"Queen Astrid is going to kill me." Diana whispered."What?" Freya gasped. Her hand tightened around Diana's arm. "What do you mean by that? Queen Astrid wouldn't harm you. You share a connection with the faeries.""Except Queen Astrid isn't a faerie." Diana revealed. Hey voice was high and unstable.Alden then crouched before her and gently cupped her face. "Calm down, okay? You're safe. Nothing will happen to you. Just take a deep breath and tell us everything."Diana nodded and she swallowed nervously."Queen Astrid isn't a faerie. She's an enchantress.""Aren't they the same thing?" Axel questioned with a frown."They aren't." Freya shook her head. "An enchantress is a dark creature, a distant relative of the dark witches. They have the power to enchant and deceive, and they can take on the form of any creature..."Freya trailed off as understanding dawned on her. "The real faerie queen," she whispered. "Could it be that Astrid killed her and took her place?""There's only one way
Night came slower than expected. Diana was a mass of worry and she paced around the room anxiously. Even when Alden and his brothers tried cheering her up, the feeling of dread didn't let go of her. She always felt relieved when they told her how they would give their life to protect her.But hearing it from then now did little to allay the terror within her. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible would happen.Maybe it was fear, or maybe it was her powers trying to warn her. She just wanted to be out of Ashidore.After what felt like ages, the sun sunk down the horizon and night took over the kingdom swiftly. The usual bustling began as the faeries went about their usual night chores.Diana expected the queen to send for her but there was no word from Astrid. She hadn't even caught sight of Katrina. Unable to sit still, she began to pace."Diana, you'll wear yourself out." Freya said, lowering her voice cautiously. "You have nothing to worry about remember."D
Diana was taken aback when she saw Astrid. She had no idea how the impostor found them, but she wasn't going to leave without a fight.The six creatures surrounding Astrid hissed viciously, their eerie yellow eyes glaring at the triplets. They were strange, something none of them had ever seen.They had the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion, with rows and rows of razor sharp teeth. The stinger at the end of their tail dripped with dark liquid.Venom.Astrid caught Diana's fearful stare and she waved her hands towards the creatures. "Lovely creatures, aren't they? Its called a manticore. A very deadly creature with a lethal sting. One drop of its venom kills instantly."There was pure glee in her eyes as she caressed the creature."And they're very loyal to their mistress." She added. "So you should think twice before trying any funny games.""How did you find us?" Freya asked the burning question."It was quite easy." Astrid said, taking a slow step forward. "Your little spell
Something wet was dripping on Diana's face when she regained consciousness.At first she ignored it and her eyelids fluttered as she came awake. Soon she felt uncomfortable and she swatted at the liquid.Her eyes opened and the first thing she saw was a damp ceiling. Water dripped from the middle and she realized that was what woke her up. She winced, moaning softly as she pushed away from the cold hard floor and scanned the environment.She was in a cell, barely big enough to hold a bed. The gates were rusted, covered with decaying moss. The walls of the cell were rough, the paint peeling off in several places.The ground was cold and covered with dirt and bones. Diana frowned and crept closer to take a closer look.Suddenly she recoiled. It was a human skull. That was when the events of that night played back in her mind.She had been stung by the manticore, and had passed out from the pain. The fact that she was still alive gave her some kind of hope. Astrid wouldn't let her die s
Alden slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the decayed walls of the dungeons.He sprang up and instantly regretted doing so. Pain shot through his entire body, making him collapse back to the ground. He groaned and raised his head weakly, scanning the cell he was locked in.The last thing he remembered was fighting Astrid's warriors with his brothers and trying to protect Diana. Then... he had been stung by the manticore. He touched the top of his back, feeling the skin with his fingers. There was a large bump, the spot where the creature had stung him.Then his head snapped up. Diana! Where was Diana? And his brothers? Had something happened to them?Summoning up his entire strength, he got up and staggered towards the gate. Gripping it hard, he shook it aggressively."Diana?" He called out, hoping she was somewhere close. "Diana can you here me?"There was no response. Even when he called for his brothers, no one answered. The weakness took hold of him again and he
Unfortunately, the manticore's venom didn't entirely leave Diana's body for days.Astrid must have known it would be that way because Diana's powers remained silent until the day of the lunar solstice, making it impossible for her to escape.On that night of the solstice, Diana stood at the back of her cell, staring outside the tiny window. There was a full moon in the sky, its silvery glow brightening the entire dungeon. As she stood there, she couldn't feel a thing. Most times when the moon was high up in the sky and full, she would feel the pull. She would feel connected with the moon and her skin would tingle occasionally with power.But now, she could feel nothing. It seemed her entire body was numb. She felt helpless, but the determination in her eyes was evident. She wasn't going to let Astrid get away with it. She wouldn't go down without a fight."Moon Goddess," she whispered. "I know you can hear me. I need your help tonight. You know what will happen if my powers fall into
