Marise's PovWe collected our stuff from the cabin and returned to our new home. All this felt like a dream, and I was sure I would soon wake up. How could it be that Ramon had been alive all this time?"I'm so excited for you, Marise," Edira said, and I smiled back. "And now we need to find your mate too," I replied, and Edira raised her eyebrows. "I don't have a mate, Marise. I'm half-wolf,""Of course, you have a mate, Edira. You wouldn't have Aesira if you didn't. All wolves are bonded to someone by fate," I replied reassuringly, pleading with the higher powers that I was speaking truthfully.Edira was my favorite person; I wanted her to feel how I felt. She deserved all the good things in life."I'm not expecting anything, so I won't be disappointed when I end up alone the rest of my life,""Hey! Stop that. And IF you don't have a mate, you can still be with someone. Don't close your heart before trying. I am blessed to get another chance with Ramon. And I know you are blessed wit
Edira's PovDays passed, and I established myself well in my new home. Marise spent most of her day loving Ramon, letting me practice my magic with Baldo. We had already become great friends, and we had fun casting spells. He was very good with the elements in general, except fire, the only element he could not see. But he was astonished when he saw me manage the water rather well."Interestingly, fire is your solid element, but you can handle the opposite, water, with no struggle."" Get to the point?" I replied. "I don't think fire is your solid element; you're everything, Edira. You can provoke a storm, rain, move the ground, and throw fireballs when you're on fire?" "Oh? I never thought of that. I thought any magician could do that?" Baldo shook his head. "No. It is very rare, and it's amazing!" It really was. "How come you know so much about this? Who taught you?" I asked little curious. "My mom left a lot of literature for me, and I have learned much from Niebla." "Who is N
Marise's PovI heard Nejla before she knocked on the door, and I could feel her anger seeking its way inside.But that soothed me. Because an angry wolf is a blinded wolf.Although, I was not going to undermine her beforehand.Ricco had told me she fought dirty for a reason, and I had little experience.I was stronger than her, but it won't mean anything in the ring if I couldn't put my strength into motion.Ramon let her in, and I saw her eyes widen when she saw me, but then she pinned me down with an angry pose. "I, Nejla Dorez, challenge you, Luna Marise, to claim your title in the Ring of Fire."She stated, loud and clear. I smiled at her and replied without hesitation, "I, Luna Marise, accept your challenge.""Good. Within an hour." Nejla crushed and hurriedly left the house.I breathed deeply, sat on the chair, and felt Ramon's hand on my shoulder.Edira's Pov"Are you out of your mind?" I screamed at Marise when I saw her in Ramon's office. "What?" she replied, which made me ev
Marise's Pov I went round after round on the tracks, trying to justify what I had just done. Why do I feel so guilty? I didn't want to kill her. But if I hadn't, I would be dead right now. But was my life worth more than hers?"Something's wrong with me," I said to myself, and I was pretty sure I was the only werewolf with a conscience. "Nothing's wrong with us," said Rona, "We did what we needed to do to survive and defend our title."I sighed, knowing she was right.The darkness came, I felt a bit lighter, and my energy faded.Ramons Pov"Why can't I reach her?" I muttered, trying to reach Marise through the mental connection, but she wouldn't stop blocking me.I started getting worked up. Marise won the fight, so how come she's ignoring me now?I began to lose patience and asked for an explanation for this ludicrous disappearance and silent treatment.Edira's Pov"Where the hell is Marise?" Ramon angrily uttered when he stepped into my room while I was changing. "What the fuck?
