The courtroom falls into pin-drop silence seconds after the court police enter with Owen between them. The people are all shocked when they see the person they believed was dead walk in. Even Justin looked shocked. Looking from Owen to his mother and back to Owen with his mouth half open. Not everyone is shocked actually. Evelyn isn't. She has the same sad and bored expression on her face. Carol and Victoria look like they've just seen a ghost as they slowly stand up from their seats..."Daddy?..." Victoria calls softly in disbelief. Her eyes brimming with fresh tears."Oh my god! Owen!? Is that really you or am I in a dream?" Carol also whispers, her voice heavy with emotion.At that moment, the room suddenly wakes up and becomes abuzz as everyone begins to whisper to each other all at the same time..."The Beta is not dead!?...""He's alive!?...""Oh my god! Beta Owen has been alive all this while!?..."Both Victoria and her mother slowly walk out from between the bench they're si
The moment the asshole judge pronounced his judgment, those that really want me dead jump up in their seats, happily cheering, hugging, and shaking each other's hands. Justin carries his mother up and spins her around, making her squeal with delight while Owen and his family cry tears of joy in each other's arms. Even the judge himself looks down at all of them, smiling in approval as they rejoice. I don't think he's ever been prouder about achieving anything in his life."Finally! Finally! Finally!" Justin shouts enthusiastically as he punches his fist in the air. Then he walks towards me with a huge grin plastered on his face, closely followed by two of his friends that I recognize from back when we were in school together before I got expelled "Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, man. The police will soon be here to take you and your cronies away..." He says, turning to the person on his right."I'm not quite sure Mike, what do you say to a bastard who is about to die?..."Mike's
The people let out loud gasps. Shock written on most of their faces. Even the judge had a deep frown of confusion etched on his face."But that's not possible!..." Carol quickly says out loud in disbelief. The old wolf raises an eyebrow at her questioningly."Are you calling me a liar!?" He asks, his eyes narrowing dangerously in her direction."No, Alpha, just that what you said is– it's simply not possible!" She vehemently denies on her husband's behalf. "I'm sorry sir. I meant no disrespect of course but I know my husband! We lived together for twenty years and that's long enough for me to know what he could and couldn't do. I know he would never commit treason against you! Why would he do that!? You saved his life once, brought him into this pack, accepted and trained him to be your Beta and he's forever grateful for that! He was dedicated to his duties. He adores you and practically worships the ground you walk on, Alpha, so why would he commit treason against you!? He has no
I chuckle "Oh really?..." I say as I move closer to him, picking out imaginary lints from his perfectly ironed cotton shirt.I'm smiling but deep down within me, I'm boiling with rage. The imaginary lints picking and wrinkles smoothing is just a ploy to stay calm and not lose my shit in the presence of this many people. I'm not mad because he talked shit about me, no. I'm this angry because he brought my innocent mother into the shitty conversation and violated her loving memory yet again right in the presence of everyone.I'm mad enough to kill the son and mother but I know I have to remain calm. Killing them will give an easy way out of the life of hell I already had planned for them. Death will be me showing them mercy and I'm not that generous a person."Yes really!" He replies, trying his best to look menacing. "So better get that into your– UGHHHH!..." He couldn't help but finish his sentence with a loud groan of pain.He didn't know when the hand picking lint off his shirt sh
Shifter's laws are almost the same everywhere in the world. Some of our laws are the same as the humans and vampires. Some, like the ones that were made to favor only the men, are not fair to the women, (not that I'm complaining about that though,) and some I simply found cruel and unjust.For me, I believe sentencing to death families of criminals who are found guilty of treason is barbaric, cruel, and unjust. I don't understand why innocent parents, spouses, and children of these criminals must be executed with them, after all, they would live with the stain of their son, father, or spouse being a traitor for as long as people will remember. Isn't that enough punishment to bear for a crime you didn't commit?I automatically move to stop the Council policemen from taking Carol and Victoria away but Eric holds my arm, stopping me from doing so."What do you think you're doing?" He whispers, giving me the 'Are you out of your mind' look."I'm stopping them! Don't tell me you don't fin
