/-DECLAN-/A few hours ago…“What are you doing here, Francesca?” My voice was foreign to my ears. My wolf was snarling in my mind, irritated by the choking mix of vanilla and milk. “I… I came to spend the night…” she mumbled shyly, a hint of blush rising on her cheeks as she avoided my eyes. “I also wanted to tell you something after…”While it was a wise choice to avoid my eyes, being in the same space with me was just as reckless. The full moon was going to be up in a few days and my wolf was already struggling for dominance. It was harder to keep him under control each second I was away from Raven. Something about the sweet intensity of her rose and patchouli scent kept him on a tether.Now, he was on the verge of driving me mad, which was inevitable, considering that the moon was just a few days away and this female didn't understand the concept of boundaries. She took sexy strides towards me but refrained from touching me. “I'm going to give you one last chance to leave, Fra
/-Declan-/“Alpha…”The words snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to the servant and she bowed immediately. “I came to inform you that Lady Francesca just passed out,” she informed. “Why are you here instead of getting the doctors?” I asked and she blinked away the shock. “I… the doctors were already attending to her,” she stuttered. “Why are you here then?” An exhausted sigh fell off my lips. “I'm sorry… I'll just leave,” she gulped and scurried off. I turned back to the bright blue sky, listening to Rolfe’s low growl. All the while she was there, he had been growling. It seemed like his bloodlust picked up every time I came across someone. I hated the idea of shutting him out but I had no choice. There was a meeting coming up later tonight and I didn't want him snarling at everyone he came across. Attacking the elders was something I couldn't afford. My hands fell on my wrists. An image flashed in my mind. “...let me go, I'll kill you all! I'll kill all of you!” I growl
/-Raven-/Perfect!It was exactly what I needed. A chance to get all the answers to the questions in my head. And goddess help him, he didn't provide the answers I wanted to hear. I didn't know how to feel about killing Timultin. The man practically raised me, even though it was with an iron fist.A part of me still feared him. He knew my weaknesses and knew how to break me into submission. I wasn't sure I could bring myself to kill him, but Eric…I wanted to see the pain in his eyes while I slowly took the life of that little bride of his. I returned to the slave quarters, excited about the events that were going to unfold tonight.“What were you discussing with the Alpha?” I froze at the door. They didn't even let me come in before throwing questions at me. “And why do you have that stupid smile on your face?” Selene scowled at me. “You obviously have something up your sleeves don't you?” Othelia said suspiciously.I stepped inside the room, crossing my arms as an amused smile
/-RAVEN-/As I approached the gates, I felt my nerves shoot up. I suddenly wasn't the confident Raven I was before Declan. Something about this place gave me cold feet. It triggered a lot of unwanted memories that were better off buried. Usually, I could contain them, but now, it felt like I was too weak to shoulder it all. The warriors at the gate recognized me immediately. “Commander!” They gasped, rushing to me as I struggled to keep my self up. “What happened?” They caught me before I fell. “IronClaw… they… they took me…” I said weakly and they hurriedly took me inside the pack.Even though I expected their reaction to be the same, I assumed Eric would have made provisions to keep me away from the palace and his new bride if I ever returned.Unless, he didn't expect me to. Hoped they would kill me. “We will inform the Alpha now,” one of the warriors said but I stopped him. “I would like to see the Alpha myself. It would be an insult to demand his presence for a mere slave,
/-Declan-/Right after Raven left, my men began going through the tunnel. I couldn't shake off the feeling that Raven was tricking me again.“Alpha?” Tim called after climbing in. “Go ahead, I'll use the gate,” I told him and turned around to avoid further questions. I sniffed the air and Rolfe picked up a faint scent of two guards. I snuck to the entrance and spotted them leaving with Raven. A smile formed on my lips. Once again, her acting skills were quite impressive. I snuck through the gate and straightened up, taking another route immediately. I intended to follow Raven, to find out what she was up to. I stopped when she cornered a blonde woman, whom I immediately recognized as Eric's wife. My lips pressed in a frown. It couldn't seriously be what I was thinking, could it?I was very intent on following her when my men summoned me through the mind link. “Alpha, there has been a bit of a situation,” Tim said. “What is it?” I asked.“The opening leads to a dungeon and we ar
/-RAVEN-/I could smell my freedom just metres away. I had no idea where I was going but it didn't necessarily matter. After what happened in BloodFang, I needed a serious break to fully recover before striking back. This time, I was going to make sure he didn't have any more power over me. Eric was done already and if by chance he survived, I would finish him off when I returned for his father's head. Suddenly, I had a strange feeling that I was being followed. I didn't look back immediately because I was certain the person would hide. I slowly took out the pen-knife I sneaked along with me. However before I could make a move, I was grabbed instantly and pushed against a tree.I blinked rapidly as a familiar intoxicating scent overwhelmed me. My mind was everywhere and nowhere at once as I gazed into those beautiful silver eyes.I swallowed thickly, suddenly aware of his body pressing against mine. “Declan…” I breathed, but his gaze shifted behind me. “Were you following me?”“W
