Xavier and I walked toward the front of the house, and I couldn't help but stare at its condition. It looked abandoned, almost like a haunted house. A big, rusty padlock kept the place locked, and it seemed like no one had stepped foot on the property in years."So, what now?" Xavier asked, looking around. We were at a dead end. Aunt Julie was probably the last person to own the house, and without her, who else could help us get inside?"We could climb the wall," I suggested, eyeing the average height walls.Xavier raised an eyebrow. "You’re not seriously suggesting we trespass, are you?""Don’t judge me. And don’t act like you’ve never trespassed before," I said, raising a finger playfully. "And before you say you haven’t, remember who did a ritual to get into a nightclub with me, uninvited."Xavier shut his mouth, clearly defeated. She was right. Besides the nightclub incident, I knew how many times he'd gone to extreme lengths to get information for his pack.Before we could plan m
Zoe's POVMy head was pounding as if I had a hangover. I did not remember drinking enough to have a hangover since MJ's twentieth birthday party. I groggily opened my eyes. I tried to bring my hand up to my face to rub my eyes and focus but I couldn't move my hands."Xavier?" I called out trying not to panic just yet.I remembered going to Riverwoods and staying with the old couple that I thought were weird for some reason but Xavier didn't. I remembered ditching the tour guide Jonny to investigate Aunt Julie's old home. And then, I had opened a door and fainted because there was something else mixed with dust. "Xavier?!" I called out again, my voice conveying the panic I was trying to control because everything was too dark to see anything to know where we were. I only knew that I was sitting in a chair and my hands and feet were tied too tight for even my super strength."Zoe?!" I heard him."Xavier!" I called back."Zoe, Goddess, are you okay?" He asked.He was worried about me wh
Warning: The contents of this chapter contain mentions of trauma, child abuse, and torture. Reader discretion is advised.]Xavier's POVMy instincts are rarely ever wrong. I should've listened to Zoe. I should've been more careful. I need to get out of here.'Or maybe, you should shut up for a second so, at least, one of us can think of a plan!' Spike said sarcastically as he paced around in my head, making me feel dizzier than I already was.I wanted to give him a satisfactory answer but the truth was, being bonded beyond escape brought traumatizing memories for me. It was becoming hard to keep my cool as Mr. Hill showed up with his caring smile followed closely by Jonny who was pushing a trolley full of various surgical instruments, butcher tools, and herbs.I knew well what was coming next.He asked questions, I either stayed silent, asked a question in return, or replied with sarcasm. None of those were appreciated by Mr. Hill. Who soon lost patience and threw his first punch.I i
Zoe's POV"You know you can stop it all, you just have to tell us what you were looking for. Who sent you? We've got nothing else to do. So, either get comfortable or start talking." Lilian said as she handed yet another tool to Mrs. Hill.The metal itself wasn't toxic to me, but the way she peeled my skin and poured vinegar on my exposed muscle, made me scream.My scream was accompanied by Xavier's scream from the adjacent room. The fact that we were so close and getting tortured simultaneously, brought little comfort.I wanted to tell them that nobody sent us, but I was so angry, all that came out was a bloody sneer, "Screw you," That seemed to enrage the women more.Mrs. Hill slapped me hard across the face with a hand covered in silver chains. It slashed my cheek open making me groan. I realized as soon as they had started with me that they expected me to be a werewolf. They were using wolfsbane and silver. But those things didn't hurt me the way they would a normal werewolf and Mr
Zoe's POVI was shocked and confused for a second before I realized something was wrong.Lilian stood with a grimace on her face looking at the necklace that had fallen from her hands. Mrs. Hill was still leaning over me with a glare full of hatred and ready to tear my heart out. But they weren't moving. I watched them for a hot minute, "Um, guys, in the middle of torture here?" I tried.Nothing.They looked like they had suddenly turned into statues. I focused my hearing on their hearts and I heard two hearts. They were alive. But they weren't moving. Why weren't they moving?It didn't matter. What mattered was that I had gotten the chance that I was waiting for.I bent down, trying to get to the I.V.s in my wrists. After removing them painfully, I sighed. It was going to take a while to flush out all the poison that they had pumped into me. "Dahlia?" I called out to her since I hadn't heard from her in a while.'I'm here,' She replied. She did not sound well."I need to get out of
