~ Zora “Where?” Roman asked, turning his chair around to face her before sitting. “Back at my pack. He came with some others in a car, like around midnight.” Hailey explained. “I was on my way back home from work when I saw the car pull up into the soldier’s territory. I asked Joe about it and he said they were contractors.” Confused, Roman asked, “Who’s Joe?” “Joe is her boyfriend for research purposes.” Nox answered. When Roman continued to look confused, Hailey decided to explain further. “But that’s dangerous.” Roman said. “I know, and I’m being careful.” Hailey said. Roman turned to Nox. “I don’t like this.” “I don’t either but she’s the only one that can get us vital information without raising too much suspicion.” Roman nodded. “So Emilia is working with rogues now?” “Makes sense if she doesn’t want anything being traced back to her.” Sydney said. “But where is she getting the funding to do all these?” Cain asked. “No one has heard from Emilia or her pack in fifteen
~ Zora According to tradition, I was supposed to spend a day apart from Nox before we got married. So, I found myself back in my old room the next morning, reminiscing on how things used to be before everything changed. Before Nox went out, he gave me his credit card and a kiss on the head for anything I needed. Staring at the card, I wondered what I would use it for. “Are we not supposed to have a bachelorette party?” Hailey asked, sitting on my bed in a hello kitty pajamas pair. After a shower and a good night's sleep, my sister was looking better than when she first arrived. I sighed and went to sit beside her, leaning my head on her shoulder. “I don’t know. Abigail has us booked to the nines.” I cringed, thinking back on those witchy looking women telling me I was not good-looking enough. I wondered what they had in store for my sister and I. “Isn’t your mate going to have a bachelor party?” Hailey asked. “I don’t think so.” I said, uncertainly. “Nox doesn’t seem like the type
~ ZoraI had never been to a club before. Everything from the flashing lights to the exotic dancers in cages above, to the music and decorum excited me. Falcon was a club for the non-humans. There were different kinds of people here including vampires, faeries, werecoyotes and so many more. Sydney had informed us that there was nothing to worry about as these kinds kept to themselves, and as long as Falcon was on Nox's territory, they weren't allowed to make any move that could cause harm to others. As we walked in, they stared at us and I could catch some whispering amidst themselves but most of their attention was on Sydney who strutted and held herself like a true queen. I smiled to myself. Her plan was really working and I was free to have fun. Sydney led us to a bar where we ordered drinks and then proceeded to the dance floor. Everything was going well until I felt eyes watching me. I ignored it at first but it kept getting intense, and amidst the sea of people and strange s
~ ZoraNox cursed and went silent on the other end, then he came back. "No matter what you do, stay in the car. Understood?" "Okay." I said. Sydney and her men growled at them and then all hell broke loose. The rogues jumped out of their hiding place onto the road and began their attack. Compared to the Lycans, they looked small and scrawny but they were fast and agile, slashing and clawing at my men. Some rogues aimed for the Lycans surrounding the car we were in and my men fought against them, killing them instantly with a slash or by gripping their hinds and slamming them on the ground. Because we were surrounded I couldn't see much. Emelda whimpered next to me and I put my arm around her shoulder rubbing it in a comforting manner. Hailey's fearful eyes met mine and through our gaze we communicated our fear as well as our hopes. One of the Lycans standing directly outside my window fell and watching him die brought a great sense of pain and loss to me. A feeling so intens
~ Zora “Why?” That was the only word that made sense at the moment. The question mark to every thing that had gone wrong between us from the start. Why did he reject me? Why did he give Emilia his phone? Why did he allow his father put a kill order on me? Why did he mark and marry Emilia? Why was he looking for me now? Why did I still feel sparks with him after accepting his rejection? Just why? Tyler’s shoulder slumped, his eyes downcast, then he swallowed and met my gaze and all I could see was the shadow of a man I once loved. My anger flares up again. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, then he suddenly became alert. His eyes shifted behind me and when I turned, I could hear the movement of several people. By the time I turned around, Tyler was gone, so I shifted back into my wolf form and immediately checked on my sister and Sydney. I saw that my sister was still unconscious but breathing fine. I could hear her body healing itself and her cracked back gra
~ Tyler I was back in my hotel before the news came hours later. Donovan and his entire team were dead and whoever Emilia was talking to on the other end of her phone was livid. This was the first time I saw Emilia lose her composure and confidence as she apologized profusely to the person on the other end of the line. “Yes sir.” Emilia answered. "Of course, sir. I won’t rest until he pays. I’m so sorry about Donovan. I know how much he meant to you.” “Oh.” She said. I could her heart race a beat faster. “I’ll see what I can do sir.” “Okay sir.” “Yes sir.” When she got off the phone, I pretended I wasn’t listening in by watching the television. Although, I couldn’t ignore her for long, so I put off the tv and turned to her. She looked upset and deep in thought. “Is everything alright?” I asked, faking my concern. “No.” She replied. “I just got word that the mission failed and Nox took prisoners.” “Do you think they will talk?” “I don’t know. My sponsor wants me to make sure
~ Nox My men and I stayed up all night clearing up the bodies of the dead. There were about two hundred of them, including my men. I had lost a total of thirteen men and had several wounded. I made sure the wounded were first transported to the hospital back in my land before large trucks came to carry the bodies. As for the prisoners, I left Cain to handle their transportation and had ordered Roman to take the girls home. Zora had insisted on staying with me but I had convinced her that it was best she left. It was five in the morning by the time I got home. The moment I drove in, Zora was out on the steps in her ankle-length night wear, hugging herself. When I came out of the car, she ran to me and gave me a hug without saying anything. I hadn’t realized that I needed to experience something like this before. There were times when I came home from battle or a day at work and I would watch my men go home to their wives and children. I had always thought I would never be that man.