/-RAVEN-/I've never felt the need to be responsible for anyone until now.As I walked back to the healer's hut, I looked at the children, playing around on the streets, giggling and laughing without a care in the world and all this will be gone by dawn? Because of me? How? Why?I had so many questions. I wanted to go back there and probe her answers but I knew she wouldn't give me anything other than what she had just said.I walked into the hut and the healer had a strange expression on her face. One I couldn't read. “I'm guessing you didn't get any good news?” She said and I shook my head, crestfallen. “You know one thing about visions? They don't always show you everything. Only a crucial part of your actions determines whether the end will favour you or not. There's a reason it is hidden, you know,” she said with a smile, yet I couldn't bring myself to return it. “She said the village will go up in flames,” I told her. “We know that,” the healer shrugged, stunning me.“Why di
/-Raven-/We stood at a distance, watching the village go up in flames. My lips were slightly apart as I watched in shock.It was dawn already and the village was up in flames, just as she predicted, but it wasn't caused by the fire wielders or cloaked persons or whatever was chasing me. It was set ablaze by a man beside me. Maybe that was why she wanted me to leave as soon as I could. Because in the end, fate couldn't be changed. It would happen one way or the other. If Declan didn't do it, the cloaked men would have still done it. I looked at him, but he stood there, an emotionless expression on his face like he didn't slaughter an entire community and set their village ablaze.It made me realize just how powerful and dangerous he was. He could have killed me if he wanted but he tolerated me talking back at him and defying him.I wasn't innocent, but this… this was a massacre. No one was spared, not the women, not the children. He killed every living thing in it. It was suffocati
/-Skylar-/My first thought when I arrived at the mansion was to ask Kai about the painting but thinking about Mario's words again, I decided against it. Kai was nobody but my annoying boss, nothing more. He wasn't in when I checked so I headed to my room for a long shower. After showering, my head felt clearer now and I began thinking about the events of the day. Lisa said they were two women, one of them being Amelia so who was the other one and why on earth would they be working together?I tried to think of all my possible enemies back then and my enemies now to see if they atleast shared the same qualities. I started with myself and unfortunately, I was in no way similar to Skylar. From everything Ava told me, we didn't share a single thing in common. I thought about Lisa and Sally. The were almost the same. Cunny, mischievous and very obsessed with Declan. Then I thought about Kai and Declan. Declan used to be a womaniser before I met him. He had many mistresses, and Kai w
/-Kai-/I wasn't one to start a fight.However, I didn't mind bringing down hell on anyone who dared to touch my property and in this case, that property was Skylar. There was simply no way I was just going to stand back and watch Taylor lay a hand on Skylar and get away with it. A rational part of me still insisted that I was going too far. I barely knew this woman and yet, I was here, ready to rage a war with Taylor for her sake. “Sir, are you sure about this?” Anders asked. “What happened? Are you getting cold feet already? You were the one who said you hated seeing her like that, right?” I shrugged. “So you're doing this because of what I said?” He raised a brow. I knew he was baiting me but I wasn't going to give in to his antics and actually confess that seeing her battered made my heart tug in ways I'd rather not experience. “What are you waiting for? Let's go in,” I said, opening the car door. “What are we really going in there to do? The last time he came, he said his
/-Skylar-/Ten seconds passed and I was still staring at the girl that used to be in utter shock. I looked at her in confusion and then at Mario, who didn't understand seem to understand what was going on. “How… how did you get this?” I asked her. A small smile played on her lips. “I'm guessing it finally found it's owner, huh? Selling close to a division house does have it's advantages. That would be $7.20 please.” I was even more confused. “I'm not talking about the price. How do you know her? Who are you?” I asked, taking a step closer to her. Her smile immediately vanished as she slowly stepped back. She seemed frightened like I was threatening her or something. “What are you doing, Skylar? You're scaring her,” Mario held me back but I shrugged his hand off. “I asked a question,” I said icily. “Fine! You're right. It's just my imagination. I have a very creative mind and…”“Bullshit!” I cut her short. “The details are way too accurate for it to be some imagination. Who th
