~ Nox “Alpha Cillian just died.” A few days had passed and I had just woken up from one of the best sleeps I’ve had in years when Roman mind-linked me with the bad news. “That’s the third death in four months.” I commented. “You think it’s suspicious, don’t you.” Roman asked. “Damn right, it is.” I said, getting out of bed and strolling into my closet. “Especially when all three of them had a long-standing relationship with my father and have remained allies with us over the years.” “I thought as much.” Roman said. “You think it could be Emilia?” “I know it’s her but I don’t have any concrete evidence. She’s been tight-lipped about her moves.” I said, changing into camouflage sweatpants and a black sleeveless tee. “According to our spies on ground, she’s been slowly moving base to Moonrise and she arrived there some days ago.” “And what has the moron of a mate she has, been up to lately?” I asked, leaving my bedroom and heading downstairs. “Actually, nothing much. If anything
~ Zora I woke up to a new phone sitting on my bedside table next to a little note. With a big smile on my face, I whipped away the covers and climbed out of bed. The note was like a small card folded over and at the top, it had my name scrawled on it in calligraphy. Curious, I opened it up and read the message. 'Thank you for the other day. Your phone has been fully charged and set up. I hope you like the gift just as much as I like seeing you smile.' My face spreads in a small smile before dialling Hailey's number. She picks on the fifth ring. "Hello?” Hailey’s voice sounded sleepy on the other end. “Hailey, it’s me, Zora.” “Finally, I was wondering when you were going to call again.” “Sorry, was just able to get a new phone this morning.” “Oh nice. That's cool. Did your rich boyfriend get it for you?" A breathy laugh escapes me. "You know he's not my boyfriend." "Then what is he? Hmm?" She teases. "Your lover!" I screeched in laughter, falling back on the bed and giggli
~ ZoraSurprisingly, I was calm. I expected that I would be upset or close to tears but I was just numb. My legs carried me up the stairs and straight to the bedroom Nox and I shared. Detached, like I wasn’t linked to my body, I slowly undressed and got into the shower.I let the cold downpour wash over my hot skin, sighing as it touched my hair, rendering it wet and cooling my scalp. The image of Gwen with Nox played again and again in my mind’s eye making my fists clench and my anger boil.Resting my hands on the glass wall, I let my head fall. Suddenly, the bedroom door opens and shortly after, a familiar sweet scent envelopes me, announcing Nox’s presence.“Get out.” I said quietly, without turning back. “I will, but you have hear me first.” Nox said. “There is nothing between me and her.” I turned around on him. “Liar!” I screamed in his face. “That’s what you all men do!” Nox furrows his brows. “I swear to you, Zora, I never cheated nor will cheat on you. Gwen heard about Alph
~ Zora “Let me guess, you don’t go out much?” Nox asked, drawing my attention from the car window on the way to the late Alpha's pack. I find him on his phone, typing away. “How did you know?” I asked, incredulously. “Because you’re ogling at everything.” Nox said, causing Roman to snicker where he sat in the passenger seat. I reached out and pinched him. “Ow!” Roman yelled, turning around in his seat to glare at me. “What was that for?” He asked with a surprised look. My eyes narrow. “You know what it is for.” Roman’s innocent look transformed into a knowing one as his lips quirked up into a crooked smile, causing me to shake my head. Angling my body to face Nox, I answered, “The lycan territory is the first place I’ve been to outside of my pack.” Nox’s brows pull together in a frown as he looks up from his phone. “You didn’t go to college?” I shook my head in reply. “Why?” From the corner of my eye, I see Roman was also cocking his head to listen. Thinking about the reas
~ Zora What darkness? What could have happened to Nox to make him that depressed? I could tell as Nox gave Thurah a bitter smile, that he was trying to suppress a bad memory, yet he looked as defiant as ever, almost as if nothing or no one could hurt him. “I’m sorry to hear about Cillian.” Nox said, changing the subject. “How are you holding up?” Thurah matched Nox’s bitter smile, a shimmering glaze of unshed tears coating her eyes. “As best as I can,” She said. “Darius here has been the one handling everything else.” She motioned to her eldest son. Darius glanced at them with indifference before his eyes went back to scanning the crowd. I also took my time to look around, some part of me wondering if I would run into anyone from the Moonrise pack. I certainly hope not. Catching the stares of the people present, I couldn’t help but feel a certain kind of discomfort. All my senses suddenly seemed to be on alert and my skin felt hot and clammy. Casting my gaze down, I focused on m
~ Tyler “How did he know?” My father asked as we all gathered in his office listening to one of my father’s friend and ally speak through the telephone about the showdown that happened at the burial of the late Alpha Cillian. “I don’t know how but he knows and he is pissed! You should have been there. It was terrible.” Alpha Jones Callister said. “I thought your daughter-in-law said he won’t be at peak power anymore.” We all looked to Emilia who sat opposite my father. She looked as calm as ever, but I could tell the wheels of her treacherous mind was spinning. “Did he call out anyone’s name in particular?” She asked Alpha Callister. “No, he only asked that we remove the Moon Circle pack from whatever we have planned.” “That means he doesn’t know those involved yet which is still good news.” Emilia said. “From now on, we reduce travels and meets until my plan is completely in motion.” “What about the Moon Circle pack?” My father asked. “They are a strong pack and if they side wi
~ Zora It was late in the evening by the time we got home. Our entire ride home was silent and brooding and the moment we parked, Roman said his goodbye and headed home while Nox and I went straight to the bedroom. All through, Nox walked before me with his head hung low. When we entered our bedroom, he sat on the bed, staring into space. His face betrayed no emotion and all I could sense from him was emptiness. I strolled to the bathroom and ran a warm bath in the tub. I added some sweet smelling essential oils and lit some sweet smelling candles as well. I came back to the bedroom and bent down to remove Nox's shoes and socks. I proceeded to his jacket, helping him remove them and carefully placing them on a nearby chair. Then I proceeded to unbutton his shirt and remove them as well. My eyes caught scars so faint they could have been easily overlooked. I ran my fingers on them. They looked like jagged incisions, and then it dawned on me that they were claw marks. Nox's finger
~ Zora "Oh!" I stuttered, breathing laboriously. "Uhm, I was hoping we would be able to do that after our wedding night, you know? It's just a few days away." "Can you wait that long?" Nox asked, kissing the valley between my chest, the simple act feeling like fuel to the fire already burning me up. "This is part of the reason why I've been staying away from you." He said. "I didn't want to make you go into heat so soon, but being around you is hard. It takes a lot of willpower for me not to rip your clothes off and take you wherever I find you." The thought alone made my center throb and a whimper escape my lips. Nox pulled back from me and maneuvered us so that he was sitting back in the bathtub and I was sitting between his muscular thighs. The moment the now-cold water hit my skin, it felt like bliss. I leaned back into Nox's hard body, closing my eyes and relishing the pleasantness of being wrapped in his arms. We stayed like this in silence for a while, both of us dwelling on
~ 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