Xavier and I stumbled through the dark, endless hallways, the air heavy with exhaustion and poison."I thought that bastard said we were in the Simmons house. This doesn’t look like any Simmons house I know. It’s huge," Xavier groaned beside me. He tried not to lean on me too much, but I could tell he was just as tortured as I was—if not more. But I knew if he let go, we’d both end up on the floor.We were exhausted, pumped full of poison, and I was definitely feeling it more than Xavier. But it didn’t matter. We were both barely functioning, needing time to heal in a safe space where no one could find us."I see a light," I whispered, trying to push myself forward, even though my body screamed for rest.We shuffled from one hallway to the next. Blood stains and claw marks were smeared on the floors and walls, making me wonder just what kind of horrors the humans had been up to in this place.Ahead, we saw stairs. Xavier muttered, "I thought the Simmons house was supposed to be one st
Xavier and I hid behind the wall as we watched a man and a boy change a flat tire. It was going to take them a while, but we didn’t have that much time.While they were busy, we dragged each other to the back of the truck and climbed in, hiding behind some crates. We needed to wait until they finished with the tire and then get out of this cursed village as fast as we could."Eddie, put your back into it. This is Riverwoods. We can’t be seen here," the older man said."Why not? What’s in Riverwoods?" Eddie, the boy, asked.The man paused for a second before answering, "Rumors say something dark happened here about ten years ago. Since then, there’s something off about the people.""Like what?" Eddie asked."Help me change the tire and stop asking so many damn questions," the man snapped.Xavier rested his head on the truck wall as I curled up beside him, keeping the backpack close. I laid my head on his shoulder and watched as the big gash on his arm healed slowly. The blood had stopp
I could barely keep my balance as we walked. We were both exhausted. We needed to make sure the cabin wasn’t a trap before we let our guard down. As much as I wanted to drink from the stream, we had to be careful."Keep watch," Xavier said. He approached the cabin and peered through the windows, but the curtains blocked his view. He knocked on the door and waited. No smoke came from the chimney. That probably meant the place was empty.After a few more knocks, Xavier mind-linked me. I’m going in. No one’s here."Wait, what if it’s a trap?" I asked, rushing to stop him."It’s too late. I’m already inside," Xavier replied. "It’s empty.""Xavier!" I scolded him. "We can’t afford to be reckless!""There’s no one here. I would’ve sensed them," Xavier said, walking inside like it was no big deal. I followed, shaking my head.The cabin was simple. A couch, a hammock near the window, and a small kitchen with a fridge and oven. A fireplace looked like it worked.I searched the cabinets for a f
Zoe's POV"This is good," I complimented, taking another bite of the lobster sandwich."Mr. Malarkey is among the best chefs in this hemisphere. He comes from a long line of chefs loyal to Blood Crescent for generations." The way Xavier spoke about the chef made me feel like he was the kind of Alpha
Zoe's POVXavier and I spent the rest of the day packing up and getting ready to leave the cabin. We took a quick lunch break and then loaded up Xavier's car.The hours we spent on the road going to the pack center where the Shaw Mansion stood in all its glory, felt nostalgic. It hadn't been very lo
Zoe's POVXavier was looking at me expectantly. He was waiting for an answer. And at that moment, I loved him so much that I would follow him anywhere if he held my hands the way he was holding them. He had so many problems and wasn't afraid to make me his knowing how many problems were on my tail.
Xavier's POVI knew I should've told Zone about not keeping Claire in the dungeons. It had been a momentary decision because she was still dear to me and I was so shocked at her betrayal. And then, everything else happened and I couldn't move her or expose her yet. It was not like I was hiding the
Zoe's POVBy the time we reached the cabin, a light sprinkle had started. I liked this light summer rain. It made everything look cleaner and fresher as if breathing new life into nature. I loved the smell of wet soil. I also liked how pleasant the weather became after the rain. It was the thunders
Zoe's POVAfter yesterday's activities, Xavier and I slept in each other's arms. For the first time in a long time, I didn't have any nightmares. I slept like a log and woke up with a smile on my face. And it was all thanks to my mate, my Alpha. Xavier's face was tranquil. I had missed seeing this
Xavier's POVI have no idea how I survived without Zoe's touch for as long as did. Was it possible to die due to starvation of mate's touch? I didn't know and I wasn't going to test it either because I had no intention of ever letting her go.It didn't matter how much I tried to worship her body. It
Zoe's POVNow that it was just me and Xavier in the cabin, neither of us knew what to say. I kept thinking of how to start the conversation. We had a lot to talk about, but where to begin?"How have you been?" Xavier asked, tentatively stepping forward.After being with him for months, I wanted to t
Zoe's POVThe more Xavier talked the more I tried not to panic. I knew things were bad, I hadn't realized they were this bad. A part of me felt guilty because all of it could've been avoided if Xavier hadn't left to support me. As much as I appreciated his presence after Dad's death, I never wanted