/-Raven-/I should have never underestimated her. When she said it wasn't a dress, I simply thought she was kidding but this wasn't a dress. This thing before me had me wishing she had given me a dress. Even if it was a short one. “So… try it on!” Francesca urged but I didn't dare move. Even my eyes wouldn't leave the two piece outfit. “I don't remember telling you I planned to fornicate with this man,” I blurted and she chuckled. “It's a date night. What do you think, you're going to eat and say your goodbyes?” She retorted. “Uhhmm… yes?” She skidded past me, ignoring my obvious displeasure and picked up the mini skirt, “Try this on. It has a a tiny waist so I'm certain it'll fit you perfectly.” “I'm not going naked to see Declan, Franc,” I stated. “This isn't going naked…” she defended, unbuttoning the skirt to test it around me.Since it was a button up, wearing it was relatively easy. All I had to was wrap it around me and button. She wrapped it and held both ends between
/-Raven-/“Well, I thought we were going on an actual date not a cuddle session,” I mumbled, looking everywhere but him. A chuckle followed and my cheeks coloured. Francesca quickly stepped in front of me. “I'm sorry, Alpha. This is all my fault. I misinterpreted the situation and dressed her up to suit my taste. I'm sorry,” she apologized, surprising me. “Could we maybe retreat and change?”Amusement didn't just shine in his eyes, his lips were twitching as he struggled to control his laughter. “Gosh, this is so embarrassing for you,” Declan snorted and I wanted to die. Even Francesca snorted and I shot her a glare. I was ready to walk out and never show my face again but Declan caught my arm. “It's okay, Princess. There's no need to act so cute. Since you are dressed up, I might as well take you on one,” he said but it didn't ease my shame.“Maybe I should just change. You're not even strong enough to start anything outdoors or long distance. I don't even know what I was thinki
She stood there, cloaked in the night, her eyes locked onto Declan and Raven, her nails digging into the bark of the tree she leaned against.Her lips twisted into a sneer as she watched Declan laugh, his silver eyes warm as he gazed at Raven. The sight made her stomach churn. ‘That should be me sitting there, not that irritating little assassin who refuses to die,’ she thought with a hiss. Her grip on the knife in her hand tightened. The cool steel pressed against her palm, grounding her as her thoughts spiraled into vivid images of what she could do to Raven. Cut out her tongue first so she can't scream. Then carve her pretty little face into something unrecognizable. Maybe slit her throat just enough to make her choke on her own blood before finishing her off.The knife glinted in the faint light, and she traced the edge with her thumb, imagining how it would feel slicing through Raven's flawless skin. But she stopped herself, exhaling sharply.‘No’, she reminded herself. ‘I can
/-Hannah-/Sneaking around the palace with Raven's unconscious body is certainly the hardest thing we have ever done. Clearing the evidence and witnesses was going to be even harder, but it was a risk Lisa and I were willing to take. We found out about the date through one of the maids who were preparing the dessert and appetisers for the date.I knew Declan had a very strong immune system so if anything was going to work on him, we needed thrice the dose that would knock out an average wolf.Even then, it would only be effective for a few minutes then wear off. Lisa and I decided to drug the drinks with that. If Raven was lucky, it would only knock her unconscious, if not, it was death by overdose. Frankly, we were hoping that latter would be the case but the pest wasn't dead. Her heart was very much beating even though it was at an erratic pace. “How much further?” Lisa groaned behind me like we weren't treading the same path. “Stop whining like a child, Lisa. We're only halfwa
/-Hannah-/The sight of Raven striding toward us, alive and completely untouched, made my heart seize in my chest. This couldn’t be real. I had buried her—we had buried her. I watched her body disappear under the dirt, her pulse faint and fading. There was no way she could be standing here now, much less looking so... put together.Lisa’s face mirrored my own shock, her eyes wide and disbelieving. “This isn’t possible,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Hannah, what the hell is going on?”I swallowed hard, forcing myself to snap out of the panic that threatened to paralyze me. If Raven was here, then something—or someone—had intervened. There was no logical explanation otherwise."Lisa," I hissed under my breath, "keep it together."Raven stopped a few feet away, crossing her arms as a sly smile tugged at her lips. "Well, well. Fancy seeing you two here," she said, her voice laced with mockery. "You look like you've seen a ghost.""Raven," I began, my voice steady despite the chaos
/-Raven-/I woke up in an unfamiliar environment and my heart was pounding at a rapid rate. The last thing I remembered was drinking wine with Declan and now I was here?I tried to move but I couldn't. My hands were chained above my head and I couldn't move. My legs were chained as well, and I realized I wasn't in the two-piece I was wearing anymore. My heart skipped a beat. I was now wide awake and scanning around for anything familiar. The door opened almost immediately and I feared the worst. “Well… well…” a familiar voice drawled and my breath caught in my throat as I saw Azaiah walk in. What the hell was I doing back here?“I see you're awake,” he coldly stated. There was anything but a smile on his face. He was clearly pissed over the fact that I tricked him into letting me go. “I hear that Declan is doing well now…”“You have to let me go!” I demanded. “I am not your prisoner!” “And you weren't supposed to be!” He snapped. “But you just have a way of pushing my buttons, do