/-Skylar-/I didn't know what to expect now.The artist being a woman was a whole game-changer. Now, I couldn't possibly guess who she was and I knew there was no way Declan would be reborn in a woman's body, right?But then again, I couldn't just jump to conclusions. “Can you take me to her?” I asked him. “I told you it was about a year ago. There is no guarantee that Sally will still be there,” he groaned.“Mario please…” I tried begging. “I have already told you who she is but I am not obligated to take you to her. You know her name, find her yourself,” he said. Wow! I guess we're doing this the hard way then. “Fine! Since you won't tell me, I better just head home and tell your boss that I went somewhere interesting today,” I shrugged and his expression immediately changed. “Are you threatening me?” He frowned. “Why should I? It's called accountability. I'm just going to go back home and tell Kai all about where I've been and who the tour guide was unless, of course, you ar
/-Skylar-/She sat there looking all bossy and authoritative, her legs crossed. The arrogance in her stance made me want to turn and walk right out of the door. “Ma'am, she's here,” the guard bowed. I glanced at him, wondering why I even agreed to get into the car with him in the first place. Maybe I should have questioned him properly but I desperately needed information on that artist and now, I was being forced to face a woman who believes I am sleeping with her husband. Ex-husband, to be precised. “Good job, Mario,” she nodded in approval then to me, she signalled to have a seat. I sat down just as she asked. “I assume you know who I am,” she said with an air of arrogance like she was royalty. Now I wish I hadn't met her earlier, I would have gladly told her no, just to see her reaction. “I know that you are owing my husband a huge sum of money which is why you are forced to stay by his side,” Gwendolyn went on while I stared with a blank face. “What if I told you that I wil
/-Skylar-/I groaned, burying my head in the pillow. I knew he had no control but couldn't he at least use a soundproof room, especially since he was bringing screamers. Three long hours of torture and my ears finally got a break. Just when I thought I could get some sleep for myself, a knock came to my door and I groaned inwardly. What now?I marched to the door with annoyance. It was one of the bodyguards. “The boss said you should clean up,” he informed me. “Are we going somewhere?” I asked him. He looked at me as if I was the dumbest person to ever exist. “Not that. He wants you to send the girls away,” he said and I wanted to scream. “He could make them scream down and entire building but he can't send them off himself?” I huffed. The guard's expression remained stoic. “Should I tell him that?” I shot him a glare. “No.” I walked out of them room, slamming the door shut behind me with annoyance. I marched to his room to three girls, passed out on the floor. He was by the
/-Gwendolyn-/My fingernails clinked idly against the cup as I sat there thinking about the woman I saw Kai with. Was she the one he was looking for? The reason he wouldn't give me a chance? But she introduced herself as his assistant and…“Don't be stupid, Gwen! What kind of assistant wears that kind of dress? They were most likely coming from somewhere and I was sure as hell that he bought her that dress. Even if she wasn't the one, he was definitely fucking her. And I hated it. Cheap gold-diggers trying to take away my man from me.I lifted the glass to my lips and took a long sip. He wouldn't take me back just because I was sleeping around and signed that he should be taken off life support. Anyone would have done the same. I was just trying to save money. For all I know, he could have died. What difference does it make? I would have raised the kids alone like I am doing now. The door suddenly opened, interrupting my train of thoughts. “Ma'am, you sent for me,” Mario bowed.
/-Skylar-/“Are you blind?” I blurted before even realizing it. I was pissed and tired and bleeding from every possible part of my skin and all the bastard could do was complain about how much money I made him lose?Kai's expression harden. “I will advise you watch your fucking tone when talking to me!”“You are pissed about my tone? Did you hear yourself speak to me? What kind of psycho are you? Someone walks, bleeding and all you can do is whine about your little illegal business?” I seethed. “I'll be inside!”I made to move but his words stopped me. “Don't you dare take another step forward!” He growled. The guards were alert now, caught up in the little drama. “I'd like to see you stop me!” I hissed and walked right inside. Surprisingly, the jerk didn't come after me. I headed to my room and locked the door. As much as I would love to go anywhere but here, I didn't exactly have anywhere else to go. Nowhere that Taylor wouldn't find me at least. “Taylor Macaulay,” I spat the na
/-Skylar-/The moment of advantage was fleeting. My body was running on pure adrenaline, my limbs screaming in protest, but I couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop.I yanked against the chains, trying to use the slack to my advantage. The guard with the broken nose staggered back, cursing, but another was already lunging toward me.I twisted at the last second, bringing my bound hands up like a weapon. The heavy links caught him across the face with a sharp crack, sending him sprawling onto the concrete.A deep, angry growl echoed through the basement. "Enough."Taylor.I sucked in a ragged breath, my pulse still pounding as I turned to face him. He stood just beyond the dim pool of light, his expression unreadable, but the tension in his jaw told me everything I needed to know.He hadn't expected me to fight back this hard.Good.Taylor took a slow step forward, his expensive shoes clicking against the floor. "You really don’t know when to quit, do you?"I wiped the blood from my mouth with t