WINTER'S POVI woke up queasy and bolted out of bed, rushing into the bathroom. My stomach heaved, and I retched violently into the toilet. Clutching the lid, I closed my eyes as I expelled the contents of my stomach. I remained in that position for a few minutes, waiting for the nausea to subside before pushing the flush button and standing up. Trudging to the sink, I ran a hand through my hair and looked at my flushed face, resulting from our lovemaking.I blushed at the memory of my wanton behaviour in front of Slade, urging him to retake me even after he had finished the first time. Turning on the faucet, I splashed some water on my face and reached for a towel from the cabinet. As I dabbed at my face, I caught a whiff of Slade's cologne on the towel. His name was written boldly on it, but that didn't stop me from using it. After I finished using the bathroom, I stepped back into the room.My eyes wandered to the rumpled sheet where Slade and I had writhed earlier. I reached out t
WINTER'S POVI rolled over in bed, reaching out to where Slade's body usually lay. I missed his warmth already, even though he had only been gone for twenty-four hours. I tried to remind myself that it was just a day/two days journey, but the thought didn't seem to ease my yearning for him.Whenever I reached for my phone to call him, I remembered that he had left it behind, along with Jude. They were smart to leave their phones, knowing they would be bombarded with calls if they brought them along. I knew I was a potential distraction for Slade and could easily persuade him to abandon his mission with a simple request.In hindsight, I understood why he didn't take his phone. As I turned once more, I noticed a lump in my coat pocket from the previous day. Curious, I reached for it and retrieved the envelope I had tucked away inside.Heavily exhaling, I smoothed the paper again, hoping its content had magically changed, but it still delivered the same ominous message. "Find me," I mumb
WINTER'S POV:I blinked hard and rubbed my eyes, but the figure behind me remained. Britney's scent enveloped the air, unmistakable even after all this time.I moved closer to her, not daring to touch her, to make sure she was real."Why are you here?" I stammered. "You were in the enemy camp. How did you escape?"Britney rolled her eyes and laughed, tossing her head back. The sound echoed through the forest."Really? That's your first question?" she said, still chuckling. "I thought you were smarter than that, Winter."I swallowed hard and looked around, scanning for any sign of danger. I was close enough to our territory to run back, but my feet were glued to the spot. Something about Britney's presence unnerved me, even though I couldn't put my finger on it.She wasn't the same Britney I knew. She was colder, more hostile. I wondered if she had been turned against us or was just traumatised by her kidnapping."Did you fake the kidnap just for attention?" I asked, my heart pounding
SLADE POV (THAT SAME NIGHT)I gritted my teeth and shoved the snaking vine away from my hand. This was the second time I had to push it aside, and I was getting tired of it. Glancing at Jude, I saw that he was also struggling to make his way through the dense forest. It seemed like the journey had no end.The first time I came here, it was smooth sailing. But today, I was experiencing all the roughness I had heard about on my way to the hills of no return. A creeping sense of doubt began to take hold of me. Would I even make it back home alive?As we trudged along, I spotted a large oak tree and grunted, "How about we rest there for a while? We can't keep going like this without passing out from exhaustion."Jude panted and bent over, clutching his knees. "I would love to," he grunted. "But do you remember all the obstacles we faced on our way here? It's insane. I don't recall the journey being this crooked and difficult."His brows furrowed as he scanned our surroundings before turn
SLADE'S POV (THE NEXT DAY)The morning sun peeked over the horizon as we set out on our journey once more."I hope we reach the mountain soon. I'm starting to miss home, and I can't believe I haven't had a bath," Jude said. "The sweat from the day before is stuck to my skin and it is starting to irritate me.""It's only been twenty-four hours. It's surprising to hear your concern about your appearance. It's the first time I've seen you care about personal hygiene," I replied."It'll be a day soon," Jude added. "When you're with someone who cares about personal hygiene, you can't help but try to please them."I rolled my eyes but smiled nonetheless. Although Jude didn't have poor hygiene, I teased him about it, and he always fell for it. I liked that he always took my teasing seriously.Jude grimaced as he swatted at a fly that buzzed by him. "This has to be the worst journey ever.""Agreed," I said, running my hands through my dishevelled hair.My ears twitched, and my nose wrinkled
WINTER'S POV The events of last night kept replaying in my mind. I hadn't slept well because of what Britney had said. I didn't want to believe it was true, but deep down, I knew it was. Slade was hiding something from me which could be as severe as what Britney had claimed.He had made a promise to the coven, but why had he broken it? And now, I was the one who would suffer the consequences of his failure: me and my child.I got up from the bed and started pacing around the room, my back aching from the aftermath of staying up all night with my back hunched.Glancing at the wall clock, I realised it was already past noon. Slade and Jude should be back by now, judging from the time it took to get to the mountain in East Copperborrow. It was a seven-hour journey by car, and I wondered what mode of transportation they had used. If they had used anything other than a car, the trip might take even longer.Nonetheless, I couldn't stop thinking about what I would do when Slade arrived. Was