~ Zora “How come?” I asked. Nox averted his gaze from mine, leaning back from his knees to sit on the floor against my bed. I moved to his side, mirroring his posture and waited patiently for him to speak. “Years ago, I killed a young man in the presence of his father and his mate. In fact, I had killed other young men before their parents. The boys had come on my land and they had…” Nox paused, flexing his hands into fists. I could sense his rage rising in him, so I reached out and held his hand in mine. “I’m listening.” I said in barely a whisper. “Those boys had defiled a girl and killed her on my lands.” I looked at Nox, recognition flaring in me at the story of the girl who was raped and didn’t get due justice. “Philomena, right?” Nox nodded. “I admit I handled things in a wrong way, I don’t know but then I was filled with so much rage. I…” Nox paused again, shaking his head slightly before letting his head fall. “I heard the story. You didn’t do anything wrong.” I said, “
~ ZoraSeveral Months Later"Let me help you with that." My husband said, collecting a wedding present from my hand and taking it to the car. I stood in disbelief. "I'm just pregnant, you know? I'm not an invalid.Nox closed the car and gave me a shrug. "Well you have no choice." He bends down and holds my big belly before giving it a kiss. "As long as you're carrying my babies, you will do as little as possible." He came back up to kiss me and at first, I had my mouth closed refusing him entry. Then he tickles me in persistence causing me to laugh and give in. I wrapped my arms across his shoulders and leaned in deep into the kiss, letting him explore my mouth and ravish my tongue. He never ceases to amaze me with how much he could get my body to respond to his touch and make me want more and more of him. I felt a fire starting within my core and I quickly broke the kiss. Breathless, I stared at him and found him grinning to himself. "We can't continue or we'll miss the wedding."
~ Zora By the time I arrived back in Parsivia, driven by the man Roman left behind, I could see my people already in the process of packing their things. I wondered where we would go now that Emilia was getting her lands back. Once I arrived home, I sprinted out of the car and into the house. I was surprised to find that servants had begun packing as well. They bowed to me with smiles and I acknowledged them before asking about Nox. They told me he was upstairs in our bedroom so I ran up the stairs and.dashed straight for the room. The moment I came in, I found him standing at the balcony behind billowing silk curtains. He turns and finds me standing by the door and he crosses the floor to me while I do the same. By the Gods, he smelt so much stronger and looked so much better, that by the time he touched me, my body came alive like wildfire.I pulled his face in for a kiss and moaned into his mouth when his lips sent delicious warmth down my mouth and straight to my throbbing cor
~ ZoraIn a flash, Tyler steps in front of me and takes the knife in his chest. "NO!" Emilia yells and everything else happens so fast. Nox moves towards Troy and in seconds has Troy's head removed from his body.Tyler fell back on me and I had to hold him gently as I sank to my knees. Emilia rushes to his side to check his wound.Someone calls for a Healer we were told that yet they were tapped out and even Nox was spent too. Fortunately, Tyler's wound wasn't immediately fatal so he was quickly carried to one of Troy's cars. There was a pack closer to the scene which also turned out to be an ally of the Moonrise pack, we decided it was best that he was driven there for treatment.Roman offered to drive us and I had to go meet Nox, "I have to go. I need to make sure he's okay.""Go." He said but there was a certain sadness to his demeanor. "I'll watch over your family." I approached him and despite the blood he had splattered on his face from killing Troy, I kissed him on the lips.