Diana felt her heart skip a bit. This couldn't be happening. She needed to find a way to stall for time."Astrid you don't have to do this..." She whispered. "You don't have to be this way.""Don't waste your breath." Astrid snarled. "I have waited for so long to do this and no one is stopping me.""Why? What has the realm done to you? Why do you want to destroy it?" "You would never understand." Astrid grabbed her arm and began to pull her towards the altar. "You have no idea how it feels when the entire world sees you as a creature of darkness. When you're banished and don't have a place to call your home, when you're branded a monster and shunned by everyone.""What are you talking about?" Instead of answering, Astrid pushed her towards the altar. "I have nothing against you." She said coldly. "But you're in the prophecy. You're my destiny, and also my doom. I can't let you ruin my plans Diana. Not after all these years."Diana knew what Astrid meant when she spoke about destiny
Astrid whirled around, her eyes glowing furiously. She struck Freya aside, sending the sorceress flying through the air before crashing to the ground.Reaching behind her, she grabbed the dagger and pulled it out. When she realized the tip was poisoned, her fury mounted."You fool," she snarled, marching towards Freya who was lying still on the ground. "You'll be the first to die."However, three identical beasts burst forth and attacked her before she could make a move. Following the death of Diana, Alden, Asher and Axel immediately turned feral from the pain. At that moment, they were mindless beasts, filled with the pain of their dead mate.All they could think of at that moment was to kill and never stop.A terrible battle began between them and Astrid. Though she had Diana's power within her, it was still unstable and she was unable to use it. When she noticed that the three enrage beasts were gaining the upperhand, she knew couldn't do it all alone.Using her own spells, she sh
100 years later... Alaric and Catherine had resigned as Alpha and Luna of the pack, leaving it for Alden and his brothers to rule. One fateful day, a new group of werewolves were brought to the pack. Just as it had been done years ago in the time of Alpha Alaric, werewolves who didn't belong to a pack traveled down to the Bloodmoon pack so they could be sworn in as members, and protected from the outside world. After they had sworn their loyalties to the triplets Alphas, the warriors began to group them into pack houses. Alden and his brothers left the beta and gamma to do the job and they left, taking a walk round the pack and making sure everyone was settling in. Suddenly, they perceived a sweet and unique scent. Asher was the first to stop abruptly, and then his brothers followed. "That sweet scent." Alden whispered. They couldn't be mistaken. Only one person had that scent, and they would recognize it anywhere. It was Diana. In the next instant, the triplets shifted into
Alden and his brothers were dumbstruck. It seemed they had seen a ghost. "Diana? Dad?" Asher whispered, unable to believe his eyes. He was terrified that if he blinked, they would disappear. Beside him, Alden and Axel were so still. It was Catherine who finally took a tentative step forward and gently stretched her hand forward. "Alaric," She said softly. "Is it really you?"Alpha Alaric smiled at her gently. Then he looked towards his daughter and gently placed a kiss on her hair. Turning back to his mate, he stepped out of the pool and took her in his arms. "It is, my love." His deep voice caressed her. "I came back to you."Catherine's eyes filled with tears as she touched her mate all over, making sure he was real and not a figment of her imagination. When she realized it was really him standing before her in flesh and blood, she burst into happy tears and threw herself into his arms. "Oh Alaric," She sobbed. "I thought I would never see you again. I was so lost without you
A week had gone by since the death of Alaric and Diana. Bloodmoon pack was deserted. After the war with Astrid, the other creatures had packed up their families and left the pack to the outside world. The Michaelson school lay in ruins. The only people left in the pack were the triplets, Catherine and a few of the warriors.Even after the war they won, things didn't go back to the way they were. The sky remained dark and moonless, and the realm felt like it had been sucked dry of life. Catherine moved about the mansion like a ghost, her face etched with the pain of her lost mate and her daughter. The only reason she didn't take her life were her sons. They were what made her live each day. As for Alden and his brothers, things would never be the same. Diana didn't just die; she took a part of them with her. And though they tried to ignore the pain and pretended like they were okay, deep down, the pain of losing her was all consuming. The days went by seamlessly, until one night,
