"I've made countless mistakes in my life, but this won't be one of them," Bella murmured, “not at all,” her voice cold and resolute as she addressed Jane in the dimly lit chamber.Jane remained silent, her eyes darting around the room as Bella continued. "He’s just a child, Jane. Eliminating him should be simple," Bella added, her gaze fixed on Jane, searching for any sign of agreement.Jane hesitated, her fingers fidgeting slightly. The tension in the room was palpable. She finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, "Do we really have to involve anyone else? The fewer people know, the safer we are. We can't afford another mistake like we made with Camilla."Bella turned to the large, ornate window, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the scene outside. Despite Lawrence's orders to disperse, some pack members lingered, their shadows stretched long in the evening light. Bella’s eyes settled on her son, Frank, standing among them. A faint smile crossed her lips before her gaze shif
"If he doesn’t have any useful information, he won’t be leaving this tent with his head still on his neck," Luke declared, his voice as cold and unyielding as the steely gaze fixed on Lawrence.Lawrence met his stare with an equally resolute expression. "His fate is sealed, Luke. The only reason he's still breathing is because of the value he might possess." With that, Lawrence turned on his heel, heading towards the mansion, leaving Luke to march off in the opposite direction towards the elders.As Luke approached the gathered elders, the weight of his new responsibilities pressed heavily on his shoulders. Yet he stood tall, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. "I have little to say, but hear me well: return to your homes, hold your families close, for war is upon us."A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd, growing into a unified roar as the elders and the others repeated in one voice, "War is coming!" They dispersed slowly, each pair of footsteps echoing the gri
“I hear you’ve got some important information for us,” Luke said, his voice smooth yet laced with an underlying threat. “Why don’t you share it with us now? My ears are starving for what you’ve got.” His eyes bore into the spy, who had barely clung to life after the brutal interrogation. Though it was obvious that he still needed some medical attention.Luke had made his way to the room where the man was being kept, his pace quick and purposeful. He had just returned from the wolf soldiers' training arena, his mind still sharp and restless from the drills. But this was his true mission. He needed to extract the information before anyone else, even before Lawrence. There was no way he was going to let the pack leader get ahead of him on this, he said to himself.The plan was simple. Get the information. End the man’s life. Luke had no intention of letting a potential enemy linger in the mansion any longer than necessary. As he approached the weakened spy, a cold resolve settled over
“Speak now or forever, hold your silence. But know this—whatever consequences your silence brings to you, you alone will bear them,” Luke warned, his voice calm but laced with a deadly promise.The man hesitated, his gaze flickering with fear and resignation. He knew the weight of his decision and the price of the secrets he harbored. Finally, with a heavy breath, he spoke, his voice trembling but determined.“Our pack isn’t planning to unleash all our foot soldiers at once. We’re ready to face you, but we have a different strategy,” he revealed, each word measured as if he were navigating a minefield.Despite the pain wracking his body, the man pushed himself up on the bed, wincing as he did so. Yet he forced the words out, determined to fulfill the promise he had made, even if it meant betraying his own people. At this point, his life was what he sought to protect.“The rest of our soldiers will encircle your pack when the fight begins. Once you’re engaged, we’ll close in from all s
With Bella trailing silently behind, George moved closer to the railings on the highest floor of the mansion, unaware of the deadly intentions brewing just steps away. The view from up there was mesmerizing; the entire grandeur of the mansion lay spread before him, an architectural masterpiece that could captivate anyone who laid eyes on it.As instructed by Bella, George leaned forward to grip the railing, eager to drink in the breathtaking panorama. His eyes traced the lines of the massive portrait of their first alpha, a symbol of power and legacy that dominated the mansion’s grand hall. The golden chandeliers bathed every corner in a soft, radiant glow, making the entire place seem like a dream.But Bella’s thoughts were far from the beauty surrounding them. Her eyes darted toward the railing, calculating the precise moment and position to act. Each step she took brought her closer to her goal. She could almost feel the cold metal under her palms as she imagined shoving him over,
"We all gather here today with tremendous responsibility toward this pack. Each of you stands ready and eager to shoulder this burden and to make your mark on history. This day will be remembered, my elders, as the day we gave everything for our pack." He paused, letting his gaze sweep across the faces of the elders, ensuring his words took root before continuing, "And today, I stand with you—the guardians of this pack in spirit and in light—those who have its best interests at heart. I stand with you all."The elders rose to their feet, their cheers filling the room as they echoed the Alpha's words. The roar of their voices was a testament to the power of his speech, a surge of motivation that electrified the air and the people in the room.Luke, who had stood earlier, watched the scene unfold. Satisfaction mingled with a pang of jealousy in his heart. The pack was ready, eager for war, just as he had hoped. Yet the inspiration had come from the Alpha, not him. Nonetheless, he was d
