/-Raven-/“What is happening here?”So many thoughts were running through my mind, so many questions, so many things I needed to know. The girl stood there, bleeding and sobbing with her mother trying to clean her up.Azaiah turned to me, “Declan did something really terrible. I would have never thought that he would descend so low.” “What are you talking about?” I demanded. “What did Declan do? What are you accusing him of this time?”“Accusing him?!” Azaiah repeated with disbelief. “Are you being serious right now?”“What happened?” I sighed. “He tried to rape a child!” He dropped the bomb and my blood ran cold. “We heard her screaming and begging him to let her go.” My jaw opened and closed several times but I couldn't get a word out. Declan did what? “See, I was shocked as you are! I know Declan can be possessive and a arrogant piece of shit, but I didn't think he was a paedophile!”“Stop saying that about him!” I snapped before I even realized it. “There has to be some sort
/-Raven-/“Leave?” I repeated. “Are you serious right now?” He turned away from me to hide the hurt in his eyes but it was already too late. I could see them and it broke my heart. “Yes, I am very serious, Raven. The entire point of you coming here was to hear my side of the story, right? I have told you just that and if you wouldn't believe me then there is no point.” I stood there for almost a minute, speechless. What was I supposed to do in this situation? Believe him or the child? In as much as Declan was my mate, I've come to know him as someone who wouldn't deny his actions. He would do it and rub it in your face. But what were the chances that an eleven year old was making that up? What reason did she have to fake it, to the extent of hurting herself?I released a confused sigh. Since there was nothing more to be said, I decided it was better to leave and probably cool my head. As I turned away, his words stopped me. “Just before you leave, I want you to remember somethi
/-Raven-/“Uhmm… what do you mean by that?” I asked. I just managed to convince Azaiah to give him a chance to prove his innocence and the next thing he says is don't bother?“Declan…” I called with warning. “You know is not the time for pride, right?”“This had nothing to do with my ego, Raven. I didn't do it and proving it will not be a problem, I just don't think he will appreciate my methods,” Declan said and Azaiah cast me a look. “What methods do you mean?” Azaiah asked.“Compulsion,” Declan shrugged. “She will be compelled to speak the truth or suffocate to death. The longer she resists speaking the truth, the more she bleeds from her eyes, ears, nose, every fucking hole in her body, until she drops dead and…”“Declan!” I gasped and those silver eyes narrowed emotionlessly at me. “What? Works on wolves all the time,” he shrugged.“She is a child!” Azaiah exclaimed. “You don't expect us to watch you subject her to torture after the trauma she has been through!” “She has been
/-Azaiah-/“So, did you like it?” He asked and my eyes moved to the doorway where Nile stood, crossing his arms. “Excuse me?” “The Alpha. He's in prison now. You can have the woman of your dreams, though I still don't think you should trust women,” he said. I dropped the glass in my hand. “Wait, let me get this straight. You're asking if I like the fact that the Alpha tried to rape a child or the fact that he is just in prison?” I asked.Nile chuckled and made his way into the room, “I don't see why you have to analyse that, your highness. The lady is all yours, that is the most important thing.”I crossed my arms, more stupefied than I was earlier. “Did you, by any chance, have something to do with it, Nile?” I asked suspiciously.“And why would you think that, Your Highness?” He chuckled. “I am not allowed to express my opinions anymore?” That triggered my suspicion even more. It was more like he was growing into someone I couldn't recognize. I mean, he was quite fine before th
/-Declan-/Something terrible was about to happen and I could feel it in my bones. It concerned Raven.I know I wanted to give them a chance at a fair trial, but hurting my mate was not part of the bargain. They had no right to touch even a hair on her head. I called Tim through the mind link to come with men. I felt a little too weak to break myself out through those iron bars. In what seemed like thirty minutes, I heard grunts outside and soon Tim appeared in the dark hallway with the keys to my cell. He opened it and I immediately sped past him to look for Raven. I tracked her to a room where I had no idea what was going on. I kicked it open immediately and the sight before me rendered me speechless. Raven was on the bed, pale and naked. She looked almost lifeless and Azaiah was sitting on top of her with a blade in his hand. A strange woman was also present, muttering some incantations and Nile was the one who moved to stop us.“What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here…”
/-LISA-/“Othelia,” I muttered, “What a pleasant surprise.” She didn't return my smile. Her eyes were ice cold as she glared at me. “Calm down, Lia. Whatever you think she did, she didn't do it,” Francesca said and Othelia raised a brow in confusion. “What are you talking about?” She asked, eyeing me suspiciously. “What did this snake tell you?” Snake? Wow! I couldn't even get mad at her because I was indeed a snake and it was all for the Alpha. Someone who had eventually gone in search of Raven without caring how the rest of us were going to fare without him. I wasn't certain he hasn't found her yet. Else, he would he back here to stop this sorceress. But I wasn't one to talk. “There is so much going on that you missed. There's a skinwalker in the palace and some evil sorceress, I presume has taken over the seat of Luna.” Othelia looked even more confused. “What the hell are you talking about? What skinwalker? Lisa was thrown into the cell right next to me and Hannah helped
/-Declan-/The volcanic air was thick and scorching, the molten lava below casting an eerie orange glow against the jagged rock walls. Azaiah and I stood on the edge of a wide plateau, the heat radiating around us. His clan, the dragons, watched from a safe distance, their glowing eyes piercing through the shadows. My men stood at the edges, their expressions tense but ready to intervene if needed.“You should’ve stayed in your little pack,” Azaiah sneered, his voice as sharp as the fiery cracks beneath our feet. “This is my kingdom. Here, you’re nothing but a trespasser.”I ignored the heat licking at my skin and locked eyes with him. “You hurt my mate, Azaiah. That’s not something I’ll forgive. And it doesn’t matter whose land this is. You’ll answer to me tonight.”His laughter was low and mocking. “Do you hear yourself, wolf? On dragon territory, in a fight with a dragon king? Bold of you to assume you’ll survive this.”Without another word, he lunged at me, faster than I expected
/-Amelia-/A smile curled on my lips as I watched him through the mirror. He was coming home. My Alpha was returning home to me. I couldn't wait for him to see me. It was the final stage to complete the ritual. We were going to make sweet, sweet love, and then, he would be fit to rule by my side. For years I have waited for the perfect man to come my way. The half-witch, half-wolf with a heart of ice. My very own destiny.Even though our happiness would be short-lived because the minute I conceived, he would die, we would still be happy. The ritual has consequences and I'm certain this was one he could easily bear.There was a knock on my door and I groaned. Who was that fool with the audacity to knock on my door?I glanced at the door and it flew open. A group of servants walked in, eyes on the ground, bodies trembling as they struggled to hold on to the trays they carried. “I don't remember sending for you,” I said coldly and they exchanged glances. “You… you did, your Grace… ea
/-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
/-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