Marise's Pov I went back and forth inside the condo, reflecting on the encounter with Ramon and Ricco... I was so confused. "Marise?" I overheard Edira calling my name while knocking on the door, "Hey!" I said when I opened it for her, and she stepped inside the hall. "What's going on?" asked Edira, and they stared at me, confused. "What do you mean?" I replied and frowned. "Ramon's acting crazy, and Ricco packed his bags and left."" He left?" I replied nervously,"That's your concern?" Edira said and wrinkled her nose. "What about your crazy mate?" Edira added, "What the hell is going on, Marise?" Edira sighed and fell on her back across the bed. "I don't know that myself?" I mumbled and lay down next to her side.We lay in silence for a while, and my thoughts were dispersed. Why did Ricco leave? And why did I feel so strongly connected to him? What the hell was Ramon on about? He was out of his mind before..."Do you believe that you can have more than one mate?" I asked, a
Ricco's Pov I have stayed away for a month, a whole fucking month. My mind is going wild; my wolf is crying, begging me to return to Marise. But I can't. She's my brother's...mate...I don't know why I feel like this. The only thing I can wish for is to find my mate, so this madness can stop... Because we can't be destined, Marise and I... That's impossible.This was so fucking unfair, and I don't know what I did to deserve feeling like this towards someone's other mate...I glanced out over the busy streets of Barcelona, wishing that this would all go away. Ramon's Pov"Marise? Look at me!" I shouted, and I clenched my fist when she kept ignoring me. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I hissed, and Marise gasped, "What's wrong with me? How about you answer me what the hell is wrong with you? Do you really think I wanna interact with an ignorant, obnoxious man-child? The way you keep raising your tone at me? Namecalling? Where's the respect? The understanding? Don't you have any s
Marise's Pov I was so tired of running, but I couldn't stop myself from doing so. It felt like someone was controlling me from the outside, making me go forward. I was running through the woods quickly with the wind in my hair. I saw the nightfall come and the sunrise before me.And then I saw the face of the man I never wanted to cross paths with again. "There she is," Orfeo said with a smirk, and my brain screamed for me to turn around, but my legs forced me to go forward. "Bojana," He uttered and then glanced down at the petite lady standing next to his side, "It's time," He muttered, and the lady nodded before she stepped before me and hung a necklace around my neck. "With this necklace, now I seal this soul, loveless, fearless, and no emotions to longer grow. May this soul forever be dark, to never feel any more sparks or talk." Bojana kept mumbling, and I wanted to tell her off, but my whole inside froze. I couldn't move or speak. "Perfect," Orfeo mumbled when Bojana stepped
3 days since Marise was taken - Edira's Pov. The days passed by with no trace of Marise. Ricco had left the pack with two trackers hoping to find clues to where she was being taken. Ricco left Delta Rafaela in charge since Ramon could not rule the pack in his condition.Ramon was locked inside his bedroom due to his wrestling pain. The pain increased and was getting worse with every passing day. His whines shook the pack's ground, and the wolves ran with their tails lowered as their Alpha's pain weighed down their souls.But this also meant that Marise was in the same pain. I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks at the thought of Marise in the hands of that monster. Our worst fear had become our reality. Baldo and I tried to find a way to help Ramon, but we were stuck.No spell we had tried had helped him, and I feared that this was something that couldn't be stopped easily.Baldo introduced me to Niebla during this time.She was a very remarkable little woman. Her dark skin w
Juliana's Pov I cast a defense spell, which created a temporary opening through the shield, but we had to be quick before it closed again. "This way," I shouted as we entered the building where she was held. I let my force of energy freeze every guard in our way, and we rushed up the stairs to the second floor. "Grab her, Valentino!" I screamed once I kicked open the door, turned, and threw a defense spell at the witch and a colossal werewolf coming down the hallway. I already knew they would come, and we would make it out, but I would be drained for days after this rescue mission. Valentino had the girl in his arms, and we exited the building and zoomed out of the shield, running the fastest we ever had before. This was it; now we had to keep running until we reached the highest point in the northern parts of Norway, and it was a long run ahead of us.Ricco's Pov The hellhounds were on our trail, and I had never felt this much adrenaline rush through my system. They were incre
Edira's Pov "What do you mean we have to warn Ricco? What's going on? Did you have a vision?" Baldo asked, and I nodded. "Yes, I did. I saw Ricco getting hurt, and it did not end well!" I replied, and Baldo gulped. "This will not end well, Edira. I can feel it. With Ramon and Ricco gone, the pack will face a dark future ahead." Baldo sighed. "I need to warn Ricco, Baldo." I replied, and I closed my eyes and put all my energy into connecting Ricco. My body was trembling, and I repeated the words repeatedly, determining for him to hear me.Baldo placed his hands above my arms, channeling his energy with mine.Ricco's PovWe had been running over these mountains for days, and it was getting harder to get ahead.More wolves were sent out to take us down, and the battles grew more challenging. I had a hunch that something was coming at us, something dark. I wanted to save Marise but knew I might need Edira to help us find the Black Shadow Pack's hiding and take down whatever was coming