Camilla was certain she hadn't left the door ajar, so when she heard the faint creak, she signaled Lawrence to check. He moved with the quiet grace of a predator, his senses sharp as he approached the door. As Lawrence opened it, a young man, a wolf of beta origin, stood there, his breath slightly uneven. Without a moment's hesitation, he delivered his message, “The gamma group has arrived, sir. They're ready.”Lawrence's expression remained unreadable, though inside, a flicker of annoyance sparked. He had planned to visit his army at the training arena, but the timing of this interruption soured his mood. The pleasure of his private moment with Camilla had been rudely stolen by duty.He lingered at the doorway, his mind torn between the call of responsibility and the warmth he'd just left behind. His eyes, cold as ice, locked onto the young wolf. “I’ll be there shortly,” he replied, his voice devoid of warmth, clearly communicating his displeasure.As he closed the door and turned b
Camilla’s gaze was locked on Lawrence, her attention fully consumed by his unwavering focus on the fight before him. The clash between the two men in the ring was nothing more than background noise to her, their struggle a mere blur as she watched Lawrence's intense concentration on the fight.His eyes, sharp and unyielding, remained fixed on the combatants, betraying no sign of distraction or interest in anything beyond their fierce contest.Seated amidst a crowd of children, Camilla shifted occasionally, hoping to catch Lawrence’s eye. Yet he remained oblivious to her presence, his neck motionless, his gaze unbroken. The cacophony of cheers and roars from the crowd filled the air, their voices rising and falling in a rhythmic chant that seemed to drive the fighters to greater heights of brutality. The two men in the ring were locked in a relentless struggle; each blow they exchanged met with a surge of fervor from the onlookers. Their movements were a dance of aggression, a display
Even with the sunshine streaming through the window illuminating the tiles, the hospital room appeared to be freezing.Camilla laid her back on the thin pillows behind her, feeling self-conscious in the poorly woven hospital gown.Her arms were rendered immobile to her body by the metal cuffs whose edges had been tenderising her skin. The sound of chains rattled softly as she moved, trying to get into a position that was not too cramped within the confines.However, her focus was nowhere near her physical discomfort. She was exonerated for poisoning Bella's son.However, her suffering was not finished. Bella’s schemes had left emotional as well as physical scars on her.Camilla hadn’t finished the struggle, however. Her name remained sullied, and there were people in the pack, and even more so in the elders, who were not ready to absolve her.They wanted her to be put away until everyone was sure that there was nothing to be apprehensive about. Lawrence was trying to resist but it was
The sound of machines in the hospital filled the room where Camilla was, still a bit weak but recuperating.She was connected to an IV and had her wrists bandaged due to the straps that had restrained her to the bed—reminders of the fact, that needless to say, she was still considered a criminal and a patient at the same time.The grey hospital gown had been too oversized for her body. There was no mistaking the patience strength in her eyes, the vividness of life that once inhabited her can only be remembered.But Lawrence transcended. He stood next to her bed with his broad shoulders drooping, bloodshot eyes bearing the evidence of sleepless nights.His hand was just above hers, wanting to hold her hand but scared at the prospect of hurting her more.The vow he made to her was that he would bring her justice and that was one vow he would keep. But being here in this common room, looking at her wasting away from a fictitious story, every single second was a shame that he could not es
The heavy door of the female prison traced a long sound down the dark corridor.Camilla sat on the hard, cold mattress, looking at the wall in search of the clusters in it.She had become used to this solitary confinement, this waiting that went for hours in this agonisingly silent place, to the thinking that after all her efforts, it was Bella’s betrayal that would ruin her.Yet deep down, it was not only fear. There was something else. Lawrence was on the warpath. He had sworn an oath to resolve the matter and extricate her from this predicament.There was no option but to endure. However, the fear about the impending threat that had been increasing over the past few days would not go away, even if Camilla wanted it to.The other female prisoners had started to gossip about something different. They would look at her sometimes with suspicion; now, that look seemed more calculated. The security men, too appeared sharper, more alert. Something was in the offing. She could sense it.As