SLADE POV(BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE PACK)Jude pointed overhead. "There's something over there, Alpha."I shut my eyes, ignoring his words. "I see nothing. Now's not the time to joke. I'm famished and could pass out at any moment. I need a warm bath and my Luna's body as a welcome." Winter was on my mind, and I missed her. It hadn't even been forty-eight hours, but I couldn't wait to release the tension in my body by taking her to bed as soon as we arrived at the pack."The Luna's body can wait," Jude said. "She's not going anywhere, and there's something definitely there."Jude climbed down from his horse and jogged forward. I did the same."It's a body; looks like it's been here for a week," he yelled.I moved closer, wrinkling my nose as the strong scent of decay wafted toward me. "What rotting corpse is this?""Don't know," Jude said.Squatting to examine the corpse, a frown etched on my face, Jude asked, "Do you have an idea who might have done this?"I tuned out his voice and conc
WINTER POVI glanced over at Slade for what felt like the hundredth time. He was standing by the large round table, waiting for the rest of the pack members to arrive. Meanwhile, I stood near the door of the clinic, lost in thought. Lisa approached me, and I turned my attention to her."I can't believe that happened," She muttered her voice barely above a whisper, "I know. Even though she was unpleasant, I still can't wrap my head around it," Lisa said, shaking her head."I can't, too," I said.Slade seemed to be taking Britney's death the hardest. He had been with her for a while, and she was pregnant with his child. He blamed himself for what happened, and it was evident that he was still struggling to come to terms with it. It was heartbreaking to see him so discouraged and lost, even though he had claimed that Britney meant nothing to him.Suddenly, a loud shriek rang out, and I turned to see Alex stumbling towards us, wrapped in a large blanket from head to toe. He looked like a
WINTER'S POVJoy erupted inside me as I glanced at Slade and Damien-who were now lifeless. For a brief moment, I had thought Slade would be the one in Damien's shoes. I had felt Damien would overpower Slade, considering his immense power, but I was glad it had turned out differently.Gloria screeched, "I'll never forgive you for taking my son from me!""You brought this upon yourself," I said. "You should surrender now that it seems you can't win!""No!" Gloria screamed, almost bursting my eardrums. "I'll never surrender. His death needs to be avenged!" Dark energy enveloped her, emanating an aura of animosity.Gloria's voice thundered through the forest, carrying a raw fury fueled by the essence of darkness. An ominous aura consumed her body; the air crackled with nervous energy.I watched in both awe and apprehension as Gloria underwent a grotesque transformation. Her eyes turned pitch black, and her once-elegant features contorted into a twisted visage of rage. Shadows danced aroun
Slade's POVI shifted uneasily, knowing I shouldn't be in this form. I couldn't help it, though. I didn't want to be the defenceless alpha who always relied on his Luna for help. Even though I had always fought my battles, I felt like most people saw me as weak, barely capable of doing anything.I locked eyes with Damien, and we exchanged growls. But deep down, I almost regretted it. My heart pounded, wildly beating against my rib cage. Being in wolf form made everything even more challenging for me.I turned my gaze towards Winter. Despite being held by Gloria, it seemed like she could free herself from the situation. She looked furious, and I knew most of that anger was directed at me, while the rest was aimed at her ex and his mother."You need to shift back," Winter snarled, her frustration evident. "She said you'll die!"Gloria only laughed in response. I wished I could wipe the grin off her face and make her pay for everything. Pay for killing Britney, especially, and taking my
WINTER POVI had always known that many things could go wrong in one night, but I never imagined it would be this same night. First, the forest became infested with reptiles, making the hunt scarier than I had anticipated. Despite thinking we could manage the situation, the hunters appeared, Slade, got bitten, and now Gloria and Damien had arrived.I never thought I would find myself in a situation like this, struggling in the death grip of the woman who was once my mother-in-law. The last time I saw her, after Slade's victory, she even tried to console my mother. I believed she had our best interests at heart. But learning that she had impersonated people to reach and kill me turned my stomach.I used to admire her and thought she was the perfect Luna, but the crazed look in her eyes just moments ago shattered that illusion. Gasping for breath, I felt her yank harder on my hair. I desperately tried to grip her hand and release her hold, but it only tightened."Fucking shift and kill
