MALIA'S POVWe chatted for hours on end, with him doing most of the talking while I just listened and discovered just how much of a mystery he was. When he said he didn't sleep, he meant every bit of it. He mostly just uses the night's rest and gets ready for a new day. He told me how it had initially been a night full of nightmares and it progressively became sleeplessness until it turned into a full blown insomnia. Who would have thought that he had been operating in no sleep at all?When it was finally time to retire back to bed, we did, together, on my bed. I have no idea why, no explanation for it. We just did. No word was exchanged between us. We just knew that was just what we both wanted and we did.The next morning, I was awakened by the beaming rays of sunlight coming through my window and beaming directly on my face. I had to blink rapidly to get my eyes used to the unwanted lightening. I tried to move my arm but was restricted by a another arm on my shoulder. I didn't ne
MALIA'S POV“What?” I tried to withdraw my hand from his but my futile attempt laughed back at my face. “The plan was to escort you to a function” I added.“I told you that so you will come with me, I know you won't if I told you the truth” He said, looking down at our intertwined hand rather than my face.“And do tell me, what that truth is” I arched my brows suddenly feeling very annoyed about the whole thing.“The truth….” He hesitated a bit, glaring at a corner in the beautifully decorated hall. “Is that I adore you….”“I adore you too. We are friends, aren't we? As far as I am concerned there is adoration between friends” I cut him off immediately, not liking the path the conversation was headed.“No, not that. We are friends yes, but can be something more. I've had my eyes on you from the moment you came into this Park. You're like a beautiful magnet, and I can't help being attracted to you. I adore your confidence, your carriage was the first thing that got me hooked on the fi
ZADE’S POV“What do you think should be done Alpha, they have attacked the east wing again and with the way their operations are escalating so fast, it is only a matter of time before they reach the park central. I think we better act fast.” My gaze darted from my beta to the opened window in my throne room. I let his words sink into my head as I watched the sun sink farther away from the sky. “It was only a matter of time before they reached the park central” He had said. If they reached the park central and were able to successfully invade it, then we are likely done for. “What do we do” He asked. They were all relying on me with every fiber of their beings. Funny enough they had no idea that the one person they considered a source of motivation, strength and hope was losing himself in the process. At this point, I had no idea what should be done. These people have been invading my pack for the past few months. There was no explanation for it, nothing. And the hardest part to de
Zade's POVAfter I instructed my beta to gather the troope, I hurried back to the house and went into my room to gather a few necessary things I needed for the journey. I had just finished fitting the items into a small duffle bag when Victoria tore into the room. “So you were just going to leave without telling me?” She asked with a pout. I gave her an incredulous look. “Really, Victoria?” We've got serious crisis on our hands and all you can do is whine about me leaving without telling you?”“This pack matters to me just as it matters to you. In case you've forgotten, I'm Luna,” she spat out. “You certainly do not act like you care about the affairs of this pack. Just this morning you were talking about a vacation,” I reminded her. I saw her sudden grimace of pain and rushed to her side. “What's wrong Victoria?” I asked, gently setting her on the bed.“I think the baby kicked too hard,” she said softly. “You should try to rest more often,” I advised as I tried to get her to l
Malia's POVI headed straight to my room with ease this time. It was becoming quite easy to navigate the endless maze that was this palace. When I got to the hallway leading to my room, I tried to walk as quietly as I could. I also shut the door carefully. In case Ryder was in his room, I didn't want him knowing I was back.I didn't think I had the emotional strength to face another Hawkins brother at the moment. For a while, I just paced the room confused about Ronan's confession to me. He barely knew me for crying out loud. I was also quite disturbed about the attraction I felt towards him. It wasn't too great but it was there. I wasn't ready for any sort of romantic relationship, not after what I had experienced with Zade. My heart ached as I thought about how magical things were between us until the elders of his council started poisoning his mind. But still, I couldn't put all the blame on the elders. If he had really loved me he would have defended me and wouldn't have made
Zade's POVVictoria was still in the room when I walked in. I assumed she had been sleeping because her cheeks were flushed and she looked dazed. “How did it go?” She asked as she yawned. I picked up the duffle bag I had packed earlier. “We have to find Malia. The Seer says the fate of this pack depends on her,” I replied. She sat up straight, disgust written boldly across her features. “But why? She is cursed. How could something good come out of her? How could she possibly be of any importance to this pack?” She questioned. I sighed, frustrated “I have to find her to get answers. Left to me I won't go searching for her. But the pack needs her.”She rose from the bed. “Please give me a minute to pack a few things. I'm coming with you,” she said. I stared at her in shay bewilderment, was she joking? “You can't be serious.”She threw our shared wardrobe open and tossed some of her underwear into a bag. “Of course I am. I told you earlier that this pack matters to me too.”I rake
