my head as nausea crept up my throat and I squeezed Lykoan tighter."I’m blown away at how you have been hiding from us. It's so sad that I couldn't have foun
NIA’S POV-Lykoan's lilacs glowed lightly. The wolf within him sneered and snarled. He certainly did not appreciate Vydon’s eyes looming over me as his lips curled into a sinful smirk.Overlords like this one tend to flaunt their power to defend the worthiness of their positions, especially since the dominant realms frowned on their existence."Vydon, you and your man will come this way." Lykoan gestured toward the vineyard estate.Apparently, Lykoan had sniffed out that Vydon brought his henchman on the flight. A younger and bigger, blonde-haired man with silver teeth cracking through his mean scowl, jumped out of the Black Hawk chopper in black leather chaps and a gray vest.Beauchamp landed an aggressive slap on Vydon’s back so that he stumbled two steps forward, but did not fall. The Overlord ground his teeth and whipped his head to the side to glare at him.“Try it.” Beauchamp dared him, cocking a brow up with his broad form intimidating.Vydon exhaled slowly before averting his
Hello Lovelies,I though I would have been able to upload a chapter by now, but as it is, I can hardly find the time to do so.As mentioned some time ago, two relatives passed away in previous months. The first funeral will be this weekend and the second will be held the Saturday before Christmas. As such, there is a lot of preparations to do as well as to accomodate and entertain guest and visiting relatives.Therefore, I am here to apologize about the delay in chapters and kindly ask for your understanding because this month is not so merry for us.The story will resume soon.Thanks for your patience.#Much love!Virtually yours,O'Chantal.
NIA’S POV-Despite the horrific council meeting, it was a really nice day. The sun shone brightly, and the temperature was well above the average.Making our way down the stairs outside to the car, Lykoan put on his sunglasses to protect his eyes from the blinding sun. My eyebrows shot up in admiration. He appeared even cooler. I used my hand as shade as we walked under nature’s intense ball of fire."Please tell me you’re not going to become Mad Max today," I teased, and we stopped in front of the Skoda Sedan. His tall frame was large enough to block the sun currently blinding me, so I allowed my hand to come down from my eyes."I’d rather be a James Bond kind of guy, today," Lykoan replied sarcastically. He winked at me and his lips tugged upwards in a delightfully sinful smile.“Cool, because he’s my kind of guy,” I smiled, dragging my fingers along the shiny zenith gold paint job as I walked towards the passenger door."If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were more excited ab
LYKOAN’S POV-Nia chuckled nervously and asked through unsteady breaths, “What are you—are you trying to say I did magic? Because I can swear on my life that I’ve never so much as thought about it. I’m not even a witch.”“But you are elven,” Caliste strongly debated and exchanged a disturbing glance with me. “And you let her seal your powers. You owe her something. What did you trade to buy her spells?”“I-I don’t know that witch!” Nia practically screamed at her and there was a thick, death-like hush.Caliste peered at her curiously and restarted the feud.“Yet you have dealings with her. Don't you know who that nefarious witch is?”“No,” Nia averred firmly. She pursed her lips, her eyes sharpening.Jacques folded his arms, showing signs of irritation. “Neither do I, so for the love of all things holy, just be straight with us, Caliste.”The pack witch connected me with the line of her gaze. “Are you going to tell them or should I?”Too engulfed in my own analysis, I did not answer he
LYKOAN’S POV-“Well—I’ll be damned,” Tank muttered to Hogan, still in shock. “She's so scary,”“Let's not kill her momentum,” Hogan added in a low voice with his hand in the way to hamper Tank and Josh from advancing.Both of them did not move, but they were definitely pleased at the minor destruction that she had caused. In this case, Nia did not need our protection. Instead, she held the witch hostage with glowing palms burning her temples. My lips twitched, itching to smile.“Nia, let me take it from here,” I prompted for her eyes to meet mine.Still apprehensive, Nia’s messy mid-pony-haired head finally whipped up at me. Anger contorted her beautiful face into a Tasmanian devil. Her orange eyes seethed like embers, and she gritted, “The witch tried to kill me.”“Nonsense!” Jacques roared grotesquely, pointing his finger in accusation. “You attacked her.”Narrowing my eyes, I swung my head in his direction, unleashing a guttural growl in warning.“Even when she’s wrong you choose t
NIA’S POV-“We're not done yet, Alpha,” Caliste politely interjected, stopping the advancing footsteps that had made my golden ears perk up.Using my left hand, I gripped my right wrist, thrashing on my chair as I tugged and pulled, harder and harder. Yet nothing happened, only more coughing and more smoke that puffed out of my ears.My throat felt chafed, dry, and aching. Hissing from the shortness of breath, I clasped my neck, blinking my wet eyelids excessively, and I nearly passed out.My heart instantly ached for my mate. Wanting Lykoan to be at my side and make it stop. My first instinct was to scream for his assistance. However, my voice was lodged in my throat, as if some sort of imaginary block had been placed where my vocal cords were.I gripped the side of my head as a splitting headache ripped through it. The pressure built. Sweat stung my eyes like vipers. I yelped in agony. When will this terrible spell end?Then it happened.I was somewhere else, alone and petrified. I
NIA’S POV-“Nia, we invited Caliste, our pack witch.” Olsen addressed me in a cautious tone with his hazel eyes settling on mine. “To gain our trust, we require that you pass a minor test.”“Are you for real?” Lykoan scoffed. I groaned internally, reeling from the unexpected sting of that one word.“Okay.” I acquiesced with fake composure. Inside, I was freaking out. Test? What bloody test?"Excellent!" Olsen exclaimed with a nod. "I'm glad for your consent. It’s an amicable solution." He smiled, but it never touched his hazel eyes. He was hiding something.Alpha Jacques and his Beta exchanged snarky glances. He gave him a flick of the chin and T.K. moved from his spot, strolling down the table, and going towards the door. It was too late to back out without arousing more suspicion. For a piercing minute, I regretted my decision. Now, I had no choice but to see it through. To steady my heart, I forced myself to remember my initial motivation for doing this…to be acquitted of all the