SLADE'S POV"What the hell?!" I yelled, glaring at the slime as he kissed Winter.Struggling to stand on my feet; the poison from the snake was making it increasingly difficult. I blinked back the haziness in my eyes, gritted my teeth, and summoned all the strength to confront him."Get your fucking hands and mouth off, my mate!" I bellowed.Winter gasped, her eyes shifting to mine as I hunched over. She approached me and reached out a hand to touch my back, but I shrugged her off."I'm fine," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Why the hell did you let him kiss you like that?!""I let him?" She asked, brows furrowing. As I nodded, she exclaimed, "You saw he forcefully kissed me! I never asked to be kissed, but he did it against my will. So, don't blame me for not reacting quickly—I was taken by surprise!"Of course, I wasn't blaming her, and I wasn't angry with her. I assumed she should have pushed him away at the first opportunity, but maybe I wasn't thinking straight.Winter hissed and att
WINTER'S POVDespite all that I said, Slade didn't budge. He stumbled away from me, running his hands through his hair. "I'm fine, Winter. Just watch where you're standing. We need to deal with this before we leave."I rolled my eyes and clenched my teeth, my gaze drifting up to the full moon. "The poison will spread faster when you shift, and you'll shift sooner than you think."Slade glanced at me and shook his head. "I'm not like the other werewolves, remember? I'm partly a lycan, so I can control my shifting to some extent until the hunt is over."I let out a frustrated breath. No matter what I said or would say, he remained stubborn. I supposed I needed to stay close to him to prevent impulsive actions. Just then, Jude burst into the clearing, growling, and lunged at the hunter's leader next to me before I could stop him.He landed several punches on the leader's face, only stopping to catch his breath."Jude!" I shouted, scanning the other hunters who seemed poised to attack him
WINTER POVI turned to Slade with wide eyes, and he mirrored my expression, staring back at me."What are you all, then?" I blurted out. "Are you not the ones after the pack's MoonStone? I mean, the group of Lycans who fought with the previous Alpha and led him to sacrifice himself?"He nodded grimly. "And we had our reasons for coming after the MoonStone gem." He added, "But we are not the same as those. We belong to a different faction, known as the Bwegbonyu speakers and night hunters. Lastly, we weren't the ones who originally attacked the previous alpha.""This isn't making any sense," Slade voiced my confusion, and I nodded to indicate my agreement."I think we need to explain further. But first, you must understand that we are not the Vordrak Lycans. They pose a threat to everyone in the werewolf world, as well as humans. They are incredibly powerful, second only to gods and goddesses," he explained."Vordrak Lycans?" I murmured, wracking my brain to recall where I might have h
WINTER'S POVI couldn't determine how long I had been peering over Slade's shoulder, but time seemed to crawl, and everything moved slowly. The hunters approached us with eerie smiles plastered across their faces as if they had cornered us exactly where they wanted us. I bit down on my lip, suppressing a groan, while Slade shielded me and prevented me from moving forward."Stay back," he murmured. "They appear formidable."Of course, I was aware of that! I wished I could scream it at him. I wanted to shout that these hunters before us were not the same ones we had encountered on previous occasions. They were doubly stronger, emitting a completely distinct scent, not to mention the crazed expression etched onto their faces."What should we do?" I asked, my fingers twitching and my palms growing clammy. I tightly gripped the hilt of my dagger, clenching my teeth as I contemplated the potential attacks I could launch, all of which could still go awry."We fight," Slade said slowly.Noddi
Winter's POV:We ran tirelessly through the seemingly endless forest, leaping over fallen logs and avoiding reptiles lurking beneath our feet. Although I couldn't see them clearly in the darkness, I could feel their presence as my combat boots brushed against their scaly skin, and their hisses filled the night air. The moonlight cast flickering shadows, making it difficult to discern between reality and imagination. Holding Slade's hand tightly, I relied on his guidance to navigate the treacherous terrain.My heart thumped in my chest, a constant reminder of the imminent danger surrounding us. Adrenaline surged through my veins, urging me to keep pushing forward. Each step I took was a battle against fear and instinct, tempting me to succumb to panic. But I couldn't afford to falter. Not now.As we reached the heart of the woods, Slade abruptly halted, pulling me back as I raced past him. I gasped for breath, my chest heaving, and approached a birch tree, but Slade's firm grip prevent
WINTER'S POVTWO DAYS LATERThe moon hung high in the night sky, casting an eerie glow over the surrounding forest. The anticipation among the Moonstone pack members present was palpable; their breaths came out in shallow huffs as they crouched low to the ground.It was hunting season, and today marked the Moonfest, as it was often called in the Moonstone pack. It was the Hunters Moon festival, and it was a time which happened every October after the harvest moon disappearance. The hunter's moon was the first full moon to have appeared this month, and the festival was a thrilling and transformative nighttime event that showcased the werewolves' connection to the moon and their hunting prowess. I didn't know how it was done in other packs, but Traditionally, only the Deltas and Etas, the warriors of our pack, were allowed to participate. However, Slade's arrival changed everything.Today, we were embarking on something different. Instead of limiting participation to the Deltas and Eta