My dad nods in support"I know Carol was hard working. A good warrior. Same with Victoria. She is a good girl. But then I thought the same about Owen. He was dedicated to his duties as my Beta. I trusted him and thought he was loyal until he decided to kill me and frame my son for his crimes. I'm not sorry for not rushing to their aid.""I wasn't expecting you to rush to their aid, Pops. I'm not blaming you for anything, okay? I won't even raise a brow if you decide not to involve yourself in this. Owen betrayed your trust. It doesn't matter if he turned a traitor because he was being threatened, he should have trusted and come to you so that you both can figure out the solution to his problem but he chose not to." "Yeah, he chose not to..." He says and nods again. "I hope it's not too late to save their lives?""I hope so too. Do you know the judge personally? We noticed you addressed him by his first name.""Yeah, I know Ricky... We worked one or two cases together back then when D
Ash's POV"How would you like to have company?" Millicent asks casually while giving me that morning's check-up."Huh?... You want me to have company!?" I ask with surprise.She keeps writing in the file she has in her hands not answering me immediately. I'm surprised she asked if I want company when she knows what Eric says about me meeting with other people in the Yard."Millicent, Eric said...""I'm well aware of what Eric said, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind you and this particular person keeping each others' company, trust me." She says as she drops the file she's writing in on my bedside table before coming to sit beside me on the bed.I consider Millicent my friend even though she's obviously middle-aged. And it's not because she's the only constant face that I've been seeing in the past weeks but because she acts and treats me like we're actual friends. I like the fact that even though she talks to me a lot about her family, her twin boys especially, she doesn't pry into my af
Before Millicent left for her other duties in the Yard, she told me my new roommate would be arriving by noon. I check the time on my new table clock, one of the household items Eric sent to me, and see it's past ten already. Less than two hours left, I think as I get out of bed. It's past ten and I haven't had anything to eat yet! I say aloud, a bit angry with myself when I realize Millicent was right about my eating habits. Even though my pregnancy symptoms are intense and my taste buds repulse me, I need to put more effort into forcing myself to take in nutrients for my baby's sake. I go to the far corner of the room that Eric had someone convert into a kitchenette for me and check the arrays of airtight food storage that was placed in the open cabinet for what I can cook or munch on. I place my palm over my stomach which is already feeling queasy just by staring at the food and decide on something I can just snack on 'Little but frequent meals.' I remember Millicent's words as
"Yes, we came as soon as your Dad told us. He drove down here like a madman, almost killing us in the process!" Eric complains behind Thor and I laugh, gently pushing away so I can properly look at my man."Oh, babe!" I say. I touch his head and all over his face while telling myself, this is real. It is not an illusion. My mate is standing here before me. He's holding me in his arms."I'm not dreaming or am I?..." I seriously ask, looking deeply into his eyes. "This is not an illusion?" I ask again, kissing him this time. "Eric and Lily are not playing tricks on me?" His smile widens as he shakes his head,"No, babycakes." He replies and then crushes his mouth onto mine. His lips push mine open, making way for his tongue to deeply delve and explore the insides of my mouth. I kiss him back as fiercely, clinging tightly to him with my arms wrapped around his neck and my legs around his waist."Did that feel like an illusion?" He whispers into my ear after he pulls away from our kis
I enter the doctor's office, expecting to see Doctor Anders but it's another doctor that I see sitting in his chair. The man's eyes widen with surprise as I enter. "Oh, my!..." He exclaims and immediately stands from his chair, bowing so deeply his head almost hits the desk in front of him.He recognizes me even though we've not met before. Indeed the news about me saving everyone has spread amongst the warriors. I guess they also know I'm the one with the Lycan wolf. I wonder how long it will take my Lycanthropy secret to spread to the outside world."Luna–ma'am... I'm so sorry! I– I didn't know– I mean, we weren't expecting you! I would have personally gathered everyone to welcome you if I'd known and..." "No, that won't be necessary..." I say with a smile. Gather everyone to welcome me! Isn't that doing too much? I look from him to Ella. "I was expecting to see Doctor Anders?...""Oh, that's my bad, Luna, I should have informed you ahead of time before we arrived here..."