Alaric slowly climbed to his feet behind Astrid and withdrew the dagger Diana had given to him. The pain he felt was excruciating, but he carefully trudged forward, his eyes intent on Astrid. He had to do it. He had to save everyone before it was too late. It wasn't easy for a father to kill his own child, but as Diana stated earlier, it was the only way. An Alpha had to make difficult decisions, no matter who it would affect. And at that point, destroying Diana's body which was inhabited by Astrid was the only way to save the entire realm. As he got closer to Astrid, Alden sensed him and he raised his head weakly. His gaze focused on Alaric and the moment he saw the dagger, he knew what his father was about to do. Kill Diana.Before he could hold himself, he yelled out unintentionally. "Father no!" Astrid whirled around instantly, her black eyes zeroing in on Alaric. She snarled at him and shot out her arm, sending Alaric flying backwards. "You werewolves never give up." She u
"You have to kill me."Alpha Alaric froze, the color draining from his face. He slowly released Diana, shaking his head in denial. "No," He whispered. "Dad please...""No Diana." Alaric shook his head, his entire body trembling. "How can you ask of something like that from me?""It is the only way." Diana cried out. "Astrid is going to destroy the realm, and she has already succeeded because the moon is gone...""No..." Alaric adamantly refused. "Dad we can't let more innocent people die...""I can't do it Diana!" Alaric suddenly burst out. Then his voice lowered and trembled as he continued. "I can't kill my own child, my own daughter.""So you would let other people die?" Diana whispered. "If Astrid takes over, I'll die. Why not make use of the opportunity and defeat her instead?""Diana, it isn't as easy as you want it to be." Alaric whispered back. There were tears glistening in his eyes, threatening to fall. "I can't kill my own daughter. This is a difficult decision you're as
Immediately the pentagram's connection was severed, Astrid lost control of her powers for a moment. This gave the large wolf an opportunity to tackle her to the ground. "No!" She screamed, struggling to free herself from the wolf above her. The other two wolves stepped out of the pentagram and hurried towards Alden and Asher. "Mother, Axel," Asher called out in a voice filled with relief. Catherine and Axel swiftly shifted into their human forms and loosened the vines holding him and Alden. "How did you know where to find us?" Alden asked, freeing his hands from the vines. "Astrid destroyed the moon. Didn't you feel the pain?""We felt it." Axel answered, grabbing Asher's arm and lifting him up. "I felt like I would die. Mother and Father were down too, until suddenly, the pain disappeared. I don't know how it happened, but I used that opportunity to lead them here.""It was Astrid." Asher replied. He held on to his side as his wound slowly began to heal. "Now that she has destroy
Alpha Alaric jerked awake when he felt the mansion tremble. Besides him, Catherine shot up from the bed, one hand gripping him in fright. "What was that?" She whispered. Again the mansion trembled and shook as if the earth was about to split in two. Without wasting another second, Alaric pushed off the bed and hurried towards the door. "Alaric wait." Catherine called, throwing on her robe and hurrying after him. As they ran through the hallway towards the stairs, the tremor increased until the mansion felt like it was being uprooted from the earth. The chandeliers flickered repeatedly and went off, plunging the mansion into darkness. The warriors hurried up the stairs just as Alaric and Catherine descended. "Alpha...""Henry, what is happening?" Alaric demanded, his voice loud and powerful. "We have no idea Alpha." Henry responded, his voice filled with fear and confusion. "The earth suddenly began to shake. It looks like an earthquake.""Get everyone out of the mansion." Alar
"NO!" Alden roared. "If you dare harm my mate, I will...""What? Kill me?" Astrid taunted him. Her cold smile widened. "Don't you get it Alden? I am not the one who will hurt her. It is you, and everyone else who will try to kill me. Being in the same body with Diana sure has its perks. I have her powers, and her body is under my control. But if you kill me, she'll die."Alden was at a loss of what to do. He couldn't destroy Astrid without losing his mate in the process. He thought everything would be back to normal after Astrid's death. How wrong he was. The battle wasn't over. Astrid looked up to the moon. It was past midnight. She needed to begin the spells. She gazed back at Alden and her smile disappeared, leaving her face cold and dark. "If I were you, I would run back to my parents and warn them of the impending doom. Because the moment I destroy the moon, this pack is going down first."As she turned to leave, Alden made up his mind. He shifted abruptly into his beast and l
"Don't move." Diana's voice reached him. "I have a dagger at your back, and you don't want me to hurt you.""Diana," Alden gasped in surprise. "What are you doing? It's me, Alden.""I know it is you." Diana replied. Keeping the dagger pointed at him, she walked around until she was standing in front of him. There was a slight smile on her lips when she faced him. "Did you really think I wouldn't know you were following me?"Alden tried to smile back, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was definitely wrong. Diana's whole demeanor was off. It was like he was staring at another person. "Where were you going?" He asked. Diana lowered the dagger and stood staring at him. "I couldn't sleep. I needed a walk to clear my head.""You've been acting strangely for days now." Alden voiced out his concerns. Though he appeared relaxed but he was alert to his surroundings. "Since you got your powers back from Astrid...""Did you expect things to go back to the way it was so easily?"