/-Raven-/Getting married.I was getting married!And it wasn't to Declan!!I was visibly panicking as these women gripped me. With how respectful they were before, I didn't think they would actually go as far as forcefully prepping me against my will. I didn't want to fight them. I wasn't sure I would succeed even if I tried. And if I managed to escape them, what were the chances that I would leave this place?But I needed to stop this wedding somehow. I needed to think and think fast too. They were currently washing me up. One of girls picked up a perfumed liquid soap. “Can I see that?” I asked politely. “Why?” She asked. “It's just soap.”“I have never used it before. I need to make sure it doesn't contain anything I'm allergic to,” I told her and she handed it to me. “Just for fun, what can disrupt the initiation ceremony?” I asked and they exchanged glances. “Come on, if I am going to be your Queen, I should at least know things about you, right?” I wasn't sure they would b
/-Hannah-/Amelia crossed her arms, staring at both Lisa and I. “Fancy seeing you two back in my chambers together after coming individually to deliver your threats. What's new? Surprise me.” She leaned against her dressing table, crossing her arms as she stared at us. If I had my way, I wouldn't even be here, talking to her but I just had to. “The skin walker has taken Raven's form and she is with Declan currently,” I said plainly and her smug smile vanished. “Now that was unexpected,” she blurted. “And how do you know it is a skin walker and not just Raven?”“Because Raven is dead and buried,” Lisa blurted without thinking and I shot her a glare. She cupped her mouth, shooting me an apologetic glance. Amelia's eyes darkened as she crossed her arms. “What the hell do you mean by Raven is dead?” She demanded. I didn't say a word and Lisa didn't speak either. “Of you're not going to speak then see yourselves out of my room!” “Fine! Calm the fuck down!” I sighed. “So we kinda dr
/-Taylor-/“Who did Sally say she found?” My mother asked. It was the first time I was seeing any sort of emotion on her face.“Raven Ampleton. The woman you have been searching for,” I answered and she got off the stool. I watched her walk past the countless candles to get to me. This had become a part of her for years now. She barely did anything other than set up this semi-shrine of hers and practice different things.“Who is she and where is she now?” My mother demanded. “I tried to get her to tell me mother but she refused. She insisted on meeting you instead,” I answered. She cursed under her breath. “That sneaky little snake! Always doing everything to plant herself where she is not needed.”I didn't understand what that meant but I didn't care enough to ask. “She had only one job. To locate everybody on my list and send that information across and the first person she finds, she suddenly demands a meeting with me?” She huffed.“I made it very clear that you would be pissed
/-Skylar-/The file dropped in my lap, and I looked up. “What is this for?” I asked.“Your next target,” Kai simply answered. “Let me know once you get it done. Anders will go with you.” I couldn't help but notice how cold he was towards me. The haunting look in his eyes, like he was just there but his soul was somewhere else. A place full of pain. The Kai I was used to was an insufferable teasing bastard. He would look for every possible way to rile me up but for some reason, he has been moody today. “Are you okay?” I asked just before he reached my bedroom door. “Yes,” came a one-word answer, and he left. Another sign that something was seriously up with him. The Kai I knew would have smirked and probably asked who I was worried about. I convinced myself that I didn't care what he had going on and took a look at the file he gave me. Shortly after, another knock came and I assumed it was Anders.“Come in,” I answered and the door opened to reveal Anders. “I see you are already
/-Taylor-/“What the hell happened here?” I demanded. I stopped by at the hospital to take a look at my sisters and all I met was chaos. They were still on life support, thankfully but there was something new. Both of them had inscriptions on their hands that read, STAY OFF MINE.A slow, burning rage ignited in my chest as I stared at the message carved into their skin. My jaw clenched, my fists curling so tightly that my nails bit into my palms.Kai.This had his name written all over it.I turned to the guard stationed outside the door, my voice dangerously quiet. “Who was here?”The man hesitated, sweat forming at his temples. “Sir, it was…”“Spit it out,” I snapped, stepping closer.“Kai Alloway,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.The room seemed to shrink around me. The walls, the beeping machines, the sterile scent of antiseptic, it all blurred as red-hot fury clouded my vision.Kai had walked into my space. Had gotten past my men. Had touched my sisters.I exhale
/-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