Ramon's Pov. "Make it stop!" I growled to Edira when I felt my neck burn like it was set on fire. I had been tortured ever since Marise was taken, and it was getting insufferable. My body was weakened, leaving me vulnerable. And if it came out that the Alpha of the El Eclipse de Luna pack is weak, and his brother wasn't there to protect him in the presence... It would not end well. I saw Edira freeze in the movement, and the feeling of something warm was dripping down my neck. "I don't understand," Edira mumbled, her eyes fixated on my neck. Baldo frowned, and it looked like something clicked for him. "Mirrored pain...." Baldo mumbled, "What does that mean?" I growled at him, feeling the neck of my skin being torn off me. "I can't describe in detail for the moment, but I think it means that a mated pair will experience the same physical pain through a dark spell, but I don't know how it works in practice." Baldo stammered. Edira's Pov. Mirrored pain... If that was the cause,
Edira's Pov"There must be something we are missing here," I mused, glancing over the ocean. I could see Baldo nod and sigh in the corner of my eye. Marise had been gone for weeks, and my hope sank daily. I felt like the biggest failure. How could this happen? We were so careful.I finally thought everything was going to be okay. "It's not your fault, you know. Stop blaming yourself." Baldo mumbled, and I felt his hand on my arm. "I know that in my heart, but my mind tells me otherwise... I was so close to getting to her... But I just let her slip away. I don't understand how he got her. Marise would never run to him willingly." Baldo's eyes narrowed, and then he stood up quickly, "There is one spell that can let you take over other beings' will and power, but only a powerful witch could do that. And it would require the use and knowledge of black magic." Baldo clenched his jaw, and I felt my heart drop. "So Orfeo must have had a witch with him? And knowing Orfeo... It can't be
3 days since Marise was taken - Edira's Pov. The days passed by with no trace of Marise. Ricco had left the pack with two trackers hoping to find clues to where she was being taken. Ricco left Delta Rafaela in charge since Ramon could not rule the pack in his condition.Ramon was locked inside his bedroom due to his wrestling pain. The pain increased and was getting worse with every passing day. His whines shook the pack's ground, and the wolves ran with their tails lowered as their Alpha's pain weighed down their souls.But this also meant that Marise was in the same pain. I felt the tears streaming down my cheeks at the thought of Marise in the hands of that monster. Our worst fear had become our reality. Baldo and I tried to find a way to help Ramon, but we were stuck.No spell we had tried had helped him, and I feared that this was something that couldn't be stopped easily.Baldo introduced me to Niebla during this time.She was a very remarkable little woman. Her dark skin w
Marise's Pov I was so tired of running, but I couldn't stop myself from doing so. It felt like someone was controlling me from the outside, making me go forward. I was running through the woods quickly with the wind in my hair. I saw the nightfall come and the sunrise before me.And then I saw the face of the man I never wanted to cross paths with again. "There she is," Orfeo said with a smirk, and my brain screamed for me to turn around, but my legs forced me to go forward. "Bojana," He uttered and then glanced down at the petite lady standing next to his side, "It's time," He muttered, and the lady nodded before she stepped before me and hung a necklace around my neck. "With this necklace, now I seal this soul, loveless, fearless, and no emotions to longer grow. May this soul forever be dark, to never feel any more sparks or talk." Bojana kept mumbling, and I wanted to tell her off, but my whole inside froze. I couldn't move or speak. "Perfect," Orfeo mumbled when Bojana stepped
Ricco's Pov I have stayed away for a month, a whole fucking month. My mind is going wild; my wolf is crying, begging me to return to Marise. But I can't. She's my brother's...mate...I don't know why I feel like this. The only thing I can wish for is to find my mate, so this madness can stop... Because we can't be destined, Marise and I... That's impossible.This was so fucking unfair, and I don't know what I did to deserve feeling like this towards someone's other mate...I glanced out over the busy streets of Barcelona, wishing that this would all go away. Ramon's Pov"Marise? Look at me!" I shouted, and I clenched my fist when she kept ignoring me. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I hissed, and Marise gasped, "What's wrong with me? How about you answer me what the hell is wrong with you? Do you really think I wanna interact with an ignorant, obnoxious man-child? The way you keep raising your tone at me? Namecalling? Where's the respect? The understanding? Don't you have any s
Marise's Pov I went back and forth inside the condo, reflecting on the encounter with Ramon and Ricco... I was so confused. "Marise?" I overheard Edira calling my name while knocking on the door, "Hey!" I said when I opened it for her, and she stepped inside the hall. "What's going on?" asked Edira, and they stared at me, confused. "What do you mean?" I replied and frowned. "Ramon's acting crazy, and Ricco packed his bags and left."" He left?" I replied nervously,"That's your concern?" Edira said and wrinkled her nose. "What about your crazy mate?" Edira added, "What the hell is going on, Marise?" Edira sighed and fell on her back across the bed. "I don't know that myself?" I mumbled and lay down next to her side.We lay in silence for a while, and my thoughts were dispersed. Why did Ricco leave? And why did I feel so strongly connected to him? What the hell was Ramon on about? He was out of his mind before..."Do you believe that you can have more than one mate?" I asked, a
Marise's Pov I went round after round on the tracks, trying to justify what I had just done. Why do I feel so guilty? I didn't want to kill her. But if I hadn't, I would be dead right now. But was my life worth more than hers?"Something's wrong with me," I said to myself, and I was pretty sure I was the only werewolf with a conscience. "Nothing's wrong with us," said Rona, "We did what we needed to do to survive and defend our title."I sighed, knowing she was right.The darkness came, I felt a bit lighter, and my energy faded.Ramons Pov"Why can't I reach her?" I muttered, trying to reach Marise through the mental connection, but she wouldn't stop blocking me.I started getting worked up. Marise won the fight, so how come she's ignoring me now?I began to lose patience and asked for an explanation for this ludicrous disappearance and silent treatment.Edira's Pov"Where the hell is Marise?" Ramon angrily uttered when he stepped into my room while I was changing. "What the fuck?