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
Narrator's POVXavier and Zoe had a choice. They could either walk out of the cabin before the owner returned and spend the cold night in the woods. Or, lock themselves in for the night, hoping that the owner either returned by the day and could be reasoned with or didn't come at all until they were ready to leave. After all, they weren't going to stay there forever. They just needed a place to lie low for a while and let their torn-up bodies heal as their animals felt better too.One look at the cold, dark woods and they instantly chose the second option, praying to the Moon Goddess that the owner wouldn't come during the night at least. They were tired of sleeping in random places during their time on the road. For once, they wanted a real bed without worrying about what the next morning might bring.After the warm, hearty dinner, the two glanced at the hammock and the night spent at Xavier's cabin flashed in both their heads. Zoe closed her mind space before Xavier got any ideas.
Zoe's POVI glanced at Xavier, alarmed. Did he smell that too?Xavier was already scanning the area, his eyes darting around nervously. He quickly got out of the water and started dressing. "I think the cabin owner’s back," I said, rushing toward him.But Xavier didn’t listen. He was already heading toward the source of the scent, moving faster. I worried and linked to him, "What are you doing? We can be seen."Despite my doubts, I grabbed the backpack Xavier had left and jogged after him.“Luca, please tell me it’s you, man,” Xavier called out, his voice carrying into the woods at the edge of the clearing.At first, nothing happened. The usual sounds of the forest echoed back, but no answer.I caught up with Xavier. “Xavier, what’s going on?”“Alpha?!” A voice from the trees responded, uncertain. A man with a big beard and long hair dropped from a tree. He must’ve been watching us from up there for a while.Xavier froze. I could see the recognition in his eyes. This was his beta. But
Luca's POVAs Maisie and I stopped at the safe house, I knew I had to follow protocol and sweep the area.My mistake was not arming Maisie before I left. But, by the time I found myself surrounded by werewolves more powerful than Alphas, I knew it was too late. I had a choice to fight or to flee. It was one against two dozen. I chose to fight. If I fled, who would protect Masie? I had to make sure nobody got to her.The way they were standing, it was clear that they knew the bare minimum of combat. They were all muscle and no technique. So, I fought. But damn those muscles. I am sure now that those werewolf thugs were magically enhanced. There is no other way that a common werewolf would be able to uproot a full-grown tree on a mountain terrain.Before they could kill me off, I decided to run hoping that they would follow me to finish me off and give Maisie time to realize that something was wrong and run away to save herself.But I was only partially right.Those men split up. Some ca
Luca's POVNeil straightened up when the door handle twisted and I could feel his respect and fear for the incoming doctor emanate from him. I still couldn't move a single muscle below my neck and that was reason enough to panic but I had to continue my acting of an amnesic patient. The doctor walked in with a file under her arm as she unwrapped a bright yellow candy, popped it in her mouth, and gave the wrapper to Neil who took it like it was his honor to be her trash can. The woman did not look a day over thirty human years, but since they hadn't freaked out over my healing I knew they were just as supernatural as I. The doctor walked with an air of authority added with a perfect mixture of nonchalance. But, the way her green eyes swept the room and took me in, I knew she was reading the details the way our military training had taught us to. No commoner would be able to know what had happened but I did.I knew I'd have to pretend harder to convince her of my amnesia than Neil. But
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