Malia's POVRyder just kept on staring at me with those icy green eyes. I realized that if I didn't give him an answer, it'd make me look guilty. I cleared my throat. “I wanted to go sightseeing and Ronan offered to give me a tour,” I said. I didn't know why I lied. Perhaps a part of me felt Ryder wouldn't like to hear exactly what happened. To my relief, he nodded satisfactorily and changed the subject. “You'll have dinner with me this evening in my room,” he said. It wasn't a request. I didn't bother refusing. I was quite relieved we were talking about something else. Besides, I loved food. A small part of me felt guilty about not heeding Ronan's warnings to avoid the alpha. But then I suddenly realized that his warnings may have come from a place of jealousy since he had feelings for me. He arched his eyebrows when I nodded and didn't argue or protest. “Wow, this has to be a first. Malia agreed to have dinner with me with a smile on her face.”I rolled my eyes. “Your compa
Malia's POVI burst out laughing as Lila slammed the door. Ryder arched his eyebrows at me. “Really?”“I'm so sorry. It's just so funny to me. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I didn't get my way. I'd smash things and slam doors,” I replied slightly out of breath. Ryder shook his head. “So you're saying my mistress is being immature.”“Exactly,” I answered. A maid came to clean up the mess Lila had made just as another brought Ryder a fresh plate of dessert.I watched as he took the first bite of his dessert and closed his eyes in pleasure. “See who didn't want any desserts,” I teased. He ignored me and I found myself unable to take my eyes off his face. His mouth. When he opened his eyes and found mine, I shivered and quickly returned my gaze to my half-eaten dessert. We both ate in silence for a moment, then I remembered what Lila had said when she first came in earlier. I cleared my throat. “What did Lila mean when she said I wasn't supposed to be having dinner with yo
MALIA’S POV Zade came to see me a week later. I had tried not to look excited at all when Penelope had come to tell me that he was waiting for me in the conference room. “Or should I ask him to come up to your chambers?” she queried and I gave her a withering look. “Oooh. How scary. I just hope he is not scared of you at all,” she said. She frowned when I didn't immediately get up from my bed but returned to the book that I had been reading before she came to inform me about my mate’s presence. After the incident, I had taken to reading books. I had gone to the library to check for any book that had to do with the witches of the Alfea tribe. I wanted to learn how to use my powers at will and I think that I was already getting a hang of it. The other day, I had managed to make Penelope’s dress wet when she had dared to make fun of my voice. We had decided to join a music class just for the fun of it and I realized that it was best I left singing alone. I also learned that pl
MALIA’S POV After making both Ryder and Victoria as weak as I could with extra help from Tommy(thank the Goddess the paralysis spell was temporary), I had to render them even more helpless by taking away Ryder’s wolf with the same spell that Victoria had used. I didn't even have to do any spells to take away her magic, she protested weakly when I lay my hand on her chest as though she already knew what was going to happen. I felt her power leave her body and go into mine with such force that I nearly lost consciousness. When it was over, I hurried to Zade’s side as fast as my weak body could carry me. Tommy was already by his side performing CPR to keep him awake. “This isn't going to work,” he said with fear in his eyes. “He needs his wolf right now or else, he is going to die. You can return his wolf to him, right?” I shook my head. I didn't know how but I was going to try everything in my power. He wasn't going to die on my watch. I bent my head close to his face and swipe
MALIA’S POV I must have fallen asleep again even though I had desperately tried to stay awake. Victoria had been forcing some sort of liquid down my throat for reasons best known to her and it had been making me fall asleep. I had vaguely overheard Ryder speaking to Zade. I prayed to the Moon Goddess that he should not fall for their trap but I knew that even if the Moon Goddess wanted to save him and prevent him from taking the bait, he was still going to find a way to come and save me. For the first time, my wolf hoped he wouldn't come. We were well aware that Ryder just wanted to kill him and claim his pack for himself. I lost count of the number of times I had wept because of Ryder’s betrayal. Never in my life have I felt so used and totally stupid. I wondered if Penelope had noticed my suspicious disappearance. And even if she did and discovered that Ryder was behind it, I doubted she would be able to do anything about it. He could easily threaten her with the lives of her ki