~ ZoraIn shock, she grabs his wrist trying to get his hand off her neck as he slowly lifts her off her feet but he wouldn't budge. "Hey!" Tyler said running in but was soon stopped by about half a dozen wolvescoming out of nowhere, almost surrounding him and snarling at him to go no further.“It’s a damn ambush!” Roman mutters, stepping back while staring at something from afar. I look in time to see wolves coming out of the woods around us. They surround Nox, Roman and the other lycan soldiers. "What are you doing?!" Emilia chokes out from Tyler's grip. I could see the fear and the disbelief in her features as she looks at the man who once meant something to her.. "You dare come here barking orders at me? Who are you to believe you can be a ruler over me?"Emilia fumbles for words, clearly speechless! Her face suddenly became red as her eyes slid to mine. “Help me, please!”"Zora, get away from there right now!" Nox mindlinked me and I see him walking towards me despite wolves sn
~ Zora"I can't do that!" I immediately responded. "I can't kill Nox!"Troy gave me a sympathetic look that was meant to be mocking. "I guess your sister will have to die then." He said and turned to leave. Behind me Hailey coughed and I had to make a decision in a split second. "Wait!" Troy stopped in his tracks and half turned. "Yes?" He drawled with a malicious grin. I used that moment to try and invade his mind but I was instantly met with a blinding white light followed by a great pain hammering through my head. I cry out in pain as a result,, falling to my knees and holding my head in my hands!Troy’s laughter echoed towards me as he came closer. “I knew you would do that! Now, ain’t that a bitch?!” He chuckled. “You think I’d be dumb enough to come down here without fortifying my mind and that of my men against your power? Come on, Zora. You should give me more credit than that.”My head continues to hurt as if an electric current just passed through it. “What you just expe
~ Zora"Zora, wake up!" A groan escapes me when I feel hands on my face and open my eyes. My vision goes blurry at first seeing a warped figure above me but when I blink a few times, a person's face comes into view."Mom?" I ask. "Yes dear." She said, stroking my hair. I immediately went still. The last time my mother had stroked my hair, I was eight and had fallen terribly sick. It was an illness that lasted months and was part of the reason we quickly went broke. My mother noticed my unease with her affection so she stopped, retracting her hand from my hair. Behind her was darkness that I was unfamiliar with and around us and around us was a smell so bad, I had to sit up. Doing that caused the worst headache I had ever had. A pounding ache assaulted my head and began to pulse in my right eye.Another groan, yet I chose to look around. "Where are we?" I asked.My mother shushed me gently and whispered, "We are in a cell."At her words, I instantly became very alert. "A cell? How
~ TylerI shouldn't have but I had already started counting the days until I would see Zora again. Our last encounter had left a bitter taste in my soul and my spirit, corrupting my nights and leaving me sleepless. The harsh words that poured from my lips and became the stones that I threw at her now played over and over again in my head like a bad soap opera. I knew if I truly wanted to have peace, then I needed to see Zora again and beg her forgiveness.This was why I was a little bit excited when the guards came to drag me out of my cell to an unknown place. I was so riddled with thoughts of seeing Zora again that when I was brought into an office which had only Emilia, Nox, and his second in command, I automatically searched for her. "Where's Zora?" I asked as the guards worked on adjusting my chains so I could sit in a chair next to Emilia. Nox was seated while Roman stood and I noticed how both men looked sad and angry at the same time, as if something terrible had happened.
~ NoxWhen Elsa died, it felt like a part of me had died with her too. Before her, I was in a funk, dealing with the consequences of having a cruel father and a depressed mother. Growing up, Roman was the 'ray of sunshine' who didn't let me stay entirely in the dark and when Elsa came, she totally brought me into the light. She made me feel entirely vulnerable with my guard down. She was a girl I'd do anything for, including fighting my demons and conquering my fear of letting another human into my heart. Everything was fine until the curse took her and she died with her hand in mine. That was when I began to freefall into the deepest darkness I had ever been in and put up layers and layers of protection around my heart.And then Zora came along and began to chip away. She was a woman with a hammer breaking through my shield until she got to the last layer. Elsa. It was a layer I wasn't ready to bring down, not when death hung over her head. Now I find myself wishing she'd walk t
~ ZoraI woke up to the rhythm of my own heart beating and when I opened my eyes and looked around, I couldn't help the frustrated sigh that left my mouth when I realized I was in a hospital again. "Zora?" A familiar voice called and I turned my head to the right to see Nox sitting in a chair close to me. "Thank the gods, you're awake." He said, taking my hand in his. Although, I felt sparks tingling up my arms, they felt more like an inconvenience rather than something enjoyable. "What happened? How did I get here?" I asked, racking my head for my last memory. "You don't remember?" I shook my head. "The last thing I remember was…" I pause, suddenly remembering myself drowning. "... dying…and then you pulled me out."Nox met my gaze and I suddenly felt a mixture of guilt and relief emanating from him. "You saved my life." I concluded. “Thank you.”Nox responds by taking my hand to his lips and kissing it repeatedly and it should affect me in a positive light but the more I look