"I saved us!? How did I do that!?" I ask in disbelief since I don't remember doing anything but cry."We lost our powers. He was separated from the rest of us. The witch's plan was for me to watch him die a painful death and all I remember doing was cry. So how did I do it? How did I save us?"You screamed..." Lily replies I frown"That was it!?... I just screamed?" I ask not understanding how that helped save people's lives."Yes!" Ella says with excitement." You screamed and combusted!..." My eyebrows shots up in surprise as I continue to listen to her talk"The General told us all about it. He said it's one of your abilities. Besides, I was there that day when Alpha Elias asked about your powers and you told us what happened when you screamed in anger once."That was the day Miranda and the Council police came to arrest me. "That was what saved us!? And I combusted!?" "Yes! You screamed and burst into blue flame. They all flee. Fighting to escape the agonizing pain your screa
Ash's POV "Come on, babe! You can do it!" Thor softly says behind me. "Control is in the mind, remember? You control your powers with what your mind will and wish for. It will do what you ask it to do. It will harm or kill anyone you wish to harm or kill." "But I'm trying!" I shout with frustration. "I'm trying but it's not working!""Try harder!" I hear Granduncle Beowulf's firm voice say. "You're Goddess Sif. The chosen one of our House Howell. You're also a Lycan so give it your all! Try harder!""If you want to do it then you have to stop panicking so you can be able to concentrate." My mom's gentle voice takes over from Granduncle Beowulf. "Calm down. Relax and try to breathe through it. You can do it. I believe in you. Breathe my darling, breathe..." "Okay!" I say, nodding my head as I take deep breaths in before letting it out slowly. "I am Lycan. I am Goddess Sif. I am the chosen one of House Howell. I can do it. Control is in the mind...Control is in the mind...Cont
My eyes widen when the ground drops from underneath everyone right before my eyes. Or should I say they're floating above the ground? What is this? What is happening all of a sudden?I look around me and realize, no, not everyone, just the werewolves! The wereapes and hybrids are standing firmly on the ground while the werewolves float above it.Wait, I'm a werewolf. Why am I not floating with the others? Why am I the only one standing with our enemies?And why is everywhere this quiet all of a sudden? What happened to the mighty growls and groans? Come to think of it, they didn't just stop growling and groaning; they're motionless. They look frozen in place? "Thor!" I hear my name and my heart skips a bit with apprehension.Ash. I would recognize that voice anywhere. I suspected they wouldn't be able to stop her. Now she's here. God, why does she have to be here now that everything is turning upside down? My eyes search among the crowd of werewolves above the ground until I see
Thor's POVThe outcome of a battle could be decided by various factors which include the skill of the commanding officers, the numbers and experience of the warriors, the instruments and weapons used, the battleground, the weather conditions... and so onMind you; I said 'could be.' No one can predict the outcome of a war. Even if you get all your ducks in a row before the battle or your warriors are already having the upper hand during the battle, unexpected circumstances can suddenly turn the tide and fuck things up for you. Back in Denmark duels and battles between packs are the norm. It's a way to expand our territories, establish honor, and settle disputes. I've fought in many battles in the fifteen years I stayed with my uncle but none as crazily wild as this. A few minutes into it, I realized despite all the training we've had, we're still far from ready. Werewolf vs Wereape is a fair fight. Werewolf vs. hybrid is death sentence, especially for the nonoriginals among us. I
What the hell! I shockingly gaspIt's not a wereape child. It's a human! A human child wearing a wereape costume! My eyes narrow in disbelief when I see more hybrids coming out from behind her. Like, they're literally coming out of thin air. When Eric and Lily opened their portals, I saw the air shimmered before the space opened and widened into a hole big enough for multitudes to pass through. This is just plain space. More of them are coming out of plain, space! I whirl around, looking for Lily, but I don't see her anywhere.The only human form I see driving a dagger into a wereape's heart is a stranger. A black woman that reminds me of a character in a famous movie series. Oh, yes. Ancient witches take the form of another when their identity is exposed or they don't want to be exposed."Lily!" I growl over the chaotic howls and growls around us and the woman turns to look at me."Lily?" I questioningly call again to double sure and she smiles. Hurrying to me as she wipes her bl
The air reeks of blood, burnt flesh, and the sickening stench of dark wolves. Mighty growls and snarls reverberate all around me, filling my head with vivid images of the battle raging nearby.Even though my Lycan is running fast and hard, the loose beach sand slows me down, making it feel as if I'm running in slow motion. Damn, dunes! And damn Thor for sending me to the farthest part of the beach where hills of sand are molded everywhere.My heart beats wildly inside my chest. It's not only because I'm extremely anxious though. It's mostly because I'm feeling my mate's emotions– rage, fear, frustration, desperation... This makes me wonder, if the mighty Thor is feeling this way, then doesn't it mean the apes have the upper hand?I stumble and growl out in pain when I suddenly feel a sharp unbearable pain on my right flank. I touch the place and subconsciously look down at my hand. What was I expecting to see? Blood? I wonder.Almost immediately, I feel another ripping pain on my l
The moment I rise to follow the rest a strong hand holds me back. I turn to look at the person and I see Thor looking down at me, clearly looking worried. I wonder if he had been behind me all this while. I couldn't have known since our essence had been masked by Lily so the enemies wouldn't be able to smell our presence.I try to switch my grim expression into a smile but I'm not sure I manage to successfully pull it off. "Baby, we...""Do you remember what we talked about when I got my Thor power?" He hurriedly asks, cutting me off mid-sentence I frown, trying to recall that particular conversation "About control?" I ask He nods"Yes, about control. You're Goddess Sif. The chosen one of House Howell and a Lycan. If the time comes then don't be afraid to summon and use your powers. Control is in the mind. You control your powers with what your mind will and wish for. It will do what you ask it to do. It will harm or kill anyone you wish to harm or kill, you understand me!?" H