Bella paced around her hospital room and attempted to bite the urge to panic that was building up in her system.She was in the bathroom of Frank's room thinking of how Lawrence had approached her that morning.Frank, on the other side, was not helping her, as he was clenching his jaw, making it difficult for her to ignore the tension building up in her chest.Things were going south, and the efforts of the lawyer representing Lawrence were making the situation worse every moment.She had thought that she could turn the tables—contain the situation the way she always did. Lawrence’s doggedness in wanting to lick Camilla’s accusation clean even the further it was from her was slowly but surely tearing her apart.The lawyer was a brilliant and unbending executioner who had been pricking her for weeks.Bella had not taken him very seriously, as she thought that he would eventually give up on finding any truth. But she did not expect this level of meticulousness. He was starting to dig up
Lawrence perched himself on the edge of the hospital bed, his fingers playing a drumroll along the cold metallic edge. He was cosy in deep thoughts, yet his brain was tyranny, struck with several thoughts at the same time. The young boy who was his child, was unconscious in the hospital, and so many devices were attached to his tiny form. Every beep, every breath, was painful to hear, breaking the heavy silence in the room, indicating the seriousness of the matter.Moreover, there had been additional problems concerning Frank which even the doctors could not explain. The only plausible explanation had been the poison theory up until that point. At least until the head researcher on Frank's case, Dr Nolan had wanted to speak to him privately.Embarrassingly enough, every sensation caused in him was mixed with tension. The chilling thought of Camilla tortured him. She was in a prison cell, waiting for her turn to be acquitted of the charges of poisoning Frank. It had all been Bella’s tr
At the moment her heels clicked on the ground, and the enormous boughs of metal gates crashed behind her, panic coursed through Camilla. The implacable ambience of the barricade encased her in a thick layer of mist.She heard her footsteps bouncing off the walls in the long stretch that had steel-barred cells on all sides. The other occupant who was being brought in looked at her with a fierce intensity that signalled annoyed, hollow, and accusing silence.The door was opened by the guards and she made to come in. Camilla avoided eye contact with her because she looked like trouble.Hours passed, and she was still hearing them constantly bickering about her poisoning a child.She had to remind herself that this was not true. It was a horrible fiction, one that she found herself accusatory burning into the present time because of Bella's machinations.For having allegedly attempted to poison Bella's child, Camilla had lost her freedom and her self-respect.Now, stuck in the exhausted ex
At the moment her heels clicked on the ground, and the enormous boughs of metal gates crashed behind her, panic coursed through Camilla. The implacable ambience of the barricade encased her in a thick layer of mist.She heard her footsteps bouncing off the walls in the long stretch that had steel-barred cells on all sides. The other occupant who was being brought in looked at her with a fierce intensity that signalled annoyed, hollow, and accusing silence.The door was opened by the guards and she made to come in. Camilla avoided eye contact with her because she looked like trouble.Hours passed, and she was still hearing them constantly bickering about her poisoning a child.She had to remind herself that this was not true. It was a horrible fiction, one that she found herself accusatory burning into the present time because of Bella's machinations.For having allegedly attempted to poison Bella's child, Camilla had lost her freedom and her self-respect.Now, stuck in the exhausted e
Camilla was in prison. How could all this have happened so fast? First, it was that room where they interrogated her, and the next thing she knew, she landed in a cell.It still couldn't fully get into her head what had happened. It was like an Andy Warhol painting facade of surrealness that would eventually take the form of reality when she was out of it with her sanity intact.A moment before, Camilla had stood in front of the door to her cell as it creaked open under the command of the guard's key.The guard himself didn't say a word.Once she was inside, the heavy door slammed shut with a loud click.Saying nothing, he turned and walked away. If her cell was an inch shorter, she wouldn't be able to stand in it. The only furniture was a steel toilet, while the only lighting came from one window made of thick iron.Camilla sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. She did not cry. Lawrence would rescue her; he had to do that. He had promised her thus.Hours had passed after
Camilla sat on the chair where she was left alone after Lawrence had gone. She could hear the guards talking from the other side. But the only thing that came to her mind was how all of these happened. It was just a beautiful morning, in less than twenty-four, and she was accused of murder. A child murder.The accusation against her was so sudden that she had no idea what was going on. “Poison?” The word left her mouth and she thought of how she could even get a hold of one“Poisoning a child?”It was unimaginable to her.Yet, here she was. In jail. Accused of something so despicable. It made her feel sick.She rubbed her hands all over her face trying to breathe. Everything wasn't going her way at all.“Who?” she whispered. . “Who could have possibly done this?”She racked her brain, thinking of every moment leading up to the incident. He was fine. Then she served him his food along with Gia and George. He began to have a seizure.She knew she was in big trouble. Everything seemed