ZADE’S POV There was no way Victoria could have broken out of that house and killed about five of the highly trained guards I had placed there to prevent her from leaving and any person other than me and our son from going in. It wasn't just possible. I knew she was strong but she wasn't trained and didn't even stand a chance against one of the guards. So how had she been able to kill all five? I had immediately sent some of my soldiers to go after her when I discovered what had happened and was still waiting for them to return. “I think we should keep an eye on your son at all times. She loves him so much and might want to come pick him up. We can catch her that way,” Tommy was saying. I still couldn't get past the deaths of those guards. It wasn't just about the fact that they were killed but how they were killed too. It must have taken someone with a lot more physical strength and bigger size than Victoria. “There is no way she could have done it all alone. She had help,”
MALIA’S POV After skimming through the pages of about five books, we were able to learn a few things about the witches of the Alfea tribe. Like Alice had told us, there could only be one Alfea witch in a lineage and I was the chosen one in mine. The age at which the witch may discover her powers is different for everyone. But this discovery would be at a period in her life when she was going to need it. We were the most powerful of all the witches and were never supposed to act in rage because it could lead to the loss of many lives. Penelope and I had read open-mouthed, the story of an Alfea witch who had set a whole village on fire with her mind just because she had thought the King had something to do with the death of her only child. But she found out at the end of the day that her child had been killed by her best friend. “Well, now we have to get you to an anger management class,” Penelope said. I rolled my eyes. “I do not need it. I know how to control my emotions,”
MALIA’S POV While we were on our way back to the palace, Lucien warned us not to talk about my newly discovered identity as a witch. Penelope was not even supposed to tell Damien and he was not even going to tell Margaret. “If so many people know about it, it might cause them to be hostile towards you and some may even exploit you to their own advantage,” he had explained. I had so much to learn. I didn’t know the first thing about being a witch. I was just even getting used to being a proper werewolf. “You are not going to keep on wearing that hat forever are you?” Penelope queried. “I don’t know,” I replied, looking at Lucien for guidance. He shrugged. “Well, people are going to wonder why their Luna is suddenly covering her hair all of the time. It is going to make them more curious and when they discover that your hair colour has changed, they are going to be even more curious about why you had chosen to hide it. And trust me, they are going to find out.” “So I guess I
MALIA’S POV Penelope took off my hat without my permission as soon as we entered her chambers and Lucien gasped. “It is pretty, right?” she asked her father-in-law with a smile and I rolled my eyes. “That is not the point here, Penelope,” I said. She giggled. “I am so sorry but I can not just help but say it,” she replied. “Do you know if you have any witches in your ancestry?” Lucien asked. My eyes narrowed in suspicion. I had a feeling where this was leading and I was not sure I liked it. “I do not know. My mother never made mention of it. Neither did my father,” I replied. He was thoughtful for a moment. “It is better that we confirm what I have in mind. I think we should go to the witch that the Alpha took you to, to have your curse lifted,” he suggested. Penelope bounced in excitement. “Do you think she is a witch? Oh, I have always wanted to have a witch as a friend.” Lucien and I both rolled our eyes. “Are you not supposed to be taking care of my grandkids instea
MALIA’S POV There was nothing as sweet as your own independence and freedom. This I realized in the first few days of being alone in my room without Ryder in my space. He was sorely mistaken if he felt that giving me space was going to strengthen whatever attraction I had left for him. The more I stayed away from him, the more the attraction died and my wolf was beside herself with happiness. She was still insisting that I leave the palace and reunite with our mate. But I just didn't want any man in my space. I was dreading the day Ryder would ask me to return to his chambers. Maybe that was when I was eventually going to decide to leave him, go somewhere else and start afresh. The first time I heard him sneak out of his chambers, I thought perhaps, that he was going to his study to work overnight. He had done it a couple of times when I was still sleeping in his chambers. The same thing happened the next day and then the next and I began to get curious. I decided to ask him a
ZADE’S POV I returned to my Pack with mixed feelings. When I had decided to go meet my step-brother for help, I had known that there was a very high possibility that he wasn't going to help me but I just had to give it a shot for the sake of my Pack. What I had not been expecting, was to see my mate there. And the worst of all was that she was already married to that monster. I banged my desk hard in anger just as my Beta came in. He looked somewhat pissed that I hadn't allowed him to accompany me to my step-brother’s Pack but I didn't care at that moment. His expression changed to one of concern when he saw how pissed I was. “I take it things didn't go well at your brother’s Pack,” he said as he took his seat in front of the desk. “He is no brother of mine,” I spat out. “Woah! Okay, please just calm down and tell me what happened.” His mouth hung open as I told him how I had seen Malia and how she was already married to him. It took him a while to recover. “Then why d